Children & Parenting

Children are highly valued at Bethlehem, and are expected to fulfill certain responsibilities as members of the church. At an evangelical church, children are a key component to spreading Christianity. Pastor John Piper even says outright that Bethlehem’s “aim in the coming decades will be to breed children and young people here at Bethlehem who are radically surrendered to Jesus and radically committed to his cause of world evangelization.”

At an evangelical church, children are a key component in spreading Christianity.

As of 2012, nursery care is available for children under three years old at every service, while those four and older are expected and encouraged to join their parents in services. Numerous sermons and church documents are devoted to the roles and expectations for children at Bethlehem. Children are considered a heritage, a gift, and a reward from the Lord, based on Psalm 127:3. Pastor Jason Meyer describes children as an “image of childlikeness, which is true of everyone who enters the kingdom,” and defines childlikeness as “awareness of insufficiency and dependence.” This awareness of insufficiency lends children a certain natural humility.

A Bethlehem elder described childhood as “a season of cultivation and preparation; a season of growth in mature understanding.” To this end, children are treated as regular worshippers in training. Bethlehem has a scripture memorization program, as the church believes that “memorized verses have tremendous potential for promoting spiritual growth.” In 2012, Preschool and Kindergarten-aged children received an initial prize for memorizing five ‘Foundation Verses’, and smaller rewards for every subsequent five verses memorized. 

Children are also encouraged to become active sermon listeners by taking notes alongside their parents. Piper stated: “Taking notes” grows up as the child does. At first he draws pictures of what he hears in the sermon...Later he may want to copy letters or words from the Scripture passage for the morning...Before you might expect it, he will probably be outlining the sermon and noting whole concepts.” Young children are not held accountable for their faith at first, but they “gradually become more and more accountable for believing what is true and doing what is right.” Teenagers are expected to read their Bible and pray every day, and many participate in mission trips. Older children are especially encouraged to spread the word of Christ. Church elders wrote: “Before graduating, young people should embrace the vision of passing on faith to their own generation and to the generations to come.”

Children are expected to be as faithful and God-centered as their parents; they are often referred to as ‘disciples.’ Parents are responsible for raising their children with a God-centered worldview, with an understanding that the Bible is a book about God, rather than about men like Abraham or Moses. Children should fear and love God, which “is more easily cultivated in children that have a healthy love and fear of their parents.” Parents are to both teach and model the identity of Christians in Christ, and having children in services with their parents allows children to “catch the spirit and form of their parent’s worship.” Having children at Sunday service is also part of “a broader concern that children be reared so that they are “submissive and respectful in every way.”

Mothers and fathers are given different responsibilities in teaching their children about God. A 2012 document on child-rearing stated: “Fathers bear a special responsibility in teaching the children...Mothers are to support and help and may even have some superior gifts in this matter of teaching the children…” This division of responsibility is based on Ephesians 6:1-4, which says: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Mothers, however, are described as “Christ’s ambassadors to [children],” and child-rearing is one of their three main duties, according to Bethlehem’s doctrine of biblical submission.

Bethlehem has a program on educating children about Christianity called ‘Education for Exultation’. It has three main directives: parents educate their children; the Church is a partner with the parents in educating children; and the Church helps equip the parents and others to educate the children. Parenting therefore is a primary focus at Bethlehem, with parenting workshops and seminars offered regularly.

Sermons and webpages the above work is based on: 

Jason Meyer, “The Next Generation,” Bethlehem Baptist, March 15, 2014, https://bethlehem.church/sermon/the-next-generation/.

John Piper, “One Generation Shall Praise Your Works to Another,” Desiring God, March 19, 2000, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/one-generation-shall-praise-your-works-to-another.