2015 Ministry Plan
Family Ministry

The mission of our family ministry is to partner with families in raising children to love Jesus and embrace the stories of our faith. As a church, we seek to provide a safe space for parents and children to ask questions and grow as Christians and families. In 2014, we experienced a tremendous amount of transition, welcoming a new Associate Pastor in September. Our ministry plan for 2014 focused on developing best practices for organization, communication, and connection. 

In 2015, we will continue to keep the practices we developed in 2014 in place as we enter into a visioning process for the future of the ministry beyond 2015. We will begin the year with a visioning session for parents and family ministry leaders to determine how we would like to see children and families grow and develop from the time children are born until they move into the youth group. A pedagogy team, made up of church members with backgrounds in early childhood education, will take the information presented in the visioning session to develop a curriculum and learning contract to drive the ministry going forward. 

2015 Goals 

I. Host visioning session for parents and family ministry leaders. 

• Update: Visioning session held on January 31. 

II. Establish Pedagogy Team to: 

Update: Pedagogy Team established (January 2015), includes Glenna Hess, Shelly Jones, and Elizabeth Martin

1. Determine scope and sequence for children in Broadway’s Family Ministry from birth through fifth grade based on visioning session held on January 31.
   • Update (5/2015): Pedagogy Team drafted missions statement for Family Ministry: Broadway Baptist Church Family Ministry exists to nurture, educate, and support each family to lay the foundation for children to find their place in the story of our faith.
   • Update (5/2015): Pedagogy Team identified JOY (Jesus, Others, and You) as starting place for classroom "guidelines." The children will establish "covenants" within their classrooms using these initial areas. 
   • Update (8/2015): Family Ministry Overview passed out to parents at August parent meeting with scope and sequence of ministry
2. Develop a Learning Contract between parents and the church, detailing what children and parents can expect to learn and how they can expect to develop spiritually during their years in the ministry.
   • Update (8/2015): Learning contract to be presented to parents during parent meeting on August 16
3. Establish best practices for the family ministry, with regards to curriculum choices, age group divisions, teaching strategies, etc.
   • Update (5/2015): Pedagogy Team identified age groups for consideration in developing curriculum around Bible learning, character building, and Christian living: Babies, age 1-3, Pre-K, K-1, grades 2-3, grades 4-5
   • Update (8/2015): Switched from Cokesbury to Smyth and Helwys Faith Steps Sunday School Curriculum

III. Equip teachers and other ministry leaders with resources to teach effectively, providing age-appropriate teaching tools.

• Update: Teacher Training scheduled for August 8
• Update: Teacher Appreciation lunch held on Sunday, May 31
• Update (8/2015): Teacher Training held, led by leader from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

IV. Provide tangible resources at least once a quarter for parents to continue spiritual education at home.

• Update: Emily Holladay taught parenting class on Wednesday nights during spring using book, Parenting in the Pews
• Update (9/2015): Developed weekly e-newsletter for parents/grandparents with resources available
  • Update (9/2015): Weekly e-newsletter includes leaflet that also goes home with the children during Sunday School with activities to do in Sunday School, worship, and at home as a family

V. Provide at least 5 opportunities for children and families to engage in missions activities.

• Update: Family Mission Project held April 19 - children made cookies for homebound members
• Update: VBS planned for June 14-18 with a service project each night
• Update (9/2015): Service in September activities all appropriate for children and families
• Update (9/2015): Children's Sabbath to be mission focused with opportunity for children and families to deliver fall cookies to homebound members

In addition to these overarching goals, we seek to nurture children and family's spiritual development through these ongoing activities and goals associated with each:

I. Sunday School:

1. Increase regular attendance by 5%. 
2. Sunday School teachers to reach out to children by postcard when they have missed two or more Sundays in a row and on birthdays.
3. Pedagogy Team and Associate Pastor to re-evaluate Sunday School curriculum for age appropriateness and applicability to scope and sequence developed by team.
   • Update (5/2015): Pedagogy Team identified age groups for consideration in developing curriculum around Bible learning, character building, and Christian living: Babies, age 1-3, Pre-K, K-1, grades 2-3, grades 4-5
   • Update (8/2015): Switched from Cokesbury to Smyth and Helwys Faith Steps Sunday School Curriculum
4. Redecorate elementary Sunday School area to make area more inviting and engaging.
   • Update (9/2015): New paint on walls in main Sunday School Area
5. Divide elementary children in at least three different age divisions to allow for more age appropriate lessons and developmental teaching.
   • Update (3/2015): New set of Sunday School teachers recruited for Fall 2015. Will have three classrooms for elementary school.
   • Update (8/2015): Children now divided into K/1, 2/3, an 4/5 age groups!

II. Children's Worship and Godly Play:

1. Develop a resource in place of Children's Worship Bags to encourage children to more fully engage in sanctuary worship while they are present.
   • Update (2/2015): Children's Worship Folders created. 
2. Evaluate age appropriateness of Children's Worship and Godly Play and re-structure appropriately.
   • Update (1/2015): All Children's Committee members have participated in and reviewed Children's Worship. 
   • Updates (5/2015): Children's Committee developing new structure for fall 2015.

III. Children's Choir:

1. Goals and updates for Children's Choir can be found in the music and worship ministry plan.

IV. Children's Missions:

1. Create new class in fall for youngest children. 
2. Starting in the fall, incorporate a hands-on missions project for elementary schoolers once a month.
   • Update (9/2015): Service in September is hands-on project