Vision Summary
Our vision is for the next generation to be passionately following Jesus.
Vision Statement
To ignite a passion in the next generations at College Park Church to follow Jesus with the aim to be God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent, Bible-saturated, doctrinally-grounded, faith-filled, mission-minded, spiritually-mature men and women of God.
God-centered
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).
Our aim is that the next generation will recognize the supremacy of God and embrace his ultimate purpose to glorify himself in all things. We long for the next generation to live lives that manifest that purpose by desiring him, fearing him, delighting in him, obeying him, trusting him, admiring him and being completely satisfied in him more than anything else, and declaring his glory from generation to generation.
Our prayer is that:
- our children would read the Bible with God-centered eyes to the glory of his name
- the attention of our children would be drawn to God
- the next generation will worship, admire and exalt the splendor and majesty of God forever and ever
- they would pursue a God-centered vision for their lives (Rom. 11:36)
- they would fear God and delight in all his ways (Deut. 10:12)
- the centrality of God will be a constant refrain in all that we do for the next generations
- together with all of creation our children would declare the glory of God and to honor his name forever (Isa. 43:7)
Christ-exalting
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).
Our aim is that the words, thoughts, decisions, and deeds of our children will be done in the name of Christ, by his power, and according to his grace, so that in everything Christ might be preeminent (Col. 1:18) and be glorified in them and they in him as their supreme treasure (Rom. 11:36; Col. 3:17; 2 Thess. 1:11-12).
Our prayer is that:
- the next generations might possess a deep and abiding love for Christ (John 15:4-6)
- Jesus Christ might be their Lord, their Savior, their King and their greatest treasure
- the next generation would taste and see the all-satisfying glory of our Lord Jesus Christ
- Christ might be for our children the ever-present and highest aim of all their actions and thoughts and feelings
- the feet of our children will one day stand before the throne and before the Lamb and their ears will hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:23).
Spirit-dependent
“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:3-5).
Our aim is that our children will learn to rely on the Holy Spirit for strength in weakness, boldness in witness, hope in adversity and power to live lives that are rooted in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; (Gal. 5:22-23) and obtain the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:18-19).
Our prayer is that:
- our children would have unleashed energy, creativity, and gifts for the sake of the gospel and the joy of the generations to come
- our children would be unyielding to the “spirit of the age” (1 Cor. 2:12)
- their thoughts, conduct, and character that have the aroma of Christ (2 Cor. 2:15)
- they would have minds that dwell on things which are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8)
Bible-saturated
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2).
Our aim is that the next generation will be joyfully immersed in the Bible through study, meditation, and memorization making them wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). We desire that the Word would shape their understanding of God, themselves, and the world in which they live—influencing every area of their lives including their conversations, prayers, thoughts, affections, counsel, decisions, attitudes, opinions and priorities.
Our conviction is that:
- it is through the revelation given to us in the Bible that our children learn who God is, what he has done, his good purposes, how he saves his people from their sin, and how we are to rightly respond to him (2 Tim. 3:16-17; John 20:31)
- we must teach children to correctly read and understand the Bible, encouraging them toward thoughtful examination and careful interpretation of Bible passages
Our prayer is that our children would:
- possess a storehouse of Bible verses committed to memory
- have unshakable confidence in God’s unchanging Word
- rightly handle the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15)
- be grounded in the Word of God
- have speech that is seasoned with the Word of God flowing out of a storehouse of memorized Scripture
- embrace the Bible for the treasure that it is
- know the Bible from childhood, so they can know the God of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:15) and be Bible-saturated people who look for answers to the questions of life in the book of life
- be Bible-saturated people who have an ever-present counselor, comforter, and interpreter
Our vision is to:
- raise up from our nurseries another generation of Bible-saturated men and women of God who passionately follow our Lord Jesus Christ
- partner with parents to teach the Word of God so that our children will know the Word of God and passionately follow our Lord Jesus Christ
- acquaint our children with as much of Scripture as they can absorb rather than bore them with shallow presentations of watered-down truth
- to see an aged man, silenced and immobilized by a stroke yet clinging with joy to a verse he has known from childhood—“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25-26).
Doctrinally-grounded
“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
Our aim is that the next generation will be equipped for seeing, understanding and embracing the whole counsel of God, and the glory of his attributes, the splendor of his majesty, the perfection of his ways, the beauty of the gospel according to his redemptive purposes, so that they can know him for who he is and trust him for all that he has promised; discern anything contrary to his Word and his will and be well-equipped for the work of the ministry.
Our conviction is that we must:
- teach children all the essential doctrines of the Christian faith (Col. 1:28; Acts 20:26-28; Titus 2:1) and strive to impart the whole counsel of God through a Bible-story based chronological exposure to the Bible, a biblical theology of the main storyline of the Bible, a systematic theology of foundational doctrines, exposure to the Bible as moral instruction and ethical theology, an explicit presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and to teach them the skills to rightly understand and interpret the Bible.
- give our children big truths that are expressed and explained through easily understood terms and illustrations
- resist avoiding difficult doctrines, but teach them in a manner that is age-appropriate and creatively engaging in the hope that the Holy Spirit will grant understanding and growth through the faithful teaching of the Word (Acts 20:26-28; 2 Tim. 2:7)
- aim for our children to be firmly established in faith and doctrine so that they might be secure in their convictions, unyielding to the “spirit of the age” and faithful to Christ
Our belief is that:
- right theology sustains authentic doxology
- education undergirds exultation
- what is learned in childhood is often retained for a lifetime
All this is to the end that our children might have truth-shaped appetites, attitudes, and actions.
Faith-filled
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
Our aim is that the next generation will be equipped for living by faith in the Son of God, walking in his ways, trusting him in every circumstance, standing firm against the schemes of the devil, holding fast with confidence in his goodness, resting in his sovereignty, running with endurance the race that is set before us, persevering in the full assurance of hope, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, faithful to the end.
Our prayer is that the next generation would:
- unshakably stand upon on the promises of God
- possess an enduring faith that will remain steadfast when inevitable trouble comes (Ps. 125:1)
- be equipped to weather the storms of life
- know the testimony and the work of God and arise and tell them to their children, so that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God (Ps. 78:7)
Spiritually mature
“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28).
Our aim is that the next generation will walk in the wisdom of God with simplicity, godly sincerity, self-control and sober-mindedness possessing the discernment to distinguish good from evil (Heb. 5:14); and be grown up in every way into Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).
Our prayer is that our children:
- are able to embrace and apply a biblical understanding of manhood and womanhood
- are disciplined in worship, study, prayer, and ministry
- are well-integrated into the life and ministry of the church
- understand and effectively using their gifts
- develop and maintain strong, life-giving, balanced relationships with peers, parents, and other adults
- are inspired by the example of parents, nursery workers, Sunday School teachers, and youth leaders who faithfully impart the full counsel of God
- are equipped, encouraged, inspired, and supported to raise their children in the faith
Mission-minded
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
Our aim is that the next generation will be courageous, well-equipped, gospel-telling, world-Christians who can winsomely engage the culture for the sake of Christ and who are devoted to advancing the glory of God and the spreading of his praise for the joy of the nations, the neighborhoods, and the generations to come.
Our prayer is that our children would:
- be informed and invested in proclaiming Christ to the nations
- thoughtfully, winsomely, and fruitfully engage in the “Next Door Mission” of the church
- live courageously in the world even under pressure to conform
- influence culture for the sake of Christ
- labor with joy and a sense of calling on their lives
- Be Bible-based, prayer-soaked, and mission-grounded in passion for the glory of God
To the end that the next generation might know the praiseworthy deeds of God. And arise and tell them to their children (Ps. 78:6).