The class is a unique 30-minute Gospel presentation about becoming part of God’s family. The child comes with his or her parents/guardians to the class. For families with two parents/guardians, we strongly urge both to attend as they are both responsible for guiding their child spiritually.
Parents/Guardians should work with their child to memorize John 3:16 prior to coming to the class: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
The family will hear a presentation based on John 3:16 about becoming part of God’s family that uses a large family photo album as a visual aid. The four main points taught include:
- God loved you before you were born and loves you now but you are separated by sin.
- God gave His son to make a way for you to be in God’s family.
- We believe in Jesus and rest in the fact that He died for us.
- We receive eternal life and can never lose our place in God’s family.
At Home
At the end of the class, parents/guardians receive "Race Notes" which is a resource for continuing the conversation at home. Race Notes includes questions about the 4 main points that parents/guardians should discuss with their child and work with him or her to answer. Also included are tips for parents/guardians and a sample prayer for starting a personal relationship with Christ.
We believe that God intended for parents/guardians to be the primary spiritual trainers in their child’s life. An hour a week spent in Kid’s Quest can not compare with the number of hours parents/guardians have with their children at home. Parents/guardians need to be there when their child is ready to start a relationship with Christ and need to guide them in taking the next steps to grow towards becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ. For this reason, children will not be invited to pray to receive Christ in the class. This privilege is reserved for the parent/guardian to do with their child at home.
Parents/guardians will be notified of upcoming dates for the next three parts of Starting Zone. However, helping your child complete and understand the answers in their Race Notes is your first obligation. Our scheduled dates are not a substitute for God’s timing. The goal is not to get your child baptized. The goal is to have true and meaningful conversations with your child about Christ. Be praying and looking for the opportunities that the Holy Spirit sends your way to have these conversations. And follow the Holy Spirit’s lead regarding your child’s readiness to move towards being baptized.
Baptism readiness is a child who can articulate on his or her own a clear understanding of what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ and who demonstrates a desire to publicly declare that they believe and trust in Jesus. When your child can articulate an understanding of what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, first stop and celebrate. We suggest taking a photograph to add to your own family album as a remembrance of the day your child joined God’s family.
If your child is not ready to move onto Baptism, we recommend waiting. Pit Stop dates are offered at various times during the year. You may also choose to bring your child back to another Gospel Presentation Class. Again, you can never have too many conversations with your child about their relationship with Christ.
If you bring more than one child to class, have conversations with each child separately and work on completing separate Race Notes with each. Celebrate each child and discern their readiness for baptism individually.
