EDUCATION COMMITTEE MANDATE

Purpose:  

The mission of Faith CRC includes a goal “to grow in wisdom and knowledge.”  In particular, Faith Church’s Mission and Vision Statement declares that “Faith is committed to developing lives disciplined by Bible study, meditation, and prayer.  Our educational programs, which are founded upon the confessions of our Reformed heritage, combine with sound Biblical preaching to nurture growth in wisdom and discernment so that all worshipers, young and old, may be ‘thoroughly equipped for every good work’ (II Tim. 3:17).”

Scripture clearly teaches that education and intellectual development of Christians is vital to our task as God’s people.  The Christian life requires ongoing study and growing maturity in our understanding of Christian faith and theology.  We are not called simply to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  This is why the apostle Paul wrote that Christ called apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-13).  The writer of Hebrews chides his audience for being “slow to learn.”  They should have been “teachers [but] you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again” (Heb. 5:11-14).  The author of Hebrews calls for study of scripture that deepens over time and does not repeat the same basic instruction.  Basic instruction included “the foundation for repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:1-2).  Instead, the author wants his mature believers to be prepared to consider instruction regarding Melchizedek, the high priest, a shadowy figure who appears in the book of Genesis.  This is the “solid food for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14).

It is important, then, to keep in mind that once we become Christians, we still face the long challenge of being sanctified (II Peter 1:5-9; Belgic Confession, Art. 24).  Education plays a vital role in feeding the members of Faith a well-balanced diet that begins with “milk” and increasingly consists of “solid food.”

Therefore, the goal of the Education Committee is to develop and maintain an educational program which provides instruction and guidance for all members of Faith CRC, those who are yet infants in the faith and those who are growing in maturity.