At Perry Road Baptist Church, we value the words of Jesus to go make disciples. We believe that discipleship starts with our families and grows from out there. Pathways is designed to help parents to raise their children to grow up to be wise adults who love and serve the Lord. Pathways is a system of 7 steps where we can provide training and resources as your baby grows to adulthood. We use materials from Legacy Milestones for the Pathways program.
1. Family Dedication
Your baby didn’t come with a manual, but God has given us principles we can use to raise and train this new life you have been entrusted to raise. This step normally occurs for parents who have children between birth and one year of age. You learn what it means to become your children’s primary disciple-makers and commit to be intentional about teaching and training them in the ways of the Lord. Resources and learning opportunities are provided, and this culminates in a ceremony where you dedicate your child to the Lord. During the ceremony, the church body commits to partner with the you in the faith development of your child for the duration of the journey.
2. Gospel Foundations
An important step in the life of every person is salvation and baptism. This training helps you to know when your child is ready to commit to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This decision point is often reached between the ages of 7 and 11, as your child is learning to read, but may also occur later in life. Between Steps 1 and 2, we partner with and equip you to lead your kids toward a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which leads toward salvation. Attend a seminar that teaches the biblical truth about salvation and baptism, and take advantage of resources to lead family devotions in your home where these principles are taught. We also discuss what it means to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism and give you an opportunity for any family members who have not done so to be baptized.
3. Preparing for Adolescence
This step helps you prepare to lead your child through the upcoming changes that will occur spiritually, emotionally, and physically as they approach adolescence. We can recommend resources to help you intentionally prepare your child to enter the teen years and struggles they may face regarding identity and sexuality. This step is another foundation as they move toward the remaining steps on the road to adulthood.
4. Purity for Life
During Junior High, your child is moving from being a child to being an adult and is faced with confusing influences from the world regarding identity, dating and sexuality. We are here to help you address these issues from a biblical perspective. We provide resources to help you guide your child through these years, with the goal that your child will follow God’s path for their life as they grow in their relationship with God and knowledge of the Bible and Christian principles.
5. Transition to Adulthood
As parents, it’s your job to equip your children to become men and women of God. At age 16, your child suddenly has the opportunity to become quite a bit more independent as they can get a driver’s license and possibly a part-time job. This step is helping your child about becoming a man or woman of God as they experience this new-found independence. We can equip you to disciple your teens for adulthood. Issues such as spiritual disciplines, the roles of men and women, spiritual gifts, service in the church, and dealing with failure, are some of the issues that will be explored.
6. High School Graduation
As your child approaches the end of High School, they are facing many big life decisions. We want to provide resources to help your young adult develop the practical and spiritual skills to leave home. You can move through this stage in a spiritually healthy way if you continue to keep the lines of communication open with your young adult. Some of the issues you will want to consider are determining God’s will, courtship and marriage, life skills for independent living and basic apologetics. We can help you to write out a spiritual blessing to present to your young adult upon high school graduation. These important years of discipleship are our last chance to shape the faith of our children before they are on their own.
7. Life in Christ
The first few years after high school are often a time of gradual separation from living at home with you and living on their own. Real life begins and the goal is that your young adult grows in relationship with Jesus Christ. You won’t be there by their side for every decision, but if they have a firm foundation, they are more likely to make wise, God-honoring decisions.
