Family

Worship including kids and students in the full worship life of our church - Sunday mornings, sacraments, membership, and mission.

 Wednesdays: mid-week discipleship for all areas. We gather on Wednesdays with every age and grade to present the gospel of Jesus in teaching and circle up in small groups to create community. Our heart is for every kid and student to be heard, known, and pointed to Jesus. This night is the keystone for kids ministries and student ministries - but there’s lots more to them beyond Wednesdays. But these leaders are your best partners in our church! 

Occasional Ministry efforts like our Endurance Parenting Series Events (topic-focused seminars to equip and encourage our whole community), family discipleship, MOPS, celebrating milemarkers, parent summits focused around kids of a certain age, and of course: the whole shape of our mens’ and womens’ ministries and adult discipleship.  

Embrace Ministry. One of the best and unique features of Signal Pres is our church’s welcome and support for those with disabilities - whether preschoolers, children, youth, or adults - within the context of any church programming. This may look like one-to-one support, use of a sensory room, or the creation of an individualized support plan that allows a family or individual to participate successfully in the life of the church.

Baptism is a sign of God’s covenant grace, one given to believers and their households. As Peter said in Acts 2:39, the promised fulfillment we have in Jesus Christ is “for you and your children and all who are far off.” It is God’s kindness to us to give us this sign of faith and means of grace to mark his people and sustain them in faithfulness. We practice baptism for all who profess faith in Jesus Christ and we baptize their infants and young children. We teach a monthly Baptism 101 seminar for anyone interested - just show up! 

At Signal Pres, we keep kids with us in worship services once they reach the age of kindergarten. (Our Kingdom Kids for 4s, 5s, and PreK ages runs most Sundays for the last half of each service). It is a good gift to worship with your kids and with the church. We know how hard it can be when you are sitting there with younger kids… but we also know how important it is they join in praise and prayer and hear God’s word. Their hearts and habits are formed in this weekly rhythm, and you will be amazed at what they pick up and learn from watching you participate with a full heart.

What about the Lord’s supper? As we say every month, this isn’t our meal or our church’s meal; it belongs to the Lord, and he makes the invitation. Participating in communion is for those who believe in him in faith.  At Signal Pres we welcome and encourage kids to participate in the sacrament of the Lord’s supper when they have been baptized; they believe in Jesus; and they grasp a basic understanding of the nature of this sacrament: that it is a sign of Jesus body and blood, given for them, in both remembering his death and looking forward to his coming again.  
 

Because parents have the primary charge to disciple their children, we encourage you to determine whether your children are ready to profess their faith. Children often express a natural interest in God and that gives you a great starting point for discussion. At certain times in kids and student ministry at Signal Pres, we’ll teach about faith in Jesus and call them to trust in Him! But remember that God loves your kids even more than you do, and his Spirit speaks to their hearts at ways and times beyond your control or influence. A common profession of faith in Jesus will usually be able to share four things: who Jesus is, why we need him, what Jesus has accomplished, and how we are called to respond in faith and repentance. God by his spirit can work this in children at all ages… and as a church, we formally encourage that through our Disciple Class.  

 Disciple Class is a 12-week course we lead each year, open to anyone in 5th grade and older. It’s designed to prepare students to make a public profession of faith in Jesus and teach them the basics of what we believe and how we live as followers of Jesus. Upon completing that course, students declare their faith in Jesus Christ and become members at Signal Pres. (If not baptized as young children, they’d be baptized on the day they join!) We desire to see believing students become members of Christ’s body and take up their role in worship, community, and mission. We never pressure anyone into that: we work with you as parents and your students to know if they are ready. For more thoughts on how to know if your son or daughter is ready for Disciple, click through to Disciple Class and common questions.  

Associate Pastor of Families

Director of Student Discipleship