The education program of Peace Church provides a progressive and linear plan that guides and equips students of all ages as they grow and develop in their faith. Following this plan, we expect our students, both children and adults, to exhibit specific, quantifiable, and age-appropriate expected outcomes.
Each learning opportunity offered at Peace Church is part of an integrated and sequential plan to teach the full scope of content necessary to accomplish our learning outcomes. The sequence of material follows a six-stage faith journey. We will be able to assess the success of our education ministry using specific outcomes related to the scope of our education content.
Below, you will find a chart that aligns our spiritual learning outcomes with our faith journey stages, establishing age-appropriate expectations for education in our church.
Additional resources may be found on the RESOURCES FOR GROWING IN CHRIST page.
To learn more about opportunities that can help achieve these outcomes, see the Learning Progression Plan.
If you would like to explore your faith journey, you can use this questionnaire
If you would like to explore your faith outcomes, you can use this survey
Faith Journey STAGE 1 - Meeting God
Outcome (1) Understand and commit to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Additional resources: Spiritual Development as New Members
Faith Journey STAGE 2 - Joining God's Family
Outcomes:
(2) Understand the worth of every human being as created in the image of God.
(3) Know, understand, and apply God's word in daily life.
(4) Can articulate and defend their Christian worldview while having a basic understanding of opposing worldviews.
- Know what it means to be Reformed
- Affirm the creeds and confessions
(5) Possess apologetic skills to defend their faith.
(6) Grow in faith.
- Be aware of the faith journey structure
- Recognize growth in your faith development.
- Meet with an accountability partner or mentor
- Practice spiritual disciplines.
- Pray frequently
- Celebrate the Sabbath. Regularly worship with other believers.
- Live in repentance for the sins we have committed against God.
(7) Be aware of and make use of the fruits of the Spirit.
(3) Know, understand, and apply God's word in daily life.
(4) Can articulate and defend their Christian worldview while having a basic understanding of opposing worldviews.
- Know what it means to be Reformed
- Affirm the creeds and confessions
(5) Possess apologetic skills to defend their faith.
(6) Grow in faith.
- Be aware of the faith journey structure
- Recognize growth in your faith development.
- Meet with an accountability partner or mentor
- Practice spiritual disciplines.
- Pray frequently
- Celebrate the Sabbath. Regularly worship with other believers.
- Live in repentance for the sins we have committed against God.
(7) Be aware of and make use of the fruits of the Spirit.
Faith Journey STAGE 3 - Participating with God's Family
Outcomes:
(8) Publicly declare their faith to the church family.
- Take part in church activities
- Agree to communicate disagreement with doctrinal and positional issues through the appropriate channels
- Take part in church activities
- Agree to communicate disagreement with doctrinal and positional issues through the appropriate channels
(9) Know and use your SPIRITUAL GIFTS for the building up of the Body of Christ.
(10) Personally respond to carry out the Great Commission locally and around the world in a culturally sensitive manner.
- Establish relationships with others to tell them about Jesus
- Be part of seeing people give their lives to Jesus
- Disciple other believers who will disciple other believers
- Be able to describe and communicate the stages of the faith journey
(11) Giving cheerfully and generously.
- Stewardship Practice a minimum of tithing, caring for creation, managing our personal resources and donations
- Support church ministries with time, energy, money
Faith Journey STAGE 4 - Seasons of Doubt and Frustration
Outcomes (12) Recognize distress as God’s way of leading us to more surrender and dependence.
GOAL: We wish to see all students achieve outcomes to this point by the time they graduate from high school.
The Wall - Surrendering More of Life to God
Outcome (13) Recognize a specific part of life that has not been surrendered completely into God’s control.
STAGE 5 Learning that God's Love is Worth Any Loss
Outcome (14) Experience God’s love independent of external circumstances.
STAGE 6 Living Completely Dependent on God's Love
Outcome (15) Increasing in ability to genuinely love others regardless of their response
Faith Journey Stages from “The Critical Journey”, by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich
Outcomes based partly on learning outcomes developed by Isaac Newton Christian Academy