The Center for Education has chosen to organize its programmatic efforts around five key age-based ministries. These are: Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Family Ministry, and Pastoral Education. Taken as a whole, these ministries embrace the entire life of a faith community and so are central to our daily life and work. We have recently added a Character Education Track to compliment these five key areas of faith based ministries. The general scope of each of these ministries as well as the Character Education track are defined on these pages:

Children's Ministry

Children's Ministry is the area concerned with the education and faith development of children ages 2 to 11, generally speaking. An important and vital area of this ministry is the Sunday School. This includes teacher development and training, curriculum and planning, and general organization of the Sunday School. However, Sunday School is not the only area of responsibility for Children's Ministry. Children's Ministry also emphasizes a broad-based ministry commitment to children, programs and activities that foster children's faith development, issues in counseling, and supporting the role of parents and the home in the faith formation of their children.

Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry is the exciting area that deals with the education and faith development of teenagers, ranging from 12 to 17 years of age - or the middle school years through the high school years. Youth Ministry emphasizes not only the teaching, religious educational development and counseling of teens through specific Youth Ministry programs sponsored by the Church, but also the area of faith formation and spiritual growth of teens in general. As in Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry also addresses the role of the home in raising and parenting teens. Finally, the use of special programs such as Il Shim, Free Teens, Junior STF, Service for Peace and Abstinence are included in the arena of Youth Ministry as well.

Young Adult Ministry

Young Adult Ministry, a growing and important ministry, embraces and emphasizes the next natural age category: that of the 18 to 33 year old. Areas of focus for those interested in Young Adult Ministry target campus ministries for young adults going to college, community ministry to college-aged men and women, ministry to all young adults in the faith community including singles, married couples and young adults with children. Curriculum for young adults, counseling issues and needs, faith development, vocation, marriage and parenting issues and life needs are all an important focus of this particular area of ministry.

Family and Marriage Ministry

An important dimension of our educational focus is that of the family unit. While Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry and Young Adult Ministry target individual age groups, it is also necessary to consider the family as an entity requiring a well-developed religious education curriculum and faith development program of its own. In addition, if the family is the first school of love, then it is even more critical to develop the area of Family and Marriage Ministry so that parents may be able to fulfill their responsibilities when it comes to faith development and religious education of their children. Family and Marriage Ministry allows those interested in this area to consider the concerns of diverse family configurations including international, interracial and intercultural families as well as single parent issues, the educational needs of the intergenerational and extended family, the home as educator and faith developer, marriage enrichment and diverse counseling needs for families and couples.

Pastoral Ministry

A central area of responsibility for the pastor is that of the faith development and religious education of the congregational community as a whole. As a guide, leader, and educator for families, the pastor needs to have the tools necessary to teach effectively, engage in healthy conflict transformation, utilize sound counseling techniques and oversee effective religious education planning for the healthy growth and development of the faith community. Whether the pastor is preaching, teaching or leading they are involved in an educational endeavor of some sort.

Through these five target ministries, the Center for Education seeks to effectively address the depth and breadth of the educational life of the church community. These ministries will also be central to the annual conferences with breakout sessions, plenaries, and exhibits bringing practitioners, ministers, and concerned individuals together to share best practices, resolve educational problems and form a network of dynamic and passionate educators, counselors, pastors, and parents all working together for a more loving and godly community throughout the United States and the world.