Christian Education Overview

“Developing People for God’s Use”

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be 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.”
--Ephesians 4: 11-13.

The Christian Education Ministry is at the heart of the church. It is an intentional process in which the spirit of the Lord nurtures a community of believers in faith. It is through this nurturing that this community of believers grows in knowledge and experience, and is empowered to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Once believers become disciples they are compelled to share their faith and serve others in the home, the community and in God’s world.

Christian Education at its best is a difficult challenge, and requires intentionality. By its sheer nature, Christian Education must be transformative. Through this process, believers reclaim and learn from their past, while living in the present, and preparing for their future. To fully understand and connect with the love of Christ, we must know Him. To know Him, we must study Him and learn through direct instruction, private study, and corporate worship, the meaning an importance of His word, in its historical form and as it applies to our daily lives.

Learning Opportunities:
“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
--James 1:4, 5

At Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple, our Christian Education Ministry provides several opportunities for believers to learn, both through private study and direct instruction.

Sunday School - A structured learning environment that facilitates and sustains a Christian lifestyle and encourages and stimulates one’s growth spiritually in order to glorify God. Class times are from 8:30am – 9:30am at our 2003 Kecoughtan Road location and from 8:00am-9:30am at our 3100 Butternut Drive location.

Sunday New Members Class – A structured study time of basic Bible principles held each Sunday at 8:00 AM to meet the needs of new members. Class is held in our administrative conference room. Our Youth New Members class is held adjacent to the conference room.

Wednesday Night Bible Academy – A structured corporate Bible Study held each Wednesday night at 7pm in our Fellowship Hall. Join us for a great time of Praise, Prayer and Preaching. Classes are held for the youth.

Vacation Bible School – At SMZBT Vacation Bible School is considered the “Summer Revival” for Sunday School. Our VBS provides learning opportunities for all ages based on a centralized theme. The theme for our 2011 VBS is “Jesus Truth Seekers”

Teen Leadership Institute – This ministry is dedicated to educating, equipping and encouraging youth to become leaders. The institute introduces, develops, and nurtures leadership skills among the youth who participate by providing classroom experiences, leadership experiences that enhance self-esteem, interactions with leaders from various enterprises in our area, and projects that encourage involvement in all levels of community life.

Scholarship Ministry – The focus of this ministry is financial support for our graduating high school seniors who have chosen to further their education. Scholarship Applications may be obtained from the church office, and completed forms should be returned there. For our rising 2012 SMZBT Seniors, scholarship applications will be available in April 2012.

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2Ti 2:15 (KJV)