Family Discipleship

At Bridgetown, our goal is that every person—adult and child—would be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. With this in mind, our vision for family discipleship is no different than the rest of our church: Practice the Way of Jesus, together in Portland. We desire to partner with families in their formation journey by offering experiences of divergence, convergence, and emergence.

Imagine a day at the beach with your family: the sand, the surf, and the sea. Kids making sand castles. Parents and kids splashing in the waves together. Learning to swim in the deeper waters. Together, these three spaces reflect the partnership between families and Bridgetown Church in the formation of kids & youth.

Developmentally safe and appropriate spaces for kids and youth to be with Jesus.

Sundays are the primary day for kids to gather together to play, learn from Scripture, and practice community. Bridgetown Kids is available for infants – grade 5.
Bridgetown Kids
Each week, our middle and high school students gather to connect, pray for one another, create space to hear from the Spirit, and have fun.
Bridgetown Youth
Our grades 4-5 students gather quarterly for Fourth Fifth Fridays and annually for summer camp. This unique community serves as a building block towards Bridgetown Youth.
Subscribe to the Kids Newsletter to stay up to date.

Connecting kids and youth to the broader church family, becoming like Jesus together.

Being connected to the family of God is essential to the faith formation of kids. Join a Bridgetown Community as a family to practice the way of Jesus together—across age and stage of life—in Portland.

Live in Community
Attend our Sunday gatherings as a family to worship, learn, pray, and create space to hear from the Spirit alongside our church family. Grades K–5 join their families for the beginning of the gathering to worship through singing.
Gather on Sunday
We want to invite kids into the story of what God is doing in our church family. We offer resources, events, and opportunities to help parents and kids engage with Bridgetown Church and serve the city together.

Ongoing invitations for kids and youth to do what Jesus would do if he were them.

If your child has made the decision to follow Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did, it might be the right time to talk about baptism. Attend our Family Baptism Class to learn more.
Learn more about Baptism
We believe that justice and mercy are central to the Kingdom of God. As followers of Jesus—of all ages—we are called to engage faithfully with areas of brokenness and injustice.
Learn More
For parents interested in Child Dedication, there is a Guide available for your Community to help celebrate the life of your child, and bless the ongoing discipleship in your home.
Dedication Guide

How to Use These Guides

Included here are 12 guides designed for discussion around the table as a family. Written with ages 6–11 in mind, these guides help kids and adults consider how to follow Jesus together. Each guide covers a practice from our Rule of Life, helping you engage a particular Practice from the life and teaching of Jesus together—or a foundational conversation for life with Bridgetown Church.

Here are five tips for using this guide with your family:

These guides are designed for conversation around the table—this might mean at your literal dinner table on a Wednesday night, or around the living room the morning of your Sabbath practice.
Most guides will take 15–20 minutes to work through. You can complete a whole guide in one sitting, or split it up into multiple conversations.
Since these guides are aimed at kids of multiple ages, please skip or adapt anything that does not feel age appropriate.
These guides are written conversationally, so feel free to read through them. Italicized words are notes to parents and bolded words are questions to take some time with.
Make sure you have a Bible nearby for any scripture readings. Some guides also include links to printable resources or further recommended reading materials.

Rule of Life Guides

To get to know someone, you spend time talking with them. Talking with God is called prayer.
Prayer Guide
The Bible is a story about how Jesus rescues the whole world. Reading the Bible (or “Scripture”) is one way we can be with Jesus, be like Jesus, and do what he did.
Scripture Guide
The world can feel busy and noisy. Taking some space to quiet our minds and bodies helps us hear what God might be trying to share with us.
Solitude Guide
Saying no to things we like for a period of time can help us say a big YES to God and his plans for us.
Fasting Guide
Sabbath is a day set aside just for rest, joy, and worship. Finding ways to make the day special and different is one way to make space to meet God.
Sabbath Guide

None of us follow Jesus alone—we do it with other people! Living in Community is how we become what the Bible called “the new family of God.”
Community Guide
God loves to give us good gifts. Generosity is when we share the good things God has given us with others.
Generosity Guide
Being a witness means sharing something you’ve seen or experienced with someone else. We can be a witness by sharing the ways God has loved us!
Witness Guide
Jesus was always serving people around him by helping them with kindness. We can serve others too, just like Jesus!
Service Guide

Life with Bridgetown

How do you know if you’re ready to “follow Jesus,” and what does that mean? Let’s talk through all our questions about Jesus and choosing to be with him, be like him, and do what he did.
Guide
Following Jesus might be a decision you made alone, but living as followers of Jesus is something we do together! Being baptized is an exciting step toward living as part of God’s family, the Church.
Guide
What is church, and why do we go there? Gathering as a church on Sundays is a way we practice being the family of God together.
Guide