One of the things that we are beginning to do is to teach the story of the Bible from beginning to end. The weakness that I see with most curricula is that it is extremely repetitive and it doesn’t teach children how to observe, interpret and apply for themselves.
Writers tend to want to make sure that the teach a certain principle, then look for a story that can be used to get that point across. While not the worse thing to do, writers tend to use the same stories over and over again, expanding on them each time. This leaves children thinking they know some stories inside out (which they don’t) and having never heard others.
We’ll be trying this out, so I have know idea that it’s a perfect solution, but it’s been sought and prayed about for a time….
Our Sunday school classes will be going through the bible from k-5th grade, never repeating any of the stories. During that same time, children who go to our children’s church will go through the Bible in a year (hopefully six times over 6 years). In children’s church they’ll learn how to Observe (in our story time), Interpret and apply (in small groups)…and I believe that if we start at the beginning and go through the Bible in a story format, most if not all of anyone’s theological starting points will be covered somewhere along the way.

God is not Angry with me.

God loves me more than I can love myself.

God can always be reached.

And yeah the parent thing is tough. Whether the family ministry or not. If anyone finds a fool(me)-proof way to get the parents interested in taking charge of developing their child’s spiritual walk please let me know. But I do think that it’s important to develop their thought of God’s character.

J.C.’s last blog post..Theology in Children’s Ministry

Henry Zonio’s last blog post..New Study About Spirituality vs. Religion and Children

Yes, a very interesting balance. I’m a part of a church that is very much engaging with the culture, so a straight up catechism isn’t the solution. However, when you utilize purchased curriculum, how do you impress the doctrine that you want to teach on the schedule you want to emphasize… when do you make time for it? I know, most purchased curriculum contains a certain amount of applied doctrine, but is it intentional enough?

The other thought? How do you maybe push this home? Yeah, our parents need to know this stuff as much as their kids? Can it be packaged in a way that kills two birds… teaches good theology while engaging parents? These are just thoughts… might write a follow-up post. You guys have gotten me thinking.