William Summey, Author at Kids Ministry

Bible Study, Kids Bible Study, Kids Ministry Curriculum

November 19, 2018

Where Are My Extras Helps?

If you are like most people, you love the idea of getting a little extra for your money. That principle is true whether you are shopping for groceries or Bible Study materials. You have the LifeWay Bible Study resources, but do you know about our extra online helps, supporting content, and interactive communities we provide? These are all extras worth knowing about. Check out the following links and share them with fellow teachers, directors, ministers, and other leaders in your ministry and church.

Bible Studies for Life

Product Page: http://biblestudiesforlife.com/kids

Blog: https://blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife/category/age/kids/

Facebook Group: http://facebook.com/biblestudiesforlifekids

Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/560190337752194/

Ministry Grid Training Videos: http://ministrygrid.com/biblestudiesforlife

One Conversation: http://biblestudiesforlife.com/oneconversation

Levels of Biblical Learning: http://www.lifeway.com/LOBL

Explore the Bible

Product Page: https://www.lifeway.com/en/shop/explore-the-bible/kids/

Blog: https://blog.lifeway.com/explorethebible/category/blog/kids/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExploreTheBibleKids/

Ministry Grid Training Videos: www.ministrygrid.com/web/explorethebible

Bible Skills for Kids: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/bible-skills-for-kids

The Gospel Project

Product Page: https://www.lifeway.com/en/shop/the-gospel-project/kids

Blog: gospelproject.com/blog

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/thegospelprojectforkids/

Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gospelprojectforkidscommunity/requests/?notif_id=1541422957027297&notif_t=group_r2j

Ministry Grid Training Videos: minstrygrid.com/gospelproject

Big Picture Questions and Answers: https://www.lifeway.com/en/special-emphasis/big-picture-questions-and-answers

Please let us know other ways we can support your ministry through our resources or the extras that we offer!

William Summey is the Publishing Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University. William lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Christy, and their two sons.

Bible Study, Resources, Sunday School, Teaching Kids

October 31, 2018

Packed with Value

By William Summey

I have learned so much working with the Bible Studies for Life: Kids team this year and had such joy helping produce this ongoing curriculum for preschoolers and children. One of the most valuable resources we produce for teachers may be the least known — the leader pack. Of the many questions I receive from teachers new to our Bible study curriculum, I often hear these two: “What is a leader pack? Is it worth the extra cost each quarter?”

My answer is always a resounding yes — Leader packs are so valuable for teachers in the classroom! The challenge we face is to engage today’s visual learners and spark their imaginations with art and other engaging visuals that capture the attention and engages preschoolers and children to go deeper into understanding Bible Stories and how they apply to them. The leader pack helps us engage the visual learner.

Leader packs also make teaching easy. They are designed to go hand in hand with the leader guide, providing colorful pictures, posters, and other visuals that support teaching as well as games and materials that are connected to activities teachers will lead each week as part of their Bible teaching. Here are some details that show how valuable this resource is.

Teaching Pictures: The leader pack contains a teaching picture for every Sunday of that quarter. Teaching pictures bring alive the Bible story for children with an engaging visual of biblical art. Pictures are suitable for hanging on your focal wall and holding as you tell or review the Bible story. Our philosophy is that teaching pictures are not something just to be gazed upon (although they should be intriguing, beautiful pieces of art) as if kids will learn all that need to know on their own simply by looking, but they are to be engaged with interaction between teacher and learner (what are they thinking? what are they feeling? at what point of the story do you think this happened? what happened next?) so that kids understand on a deeper level what is happening in a Bible Story.

Memory Verse and Visual Posters: Each quarter kids’ packs will have three unit verse posters, one for each unit verse, making it easier to post on your focal wall for that month to help kids memorize it. Many age groups also have other unit posters that can be added to the focal wall to engage learners.

Teaching Aids: The leader pack contains many of the go-to teaching aids each week that connect back directly with activities in the leader guide and make teachers’ preparation easier. These colorful, creative items engage kids with that week’s Bible story and real life application.

Ultimately leader packs, through engaging visuals and teacher aids, help us reach our goal in Bible Studies for Life — for kids to receive the gospel message and to apply what they are learning to their lives each day.

Bible Study, Kids Bible Study, Kids Ministry, Kids Ministry Curriculum

August 28, 2018

Getting Take-Home Resources Home

By William Summey

We all know that it is disheartening to send home take-home pages, devotionals, letters, or announcements with kids after class on Sunday—only to find them in the pews or even trash cans soon afterwards. So the question is, how do we actually get the take-home pages home?

Unfortunately, this is the wrong question! The better question is, how do we connect with parents and equip them to lead their kids deeper into the Bible, life application, and theological discussion during the week? After all, just getting that take-home piece home isn’t a magic formula for success. Parents need to see the value of conversations that follow up with what you are learning on Sunday.

While many teachers report increased success by also using tactics to keep the kids on task with reading materials sent home, most kids need a gentle nudge—or more—to lead them into the Bible. Try the following to speed up success:

Invite parents for a Parent Sunday in your class—where they attend for the whole time or for a smaller time frame toward the end of class. Show parents and kids at the same time the resource you will be sending home each week and explain how to use it. Take it a step further and demonstrate how to use the resource together.
Mail the resource home when a child is absent to let families know the child was missed and explain that you will be sending one home with the child each week.
For younger kids, hand directly to parents as they pick up their child with artwork completed that week and point out a feature of the resource to the parent.
Send potions of the content via email, text, or social media.

No matter how you connect with parents, it will be worth it to get resources in their hands to help them grow their kids during the week!

William Summey is the team leader for Bible Studies for Life: Kids. Each week Bible Studies for Life: Kids not only provides a take home-page on the back of Kids Activity Pages but also provides social media and other digital resources HERE.

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Sunday School

July 9, 2018

Impact Visual Learners with the Gospel

By William Summey

The Art of Teaching Pictures

It has been such a pleasure these past few months working with the Bible Studies for Life: Kids team. I have learned so much and had such joy helping produce this ongoing curriculum for preschoolers and children. One of the greatest joys has been the opportunity to develop new teaching picture art each quarter. The challenge we face is to engage today’s visual learners and spark their imaginations with art that captures the attention and engages preschoolers and children to go deeper into understanding not only what is happening in the picture but also the real lives of the people involved—their feelings, thoughts, emotions. Then kids will start to be able to do what we hope to accomplish in Bible Studies for Life—for kids to receive the gospel message and to apply what they are learning to their lives each day.

So how do we accomplish this goal? Our philosophy is that teaching pictures are not something just to be gazed upon (although they should be intriguing, beautiful pieces of art) as if kids will learn all that need to know on their own simply by looking, but they are to be engaged with interaction between teacher and learner (what are they thinking? what are they feeling? at what point of the story do you think this happened? what happened next?) so that kids understand on a deeper level that these were real people with the similar thoughts, feelings, uncertainties, doubts, fears, hopes, faith, and wonder that they have today.

The following are some examples of kinds of questions you could ask and comments about the teaching pictures you show each week:

Prophets Told about Jesus (a picture of a prophet telling a crowd about the coming Messiah): The people of Israel listened to stories from prophets for generations and re-told those prophecies about the coming Messiah—Jesus. Why do you think God told them what He was going to do? How do you like waiting? How long is too long to wait? How do you think they felt waiting for years? How do you think they felt when Jesus actually arrived? What were they hoping the Messiah would do? Were they surprised by Jesus?

Joseph and His Family (young Joseph with his father or family): Joseph was his dad’s favorite. What problems would this cause in your family if one child was a favorite of the parents? How did Joseph feel? How did his brothers feel? How does God want us to treat others? How was God at work in Joseph’s life? How did God use Joseph later to help save his family?

Esther (before the king or just before or after entering the throne room and approaching the king): How do you think Esther is feeling? Do you think she prayed before she went in to see the king? What do you think she prayed? Do you think she prayed after she saw the king? How do you think she felt after she saw the king? How does God use us in similar ways to share the message of the gospel with others?

As teachers, help bring about this in how the kids you teach interact with teaching pictures. Great art and your teaching will help engage today’s visual learners and help them apply Bible truths to their lives!

Look for Impact Visual Learners With The Gospel Part 2 on the blog later this week by The Gospel Project for Kids’ team leader, Jeremy Carroll.

William Summey is the Publishing Team Leader for ParentLife, kids devotionals, and short-term products. He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University. William lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Christy, and their two boys.

Discipleship, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Levels of Biblical Learning

May 2, 2018

Levels of Biblical Learning: A Wise Discipleship Plan

By William Summey

If you are like me, you hear people describe the best parenting approach as “starting with the end in mind.” However, in the midst of parenting, I was focused more on survival from day-to-day, and it was difficult to set aside time to plan for the future. I was always thankful to have a helpful book or magazine on parenting that helped me see the future and best ways to parent.

Many of us have the same challenge when we think of our child’s spiritual development. We want him to grow in reading God’s Word and biblical understanding, but the task can be daunting. I have found that one of the best tools in growing kids in Bible knowledge is the Levels of Biblical Learning® (LOBL). Specifically, the LOBL serves as a wise discipleship plan that teaches ten key biblical concepts at each age and stage of your child’s development—from birth to the preteen years—in words and concepts that they understand best. For this reason, the Levels of Biblical Learning is useful for parents and teachers who disciple their kids.

As kids grow, their understanding of foundational truths grows with them. For example, how does a 12-year-old grow to learn the truth that “People can live with joy regardless of their circumstances”? It begins with teaching the truth as a baby that “God loves me.” Notice how the concepts build upon the other as a child grows.

Younger Preschoolers can learn that God loves them.
Middle Preschoolers can learn that God will always love them.
Older Preschoolers can learn that no matter what happens, God loves people.
Younger Kids can learn that good and bad happen to people, but God still loves them.
Middle Kids can learn that people can respond in positive ways to what happens to them.
Preteens can learn that people can live with joy regardless of their circumstances.

Each statement in a concept builds upon the statement before it. So each concept begins with a foundational truth for babies and, with each passing year, a child’s ability to understand more about who God is increased. In this example, kids grow each year in their understanding of how much God loves them.

In my work at LifeWay on the Bible Studies for Life: Kids ongoing Bible study curriculum, we utilize the Levels of Biblical Learning, in how we plan weekly Bible stories, lessons, and other resources. For more information about LOBL, please visit lifeway.com/levelsofbiblicallearning where you can see the statements for each age group and free training videos. To learn more about Bible Studies for Life, visit biblestudiesforlife.com/kids,

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Parent Helps, Parenting

July 31, 2017

Back to School Transitions for Families

By William Summey

Every year ParentLife magazine tries to help families make the transition back to school. We know the blessings of summertime—no school, relaxed schedules, lots of playtime—can turn into nightmares when August rolls around. What are families in your church facing? How can you possibly get your kiddos (and yourself) back into the school routine? Check out this advice from former ParentLife Editor and full-time writer and mom, Christi McGuire.

Schedule Sleep

Determine how much sleep children need (typically 10-12 hours), then work backward. If your child needs to be ready to leave for school at 8:00 a.m. and you know it takes him an hour to get ready, then he needs to get up at 7:00 a.m. So his bedtime should be between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.

Now plan your sleeping schedule. When do you need to get up before your kids in order to be prepared for the day? Consider options like exercise and your own quiet time. Begin your new sleep schedule at least one week before school starts. It takes this long to get used to a new sleep and wake schedule.

Regulate Routines

Talk as a family about what routines best work for you. Consider the following:

Complete homework after school and before dinner.
Prepare backpacks, set out clothes, and make lunches the night before.
Place shoes by the door.
Take a bath, brush teeth, and read a book before bedtime.
Eat breakfast while having family devotions.

Increase Inventory

Take stock of school supplies. Determine not only what you need for the teachers’ supply lists, but also what you need at home for kids to complete their homework. Set up a homework station that is in your view so you can monitor the use of computers and other electronics. Now is also a good time to organize closets and sort through clothes that are too small for your kids. Make a shopping list of what your kids need for the new school year. Some states have a tax-free weekend to shop.

Control Calendars

Create a central location for your family calendar. What kind of calendar works best for you —a white board or paper calendar? Or if you are tech-savvy, use a calendar app to sync all events and reminders. Don’t forget to add school events, due dates for major projects, menus, practice schedules, church, holidays, birthdays, and other special days.

Prepare Papers

The beginning of a school year brings lots of paperwork, such as registration forms and immunization records. Gather all the information ahead of time. Organize this important information into a notebook or binder for each of your children and keep it in a safe but accessible place. Set up a filing system to keep the paper trail your children bring home—precious artwork, math tests, and creative stories

Manage Meals

Review the school’s lunch menu and choose when kids can buy lunch or pack lunch.

Together, plan healthy lunches to pack. Also look at the family calendar to plan when you can have family dinners or when you might need to eat on the run due to sports practices and other events. As a family, plan out your meals for a month. Then duplicate that menu plan each month. Write out shopping lists for each week and make copies for future weeks.

Dedicated Devotions

Most importantly, dedicate time to having family devotions. Set aside a time to talk, to read the Bible, and to pray as a family. Parents are the primary influence on their children’s faith. Be intentionally involved in guiding your child through the school year.

Bible Drill, Bible Skills, Kids Ministry, Leadership

June 28, 2017

Bible Drill (Part 2)

By William Summey

Yesterday we looked at the purpose and history of Bible Drill. Today we will look at what Bible Drill will look like in 2017-18, but first, let’s talk about how Bible Drill has changed.

How has Bible Drill changed?

Ask experienced Bible Drill leaders about the biggest changes, and they will say the versions of the Bible have changed over the years. Currently, we are entering another time of transition as Bible Drill changes from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) version to the new 2017 Christian Standard Bible (CSB). HCSB Drill Bibles are set to go out of print when current stock runs out, and the new CSB Drill Bibles will release on August 1. The King James Version of the Bible has remained a consistent option through the years and will continue to be offered.

Bible Drill 2017-18

LifeWay recommends that churches finish the 2017-18 Red Cycle Drill year with the HCSB. You can see all the Red Cycle products HERE. New resources featuring the CSB will release with an updated Blue Cycle in May 2018 and Green Cycle in May 2019. Check with your local state convention to see their plans for the 2018 Drills.

What products does LifeWay offer?

LifeWay offers the following resources to help churches prepare for Bible Drill:

Bible Skills for Kids — LifeWay’s curriculum for Bible Drill is part of a larger approach to Bible Skills. You can learn about our approach to Bible Skills with the Bible Skills for Kids booklet and poster (sold in packs of 10): Bible Skills for Kids.
Bible Skills, Drills, and Thrills (BSDT) — BSDT includes a 6-year program (Grades 1-6) containing 36 weeks of Bible Skills essentials per year, bringing together the Bible story context and application for each of the Bible Drill verses and key passages. For churches who want a comprehensive approach to teaching the context for everything learned in Bible Drill and putting those truths into action, this curriculum is the way to go: Bible Skills, Drills, and Thrills.

The BSDT Leader Guide comes with a helpful CD filled with printables to make your teaching easier. You also have the option to purchase Verse Cards, Activity Books, and a Digital Leader Pack with extra printables to support each volume. Although children in Grades 1-3 don’t formally drill in association and state drills, they will learn foundational Bible skills and 12 of the 25 Bible Drill verses.

Bible Drill Competition Guide — For churches who start Bible Drill later in the year or want to focus only on the books and divisions of the Bible and the 25 verses each year, we have the Bible Drill Competition Guide. All three years of Bible Drill activities are together in this one volume.

King James Version Verse Cards

Holman Christian Standard Bible Verse Cards

Verse cards are a must for kids studying for Children’s Bible Drill! Verse Cards contain all 25 verses that children will memorize and locate in their Bibles, including the portion of the verse they will be given in the completion portion of the Drill. (Children are given the underlined portion of the verse and must complete the remainder of the verse from memory). Verse Cards also contain the 10 Key Passages for which children must learn titles and references and be able to locate in their Bibles.

Getting Started

No matter the size of your group, you can start a Bible Drill program! For more information, contact your association or state convention so that you know the rules in your area. Your kids will be forever blessed by this opportunity to hide God’s Word in their hearts!

Bible Drill, Bible Skills, Kids Ministry, Leadership

June 26, 2017

Bible Drill (Part 1)

By William Summey

Bible Drill is a tradition in my family. Not only did my wife and I grow up competing in Bible Drill, our two sons also participated. Bible Drill is an important part of our churches and state conventions, and at LifeWay, we are proud to contribute by providing resources that churches can use to prepare for their state drills. Read on for a closer look at the history and future of this time-honored tradition!

What is the purpose of Children’s Bible Drill?

Children’s Bible Drill is a discipleship program for children (grades 4-6) with a long history of helping churches be intentional about developing Bible skills to aid in turning our kids into passionate followers of Christ. The goal of Bible Drill is to help children increase in their knowledge of the Bible by

developing skills in locating Bible books and key passages of Scripture
memorizing the names of the books of the Bible in order
memorizing core Bible verses
learning to apply the Bible to their lives

Getting children excited about and comfortable with using the Bible lays a foundation for the study of God’s Word as they continue to grow. The techniques used in Bible Drill will stay with children for the rest of their lives.

How did Children’s Bible Drill begin?

Bible Drill has a long history. In fact, we don’t know exactly when it started In the earliest days of our country, children learned to read in order to read the Bible, so it only makes sense that kids were taught to quickly find passages in the Bible. Through personal correspondence, we have written evidence of what were often referred to as “Sword Drills” as early as the 1890s!

By the mid-twentieth century, Baptist churches, and then state conventions, organized what we now call Bible Drill. I have talked personally with people who were involved in youth Bible Drills in Texas and North Carolina in the 1950s. Children’s Bible Drill seemed to arise naturally out of youth drill and became commonplace in the 1960s. Church and state convention Bible Drill leaders brought the need for standardized materials to LifeWay, and we started producing curriculum at their request as part of Discipleship Training in the 1970’s and Children’s Bible Drill products in the 1980’s.

Today each state has its own guidelines for Children’s Bible Drill. LifeWay tries to meet the needs of these churches and states with products preparing children for drill. You can find your local association and state convention by searching here: http://www.sbc.net/stateconventionsearch.

What about middle school and high school youth?

Many states also have a youth Bible Drill and a high school Bible Drill that go deeper into Scripture knowledge and Bible skills and offer a speakers’ tournament, where entrants write and deliver 4-6 minute speeches on selected topics. Each year, these age groups also have a tournament, where state winners from across the USA compete for a national title. You can find out more about this competition annually at https://nationalbibledrill.wordpress.com.

What will 2017-18 Bible Drill look like? Great question! Check out Bible Drill Part 2 on Wednesday for the latest information!

Discipleship, Kids Ministry

May 24, 2017

Go Vertical with TeamKID

By William Summey

What’s in a name? A whole lot! Think of how much parents tend to spend time picking a name for their child. They want options, and they try to find just the right fit for how they imagine their little one will be!

In the same way, you are particular about the name for your children’s ministry and activities at church. You want those names to communicate to the families in your church about the end result—that you are making children who are growing followers of Christ.

We have thought a lot about children’s discipleship and have recently re-launched our brand: TeamKID. TeamKID communicates a lot in and of itself. Each week there is a team theme, complete with coaches and lots of fun activities.

But what kind of team? That is hidden right in our name. KID stands for Kids in Discipleship! We want to be a midweek, Sunday night, or summer fun offering for your church that takes the kids deeper in their knowledge of and relationship with Jesus.

And this year, we want to Go Vertical! What do you think of when you hear that someone “went vertical”? You can hear announcers and fans talk about athletes going vertical to indicate they jumped their highest while making a tremendous play, whether a volleyball player blocking a shot, a basketball player’s amazing slam dunk, or a football player making a remarkable leap in catching the ball.

We love the name Going Vertical for the next TeamKID as a sports connection but also to imply the importance of growing closer to God (so a vertical connection with God) through studying His Word and in fellowship with others.

This year’s theme is a kid-friendly study of the Bible itself. Kids today are growing up in a culture where the Bible isn’t revered as a holy book, where they’re made fun of for believing truths that go against the grain of popular thought. Going Vertical will help kids understand the makeup and message of the Bible and why it’s important.

We hope that you will join us for this journey deeper in His Word and going vertical in our relationship with God!

Gospel-Centered, Kids Ministry, Leadership

March 29, 2017

Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry

By William Summey

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with author Brian Dembowczyk about his new book, Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry.

WS: Who did you have in mind when you wrote Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry?

BD: Kids pastors, ministers, and directors are the most natural audiences, but this is not a book just for them. I hope senior pastors would also read this book so they can embrace an enlarged vision for kids ministry. We need pastors to champion our kids ministries. At the same time, kids teachers and leaders in the trenches would benefit from reading it as well. That is one of the reasons we included questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each main section—we hope that this book serves as a helpful team-building resource.

WS: Why do we need another kids ministry book?

BD: I hope that this book stands out in how it encourages and motivates churches to raise the bar for kids ministry. I am concerned that while churches won’t say this, many act as if kids ministry is about keeping kids entertained while mixing in some good Bible teaching.

There’s nothing wrong with our kids having fun and certainly Bible teaching is critical, but I have to believe that God’s plan is far greater than that! I believe that God sees our kids as an essential part of the church right now—not just as the church of tomorrow. Our kids ministries need to reflect that. We need to grasp the weightiness of our kids ministries and remember that we are training our kids as missionaries in their context right now. I hope that Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry casts a compelling vision of what that looks like.

WS: What is the main idea of the book?

BD: Our kids desperately need the gospel. We need to teach our kids the fullness and beauty of the gospel in age-appropriate ways without watering it down and position them to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit as He transforms them by the gospel and sends them out to join Christ on His mission right now. This is what I believe we have missed too often resulting in the staggering dropout rate and rampant legalistic Christian moralism in the church.

WS: What are the distinctives of a gospel-centered ministry?

BD: There are five core distinctives of a gospel-centered ministry, which provide the basic structure of the book.

Gospel teaching: showing kids that the Bible is one gospel story of Jesus.
Gospel transformation: focusing on a changed heart that leads to changed living.
Gospel mission: encouraging and equipping kids to be on mission now.
Gospel leaders: demonstrating gospel change and mission to our kids.
Gospel parents: partnering with parents and families to help them in their role as primary disciplers.

WS: What is your hope for this book?

BD: I almost walked away from the church in college because I grew up in a legalistic Christian moralism context. My hope is that kids leaders and pastors read this book and do whatever they can to anchor their ministries on the gospel so that no kid walks away again—because they see the beauty of Christ and want to follow Him with joy no matter what.

Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry is available for purchase HERE!

Where Are My Extras Helps?

Bible Studies for Life

Explore the Bible

The Gospel Project

Packed with Value

Getting Take-Home Resources Home

Impact Visual Learners with the Gospel

Levels of Biblical Learning: A Wise Discipleship Plan

Back to School Transitions for Families

Bible Drill (Part 2)

Bible Drill (Part 1)

Go Vertical with TeamKID

Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry

All Ministry Sites

Digital Resources

LifeWay Network