Bible – Page 2

July 27, 2018

The ABCs of Salvation is not the Gospel

Kids Ministry 101 welcomes guest blogger Aaron Wilson. This article was originally published in Facts & Trends.

School may be out for the summer, but many kids will still be learning their ABCs over the break.

The ABCs of salvation, that is.

This popular children’s ministry acronym stands for admit, believe, and confess. It’s a simple way churches teach parents and volunteers to share the gospel with kids—especially during the week of Vacation Bible School.

A quick Google search of the ABCs of salvation reveals the phrase has become established church jargon. Numerous Christian websites, YouTube videos, and Pinterest boards strive to teach kids the gospel through this simple structure.

But as ministry leaders and parents prepare to use this evangelistic framework, they should be aware of the propensity to confuse the ABCs of salvation with the gospel itself.

AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

In its simplest form, the ABCs of salvation is not the gospel; rather, the acts of admitting, believing, and confessing (and you might tack on, repenting) are all biblical responses to the gospel.

This distinction is important. As essential as it is for kids to learn how to glorify God in responding to the gospel, they cannot do so unless they first rightly hear the message that prompts a response.

For this reason, Lifeway includes the following in its VBS gospel presentation tools to supplement the ABCs of salvation:

God rules—The Bible tells us God created everything, including you and me, and He is in charge of everything. (Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:16-17)
We sinned—We all choose to disobey God. The Bible calls this sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God’s punishment of death. (Romans 3:23; 6:23)
God provided—God sent Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It’s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9)
Jesus gives—Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God’s family for eternity. This is the best gift ever! (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)
We respond—We can respond to Jesus. The ABCs of Becoming a Christian is a simple tool that helps us remember how to respond when prompted by the Holy Spirit to receive the gift Jesus offers.

NOT RUSHING THE GOSPEL

When children’s ministry leaders are presenting the gospel, it can be tempting to rush to the last point and seek what may be a premature response from kids by inviting them to admit, believe, and confess before kids have an adequate understanding of what the gospel really is.

This can be especially true during VBS when leaders are understandably eager to share how many decisions were made that week for Christ.

But it serves children best when adults slow down the pace of gospel presentations to ensure that kids clearly understand the full message of God’s redemption—which includes the story of creation, the Fall, and God’s restoration through Jesus Christ.

Elaborating on the full gospel helps protect children from growing up to trust in an experience in which they prayed a prayer, walked an aisle, or signed a card. It shifts their spiritual security from a one-time personal event to the actual substance of the gospel, which is centered on Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.

So how can churches help prepare leaders and parents to share the full gospel with kids during VBS? Here are four suggestions:

PROVIDE TRAINING

It’s easy to fill VBS training sessions with information about crafts, snacks, and bathroom policies. While all of these things are important, churches should also make sure to reserve time to train volunteers on how to share the gospel with kids.

Crafts made at VBS won’t likely make it through the week. However, a proper presentation of the gospel can have an eternal impact on a child’s life. You can help make sure your training majors on what’s most important with resources like “Leading a Child to Christ” and the booklet “The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me.”

TELL A STORY, NOT A FORMULA

At its core, the gospel is a story about good news. Children are captivated by stories, but for the sake of time, it can be tempting to shorten gospel presentations into a formula in which A+B+C=salvation.

While it’s true salvation is by grace through faith, that formula won’t lead to conversions if children don’t understand why grace is needed in the first place and how it is provided through the cross. As you train your VBS volunteers, encourage them to present the gospel as a story rather than as an evangelistic equation.

STRIKE THIS PHRASE

Well-meaning Christians sometimes try to seal the deal of a gospel presentation with the following phrase: “Now, all you have to do to become a Christian is…”

The problem is, Jesus never talked like this. Salvation is a free gift of grace that is not given on the merit of works. However, Christ often challenged people who brought a casual attitude to discipleship (Matthew 8:18-22).

Jesus encouraged people to count the cost before they decided to follow Him said anyone wanting to come after Him must be willing to die daily to his or her sinful life (Luke 14:25-33; Luke 9:23). He also told the parable of a man who was willing to give up everything he had for the sake of gaining a treasure that represents the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:44).

Have your volunteers teach free grace as they go through the ABCs of salvation, but encourage them to guard against using phrases that might understate the significance of what it means to follow Christ.

ESTABLISH AN ONGOING GOSPEL CULTURE

Some parents sweat over the idea of having “the gospel talk” with their kid.

These parents—who might be serving as VBS volunteers at your church—tend to view the act of sharing the gospel as a one-time event. With only one chance to get it right, it’s no wonder they’re nervous!

You can alleviate this pressure by helping parents and leaders grow comfortable sharing the gospel every week. This happens by helping kids make connections between individual Bible stories and Scripture’s overarching redemptive narrative.

For more practical suggestions on how to establish this kind of culture in your children’s ministry, check out the eight-week activity book What is a Christian, releasing this July, and the book Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry by Brian Dembowczyk

THE GOAL OF VBS: PREACHING THE GOSPEL

Even if they don’t go to church, most Americans recall attending VBS and report positive memories of the event. Your church can help attendees remember that VBS wasn’t a just fun summer distraction, but that it was also a setting in which they clearly heard the gospel proclaimed.

Take time to train your volunteers on how to point kids to Christ. But instead of starting with the ABCs of salvation—the response to the gospel—you might consider ending with it.

Aaron Wilson is husband to Jennifer, father to Abel and Belle (7-year-old twins), and serves as an associate editor in Lifeway Corporate Communications. He enjoys spending time with his family and writing about God’s glory. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronBWilson26 and at FactsAndTrends.net.

Bible Skills, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Preschoolers

June 19, 2018

Bible Teaching Activity: Craft Stick Bible Verse

By Delanee Williams

As teachers, we’ve all experienced the need for an additional activity during a teaching session. Maybe you needed an additional early arrival activity, the children finished the other activities faster than you had planned, a child preferred to work alone for an activity, or the class was longer than usual. Bible verse activities can fill that need. Prepare the activity below to teach or review any Bible verse any time you teach preschoolers.

Supplies Needed:

Bible
Craft sticks
Washable markers
Plastic ziplock bag

Prepare:

Gather craft sticks. Consider the age of children you teach when deciding how many craft sticks to use. For instance, with older preschoolers, use 4-6 craft sticks. Additionally, larger craft sticks will be easier for the child to handle.
Write the Bible phrase/verse for the teaching session on the craft sticks horizontally, writing one or two words on each craft stick.
Place the craft sticks in order of the Bible verse horizontally.
Beginning with the first stick, use a marker to make a circle on the right end of the stick. Then, using the same color of marker make a circle on the left end of the next stick.
Continue this process for each of the sticks, using a different color for each pair of
matching circles. Remember to select colors a preschooler can easily recognize and distinguish from other colors.
Then, write the Bible phrase/verse on a blank craft stick to use as a Bible marker. Place it in the Bible at the reference.

Teach:

Place the Bible with Bible marker on a table.
As you talk about the Bible story for the day, encourage the child to put the verse in order side-by-side by matching the colored circles on the end of the craft sticks.
When the child has placed the verse in order, say the verse aloud, pointing to each word of the Bible verse.
Invite the preschooler to open the Bible to the Bible marker and read the verse from the Bible.
Store the puzzle in a ziplock bag.

Optional Activity: For older preschoolers that need a more challenging activity, place blank craft sticks next to each other, side-by-side. Place a small piece of tape joining each craft stick.

Then, turn the group of taped craft sticks over and write the Bible verse using a washable marker. Next, remove the tape from the craft sticks. Encourage the children to put together the Bible verse puzzle. It may be helpful to write the verse on a notecard and place beside the puzzle for some children. This will allow the child to refer to the verse as he puts it together.

Delanee Williams serves as a Ministry Specialist with Lifeway Kids. She is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Delanee has served in kids ministry for over twenty years and is passionate about developing, equipping and encouraging leaders.

Kids Ministry, Podcasts

May 10, 2018

Bible Skills Matter

By Trey Garza

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Boys and girls can develop Bible skills beginning at a young age. Parents and teachers can play an active part in helping children with these skills. In today’s podcast, Tim Pollard highlights practical ways to help parents and teachers.

Bible Study, Kids Bible Study, Kids Ministry, Leadership

April 30, 2018

Behind the Scenes with Explore the Bible On Location

By Tim Pollard

At Explore the Bible we have a great resource called Explore the Bible On Location. These videos are hosted videos and from time to time we hear from churches who want to know a little bit more about our hosts. We are going to give you a little glimpse behind the scenes of Explore the Bible On Location and let you meet our hosts. We’ve asked them a few questions and thought you might enjoy getting to know them a little bit more. Meet Joel!

ETB: Tell us about yourself.

Joel: I was born April 21st, 1987 in Thousand Oaks, CA. I moved to Nashville when I was 6-years-old. My mom’s name is Joan. My dad’s name is Dale. They’ve been pastors for the past 40 years. I have two older sisters: Gwen and Janelle. My wife’s name is Lauren and we’ve been married for 7 years. I have a 5-year-old daughter named Zoe Sophia and a 3-year-old son named Asher Daniel. My hobbies are exercise and cooking. I love to play sports, weight train, and hike. I love to grocery shop and cook my own food. I also love studying the Bible, theology, and church history. I can’t get enough.

ETB: If you could travel anywhere you wanted, where would you go?

Joel: Jerusalem.

ETB: What is your favorite childhood memory?

Joel: My first Christmas in Nashville. Growing up in southern California, we didn’t get any snow (or cold weather). In December 1993, Nashville got a huge ice storm and heavy snow. My first Christmas in Nashville was my first white Christmas. We had a steep hill in our backyard and I got to sled down a snowy hill for the first time in my life.

ETB: As a kid, who was someone in your church/in the faith you looked up to?

Joel: There were a lot of people I looked up to; but I looked up to my dad the most. He loves Jesus and loves serving the Church more than anyone I know. He loves the Word of God and patterns his life after the Scriptures with more intentionality than just about anyone I know.

ETB: How did you come to know the Lord?

Joel: I grew up in a home where the gospel was preached constantly. I grew up with biblical discipline and the training and admonition of the Lord. When I was almost 7-years-old, I knew three things without a doubt. 1. There’s something wrong with me; I can’t stop sinning. 2. There’s nothing wrong with Jesus; He’s perfect and the only One who can help me. 3. There’s a storm coming for my life; I’m going to be judged for my sin. This was a true work of the Holy Spirit! He was convicting me of sin, righteousness, and coming judgment. He spoke to me in a way I could understand as a rowdy 6-year-old boy. I told my mom and dad that I wanted to follow Jesus, be forgiven of my sin, and start a new life. From that day—April 25th, 1994—I was changed. I’ve been following Jesus ever since.

ETB: Tell us about your church and how you serve there.

Joel: New Song was planted in September of 1993. This year, we’ll celebrate our 25th year as a church. Our mission statement is, “Reaching neighbors, nations, and generations with the Good News of Jesus Christ’s love and power.” I’ve been serving in student ministries for almost 13 years. I’ve been a youth pastor at New Song for 8 years.

ETB: What is your favorite Bible verse? Why?

Joel: Hebrews 11:6. It shows me that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Diligently seeking God is my deepest passion. As I constantly pursue a deeper knowledge and understanding of His Word, His will, and His ways, He’ll reward me with deeper revelations of Himself so I can more deeply reveal Him to a world in need.

ETB: Tell us about a recent “lightbulb moment” you had while studying Scripture

Joel: Most recently, it was a far deeper revelation of the word Shalom in Hebrew. In the past, I’ve understand Shalom to simply be an inner sense of peace, a comprehensive well-being, an absence of spiritual conflict. But as I studied the word more deeply in Hebrew, I realized that Shalom (the noun for “peace”) comes from the Hebrew verb Shalam which means to bring something to completion or make something whole. I began to see that the most basic idea behind Shalom is completeness. Shalom is the absence of absence. Shalom is the presence of fullness. And like we see in Judges 6, Yahweh IS Shalom. Jesus is the Prince of Shalom according to Isaiah 9. But Micah takes it further by saying the One born in Bethlehem shall BE peace. Jesus IS peace. What does He come to do? To seek and save that which is lost, to bind that which is broken, and bring to completion that which is lacking.

ETB: What is God teaching you right now?

Joel: To live a life of deeper meditation and holy contemplation. Psalm 1:2 says, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” I live a loud life. I’m a music teacher, I have two small kids, I predominately pastor teenagers and college students, I sit in lots of meetings, and I love movies, music, and sports—not to mention I constantly yell into a camera for Explore The Bible! The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize my need to hear Him speak to me and lead me. The Lord is teaching me to turn off the media and delight in the law of the LORD. He’s teaching me to develop a love for silence so I can more deeply contemplate who He is and what He’s saying for these days. By grace through faith, I’m trying to obey.

ETB: What’s something about God that amazes you and draws your heart to worship?

Joel: The God of the cosmos is the God of the details of our lives. The God who gives breath to billions of creatures is working to change my own heart to look more like Jesus. How could a God so great be so intimately aware of a man, like me, so small and insignificant? Like David says in Psalm 139:6, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.” All I can do is lift my hands and praise His name!

ETB: Why do you enjoy helping kids explore the Bible?

Joel: I always think of Jesus’ words when He says, “Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Jesus wants children as His disciples. He wants kids to follow Him. That’s amazing! I want to do whatever I can to help kids follow Jesus. Explore the Bible is such a great tool that helps kids see Jesus in the Word. I love hosting Explore the Bible because I basically get to be face-to-face with a bunch of new disciples. Teaching kids to follow Jesus is one of my greatest joys.

ETB: What’s your funniest or favorite ETB moment?

Joel: I think it was when I got licked by a bear. The bear was so old and gentle. He barely had enough energy to move around to get his food. He’d basically turned into an old lap-dog who was always trying to get more food from his caretakers. His name was Gideon. I went up to his fence, he got up slowly and moved towards me. He weighed over 800 pounds! He came up to the fence, leaned his body up against it, tilted his head back, and began licking my arm. I was like, “Whoah, I just got licked by a bear and lived.”

ETB: Have you met any ETB kids? What was that like?

Joel: I’ve had the privilege of meeting lots of ETB kids and I’ve gotten to go to at least three different ETB kids’ classes. It’s the best! At first, they’re like, “Umm … is this for real? Why is Joel here? He’s so strange. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with Him being in my presence.” Then they warm up to me as I constantly joke with them and sing silly songs about whatever activity we’re doing. By the end, I’m the ETB Kids’ jungle gym! I’ve got kids hanging on my arms and my back, singing the silly songs we made up, and trying to get me to laugh. It’s one of my favorite things to do!

ETB: What’s your biggest hope for the kids watching OR If you could say one thing to the kids watching, what would it be?

Joel: That they’ll develop the daily devotion of Bible study! There’s nothing more life-giving than 365 solid days of Scripture study, journaling, and prayer. If I could say one thing to these kids it would undoubtedly be, “Explore the Bible!”

Tim Pollard teaches 3rd graders at Tulip Grove Baptist Church. He’s passionate about helping kids dig deep into Scripture, which he pursues through his daily work as leader of the Explore the Bible: Kids team. Tim lives with his wife and daughters in Mount Juliet, TN.

Apologetics, Bible Skills, Discipleship, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Resources

April 25, 2018

3 Ways Q&A Format Encourages Learning

By Jeremy Carroll

Many KidMin leaders agree that it is critical for us (adults) to begin now helping lay a solid theological foundation in the kids we serve. We want kids to have a right understanding of who God is, what He has done, and what He is doing according to solid biblical truths. But how?

One approach to systematically teaching theology that has seen renewed interest over the last several years is a return to a question-answer format. In this approach, kids are taught to respond to a specific question with a formulated, concise answer. For example, when prompted with the question “Who is God?” Kids would respond with “God is our Creator and King of everything.”

Is a question-answer format the right approach for you? Here are three reasons a question-answer format encourages theological learning.

A Q&A format leans into a child’s inquisitive nature. Children are naturally inquisitive, curious, and are passionate pursuers of answers. Many children seem to ask questions incessantly and feel a great sense of accomplishment once they’ve run through their gambit of questions to get their answers. A question-answer format draws kids in by feeding this part of their nature.
Memorization and repetition are bridges to understanding. When we commit biblical truths to memory, they become a resource for the Holy Spirit to use in our lives for real-life transformation. Few ideas will truly change us if they are not deep in our hearts. A systematic Q&A approach is built on children memorizing answers. As children mature, these memorized statements can be fleshed out with deeper understanding and application. “I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
A Q&A approach gives a systematic framework for processing both simple and hard-to-understand ideas. Our Bibles contain so much information that it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start and how teach it. Though a Q&A approach is not intended to teach the Bible comprehensively, using a simple question-answer format, like Big Picture Questions and Answers for Kids (see below), provides both a starting point and a structure that become manageable for adults and kids.

Bonus: Employing a Q&A approach can be fun for kids. With just a little bit of effort, a Q&A format can quickly:

Be made into various games.
Be made into a rhythmic beat.
Be used in creative call/response ways like using different voices, volumes, and so forth.

Bonus +

Adding hand motions for kids to do while saying the answers can add another layer of fun while further helping memorization by including physical activity.

To equip church leaders and parents who want to implement a question-answer format for teaching theological truths, the team behind The Gospel Project for Kids has developed Big Picture Questions and Answers for Kids. This resource contains over 70 big picture questions and answers organized into six categories: God, People, Jesus, The Bible, The Church, and The Christian Life. Click here to learn more about Big Picture Questions and Answers for Kids.

Jeremy Carroll is the team leader for The Gospel Project for Kids. Before coming to Lifeway, he has been active in local church ministry for nearly 20 years in TN, TX, and AL. Jeremy earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A Middle Tennessee native, he and his family live in Murfreesboro, TN.

Discipleship, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Parenting

February 9, 2018

Do Your Kids Love God’s Word?

By Jana Magruder

Ah, February—the month of love and romance, chocolate and roses, and yes—the obligatory Valentines Day (or so our minds have been programmed to think of the greeting card business.) Kids spend time carefully crafting heart and doily-decorated shoe boxes with mail slots to receive dollar store cards with superheroes or princesses from friends and classmates. Couples feel the pressure to honor the day with at least a cheesy card or maybe ordering a cheesy heart-shaped pizza. While all of these things are fine and can be fun traditions, I wonder if we could displace some of the energy spent on the theme of love—to actually loving God’s Word even more.

Recently, the Lifeway Kids team commissioned the Nothing Less* study conducted by the Lifeway Research team to find out what makes the biggest spiritual impact on kids as they are growing up. In other words, what can parents do now with their children that will make the biggest difference in their spiritual health as they become adults? The findings were simple, yet profound. The number one thing parents can do (by far) is to help their kids love their Bible. It should be no surprise that reading God’s Word is the biggest indicator of spiritual health in adulthood. After all, only Jesus transforms hearts and He does it through His Word. However, many parents (myself included), have a tendency to chase the wrong things that don’t even make the list of indicators for spiritual health in kids as they age into adults. Let’s use Valentine’s Day as an example.

As a mom, I have volunteered for countless class parties, baked cookies and cupcakes, bought cards, and yes, helped create the aforementioned mailboxes. Our family has participated in Daddy-daughter dances and Mother-son dates, made homemade crafts for teachers, and spent money on flowers for grandma. While nothing is particularly wrong with any of these activities, none of them points to making time for Bible reading.

So, this February, I’m declaring a “love your Bible” emphasis at the Magruder home. Yes, we will still make class valentines. But, more importantly, we will make time to read the Bible more. Ultimately, I want my kids to fall in love with God’s Word and know that the Bible is His love letter to them. The heart behind it all is to rearrange priorities to what really matters instead of chasing all the other things first. I am looking forward to walking through the Gospel of John and having great discussions about how much God loves us. Maybe we’ll have some heart-shaped cookies and cocoa while we read and then maybe we’ll call grandma to tell her what we learned (she actually prefers phone calls over flowers). Maybe you too can adopt the “love your Bible” emphasis in your home and ministry this February—and beyond.

Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me. John 14:23-24 (CSB)

* The book Nothing Less by Jana Magruder is available at Lifeway.com or a Lifeway store near you.

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Lifeway Kids. She is a Baylor graduate and offers a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and publishing. She is the author of Kids Ministry that Nourishes and Life Verse Creative Journal, which she co-authored with her teenage daughter. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children reside in Nashville.

Bible Skills, Bible Study, Bibles, Kids Ministry, Leadership

November 6, 2017

Top Indicators of Spiritual Health in Kids (Part One)

By Jana Magruder

The “Nothing Less” Research was conducted to answer the question: “What can parents do now to affect their children’s spiritual health when they become adults?” In partnership with Lifeway Research, I set out to find the answer to this question. Secretly, I was hoping for a ‘magical’ formula that I as a mom could mix up and produce, making sure my kids would be faithful servants of Christ as adults. What the research discovered was something more profound, yet very simple.

By far the number one thing we as parents can do is to incorporate Bible reading often. Statistically, this was way far above and beyond the other indicators (we will discuss those in parts 2 and 3). Bible reading may sound like the obvious church answer, but if it’s so clear—why aren’t we doing more of it?

Statistically, we know that Americans on average own seven Bibles—but rarely open them. The numbers don’t change much even when you segment evangelicals. It’s no wonder we have a biblical literacy crisis in the church today. Therefore, we cannot ignore this new study that tells us reading the Bible is the number one thing kids can do to grow up spiritually healthy. The question is, what can we as adults (parents and church leaders) do to encourage them to love God’s word? Here are three ideas I discuss in the book, Nothing Less that unveils the research.

Choose an age-appropriate Bible: There are many choices of translations, designs, and covers for families to choose from. It’s important to find one that fits the child’s life stage. For example, a toddler and preschooler may enjoy being read to from a storybook Bible with colorful pictures and easy language that communicates the biblical truth. An older child may enjoy something they can write in or that has devotionals inside that help them understand what they are reading.
Use a Bible Reading Plan: Find something that works for your child and your family. Stick to succinct passages that kids can read in 10-15 minutes. This will lead to creating a consistent habit.
Commit to Just Do It: I recommend making the commitment along with your child so that you can both get in the habit. Just recently, I started Bible and Tea with my kids in the evening before bed. We sip on chamomile tea and read from the Bible. Sometimes we take turns reading aloud and sometimes we read quietly. It’s working now, but I suspect that will change—and that’s ok. The most important thing is just to keep at it.

I am on this journey as a mom and as a leader in Kids Ministry. Join me and let’s dig in together because only God’s word transforms hearts! Nothing Less!

Find Nothing Less at Lifeway.com

CentriKid, Events, Kids Ministry, Leadership

November 3, 2017

CentriKid 2018 Sneak Peek

By Jeremy Echols

Summer 2018 will be here before you know it. We are working hard to prepare for CentriKid 2018, and today I’ve got a sneak peek at what your kids will experience when you bring your kids to camp.

For us, everything begins with developing the spiritual direction at camp. It is the very first project we begin for the summer, and we start working on the scriptural content almost two years before kids actually experience it at camp. This summer at CentriKid Camps, we will be learning about God’s design for us and who we are in Christ. We will learn how we are His workmanship and how we are created in His image. God’s blueprint shows us that we are truly loved, completely forgiven, and prepared for a purpose to share the gospel.

The key verse this summer is Ephesians 2:10. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” I’m confident that this verse will give our camp staff and the adults from your church many opportunities to have intentional, gospel-centered conversations with campers.

The video series will have a new episode during each night of Worship, and while I can’t spoil all the surprises, I want to give you an idea of what to get excited about! During the video series, we’ll be following a group of kids who have been specially designed by God with different talents and gifts. Through some epic design competitions, these kids (and your campers) will be learning how they are made in the image of God and how they can use their gifts.

Also at camp this summer, we are making a change to the afternoon schedule. We are moving from three Track Times to two, to allow campers more time to focus in on the activities in their chosen Tracks! We are also adding some new Track Time options! Be on the lookout for Track Time cards to be posted on CentriKid.com on the specific Location Pages by March 2018.

Many of you are already promoting camp dates to your families and some are getting ready to, so we have the “2018 Chaos Kit” coming your way to help with generating excitement for CentriKid. The Chaos Kit includes visual aids, promotion materials, and a special edition “Blueprint OMC” game that you can play at church to get kids moving and thinking about camp.

We look forward to serving churches with camp next summer, so if you have not reserved your spaces for CentriKid yet, call 1-877-CAMP-123 or go online to www.centrikid.com to find a date that works for your group. Contact our team anytime by email at centrikid@lifeway.com with logistical questions, parent questions, or anything else that we can help you with.

Jeremy Echols leads the CentriKid Camps team and manages the Lifeway Kids events. He, his wife Emily, and their precious daughter love their church, their neighborhood, and spending time together. Jeremy loves to read, watch sports, and grill burgers.

Bibles, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Preschool

October 23, 2017

Introducing the CSB Read to Me Bible

By Klista Storts

I’m beyond excited to get to announce the release of the new CSB Read to Me Bible! As both a classroom teacher and a parent, I have been a long-time fan of our previous Read to Me Bible. In fact, when we were told it was going out of print, I was disappointed – maybe even a little heart broken!

So, when I found out Lifeway was redesigning this Bible to make it even more helpful for teachers and parents, you might have heard me shout out a little hallelujah!

Below is a list of some of the notable features:

All Bible story illustrations by the same artist, Cheri Bladholm (in a classic, realistic, and inviting style)
54 Bible stories with bold print included to provide two levels of reading
Easy-to-read, single-column format
Designed for birth through age 6
Full text of the CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Special helps for parents, including Bible Skills and Biblical Learning Levels
List of helpful Bible verses to help a child (and parent) know where to look for answers to some hard questions
Highlighted verses within the Bible text
Basic Bible vocabulary for children
3 full-color pages with a simple New Testament map and pictures of Bible-times churches and clothing
8 pages with black-and-white illustrations of places and things in the Bible

Whether you are a parent or a teacher of young kids ages 0-6, I know that you’ll find the CSB Read to Me Bible a great addition to your home or classroom. I’m so thankful that this new generation can fall in love with God’s Word and can have this to treasure for a lifetime.

Klista Storts serves as a Content Editor for Lifeway Kids. Before coming to Lifeway, she served as the Weekday and Preschool Specialist at the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as Director of Preschool Ministries at churches in Oklahoma and Tennessee. Klista has a passion for equipping leaders to share the love of Christ and lay foundations for conversion in the lives of kids.

Bible Study, Kids Ministry, Leadership

September 27, 2017

5 Leadership Lessons from the Bible: Nehemiah

By Brian Dembowczyk

Nehemiah: How do leaders think?

After I arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days, I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the one I was riding. Nehemiah 2:11-12

Nehemiah was the rare leader who was simultaneously a visionary and an organizer. Usually, leaders are one or the other. Visionaries tend to be so lofty and big picture in their thinking that they struggle with implementation and execution. At the same time, organizers tend to be so detail-oriented and grounded in their thinking that they struggle to dream.

For most leaders, the goal is to excel in one area and be competent in the other. But every once in awhile there are leaders who excels in both—like Nehemiah. I love how the Book of Nehemiah captures Nehemiah’s heart and how his vision and planning intertwined so tightly. We don’t just see a leader who had a vision for a rebuilt city, but he thought strategically, and organized the people to build portions of the wall by family, knowing that families will work with more conviction and effectiveness together.

Nehemiah looked at the task God had given him, pondered the solution, and motivated the people to work together even in the midst of opposition. That’s leadership! Here are five tips for thinking strategically in our ministries:

Read leadership books. One of the best ways to learn to think like a leader is to read books written by leaders. There are many good leadership books written from a Christian perspective, but don’t limit yourself to those. There are fantastic leadership books that you can learn so much from, even if they are not written from a biblical worldview. Be discerning when you read these (as you should be with Christian leadership books too), but don’t be afraid to read a business best-seller just because it comes from a different worldview.
Guard time to dream and think. This may be a challenge, but it is worth it. Leading your ministry doesn’t always mean people have to always see you doing something. Being busy is not the same thing as being effective. One of the most effective things you can do is to guard time to dream, think, and pray. Nehemiah did. More importantly, Jesus did too. Schedule time on your calendar to get away by yourself as an appointment and keep it.
Set wise goals. Goals are an essential part of strategic thinking as a leader. Former Major League Baseball player Yogi Berra is credited as saying, “‘If you don’t know where you are going, you‘ll end up someplace else.” It’s a pretty humorous quip, but it is also saturated with truth. If you don’t set goals in your ministry, you won’t be able to guide and direct where you believe God wants you to go. So set goals, but be sure they are wise ones. Your goals should stretch you, your leaders, and your ministry, but they need to be realistic too.
Evaluate. Like dreaming, it is critical that leaders guard time to evaluate. While the frantic pace of ministry makes regular evaluation difficult, it is worth the time and effort. When something goes well in ministry, evaluate the reasons so you can replicate them. Also consider if the event could have even be better. Likewise, if something doesn’t go well, look for what went wrong and what can be improved for next time. Find wins in it too. Very rarely is a ministry event a total loss.
Include your leaders and leadership team. Don’t miss that Nehemiah took some others with him as he developed a plan. As you think, dream, and evaluate, involve others as much as you can. God has given you and your team different experiences, perspectives, and abilities for a reason. Inviting others to think strategically with you is good for you, your team, and your ministry.

Next time — Barnabas: How do leaders breathe life into their teams?

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to Lifeway. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.