Plans for Discipleship This Fall

This fall, there is no “one size fits all” regarding programming and resources for churches and homes. Some churches will be offering in-person classes, though many will be in a modified format. Some will have their teachers video lesson presentations for viewing in the home. Some churches will provide parents with resources to use at home. Some will use elements of each of these scenarios or come up with other creative solutions.

How can you best disciple children within the specific challenges and restrictions where your church is? Find your scenario based on this decision tree and then see the recommendations for that scenario below.

[Also see "Back to Church With Vision" for commitments to guide ministry to children in this season, along with more resources to help.]

• Plan curriculum based on how classes are able to meet
• Provide video lessons and home support
• Partner with parents in teaching home-based material

Some churches are planning for Sunday school and midweek programs to resume as normal in age-appointed classes using curricula that follow the regular scope and sequence plan. However, some churches need to offer a hybrid model. Here is what a hybrid may look like:

• One larger, intergenerational class with families sitting in socially distanced groupings.
• Classes that combine more age groups to reduce staffing needs.
• Using a curriculum that gives greater flexibility to respond to possible future changes.
• Moving the normal Sunday morning teaching time to midweek classes.

If you are considering offering a hybrid model, Truth78 has resources to help you. Here are some recommendations:

• Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Intergenerational, 13 lessons. (Also see The Righteous Shall Live By Faith.)
• Glorious God, Glorious Gospel—Intergenerational devotional, 15 chapters and very adaptable for classroom settings.
• The Way of the Wise—28 lessons and easily adaptable for combined ages.
• The ABCs of God, Faithful to All His Promises, How Majestic Is Your Name—40-lesson curricula that are more readily adaptable to teaching combined ages.

Whether teaching in person as usual or using a hybrid model, if at all possible make a video recording of the teaching session that can be sent to those who are not able to participate in class. Additionally, you can find more support for intergenerational teaching in this free training seminar: “Intergenerational Teaching: Why and How." 

Lord, Teach Us to Pray: A flexible intergenerational curriculum 

The Lord's Prayer has much to teach us about our great and glorious God as well as about prayer. Lord, Teach Us to Pray is an intergenerational curriculum about the Lord's Prayer for children and adults. Curriculum Sample

New Resource!
The Lord, Teach Us to Pray Family Kit has been created for families to use along with teaching from the Teacher's Kit. Discussion questions, prayer cards, and activity cards aid families in their study on prayer. Family Kit Sample 

If at all possible, during this very disruptive time, it is preferable to provide children with teaching that is age-appropriate and continues the scope and sequence in a seamless manner. This will help ensure that you stay on course in proclaiming the breadth and depth of the whole counsel of God. What would this option entail?

• Equipping and training teachers to present their lessons through video/digital means. (This can be done by teachers recording their lessons at home or by recording them at church.)
• Providing parents with instruction and tips to help their children use and benefit from the teaching videos.
• Providing students with the corresponding workbooks or notebooks in either print or digital form.
• Providing parents with the corresponding lesson parent pages in either print or digital form.
• Regular contact with parents and/or students to encourage and pray with and for them.
  [Find more at 9 Tips for Teaching Lessons Remotely]

If it is not feasible to do remote teaching for every grade level included in your regular scope and sequence, consider using one curriculum or resource to span the entire family. Here are some recommendations:

• Lord, Teach Us to Pray—Intergenerational, 13 lessons.
• Glorious God, Glorious Gospel—Intergenerational Devotional, 15 chapters and adaptable as remote teaching material.
• The Way of the Wise—28 lessons and easily adaptable for combined ages.
• The ABCs of God, Faithful to All His Promises, How Majestic Is Your Name—40-lesson curricula that are more readily adaptable for teaching combined ages.

Glorious God, Glorious Gospel: A family devotional to help all ages know who God is and what He is like.

The Glorious God, Glorious Gospel devotional includes 15 lessons for family discipleship designed to ground children in the essential and glorious truths of the gospel.

Also available:
• Notebook — Help students stay engaged and apply the lessons.
• Coloring Book — Engage the littlest minds by keeping their fingers busy.

Some churches have determined that is it not yet feasible to meet in person or provide remote teaching. But the church can and should do whatever possible to encourage and equip parents to diligently disciple their children at home. In this scenario, it’s important for the church to follow up with parents on a regular basis to see how it’s going and address any problems. Truth78 has a variety of resources designed for use in the home. Churches can recommend and even provide these resources for families.

• Lord, Teach Us to Pray Family Kit—Intergenerational, 13 lessons
• Glorious God, Glorious Gospel—Intergenerational devotional, 15 chapters with accompanying notebook for older children and coloring book for younger children.
• The Making HIM Known series—Easy-to-use, 15-minute devotionals for elementary-aged children. (See this example of David Platt leading his family in a devotional from the book God's Names in the Making HIM Known series.) Each of the eight titles includes 26 chapters and has been based on a specific Truth78 curriculum. See how Making HIM Known books align with Truth78 curricula here. 

Making HIM Known series: Books for the home based on Truth78 curricula

The Making HIM Known series was written to give parents an opportunity to present solid truth to their children, and to encourage real-life application of the truth. Because the books in the series are based on Truth78 curricula, they can provide families with an at-home companion when classes are able to meet and when classes are not able to meet, they can provide a means for children to continue growing at home in learning the whole counsel of God. 

Find out more about the Making HIM Known series including how each book corresponds to Truth78 curriculum at Truth78.org/making-him-known-books.

Discount pricing is available by the case for the Making HIM Known series.
God's Gospel has 50 books per case. For more information, contact us.

A Vision and a Plan for Children’s Discipleship This Fall