What We Love About "The Gospel Project For Kids"

Beginning in September, we began using a new curriculum called the “Gospel Project for Kids” for our children’s classes on Sunday mornings. And so far, we love it! The teachers and the children have been enjoying this together, and I think that God is using it and will continue to use it to bear good fruit in the families at New Covenant. I wanted to write a brief article highlighting some of the aspects of the curriculum that we love most.

1. The Gospel Project curriculum provides continuity within our children’s ministry.
On Sunday mornings, all of the children’s classes from the age of 2 through 5th grade will be learning from the same story. This makes it easier for parents to have conversations about the lesson with all of their children who might be in different classes. In September, our classes began with creation and have been working their way through the beginning of Genesis and Job. As you can imagine, a child who is 2 years old will learn differently than a child who is in 5th grade. While each class is learning from the same story, the curriculum, content, and teaching styles are different for each class.

2. The Gospel Project curriculum provides continuity between our children’s ministry and the rest of the church.
While the Gospel Project provides continuity within the children’s ministry, it also provides continuity within the whole church. Many of our classes in the New Covenant Institute for Disciple-Makers are also using the Gospel Project curriculum. In our Institute for Disciple-Makers we are seeking to grow in four areas: doctrine, character, mission, and community. The adults will never be going through the same content as the children, but there is a unity in the theology and philosophy. The core values of the Gospel Project are as follows:

Deep, but Not Dry
We believe it’s best to expect a lot out of those who attend. So we strive to make truth accessible for both new and older believers alike. The important thing is that everyone has been fed and is sufficiently nourished.

Christ-Centered
God is the primary Actor in the grand narrative of Scripture, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is the climax of this story. The Old Testament testifies to Jesus, and the New Testament ethics and commands flow from the gospel.

Story-Focused
Being Christ-centered naturally brings our focus to the overarching story that the Bible tells in four parts: Creation / Fall / Redemption / Restoration. This helps us think about our world as Christians and provides a hope-filled outlook on our future.

Mission-Driven
Telling the story of the Bible is impossible without leading to mission, as the gospel reveals the heart of our missionary God and His desire to save people of every tribe, tongue, and nation.

3. The Gospel Project curriculum uses technology well
If you haven’t recently been down in the hallway where the children’s classes meet, try to walk through there sometime. We mounted 12 posters in the hallway that create a large timeline mural to help the kids learn the timeline of the Bible and to help them see where their lessons fit into the big story of redemption. We have also installed televisions and dvd players in each classroom. The classes don’t simply go in and watch an hour video for class, but the curriculum uses short videos for discussion starters, lesson supplements, and worship music for singing. This adds variety and helps the kids engage well and retain better.

There’s an app for that. If you go into your app store (available for Apple and Android) you can download the app called Gospel Project for Families. The app is free, but from inside the app you will need to purchase each quarter of curriculum that we use. For iPhones it is $.99 and for iPads it is $2.99. The app is excellent. It includes the lessons and videos for each week as well as songs, games, and discussion / devotion helps for families. This would be an excellent resource for parents to be able to easily engage with your kids about the lessons they are learning at church.

What are some things you can do?
1.Take a moment right now to pray that God would use His Word to reach the souls of the children in our church.
2. If you have children, take advantage of some of these resources to reinforce the lessons that your children are being taught on Sundays.
3. Maybe as you read this, you think that you may want to serve families by helping in one of these classes. If you are a member and are interested in being a teacher, assistant, or filling in occasionally as a sub, please contact Dan Leeper at dleeper@newcbc.org.

Gratefully serving with you,
Dan Leeper