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Children's Sunday School Curriculum / Teaching Materials Used

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by CF1, Mar 4, 2010.

  1. CF1

    CF1 New Member

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    What do you use for Sunday School Curriculum / Teaching Materials?
    Why did you select it?
    What are the pros and cons of various options?
    How did you conduct your research (the last time a decision was made to switch to a new curriculum / materials)?

    I'm hoping the views on these questions are not as varied as 'what style of music do you like in the worship service', but I am hoping to understand the reasons why people like different materials.

    Please bear with each other's opinions and preferences if opinions vary.

    The goal is not to convince each other that one set of materials is "best" but to inform each other why a given curriculum works to support certain aims and objectives.
     
  2. CF1

    CF1 New Member

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    I found this website that lists a number of resources from various organizations:

    childrensministry.net
     
  3. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    We have an integrated church (no division by age, etc) so no children's church or ss material needed.

    All of our families home school and each uses their own choice of Bible curriculum, taught by the father.

    In ages past when I pastored "normal" ;) Baptist churches, we opted for Regular Baptist Press materials, as it was very conservative and thoroughly biblical.
     
  4. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

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    I don't know for sure what our children's ministries use, but in the adult class I attend we use Lifeway.
     
  5. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    The Nursery uses lifeway material. The other children's classes use Group.

    We selected the Group material because it dealt with the Bible stories better than Lifeway did.

    About every 3 years, we get materials from other Baptist/Evangelical sources and let the children's workers determine what fits best.
     
  6. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    One church I know uses Lifeway materials.

    Another church I know uses Group, which has a lot of Saddleback influence.

    Another church I know uses some new curriculum from the BGEA.
     
  7. Tater77

    Tater77 New Member

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    Same, we just go to Lifeway and get our kids stuff. Which my wife goes and picks out while I wander around the Bibles and commentaries. All the while the kids are over at the TV watching Veggie Tales.
     
  8. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    We use the materials from Andy Stanley's Northpoint Community Church. Their Sunday School is called PromiseLand. It's good stuff.
     
  9. CF1

    CF1 New Member

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    Thanks for all of your responses. There is an enormous amount of teaching material available!

    I enjoyed reading the free downloaded book Great Expectations: the full book (PDF) by Lifeway.

    Some of the curriculums seem very oriented towards entertainment. I guess for people looking for that they are very effective.

    I prefer those that teach deeper truths of the Bible myself, but to each his own.
     
  10. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    OK, I will bite: What deeper truths of the Bible will you be teaching 1st and 2nd graders?
     
  11. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    My son writes for Group and works closely with them. Just emceed their youth pastor's conference in Chicago 10 days ago (he's in Kenya now).

    I know nothing about them except they publish his books and are some quality Christian people. Glad to hear they have SS materials and I will look them up.
     
  12. CF1

    CF1 New Member

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    You are right that "deeper" is subjective and personal so it could be defined many ways and we need to respect all those ways that reach different people.

    My personal subjective way of thinking of deeper truths when teaching in our 4 year old class is that
    a. the Gospel (God loves us very deeply and Jesus died on the cross) is deeper than
    b. God made the earth and flowers so lets sing and dance. (keep it light hearted and celebrate)

    I try to weave in something that points to Christ and the gospel into each lesson, whether that is about God's love or His redemption etc.

    Again, that's my personal subjective definition. Other definitions are guaranteed to vary.
     
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