Churches have few responsibilities more urgent and few honors more profound than teaching and training children. Every week these little ones show up with their parents and every week there are opportunities to reach them with truths that will change their hearts and transform their lives. It is little wonder, then, that there are multitudes of books, resources, and programs available to reach them.
But what about books for the teachers? What about books that teach the teachers the principles and practices they need to instruct children with conviction and competency? Now the field grows narrower, doesn’t it? And this is just where a new book titled How to Teach Kids Theology: Deep Truths for Growing Faith comes into its own.
I’ll say from the outset: If you are in any way involved in teaching children, this is a book you should consider reading. It is for pastors, ministry leaders, Christian schoolteachers, or anyone else who is involved in helping big truths make sense to little hearts. I don’t think I could recommend it too highly.
Here’s why. The authors, Sam Luce and Hunter Williams, provide both the big-picture vision and the practical pointers that could transform any children’s ministry. They steer readers away from the allure of ministries that are fun and attractive but devoid of significant content, for “Unless God is rightly taught and highly honored, our ministries are nothing more than glorified babysitting services.” Yet they also know the importance of making learning age-appropriate and enjoyable. “God should be the goal and prize of our ministries! Teaching about him should be the most exciting thing we do. Kids can love the activities we create and enjoy the snacks we supply, but they especially should look forward to the times when God is taught. Seeing him should be the most exhilarating thing they experience.”
If this is going to happen, there must be a relentless focus on God. There must be a great deal of effort invested in knowing God and displaying his glory. “If kids can leave our classrooms or small groups without having their view of God expanded, we’ve missed the mark. With every Bible lesson and interaction, God should become bigger in their eyes. That’s the goal! Anything less is distortion.”
This is their goal for a children’s ministry. It takes them a book to describe the pathway and the process, but it is a brisk and enjoyable read. Through 8 chapters they explain what theology is and why it is so crucial that we teach it to children. They tell how to explain difficult concepts to young minds. They describe how to structure and organize church-wide teaching programs. They give churches the tools they need to build a ministry that will harmonize with what parents are teaching in their homes, for “without the local church, theological training from parents would be lacking, and without parents, theological training from the local church would be limited.” Home and church are to function in harmony in bringing up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
“The need for depth and richness of theological truths in our children’s ministries and churches has never been more necessary,” the authors say. “It is not something we can ignore in our day and hope for the best. It is necessary that we understand our times and know that the answer to those times is not political activism or spiritual pessimism—it is a robust understanding of what is true and what has always been true.” Their hope, and mine, is that this book can serve as a catalyst to help children in their lifelong pursuit of God through his Word. I hope you’ll consider reading it or passing it to the person in the church who is best positioned to read, enjoy, and implement it. It’s that good.
