As ministry leaders, we\u2019ve become accustomed to following a program and trusting that we\u2019re showing kids the way to Jesus<\/a>. Great curriculum makes it easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if our children\u2019s ministry curriculum has become the discipleship equivalent of looking no farther than a three-inch blue line straight ahead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we have lost focus on the greater journey of faith formation, our desire for the convenience of packaged programs may be partly to blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, nobody would advocate inconvenience per se as the remedy. But, somehow, we need a clear picture and constant reminder of point B. To help with the faith formation of our kids, we use songs, lessons, videos, and activities\u2014but they are not point B. A vibrant identity in Jesus is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The real Jesus. The scandalous, law-breaking, love-abiding Jesus. The counter-cultural Jesus who modeled and taught a way of following God that broke from the conventions of His time and place in the world\u2014and ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We know that true faith is more than going to church. It\u2019s about more than getting people to stay in church and believe what they were taught, no matter how solid the children\u2019s ministry curriculum. It\u2019s more than communion and baptism, small groups and Bible studies\u2014even though these are significant and valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf faith is union with Christ, and means union with the story of Christ, we need to understand the story of Christ to know what faith and faith formation is.\u201d<\/p>\nScot McKnight, New Testament scholar in a review of Andrew Root\u2019s Faith Formation in a Secular Age.<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Both authors advocate for the power of faith formation that comes through setting aside our privilege and mobilizing ministry to others, following the example of Jesus described in Philippians 2:6\u201311.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are formed as we enter the story of Christ, who, being in very nature God, didn\u2019t take a position of divine privilege; rather, He humbled Himself as a servant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine the difference in our faith, and our children\u2019s, if the end goal followed this pattern: \u201cBecause he was X he did not do Y but instead did Z…. <\/em>not to do what we can because of who we are but instead to do what is redemptive for the other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This God-made-flesh Jesus showed us how knowing who we are in Him<\/em> leads to self-emptying humility and others-centered service. But if good behavior is accepted as the goal of faith formation, we have missed point B. We have accepted good behavior as a stand-in for identity in Jesus rather than an outflow from it.And, no doubt, many a children\u2019s ministry curriculum can help us train kids in good behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have accepted good behavior as a stand-in for identity in Jesus rather than an outflow from it.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Promoting good behavior for its own sake is an old trick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Pharisees tested Jesus with a question about the greatest commandment in the law they so carefully upheld, He said: \u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands\u201d (Matt. 22:34\u201340<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does this all-encompassing love look like when it comes to the daily practice of forming our children\u2019s identity\u2014and in that identity, a lifelong faith\u2014so that being a Christian is first and foremost about who they are, not how they behave?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To find out, we must lift our eyes from the three-inch blue line on the navigation system we may have been trusting too much to get us where we really want to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do we value children\u2019s ministry curriculum? Yes, of course! We need curriculum that is theologically solid, engaging for kids and volunteers, and adaptable to our context. But how can we avoid relying on it to the extent that we\u2019re missing point B?<\/p>\n\n\n\n That last question has fueled a quest among children\u2019s ministry leaders to look for more than curriculum\u2014and beyond the walls of the church\u2014to engage today\u2019s families<\/a>. The question can\u2019t be fully answered here, but we have an opportunity to learn new approaches as we go forward together.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\tChildren’s Curriculum Focus: Identity in Jesus Is Point B<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lifting Our Eyes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We Value Children’s Curriculum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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