Children’s Ministry and Culture

I’m writing a piece for Children’s Ministry Magazine and on how our teaching methods unintentionally promote wrong attitudes toward scripture. I’m wrestling with the issue of one-point learning. 

The benefits of one-point learning are undeniable. By teaching less, the child retains more. We focus the child’s attention on one ascpect of God’s character and one way that who God is should inspire life-change.

But what if all of those ”one-points” (A child can take in 1-3 one-points a week depending on church, multiply that by 40-52 weeks a year of attendance, x’s a whole childhood of Sunday School Attendance) contribute to an atomized view of Scripture. What if we’re repacking scripture as a morality-tale-of-the-week instead of presenting one long story of salvation that invites a child participation in it?

How can we make sure that these one-points add up to make a greater constellation (salvation history), instead promoting an atomized view of the Bible?

I’m not abandoning the one-point teaching technique. But something must be added.   

 Edit: After a few days of mulling and a few emails with Dr. Wright of Children Evangelism Fellowship, I was able to finally clarify my thought. The issue isn’t the use of “the point”, but when the point is crafted. The application should be one of the last stages of the hermeneutic process. When we start with the point (topical teaching, also not a bad thing) we need to be careful not to commandeer a passage for our own purposes. Thanks to Dr. Wright and Keith. 

We’re recently had a vigorous discussion here about the concerns over character-based curriculum. While surfing at www.childrensminsitry.com, I noticed that this topic is the cover story of the March/April issue if Children’s Ministry Magazine. I haven’t gotten the issue yet, but am interested to see how CM MAG addresses the topic.

I spoke on the phone earlier this afternoon with Reggie Joiner and found it very helpful that he corrected many errors in my last post. Foremost among them is the observation from one reader who found similarities in Bill Gothard’s materials and the wording of “Initiative: Seeing What Needs to be Done and Doing it.” Reggie told me personally that there is nothing tying his organization with Gothard’s materials in any way and I trust him on this!

Reggie also graciously noted that the FamilyTimes Virtue Pack was part of a much broader group of tactics all designed to get families talking and raising their children to know and love God. I’ve only seen the Virtue Pack and thus was very much not aware of how this is only one aspect of many more items.

He invited me to and I will attend the upcoming Orange Conference to get both a broader perspective and to get to know more fully this new approach to equipping families that so many have found helpful! Thanks Reggie!

NOTE: Please see Keith’s post about a phone call from Reggie.    

A friend of mine sent me an example of FamilyTimes Virtue Pack from www.familytimes.org and I read and listened through Volume 3, Issue 1 on “Initiative: Seeing what needs to be done and doing it.” First, I want to thank my friend for letting me see what so many, including him, find to be helpful for their family. The fact that this promotes discussion in the home, in the car, at bedtime and in the morning is the major benefit apart from the topic discussed. AWANA for all it’s faults, has one huge benefit. When you see an adult listening attentively to a child (this in itself is REMARKABLE) you realize why something so awkward and cumbersome really “works” and is loved by many parents and children.

Ok, back to FamilyTimes Virtue Pack. I debated whether to discuss this program because often a critique can be seen as a “critical spirit” and I have to say that I’ll try to avoid that human (and for me, effortless) tendency. Objectivity is a rare virtue as we all have our biases. I also debated whether or not to discuss this program because I get a paycheck from a publisher myself. This makes anything I say somewhat self-serving or even creates a conflict of interest. But, I do write for a magazine that prides itself in objectivity and helpfulness so I’ll try to maintain that core value. Finally, someone needs to every now and then say, even in Children’s Ministry, “The Emperor has no clothes” or in this case, “The Emperor, while he does have some clothing on, wears an unfortunate thong that’s distracting.”

I will quote here from the back cover, “Here’s what the bible says to parents about teaching virtues to their children…’Impress them up on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.’ (Deut. 6:7, NIV)” So the whole premise, mission and organization of the FamilyTimes Virtue Pack is outlined in this foundation passage.

Larry has already corrected me that Character qualities are indeed scriptural and he’s right, they are. Peter uses them (2 Peter 1:5 - there is also the fruit of the Spirit and Character Qualities are therefore are emblems or evidences of our status and life in Christ. Character qualities and Virtues are somewhat synonomous. But let’s think about this deeply. Is “Initiative” a virtue? Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Does Deut. 6 really say that we are to “talk about” virtues? AWANA has made this same mistake by taking a verse and establishing their whole method around it: “rightly dividing the word of truth” which candidly does NOT mean “memorizing the word of truth” but that is what they DO! Moses here in Deut. 6 is talking about the “commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me (Moses) to teach you to observe”! It is not VIRTUES and cannot mean what FamilyTimes suggests it should mean. So the FOUNDATION is shakey to begin with!

The virtue I wrote about in an earlier blog was “Orderliness” and it was taught for an entire month. The current one I am reviewing is “Initiative” and we learn about beavers showing initiative and we tell the story of Esther showing initiative. But candidly, is “initiative” really something Christians should show the world to demonstrate our UNIQUENESS? There is a KidJam skit that is all about kids demonstrating this “self-starter” quality and it is funny, quirky and even has inside jokes for adults.

But think about this! This program was designed for the busy parent who is anxious that their child demonstrate the character of God and because “the home should be the primary place where a child learns about God” (according to FamilyTimes and I would agree). Therefore, in this time why on earth are we REDUCING scripture to trite platitudes that DIMINISH the power we have as believers in the very Bible that is stilled by this program? Why does a busy parent resort to anything that is imprecise, unremarkable, trite and misleading? It is the FORM of godliness without the power and frankly it bugs the turkey stuffing out of me!

Last night I was reading to my 16 year old daughter (a passage from Anna Karenina where Kitty looks lovingly at Vronsky and he did not respond and “for years” she remembered that with “cutting shame”–a powerful example of the deceit found in some men) and with my wife playing a Sonata on the piano in the background it was one of those scenes that get etched in a family’s memory. The fact that together time will happen with this curriculum is good and beneficial. But what in the world, “initiative”? Really? I’m going to motivate my daughter to avoid procrastination because Esther took the initiative? (or was it Mordechai who pushed Esther???) We are weakening our position in ways that are unnerving and utterly corrupt. Too strong? I spent two hours reviewing this and found more refreshment in reading 2 Peter in only 5 minutes!!! Just what is “powerful” and “sharper” than any two-edged sword anyway?

I’m reading the rough draft of a new book Turbocharged: 100 Simple Secrets to Successful Children’s Ministry by Dale Hudson, Director of Central Kidz, Grades 1 – 5 at Central Christian Church in Las Vegas www.cfmteamonline.com ) and Scott Werner, LIFEKids Pastor, at Life Church in Edmond, OK (check out 8300 kids at his VBS article here .  

These two guys are pretty up front with children’s ministries (Dale’s wife led Bruce Berry to the lord years ago) that are on the cutting edge and highly entertaining yet relevant to their culture. I’m writing an endorsement so I read the book this morning but I’ve got to share one chapter (51 titled “Don’t Be A Bubble Boy”) that is just a superb example of two people who are not just DOING ministry and spinning wheels but ABSORBED BY MINISTRY to children!  It is instructive for our blog here since it touches on culture and how to view it. The book comes out in June and you can preorder it here 

One Exerpt:

Some Christ-followers pull away from the culture and place themselves inside a “Christian bubble.” They think the more you are out of touch with the culture, the more godly you are. They might pop out of the bubble occasionally to quote a Bible verse to someone on the outside, but they hastily retreat back inside. Jesus definitely wasn’t in the bubble. The Bible says he ate with “tax collectors and other sinners.” He didn’t pull away from those who needed God’s truth the most. Rather, he hung out with them. He ate with them. He went to their homes. He got involved in their lives. He was right in the middle of the culture of his day. The “religious” people didn’t like it. You could hear their shouts coming from inside the bubble as they called him “the friend of sinners.” What a great thing to be called! We are called to reach the culture in which we live. We must meet people where they are. But it’s hard to build relationships outside the bubble…if you’re never outside of the bubble.

If you don’t know about people’s music, entertainment, styles, and tastes, then it will be hard to connect with them. They will look at you as you sit inside the bubble, and say, “That’s weird. I want no part of that.” The same principle applies to children’s ministry.

We have to get outside our little “bubble” songs, “bubble” DVDs, and “bubble” books, and know the culture that kids live in today. As I stated in another chapter, missionaries spend lots of time learning the culture of the people they are trying to reach. We are missionaries to children. We must know what’s going on in their culture. We have to speak their cultural language if we want them to listen to us. So how do you get outside the bubble and connect with kid culture? Here are some ways to burst out of the bubble: 

Read magazines. Here are some key magazines that will keep you in touch with kid culture.

·                      Nickelodeon

·                      American Girl

·                      Kidscreen (a must-have—order from www.kidscreen.com )

·                      Sports Illustrated Kids

·                      Boys’ Life

·                      Discovery Girls

·                      Girls’ Life

·                      Children’s Ministry Magazine (especially the “Keeping Current WithKids” section)

Regularly check out children’s TV programming. Here are the big four to watch.

·                      Disney Channel

·                      Nickelodeon

·                      Cartoon Network

·                      MTV (for preteens—like it or not, a lot watch it) 

Watch movies kids like. Find out what kids are watching at the box office and on DVD. Ask kids on a regular basis what their favorite movies are. Take time to watch them. You can also check out www.fandango.com or www.pluggedinonline.com  to see what’s currently playing and get reviews. 

Know what video games kids are playing. Ask kids to tell you about their favorite games and why they like them. Go by the video game store and ask the sales clerk what the most popular games are for kids. Read reviews about the games. Rent the games and check them out if you have a game system. 

Know their music. Music is a great refl ection of culture. Ask kids what’s on their iPod. See what’s at the top of the billboard charts. Ask kids who their favorite singers are. 

Know their favorite Web sites. Ask kids where they spend time on the Web, then check out the sites. Find out what Internet game sites they frequent. 

Regularly walk through the toy aisles. Look at the newest toys. Keep abreast of what kids are clamoring for. 

Have kids focus groups. Talk with groups of kids and ask what’s “cool” right now. Make the group as diverse as possible to get the best answers. Instead of avoiding the culture, look at it as something that can help you connect kids to Jesus. Be a student of kid culture, and use it as a vehicle to reach out to them. And when culture collides with God’s truth, use it as an opportunity to show what God’s Word says about the subject. We want kids to be out in the culture when they grow up so they can reach people. So if you’re in the Christian bubble…burst out! Get out there and learn all you can about kid culture. That’s where Jesus wants you…outside the bubble!

Dale writes:

Keith, thanks for the write up about the book on Children’s Ministry and Culture.  Couple of clarifications. Scott is not at Life Church now.  He left to do consulting and is opening a chain of childcare centers. The author info. clarifies that he is the former cp at Life Church.

My wife was the one who found Bruce’s website. It was Dr. Ronnie Floyd who actually led him to Christ while he was building Toon Town in Springdale and I had the privilege of baptizing he and his wife Vivian.

Thanks. Dale

There is an excellent essay in today’s Wall Street Journal (Friday, Febuary 15, 2008, p. W11) by Tony Woodlief who blogs about family and faith at www.tonywoodlief.com that offers up an opinion on the much perloined theory of Multiple Intelligence (MI Theory) by Dr. Howard Gardner. I say “much perloined” simply because we’ve all used it in Children’s Ministry to our benefit since it applies wonderfully the passage in scripture that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” in ways that make all of us intelligent

Read the essay here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120304710927870965.html?mod=todays_us_weekend_journal) but I have one comment and a suggestion. Dr. Howard Gardner would not LIKE the fact that we in Children’s Ministry use his theory. “They were not,” Mr. Gardner later wrote, “divining what I had really meant.”

Think about this, “contrary to popular misperception,” Mr. Gardner explained, “MI theory doesn’t mean that every child is outstanding at something. Some children can be below average at everything.” Here is a great observation from Mr. Woodlief:

MI theory encourages us to look for signs of innate precociousness and then to develop them. What you don’t want is to spend all your precious educational energy trying to improve on a dimension you just weren’t meant to be great at. If everyone understood this, of course, the “American Idol” auditions would be less entertaining.

Great comment and a good review of Frames of Mind to not apply his precepts too broadly in the positive. It will always take hard work to get better at knowing how to do something than simply to know what something is or isn’t!

I visited a mega church yesterday that was using a curriculum that is very popular and I overheard the teaching staff in one of the classrooms concluding the session with a verbatim quote that struck me as clearly unsound!

The current month’s theme is Orderliness and it reminded me of the old Bill Gothard (of Institute of Basic Life Principles fame or the earlier Basic Youth Conflicts seminars http://billgothard.com/bill/) themes. The tag line for the month’s virtue is to arrange things to make your day easier! Seriously! Remember, this is children’s Sunday school we’re talking about!

Each week there is a “Bottom Line” and for week #1 it was God put things in order for a reason, ok, so far so good. Then yesterday God gave us time to help us have a better day which is interesting, I suppose, and next week it’ll be When you put God first, everything else falls into place and that might be true or probably a truism depending on how you define “falls into place”. The final week is Make the most of every season and that sounds like a women’s ministry retreat theme (not that there’s anything wrong with women’s ministries).

The content yesterday made the children’s pastor wince (and which is why I feel compelled to write ironically right now) since the application pointed to doing “acts of obedience”. BUT what did the children learn? That their “act of obedience was…drum roll please…”brushing your teeth”! Reminds me of a time when I was a kid at camp and one speaker, an elderly woman, told us that God did not want us picking our nose and eating it. REALLY? IS God really concerned with THAT? What a silly thing to feel guilty over. Brushing your teeth too, huh! You can’t make this stuff up!

I realize that some weeks there is often material in published curriculum that is overlooked by careful editors or misinterpreted by well meaning children’s ministry volunteers, but this is a quote from the final line in yesterday’s lesson: “God puts things in order for a reason, if you do things in the right order, it will help you be healthy, wealthy and wise. Let’s pray!”

SERIOUSLY!!!! Are we quoting from Benjamin Franklin here? Is that our authority? So much for letting the Bible speak for itself!

National Academy of Sciences and Institute Of Medicine to release Science, Evolution, and Creationism, a new book designed to give the public an up-to-date picture of the current scientific understanding of evolution and its importance in the science classroom. Listen to the live audio webcast on Friday from 11am to noon Eastern Time (http://www.nas.edu/).

What is interesting here for the Children’s Pastor is the direct explanation for the lay person on the difference between Science per se and Religion.  Summarized from the press release here (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/us/04evolve.html) you can read the book here (http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11876&page=37 where you can skim some of the book).

What do you think?

My sons at the University of Minnesota are learning in an environment that encourages active and interactive learning. Check out the following website and move also to the link at North Carolina State to see other options in interactive environments! Pretty amazing!

http://www.classroom.umn.edu/active-learn-room.asp

Thanks to for giving me the link to this (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686828,00.html) every week, Willey, who was raised Buddhist and says she has never believed in God, and her husband pack their four kids into their blue minivan and head to the Humanist Community Center in Palo Alto, Calif., for atheist Sunday school.