subject: Ask Sunday Review [print this page] Gone are the days where your youth Sunday school curriculum is chosen and purchased by a head pastor or education minister. More and more this responsibility is now falling on you, the student pastor. This can be an overwhelming task, especially if you have never done it before. That is why in this article I want to give you a few specific steps that can help you find the right curriculum for your student ministry.
For preschool children, the Bible and the concept of faith could be brand new, and the decision as to where to start in explaining this aspect of life can be overwhelming. While our instincts usually tell us to start at the beginning, introducing a preschooler to the Bible by starting with Genesis would be a mistake. Before a young child learns anything about the Bible, it is crucial that he understands that Jesus loves him. First and foremost let the preschool learn that God is love, Jesus is the son of God and he loves us all, even--or perhaps we should say, especially children.
Don't rush this introduction of Jesus. Preschool children do understand that their mothers and fathers love them, and to make this comparison will help them to understand that Jesus is like a parent. The fact that he is "invisible" does not affect younger children negatively as their imaginations are at their prime. Preschool is the best time to present this invisibility as "more powerful" than those who are visible, even more powerful than parents.
Singing many children's songs about Jesus will also help. "Jesus Loves Me," and "Jesus Loves the Little Children" have stood the test of time, and are invaluable in building a preschool child's relationship with Jesus. Only when love and trust has been established and we are assured the children's faith is built on love and not fear, will the foundation of their faith be strong and secure enough to move on to other aspects of the Bible.
The number one thing that you can do to help yourself in this process is to pray. While this is a very practical task, the end result should be very spiritual. More than likely this is going to be one of your students' primary connections to scripture in the coming semester or year. Therefore you want to make a wise choice. When we do things on our own we fell because often our judgment is clouded by a wide range of issues and factors. Therefore you need to pray. You need to ask for direction. You need to ask for clear thoughts. You need to ask God to slam doors shut if you are about to make a wrong decision. You also need to pray over your students who are going to be studying this curriculum. We can never pray enough and we must begin everything we do with this step.
