Don’t forget that a few years ago I wrote a number of articles on children in the life of the Church… some of those might still be useful in thinking all this through. You can find them here… and they cover a range of issues from helping your children to memorise Scripture (and doing it with them!); avoiding a ‘Pharisee’ mindset; teachng children to worship… (there are also articles on baptising children and children taking Communion).
Somewhere in amongst them all I wrote about how while Scripture is central and foundational, it isn’t the only thing we should be doing in family worship and discipleship. It is a great place to start, and simply reading a passage and asking children what they think it means, then praying with them about that, is likely the most foundational structure for a time of family worship. But our children will benefit hugely from being exposed to the rich and powerful heritage of faith and discipleship in the Church of today and yester-year. And so many organisations are serving the Church well in providing resources which are easy to use and to adapt. Biographies of those who have walked the path before us can always be encouraging. They can be read as a family, or the same life can be read about in biographies that are suitable to the ages of different children. We often read a biography together as a family. It requires zero preparation (except that I’m at a stage of life where I need to get my glasses!). We keep the Biography in the kitchen, and after a family meal, I can easily pick it up and read a few pages, before we clear up. We can ask questions en route, and sometimes the books even provide those!!
If you haven’t come across it, the Torchlighter series provides a different way of learning about the lives of Christians from the past. They provide a series of short animated biographical films, often with follow up activities. A lot of their stuff is online, though you can buy the DVDs if you prefer! Why not have a look at https://torchlighters.org/, or you can find quite a few of them on Youtube!
There are a huge number of age-differentiated biography series, from the boys / girls who changed the world series; through to books written for older teens. A scroll through an online Christian bookstore will give you plenty of options.
We can also read about the biography of the Church. Church history is an amazingly varied story to read or engage with. There are tales of great theological battles, revivals, tales of heroism and sacrifice, political and military intrigue, entrepeneurship, courage, the building of civilisations and the breaking down of others. Now that our kids are older, we’re reading through a larger book together called ‘Church History in plain language’. It’s written almost as a novel, and gives an overview of the global Church through the centuries. It’s very readable, and all of our kids are able to engage and access it at different levels. There are other books that deal with Church history in accessible ways but with a different focus. Roger Steer’s Church on Fire is a good example (for older youth), and there are almost too many to mention when it comes to certain chapters of Church History such as the Reformation, or the rise of the Monastic movements, or Christian social reform movements... have a look and see what catches your eye!
Or maybe you could try getting a handle on the experience of the Church today? There are worse things you can do that give your kids an awareness of the Global Church and the issues and challenges she faces. Try Open Doors Youth, or Kids of Courage (the children’s arm of Voice of the Martyrs)…
All of this and more can play into the ‘curriculum’ we are presenting the children and young people as part of our family worship and discipleship. It’s about finding something that works for you as a family… but there are so many options and resources that you can try during the search!
Enjoy.
