Children’s Ministry Meets Family Ministry—And It’s About Time

Many talk about children as though they were our future. We know better don’t we? Children must be our present lest we forsake the future. This is true now more than ever in our lifetimes. Another thing that’s true more than ever is that fewer and fewer families are on a faith journey together. We commonly see parents deferring to the church to lead their children to grow in faith, feeling that the church is more knowledgeable and capable to do this important work. There are many problems with this perspective, and one of the major ones has to do with time. Kids spend more time with parents in the car in one month than they spend in church in an entire year. We have to equip and empower parents to have spiritual conversations with their children or we’ll lose a generation. 

 

It’s a constant challenge for children’s leaders. How do we equip parents? How do we help parents feel more confident in their own ability to lead spiritual conversations with their children? Seedbed Kids has an idea, and it’s executed beautifully in their new children’s curriculum, Trackers of Truth. 

 

In addition to having all the most highly-valued components of a modern children’s curriculum—high-quality animated videos, integrated worship, compelling design, teaching techniques that engage a variety of learning styles, and a distinctively Wesleyan theological foundation, to name a few—Trackers of Truth also has components intentionally crafted to take family discipleship to the next level. Each week of teaching emphasizes scripture memory by highlighting a new verse. In addition to often being present throughout the teaching, the verse is also featured on collectible Take Home Cards and in the Farm Talk Podcast.


Take Home Cards serve three purposes. First, they recap the story taught in class and connect it to a memorable image from the animated video for visual learners. Second, they include the weekly verse so families can work to memorize it together. And third, they feature three Bible trivia/catechesis questions to help children and their parents build an arsenal of Bible knowledge and better understand how certain stories connect to the big idea of Scripture. The goal? That families will collect these cards week after week as a way to remember the significance of the stories long after the program ends.

 

 

The Farm Talk Podcast adds an even more unique dimension to Trackers of Truth. The podcast, accessible for free to all families of churches that participate in the program, is hosted by Duke, Luke, Jenny, Penny, Walker, and Milton—the characters from the animated videos kids watch each week.  By downloading and playing the weekly podcast, families can spend their drive home from church (or trip to school, or soccer practice, or piano lesson, or anywhere-travel that week) hearing from the barn crew as they recap the story, take a call from a listener, and tell more than a few farm jokes. It’s the perfect way to create common ground between parents and children and spark conversation around the big idea of the lesson that week.

 

If you’re on the hunt for a children’s curriculum that’s Wesleyan in its theology, simple for teachers and volunteers, engaging for children, and empowering for parents, look no further. Seedbed Kids has answered the call with Trackers of Truth. 

 

Learn more, preview lessons, and purchase your materials at seedbedkids.com.