DiscipleBlog.com

We love you guys for working with kids and we want to share some Apple love. We’re giving away 8 iPod Shuffles!

iPod Shuffle winner Nashville CPC!

How to Win an iPod?

1. Visit the DiscipleLand booth at the CPC in San Diego March 14-16 each time the resource center is open. A winner will be selected every exhibit session!

2. Tweet or facebook or email other children ministry friends this: Win an iPod! DiscipleLand is giving away iPod Shuffles. Details: http://wp.me/pKh81-4Q

3. Comment on this post.

That’s it!

Official Rules: Winners will be chosen randomly. No purchase necessary.

My husband and I want to lead our children to love God’s Word. We want our girls (ages 4 1/2 months, 3yrs and 6 1/2 yrs) to love it, understand it, apply it, memorize it, speak it out loud with confidence, and run to it to find answers to their questions. We’re right in the middle of the high demands of parenting young ones, but this is an area that is going pretty well. Believe me, we’re not perfect, so as you read on, keep in mind that we do this to the best of our ability- and our little angels are, well,  not always angelic. But they DO love their Bibles. Read the rest of this entry »

According to a report released by USA Today, digital gear sets this new group apart, even from their tech-savvy Millennial elders who among the oldest are approaching 30. They want to be constantly connected. Read the rest of this entry »

Once upon a time, Christian parents asked their children after church, “What did you learn about God?” Today, the question is often, “Did you have fun?” Not too long ago, wanting to fully equip children to serve Christ, churches offered extensive Bible training for all ages. Today, wanting to keep kids happy and to make recruiting easy, many churches offer high-energy, entertainment-based programs. Children rarely use their Bibles.

What’s needed is a comprehensive children’s discipleship system that helps equip kids to reach their peak potential as Jesus’ disciples, a children’s church curriculum that partners with teachers and parents to transform children into dynamic disciples of Jesus Christ. Kids need to learn to Know God intimately, love God passionately, and to serve God selflessly.

We always enjoy getting feedback from our customers. This note that just came in made our day:

I had a discovery today! You have put the Dee-Cy-Paul stories on DiscipleZone.com there as a printable resource.  Very cool!  Thank you! Would you believe that I had 5 guys not too long ago huddled around my laptop reading a few of these stories from the disciplezone site?  It was moving to behold.  I always envisioned this piece to be done at home via online.  It never occurred to me that it could be used in class… these stories beautifully apply the lesson to a kid’s world.

A Big Heartfelt Thank You for continuing to fulfill the vision that God has given you.  We’ve only used the curriculum since September 2007 but I truly appreciate your company and I thank God for you.  All of our teachers are growing in their teaching gift and I know God has used your material to inspire them in their ministry to the children. It is a great feeling to know that our kids are being fed such nutritous food thanks to the DiscipleLand curriculum.  Keep up the good work.  God is doing far more than you may know.  Stay faithful.

Be encouraged, Your co-laborer,
Pastor Brian

For more information on how DiscipleZone.com can enrich your teaching experience see: Using the Internet to Connect with Kids via DiscipleZone.com

IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOU GET A FREE BOOK!

Your Training Remedy, by Judy Wortley, a classic children’s ministry leadership resource, helps you develop a consistent and well-planned program of teacher training that motivates, encourages, and informs your volunteers.

Inspire teachers to be and do their best!

For a LIMITED TIME – through the END OF JANUARY – this downloadable book is your for FREE! It will be $9.95 in just a few days!

DON’T MISS IT!

If you have an appetite for blogs related to discipleship, be sure to check out the new blog at GCSSA.org

GCSSA (Greater Chicagoland Sunday School Association) has been committed to equipping leaders and lay people in teaching and discipleship for decades. They host several annual conferences in English and Spanish in the Chicagoland area.

According to GCSSA.org:

GCSSA is working hard to help teachers and disciple-makers achieve God’s call in their lives.

• Encouraging their work for Christ
• Helping them understand God’s Word, how to study it, and how to prepare to teach it
• Helping them develop key ministry skills which will help achieve discipleship ministry goals
• Helping them learn the newest ministry approaches to helping others grow spiritually

With contributors like Bill Allison, Dr. Gregory C. Carlson, Paul J. Loth, Ed.D., Dr. James Renke, Mickie O’Donnell and others coming soon, you may want to snag up the RSS feed so you don’t miss a post!

Do you have a Master Plan for how your Children’s Ministry is forming disciples? Life long disciples are not made by accident – they are a result of careful planning and strategic ministry.

Check out the Discipleship Master Plan PDF on DiscipleLand.com It is sure to stimulate your thinking and help you better plan for the ultimate goal of your ministry – making disciples!

Kids are on the Internet. Whether we like it or not, the Internet today is not something kids are fascinated with, it is simply a part of their life. It’s not “new” to them, it is just their world. Being online is normal for them. In fact, if you aren’t online, they may almost wonder what’s wrong with you. While we can decry the dangers of the Internet (as we should!) and provide advice on use and filters (and we should!) one of the best ways to address the problem is not to only fight it, but redeem it.

The Internet provides incredible opportunity to connect with kids during the week and in the home. And DiscipleLand has jumped on this opportunity and added a FREE service for DiscipleLand teachers to connect with their students and for parents to invest computer time into more spiritual beneficial activities.

It’s called DISCIPLEZONE.com

It’s a place for kids to continue learning after church, for parents to connect with their child’s teacher and for teacher’s to have a way to greet their kids during the week an extend the learning process.

And it’s all free!

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY IT?

Go to DiscipleZone.com (link opens in a separate window) and click on the KIDS button. Next you will see a fun control panel. This is where kids enter the key code found on the student take-home paper (highlighted by their teacher). It’s a simple code–the first dial is the curriculum level, 1-6. (enter 2 for example) Next is the quarter letter, A = Fall; B = Winter; C = Spring; D = Summer. (go ahead, enter B) The last dial is the lesson number. (for an example, choose any number.)

You will then be asked if you have a Class Code. Here is a trial code you can use: Enter TRTRT

You’ll be greeted by a screen with a Bible passage or story and a collection of buttons the kids can choose from.

Here is an overview of the elements offered to kids in DiscipleZone.

Every element of DiscipleZone contributes to the discipleship process:

The printed Disciple Guides offer 24 “how-to” skills for victorious Christian living . To see an overview of the DiscipleSkill development plan, click here

Children memorize Bible verses that capture the heart of each lesson. Find the KeyVerse on the printed Disciple Guides for each lesson.

For each Bible lesson, kids and parents enjoy additional pictures, background information discussion questions, and family activities. Encourage parents to read the text together, discuss the questions, and commit to doing the suggested activities as a family.

Children meet a new people group each quarter, expanding their focus to regions around the globe! WorldWatch also offers missionary biographies and missions education segments to be taught by teachers or parents. To see an overview of WorldWatch missions education, click here.

DiscipleLand’s Bible Reading Plan. Kids and parents read through a specific part of the Bible each week, based on their grade level. To see the complete reading plan, click here.

Children encounter classic hymns that have inspired Christians for centuries. For a complete list of hymns studied, click here.

These engaging stories, starring Dee, Cy, Paul, and Chip, reinforce each Bible lesson and will help your kids apply God’s Word to their lives. To learn more about Dee, Cy, and Paul, click here.

LEAVE A NOTE FOR YOUR STUDENTS!

One of the cool features is the ability to leave a note for the kids. Be sure to click on the Yellow Note for a note from ME to YOU! (You’ll never know the message until you check!)

There are so many creative applications to this note feature beyond just a nice greeting to the kids. Use it to:

• Ask a review question that if they bring the answer on a slip of paper, you’ll have a treat for them!
• Provide a “code word” of the week that if they know it, they get to volunteer in class for games etc.
• Let them know about class events and activities.
• Announce who has a birthday this week!
• Tell them to wear a certain color shirt to church on Sunday!
• Ask them to bring props that will go with your lesson.
• BE CREATIVE!

There is enough content for each week for parents and kids to spend 10-15 minutes exploring the topic they learned about in church a little further, as well as learning about missions and some historical hymns, complete with music playing.

DiscipleZone.com equips parents and teachers to use the Internet to build upon the learning that took place at church.

New on DiscipleLand.com – PARENT RESOURCES!

God has given parents the primary responsibility of training their children. Help them learn discipleship techniques for their kids at home using the resources in this new area on DiscipleLand.com. The resources in this Parent Resources area provide ideas and tools to help parents learn discipleship techniques for their children at home.

Check out the helpful articles and tools available for parents!