Don’t Just Teach Bible Stories; Teach the Story of the Bible.
Jenny Smith, Lead Curriculum Developer at Brite™, shares how we can teach Bible stories in context of the story of the Bible and help kids grow in biblical literacy and love of the Bible.
- What are best practices to guide children toward a genuine love for the Bible?
Through my experience in children’s ministry, I’ve found that helping kids develop biblical literacy cultivates in them a genuine love for the Bible. I would define biblical literacy as the ability to read and understand the Bible and have a right understanding of the whole narrative of Scripture, with its recurring themes of who God is and what He does — even the literary features.
When kids better understand the whole story of the Bible, they learn it’s not a list of dos and don’ts but how God loves us and sent Jesus to rescue us from the sin that entangles us.
Kids who know the Bible can navigate a changing culture, build a strong foundation of faith and love Jesus for the rest of their lives.
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What have you found is the challenge with teaching stand-alone Bible stories?
Teaching just stories in ways that aren’t cohesive to the whole story of Scripture can diminish them to:
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Bible trivia: random facts and bits of knowledge. Knowledge is important, but kids can win Bible Jeopardy without knowing Jesus.
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Moralistic lessons: Teaching stories on their own may lead kids to see Bible characters as only heroes, without understanding how their stories tell them about God.
Preschool and elementary kids need teaching that chronologically takes them through the entire Bible every year. Kids are concrete; it’s difficult for them to understand how everything fits together if we jump from one story to the next. Also, kids need repetition. When we walk through the whole story of Scripture each year, we reinforce that the Bible is one big story.
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What approach do you suggest for teaching the Bible in a way that leads to lasting faith?
I encourage children’s ministry leaders and volunteers to teach the story of the Bible as a story that points to Jesus and what He has done for us. Luke 24:27 says: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. The story of the Bible is the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan for people: creation, fall, redemption, restoration. Every story in Scripture is a part of that narrative. Once kids understand the story of the Bible, they can start connecting God’s Word to their lives. The emphasis is connecting the story to who God is, not to a moralistic lesson or a “to-do.”
Jenny and her team created Brite Weekend Curriculum for children’s ministry leaders to help babies through elementary-age kids develop a biblical worldview and a genuine love for Scripture.
Experience Brite Preschool and Elementary Curriculum today with a FREE month of lessons at BriteCurriculum.com!
Jenny Smith serves as the lead curriculum developer at Brite. She served in children’s ministry for 20 years in the local church and has served ministry leaders through writing, coaching and speaking. Jenny lives in Bradenton, Florida with her three girls. She loves traveling, reading and eating ice cream.
