Next Steps for Kids is a four week class for churches to use when helping to prepare kids for the "next steps" in their spiritual journey. It is designed as a tool to help parents ensure that their children understand Salvation, Baptism, Communion and Discipleship.
This is a course Pastor Karl Bastian wrote and has taught for over twenty years in his own church. While it has been used by hundreds of churches for decades, it has recently been revised, updated, and improved to make leading it even easier.
The materials can be downloaded once, then used year after year!
Handouts for students
Teacher guides
PowerPoints
Memory verse cards
Additional elements
Parents will rave as you partner with them to help their children truly understand these important steps in their spiritual journey.
Download a sample parent letter!
BONUS: There is a student version available as well. It is the SAME content, just presented as Next Steps for Students so that it can be used with older children as well.
(We know they don't want to be called kids at that age!)
The NEXT STEPS for KIDS/STUDENTS is a class that Pastor Karl offers annually at his church. It is designed for 4th-6th graders who must attend with at least one parent.
NEXT STEPS for KIDS/STUDENTS is designed as a tool to help parents ensure that their upper elementary kids understand the basic foundational doctrines of our faith. This class is not promoted directly to the children. Rather, it is offered to parents to invite their children to attend with them when they think they are ready to establish some of these important issues in their own spiritual journey. It is recommended that all children who have made a profession of faith take this class before junior high.
Kids who would like to be baptized or are interested in participating in communion are asked to take this class to answer their questions and teach them the significance of theses steps in their Christian growth. There is, however, no expectation that kids who complete this class be baptized or participate in communion. The class stands alone as an opportunity to learn about these doctrines. Children who would like to be baptized, however, can be permitted to after this class and after approval from their parents and the children's pastor.
Children and parent(s) who complete this class will be given a certificate of completion and a gift to help them continue to grow in their faith and walk with God. It is desired that both parents attend with their child, but since this may not be possible, at least one parent must attend with their child. Moms with daughters and dads with sons is usually ideal, but not required.
At the conclusion of the final week, with the topic being discipleship, Karl will give each child a copy of My Awesome Adventure, (a book written by him and his wife) and challenge the parents to disciple their children through the workbook in order to make sure their children know the basics of the Christian Faith.