Being in children's ministry, one of the most common problems teachers face is how to teach seasoned students, you know, the PK's MK's, EK's, DK's and SSTK's (children of pastors, missionaries, elders, deacons, and other Sunday School teachers). These kids live and breathe Bible stories. They know the stories by heart and probably know more than we do at times.
"Fear not," I responded in 2001 to a question like this from one of the Sunday School teachers in our church. They may know the story well but not the way you tell the story. Anyway. I believe that the Bible is written in such a way that the accounts and stories in them always contain something new, even for the most seasoned of Sunday school children. I also believe in the creativity of God, passed down to us Christians, that we can still make the Bible interesting.
Thus began my quest for the holy grail.
I set a challenge for myself back in 2001, that I would find 101 ways to teach the story of Jonah. I taught the story of Jonah to the kids at the church again and again the following two years, always on the lookout for a new different approach. I kinda forgot about my quest for awhile, but am reminded once again of this journey. But now, I want to invite others to join me in this quest. I plan to outline the different approaches to teaching Jonah that I have done in the past (this will involve a bit of digging through boxes) and am asking for more suggestions. Hopefully this blog and its approach will inspire teachers that no story is ever boring.
"It is a sin to bore Christians with the Word of God." Howard Hendricks (Christian Education professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and author of Living by the Book, among others)
