This is the second of a two-part series introducing the Heroic Life Discipleship Curriculum. Read part one HERE.
Last week we talked about the perspectives and mindsets behind the Heroic Life Discipleship curriculum and gave a high-level overview of its content. Today we’ll look in more detail at the specific parts of the curriculum and at hey way they work together to accomplish our goals for an effective discipleship resource.
Note: you can download sample curriculum HERE to look at the actual outlines as we discuss them below.
The Books
Here are the different books that come with each Leader Packet:
- Curriculum Overview: This booklet provides a quick introduction to the curriculum. It will give you a brief overview to help get you started.
- Leader Guide: This is the main book you’ll use as a teacher and what we’ll mainly focus on in this article. The Leader Guide contains all the outlines and schedules for teaching each lesson, along with a recommended song list for worship and family group ideas. We recommend that each teacher have their own Leader Guide.
- Activities: This book provides instructions and templates for all the activities in one semester. The teacher will use this to prepare and create activities for the students.
- Heroes at Home Workbooks: These are fun and engaging workbooks that reinforce the lessons children are taught. Each lesson has summaries, activities, and a guided Scripture study to use throughout the week. The workbooks can be completed by children on their own or enjoyed together as a family. There is a workbook for children ages 4-7 and another for children ages 8-13.
Scope and Sequence
Each semester in our curriculum has fourteen lessons that work through chronological Bible stories. At the beginning of a Leader Guide you will find a scope and sequence section that gives a high-level overview of the semester, showing lesson titles, Bible Story passages, lesson takeaways, and Mighty Men and Intercession outlines.
Overview Page
Every lesson in the Leader Guide begins with an Overview Page, which contains a snapshot of what you need to know for preparing your lesson.
Teaching Outlines
Our curriculum is designed to be taught in both large and small groups and can be adjusted to fit your needs. The large group teachings can be given when all the children in your ministry are together interacting with one teacher. The small group teachings are for times when the children are divided into—you guessed it!—smaller groups for more personalized discussion and discipleship.
Without further ado, here is an overview of each teaching outline in the curriculum:
Bible Story Guide (large group)
The core of our curriculum is the Word of God, which is where each lesson begins: with a story from Scripture. You’ll love the simplicity and depth that comes from walking through this guide. The Bible Story Guide equips you to draw children into the excitement of stories from Scripture and to ask insightful questions that help them process what the stories teach about God, the gospel, and what difference these truths make in our own lives.
Application Guide (small group)
This discussion is where the rubber meets the road. The Application Guide takes the ideas introduced in the Bible Story Guide and digs into what these truths practically mean and how they should affect us day-to-day.
Both the Bible Story Guide and Application Guide are question- and discussion-based. This means that our lessons work well no matter what age group you teach. Additionally, this constant interaction with the students helps them remain far more engaged and helps them process the story and application much better than they would by simply listening to a monologue.
Mighty Men (large group)
We believe it’s important to not only teach children how to live but to also give them examples of people who have lived fully for God. The Mighty Men teaching does just that. In it we introduce kids to real-life heroes that inspire the pursuit of Jesus Christ. These teachings provide unforgettable accounts of ordinary Christians following their extraordinary God.
Intercession (large group)
This teaching invites kids to step outside the limits of their own lives and explore what God is doing around the world. Children will learn about the cultures of various countries as well as hear about the church, persecution, and unreached people groups who still need to hear the gospel. Students are then encouraged to pray for the people in these countries.
Family Groups (small group)
This time allows for children to debrief the discipleship lesson in sibling groups. Ideas are included in the Leader Guide for facilitating discussion with children of all ages. These times allow siblings to grow in unity as they reflect upon the lesson together and see what God is teaching their whole family.
Further Tools for Your Ministry
For more information on our curriculum, check out our WORKSHOPS and ONLINE LEADER TRAINING. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask us questions! Our goal is simply to provide you with tools that enable you to effectively cultivate within children a sincere love for God and shepherd them toward conformity to the image of Christ.
