Little ones have a place in God’s big story today, just as they are. As ministry leaders and parents, we have the privilege of helping them understand God’s story and their place in it. Unfortunately, we often present Bible stories as separate narratives with different main characters, beginnings, and endings. This can lead to children not seeing how God and the Bible are relevant to their lives, how God is working cohesively throughout all of the Bible, or how they belong in the story. Instead, let’s invite children to experience the fullness of the metanarrative, or big story, of the Bible.
The Four Movements of the Gospel Story for Children
There are four main parts of the gospel story, not just for children, but for all of us. When we can embrace them and help children understand them, we offer children a more accurate and fuller picture of the Bible. Leaving any of these parts out is detrimental to our children and their grasp of the gospel.
Creation: God’s Good World
“In the beginning God…” God’s big story starts with him, God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit already were. Loving, playing, existing together. From the overflow of their loving relationship, God created all that is and called it good. God created humans in his image. When God looked at all he created, it wasn’t just good. It was very good. This is where the story begins in Scripture and where it needs to begin with little ones.
Children need this beginning. They need a safe foundation for their growing identity. They need to be reminded that they were created from love and with intention in the image of God. We can share this with each Bible story we share by giving an overview of God’s big story before getting into the more specific stories. We can weave in developmentally appropriate concepts, such as God as our loving Creator and humans as image-bearers. We use a simple, narrative approach, such as “In the beginning, everything was perfect, but then…”
Fall: When Things Went Wrong
Things happened. Sin entered the world. Relationships were broken. But hope was not lost. I have experienced the fall and sin being presented to children in a spectrum of ways, some by completely avoiding it and others by overemphasizing it, with a few finding the sweet spot of gently and truthfully approaching the harsh realities of sin and its place in the world.
The fall is undeniable. We, children included, experience the results every day. It is important to remember that the fall is not the beginning of the story, and it is not the end of the story. As such, we can be thoughtful, gentle, and developmentally appropriate in our approach. We do not need to induce fear in children. God’s love is good, and children can desire a relationship with him without running to him in fear of punishment. As we share about the truth of the fall and sin, we can focus on broken relationships rather than punishment and shame. As our children grow and mature, their understanding of sin will too. We can highlight what is developmentally appropriate without glossing over the truth or scaring children.
Sin is a condition we all have, not simply the “bad things” we do. While our behaviors may be easier to define, it oversimplifies the problem and doesn’t get at the heart of the matter. While reminding children that they are loved by God no matter what, we can share that when Adam and Eve chose to listen to the snake instead of God, it had a domino effect that still impacts us today, and we need God’s help to make it right.
When our Bible lessons are in the Old Testament, we remind children that this is the place that Israel was in for a long time. God was still with them, loving them, offering grace and mercy. He also gave Israel some temporary bandages, but it took a while before his ultimate rescue plan was set in action.
Redemption: God’s Rescue Plan
No matter where our lesson in God’s big story falls, we are at a time in history where we always get to share about Jesus, God’s rescue plan. Even if we are reading in the Old Testament, we have the privilege and responsibility to see and invite the children to see Jesus in the story. Jesus is the hero. He is the hope when all else feels lost. He is the good news.
As we share Bible stories, testimonies, and personal stories, we can share the whole gospel with children. We tell of God’s good design, the brokenness of the world, and then how Jesus came to earth to live, love, teach, die, and resurrect. The cross and the resurrection do not have to be shared with shame and fear, but with gentleness, hope, and the truth of the story of Jesus’s big love for the world and his powerful victory over sin and death. We also want to be clear that Jesus is the victor, not a victim.
Young children do not need the gruesome and violent details of the crucifixion. They can grow into the story with age and maturity, while always knowing that the story is about God’s great love and desire to be in relationship with them. Then, even though Jesus’s greatest victory is won, God is not done!
Restoration: The Happy Ending That’s Coming
Jesus didn’t just defeat sin and death and leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit to move, convict, teach, and guide us. Children, too! The story is not over. There is a work in progress going on, and an even happier ending that is coming.
This is where kids get to come into the timeline of the story and join God in his work of making all things new. Children hear of the original plan, the way humanity messed it up, and how Jesus came to earth to save the day. Now, they get to see where we fall in the story. Most of the New Testament and where we are today is a part of the end of the story. We can invite children to see themselves there.
We can invite children to imagine and wonder about the already, not yet. What has God already done? What is not yet done? Reminding them that God is a promise-keeper and still active today. As we share about God’s restoration, we can share hope and purpose. Cast vision for someday, while casting vision for today.
Practical Strategies for Gospel Communication
Using favorite picture books, you can look for the four parts of a story that mirror the four parts of the gospel: the beginning, the problem, the climax, and the resolution. As children begin to get comfortable with that, tie it to the gospel. Weave the language back and forth. These are concepts that even young children can play with and learn to understand.
Here are some other practical strategies you can try.
Use Concrete Language and Developmentally Appropriate Imagery
- Avoid using theological jargon that is too abstract for children. If you do use a big theological word, take time to explain it to young children and ask them to practice the new word with you.
- Use metaphors that are relevant to kids (father, friend, shepherd).
Incorporate Multisensory Learning
- Invite kids to use their whole being, all of their senses, and bodies.
- Use appropriate props that make sense, not just props for props’ sake.
- Give children time to respond through play and art.
Repeat and Reinforce Regularly
- Repetition creates safety and memory.
- Slow down the stories. You don’t need to introduce a new story each week. Kids like to hear stories repeated so they can learn them and dive deeper each time. This also creates an element of safety and predictability in children that we want them to experience with God.
- Use a spiral curriculum approach. This is where you introduce the basics first, but come back to it again and again with more depth and understanding. The spiral method allows children to encounter the same foundational truths multiple times with age-appropriate understanding, building a stronger and more comprehensive grasp over time.
- Reinforce with daily life when possible.
Create Safe Spaces for Questions and Wonderings
- Encourage questions, curiosity, and wonder.
- Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.”
- Model your own questions and wonderings.
- Invite kids to share what they think before you answer them with a “correct” answer.
- Don’t rush lessons and provide time for reflection and responses.
- Ensure an emotionally safe space for children to share. Check out some ideas in this article on Yes Spaces.
The Long View of Child Discipleship
The gospel is not a one-and-done story or a story that we grow out of. It is a story that we grow into. And, just because our understanding does mature, it does not mean that we should wait until we are grown to hear it.
As we invite children to hear, experience, and see themselves in God’s big story, we are planting seeds. Elements of the story will continue to grow and show up again and again with new and deeper meaning, hopefully for their entire lives. We can model this in our lives and faith, too. As we help little ones to grasp the gospel, remember that they don’t need it all to know Jesus. We are all invited to come as we are.