Concordia Publishing House

We are thrilled to roll out our VBS program for 2024: Celebrate the Savior! Our theme, Jesus Gives Us Joy, will teach children that Jesus gives us so many things worth celebrating—most importantly, His love and forgiveness. Just as King David celebrated God’s excellence in Psalm 95:1 (“let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation”), children will celebrate their Savior at VBS. Keep reading to learn more about the curriculum at Celebrate the Savior.

Christmas is a favorite time of the year for many. Winter break approaches after a few months of classes, parents are thinking about time off with their kids, and churches are planning their Advent and Christmas celebrations—a joyous and busy time for all. But amid all this, you may be wondering how you can emphasize the importance of Christmas and the greatest gift we have, Jesus. Here are some of our favorite kits and tools for preparing the way for baby Jesus.

As adults in the faith, most of us have a solid understanding of how worship looks throughout the year. We grow accustomed—maybe even desensitized—to the changes around us. Sometimes the altar has a green parament but other times purple, for example. While children may be more observant of these patterns than we expect, it’s important that we intentionally teach them about the seasons of the Church Year in Sunday School.

Youth are not just the church’s future—they’re also the church’s now. As a leader, volunteer, or church worker, your job is to remind youth that they’re loved by Jesus and their congregation. The following is an excerpt from Connected for Life: Essential Guide to Youth Ministry, which provides guidance, encouragement, and advice on leading a youth ministry that supports young adults in their faith for life.

Our children face numerous challenges today, such as topics of conversation happening before they are ready to hear them, pressures regarding their identity, and more. When it comes to conversations about sexual identity and faith, the best we can do is continue to point our children back to God and His Word. In this post, we are going to cover specifics about the new Learning About Sex Education Curriculum and how it equips parents or guardians, teachers, and children to be in the world but not of it.

The truth of God’s Word never changes, but with each new group of catechumens come different learning needs. How do you tailor your teaching to meet students where they are? This post will explore teaching models for confirmation and help you decide which works best for your setting. 

Vacation Bible School is a blast! The week is filled with fun activities, catchy songs, delicious snacks, and time with friends. For some, VBS can be the turning point in their faith. The volunteer who has been doing this for years walks away with a deeper knowledge of how to share the Good News of Jesus with others; the new volunteer experiences what it’s like to encourage a young one in his or her faith; the older VBS participant looking at his or her last VBS before becoming a volunteer has memories of how impactful this event can be. All these things and more are jam-packed into a five-day VBS. With all those possibilities, the best thing we can do is pray for everyone who gets to be a part of VBS!

Going to church as a family is a blessing. When young children are a part of your family, you need to think ahead when it comes to church. Families with young children may need to ask these questions when preparing for worship: “How do I help my child participate in the service?”; “How do I help them concentrate?”; “What should I do if my child wants to start moving around?”

A popular way churches equip families with young children is by providing “busy bags” or “quiet bags” to keep children engaged during the church service. Rather than putting together a random selection of toys or books, consider these resources, which will also help your child learn about what they are experiencing at church!

The season of Lent is a time to reflect on repentance, grow in love, and recognize Jesus’ work on the cross. Lent connects us to the Bride of Christ throughout all time and all places. It is historic. It is personal. However, that doesn’t mean that it is easy to teach! Let’s take a little pressure off of planning and look at 5 books to use during this Lenten season to teach kids what it means that God made us His through Jesus.

Vacation Bible School is a great tool for engagement, learning about Jesus, and sharing the Gospel. It is a big undertaking to plan and put together a successful VBS.