Ideally, I like a good steak from one of my father-in-law’s cows cooked medium over a grill in my backyard with a huge salad full of delicious veggies fresh picked from the garden while sipping a cool, tall glass of iced tea brewed from tea leaves I acquired during a weekend trip to Asia.
That would be great! But the reality is that as a husband and father of three kids, the above scenario has never played itself out, although I do enjoy the amazing beef I get from my father-in-law’s herd. Sometimes, you have to mix a good steak with a bag of salad from the local grocery store.
In the same way, I’d love to spend hours praying, studying and preparing both my preteen large group teaching and the materials for our small groups. But the reality is that as a pastor who oversees both a preteen ministry (5th-6th grade) and a middle school ministry (7th-8th grade), and who needs to be communicating with parents, students and staff; working on two upcoming retreats; and covering all the “other” responsibilities that come in ministry, I just don’t have that kind of a week in my schedule.
There is value for both us and those with whom we minister when we can find good resources to compliment the original work we do. LifeChurch’s Open is one of the best I have found for quality preteen teaching that has been used with real preteens in a real church. And you can’t beat the price: free!
You can find resources for all ages at their main site.
To get to the specific preteen resources, under Kids & Students, click on 10 to 12 year-olds.
Like any curriculum, you need to edit and tweak things to fit your context best. However, the images they provide for publicity and video pieces that provide everything from a teaching bumper to dramas to a virtual guest teacher are some of the best I have seen.
It would be nice to have that organic, raised in your backyard meal this weekend. But if you’re going to have to go the store and pick up material from someone else for your preteens, LifeChurch’s Open will give you a teaching meal you can be proud to serve to the kids in your church family!
