In this transformative resource for youth workers, children's ministry teachers, parents, and VBS volunteers, Jack Klumpenhower teaches how to discover the gospel connections in every Bible story. Show Them Jesus is an instruction manual for teachers of kids and teens written by a lay Bible teacher with thirty years of experience.
With a simple framework and real-life examples, Jack helps teachers identify and communicate the heart of the gospel to each child in each lesson.
Show Them Jesus challenges the culture of low-stakes, low-expectations teaching and invites teachers to do nothing less than teach and treasure the good news of Jesus in every lesson.
Instead of leaving kids with lessons about changing their behavior, Show Them Jesus offers a new way by sweetly, masterfully, and powerfully showing kids how the gospel really applies to their lives and changes them for eternity.
In sharing example after example from his years of experience, Jack provides readers with a more enriched view of Jesus and how to teach this gospel perspective in a classroom setting. This life-changing tool will complement and enrich existing lessons or teaching materials, and it's appropriate for teachers of children and teens in any setting.
Millions of church kids are growing up and deciding to leave the church. If we are not primarily teaching our kids about God's love for us in Christ, we may miss our opportunity to capture their hearts. Don't miss your opportunity to show them Jesus.
"Sunday school curriculum is relentlessly moralistic. That is, it tells you what to do, but not how to do it. Jack Klumpenhower shows us how by taking us back to the person and work of Christ. Every Sunday school teacher should read this book."
Paul Miller, Director of seeJesus; author of A Praying Life and A Loving Life
"The most common way of teaching a Bible story to children involves holding up the main human character and encouraging (or discouraging) children to be like him or her. Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids provides welcome relief. The book is packed full of biblical reasons, practical guidance, and bountiful examples for teachers and parents who want to show children Jesus when they teach the Bible."
Starr Meade, Author of Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions based on the Shorter Catechism and Mighty Acts of God: A Family Bible Story Book
"Klumpenhower states the problem well: 'Today, a frightening number of kids are growing up in churches and Christian homes without ever being captured by the gospel of Jesus.' We want them to know about Jesus, but we leave them with lessons about behavior and they leave the church as soon as possible. Here's a book that sweetly, masterfully, and powerfully tells us what the gospel really is and how it can really change a child's life and eternity."
Bryan Chapell, Author of Christ-Centered Preaching; pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, IL
"Show Them Jesus is a must-read for every youth worker, children's ministry teacher, parent, and VBS volunteer. Jack Klumpenhower does a masterful job helping us learn how to discover the gospel connections in every Bible story. In sharing example after example from his years of experience, Jack gives the reader a front-row seat in his classroom to learn how to give children a 'rock-their-world' vision of Jesus. This is the perfect training tool for pastors and children's ministry leaders to use to train their teachers. I'll be buying a copy for all my children's ministry leaders."
Marty Machowski, Family Life Pastor, Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA; author of the Gospel Story for Kids curriculum
"Jack's book has done a very rare thing he has taken the message of grace and applied it simply and directly to both teachers' hearts and the children they shepherd. He doesn't settle for mere external obedience in his students but bravely and compassionately goes much deeper, seeking out their hearts. This is a great application of Serge's values to a central part of every church its children."
Bob Osborne, Executive Director, Serge
"Show Them Jesus deals with the tough questions that keep children's ministry leaders up at night. How do I encourage kids to repent and obey without becoming a legalist? Should I tone down Old Testament violence when I'm teaching fourth graders? Klumpenhower answers these questions and more with his eyes on Jesus from first to last. But he doesn't just speak to the head. He engages heart and hands as well, giving teachers an inspiring and practical framework for preparing Bible lessons, classroom environments, and family ministry where Jesus is the focus. I plan to purchase a copy for every volunteer in our children's ministry."
Jared Kennedy, Family Pastor, Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY
"In Show Them Jesus, Jack Klumpenhower tells how to make Spirit-fed renewal, which springs from a foundation of love for Jesus, the overarching theme of our teaching. He impresses on us the importance of being 'good-news' teachers who 'exit' every Bible story through the cross of Christ. Make your aim in teaching to build in your kids a love for Jesus, because that's where the Christian life begins. Read this book for your kids; and reread it for yourself."
Nancy Winter, Curriculum writer and editor; long-time Sunday school teacher
"This book is a must-read for every Christian and challenges us to ask the question: How are we handling the good news about Jesus? Do we really believe that Jesus is the goal of God's great story of redemption 'the way, the truth, and the life'? Jack reminds us that our teaching and application of the Scripture is to be unflinchingly centered on Jesus. Why? So we can all fall more in love with him and worship him wholeheartedly!"
Rosemarie Green, Director of Children's Ministry, New Life Church, Glenside, PA
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Re-read for me but just love this book so much! A must for volunteers who interact with kiddos in a ministry setting, parent, or just ANYONE who wants a deeper understanding on what the gospel really is and how it can change a child’s (or our) life and eternity.
This book is a surprisingly good to me! He keeps reminding the readers /teachers that the heart matters not behaviors. So, keeping sharing Gospel is the main goal for us towards kids! What he shares in the books is also good advice to any Christian.
This is such a great book! It’s easy to understand but also seemed profound in its perspective. We don’t want kids to merely obey, but to come to understand the grace, goodness, and love of Jesus Christ. I loved the practical examples and personal stories from the author. I also appreciated his honesty and reminder at the end that it starts first with our own hearts breathing in and living out the truths of the gospel. This book is for Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, parents, and really anyone who works with kids! I highly recommend! (I listened to the audiobook)
Talk to people that have walked away from the faith, and you often find bad experiences that they had as children. You hear the stories and you kind of wish you could shake the teachers and explain to them that what they were teaching is not what the Bible teaches. Well you can't do that. But what you can do is exactly what Klumpenhower is doing here: actually training teachers of children in what the Bible says. And he's good. Man, he's good. I think I let a little bit of my prejudice show by being so surprised at how gospel-centered, and practical, and theologically grounded he is. To my shame, I expected less out of a book on the teaching of children. Klumpenhower is relentless in separating morality (doing good things to earn God's favor) from Christianity (trusting in Jesus to earn God's favor). And he needs to be. I think all of our default postures is to be moral and call it Christianity. So if you teach kids, have kids, or really just want to understand the teachings of Jesus better, I would recommend this book wholeheartedly.
Simple message for those entrusted to teach youth and children - give them Christ in his fullness. Wonderful reminder and a book that needs to be read by teachers and parents alike.
This is definitely a book I will revisit as my kids get older! I love that the author gives practical tips for discipling to kids whether you’re a Sunday school teacher, in children’s ministry, or a parent. I also appreciate that a lot of those tips are tailored to different aged kids. As my kids are currently prek age, I look forward to rereading this book when they’re older to take note of the tips given to that age group. Highly recommend this to anyone who has children in their lives they’re looking to disciple to.
This is my second time to read this book, and I put it down with even more highlighted than the first time. It showed me again how to teach the gospel in ways that show the beauty of Jesus (and not just to kids.) It revealed places in my life that are not presenting a gospel atmosphere. It underscored the importance of praying for and with those you teach. It reminded me of how badly I need the gospel as a teacher of the gospel. I learned afresh I need to more spend time gazing on Jesus to learn His ways before I try to show Him to others. And it left me very excited to do that. I loved this book! It’s easy to read and every chapter ends with practical application for parents and teachers of children and youth. It’s all about Jesus! Understanding the narrative of the Bible, understanding how to teach and model the Gospel, and understanding how we are always pointing children to Jesus.
Our church children's director recommended this book to all of us who work with kids. This is such an excellent book that I believe everyone should read it for how much they learn for themselves, not just because they teach kids or work with youth. I'm in the older retired and grandma stage of my life and I learned SO much for my own walk with Jesus. My husband was once a pastor and he too thinks the book is excellent.
So inspiring!! I listened to it on audible and then wanted a hard copy so I could go back, reread and take notes.
"As I was reading the book I looked back on my upbringing in a small town Lutheran church in the 1950's and 1960's, as well as how my husband and I raised our daughters attending church, AWANA, youth group, Sunday school, and mission trips. I sensed it then but fully realize it now that we and our daughters experienced more moralistic rules of what to do to be a good Christian than learning how to really love and walk with Jesus in a joyful, personal way. Some quotes that say it well: ""Sunday school curriculum is relentlessly moralistic. That is, it tells you what to do, but not how to do it. Jack Klumpenhower shows us how by taking us back to the person and work of Christ."" ""Today, a frightening number of kids are growing up in churches and Christian homes without ever being captured by the gospel of Jesus. As children and teenagers they may seem to be believers, but then they reach their college and young-adult years and quit. They quit church—and any growing commitment to Jesus. These kids actually have good reasons to quit. They look back and realize that they learned much about Christian behavior and churchy experiences, but whatever they learned about Jesus didn’t really change them. They never saw him so strikingly that he became their one, overriding hope and their greatest love. They were never convinced that Jesus is better—a zillion times better—than anything and everything else."" ""We want them to know about Jesus, but we leave them with lessons about behavior and they leave the church as soon as possible."" In today's culture our kids are taught to be strong, successful, and independent. If they haven't fallen in love with Jesus and know the joy of depending on Him, then it's understandable they no longer desire what they perceive to be just a list of moral rules that's telling them what to do. Jesus is so much more than that and this book can help us and our kids find the real Jesus."