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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Everyone who works with children in church or is in charge of workers or is a pastor,or a parent or a grandparent, I mean everyone, needs to read this book! Such a great reminder of the gospel...the gospel is Jesus...His work...not ours. Help children love Jesus!
Every christian serious about discipleship needs to read this, especially if you work with children and youths (or if you're a parent!). But even if you don't, this will greatly enrich your own walk too!
Anyone discipling others should read this book. Great examples of ways to share the Gospel using various passages from the Bible.
A must read for parents and teachers of all ages who desire to teach others about the bible. This book reveals the stale, ineffective teaching that sometimes characterizes churches and parents who just want to raise "good kids" and opens wide the glories of God's work in the Bible instead. It is filled with practical advice on how to prepare and teach lessons that show Jesus' work throughout the Bible. At times it brought me to tears to think of the beautiful ways the old testament stories exclaim God's glorious ways. I also really enjoyed his thoughts on motivating obedience through telling the wonder of the gospel. Amazing book! Highly recommend!
Wonderful book. Great for my Child Evangelism class
This is a fantastic book for parents and children's ministry leaders alike! Life changing for how I approach ministry with kids. I keep my copy close at hand as I prepare material every week.
This is a life-changing book that put into words so many things that have nagged at the back of my mind about the way we teach the Bible to children. It seems far too many picture Bibles, Sunday school curricula, and parenting books boil the Bible down to "This Bible character did this. You should do/not do this." You could completely remove God and Christ from some of these books/methods and the application would not change: be good. Likewise, as a parent it's too easy to simply use Bible stories as a way to try to manipulate our kids' behavior. To begin with, trying to "be good" without understanding our new life in Christ and the Holy Spirit's enablement is completely futile. This focus on morality apart from the Gospel also helps explain why many church kids grow up and leave the church. If all church gave them was a list of how to behave, but they never truly fell in love with Jesus and understand all he did for them, why stay in church? Klumpenhower maintains that "The cross of Jesus—not principles of good living—is the engine of the Christian life." The gist of this book is that more than anything, kids need to be shown God's character, Jesus' work, and the Holy Spirit's enabling. This, more than any moral lesson, will be what transforms them. "We make a mistake if we think kids are saved by hearing the good news and trusting Jesus, but then grow as Christians some other way." While the Bible does give useful examples, if kids "get Samuel the good listener without first appreciating God the Great Speaker, they're liable to end up relating to God only in an anxious, what-I-must-do way." Klumpenhower gives practical advice for how to teach the Word in a way that points to Jesus and not our own efforts. For example, when teaching Old Testament stories he recommends asking: "1) What is God doing for his people in this story? 2) Good News! How does God do the same for us—only better—in Jesus? 3) Believe it! How does believing this good news change how we live?" Here is an example from teaching about Moses: "What is God doing for his people in this story? He arranges events to protect baby Moses and give the Israelites a leader who will rescue them from Egypt. Good News! How does God do the same for us—only better—in Jesus? He has provided a Leader and Savior who rescues us from sin and death. Believe it! How does believing this good news change how we live? Even when it's hard to see, we can trust that God is working out his plan to complete our salvation." Another great example is how he recommends addressing sin: the surface sin we can see (example: dancing to lewd music), the selfish fear underneath (ex: afraid friends won't like or accept me), and the root unbelief (ex: not believing Jesus gives me God's approval). I'm just scratching the surface of this book. Chapter after chapter is filled with wonderful truth about how the grace given in the Gospel impacts every area of our lives and about how our identity in Christ is what transforms us. I recommend it to anyone who wants to use the Bible as their foundation for living, teaching, and parenting. It's that good. Go read it! If you're intrigued but not sure you can read the whole thing, download the free Kindle sample and at least read the introduction and first chapter; it will give you a good overview. And then you'll probably want to read the rest!
The best material you can find on this subject. I was looking for a book like that for years! The gospel is so rich that you can talk about for centuries and centuries, and yet it's still fresh. I'm amazed about how this book brings this subject over and over, and like the gospel itself, it never gets boring or repetitive. Hopefully one day "Show Them Jesus" gets translated to Portuguese so I can read it again in my official language. Can't wait for something like "Show Them Jesus 2" with more amazing stories!
This was an easy and encouraging read. I would recommend it to anyone who interacts with children. It's easy to lose sight of why we work in kids ministry, it can be daunting and a thankless effort at times. I loved this book for reminding me of how important it is to share the love of Jesus, his perfect love with kids.
This is such a great book! I recommend it for anyone working with kids or has kids. So many applicable, practical examples that make teaching the gospel to kids feasible. I also really enjoy how this book points you to Christ and just leaves you wanting to share that with everyone around you kids or anyone else for that matter.