Presbyterian pastor and teacher Rebecca Kirkpatrick has written a new book that guides leaders and parents through the key topics children growing up in the church should be taught. In 100 Things Every Child Should Know before Confirmation, Kirkpatrick provides an overview of one hundred essential topics with suggestions for how educators and parents can explore each item with their children.
The list is organized topically, moving through the Old and New Testaments, worship practices, and how Christians relate to one another and to the world. Kirkpatrick writes that this list “represents the foundational knowledge that I believe children and younger teenagers should have in order to make the transition to the next level of faith expression as older teenagers and young adults.” Kirkpatrick includes ideas for integrating the topic into the child’s overall Christian education to help children think critically about Christian faith as they begin to articulate their own theology. A free excerpt from the book is available by clicking here.
The book will be available at the upcoming meeting of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators occurring later this month in Chicago.
Rebecca Kirkpatrick is Associate Pastor for Adult Education and Mission at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. She previously served as a mission worker with Presbyterian World Mission and The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt, and for ten years as Associate Pastor for Education and Youth at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church in South Bend, Indiana. She blogs about nurturing the spiritual lives of children at www.breadnotstones.com.