A practical handbook for pastors, lay leaders, and Christian education committees who need help choosing a curriculum that suits their church's beliefs, practices, and membership. For some congregations, no preprinted materials will do and this guide offers the tools you need to write your own curriculum. Includes a step-by-step process for evaluation of existing materials and creation of new resources

This new book from top Christian education professionals integrates biblical foundations, educational theory, and practical insights into a new curriculum formation approach for the local church. Uniquely identifying curriculum as a means of ministry through the metaphor of mapmaking, it shows how believers are lost along the spiritual journey without a study plan, having no clear destination or reliable path to follow toward maturity. Detailing the theological, educational, and pastoral dimensions that make a curriculum Christian, the text is arranged into four sections: (1) rationale for curriculum, (2) curricular foundations, (3) curricular theory, and (4) the practice of curriculum. Covering areas from children’s ministry to adult education, contributors include editors James R. Estep, Karen L. Estep, and Roger White as well as Holly Allen, Mark H. Senter III, Michael S. Wilder, Timothy Paul Jones, and Brett Robbe.

The Educator’s Field Guide helps teachers get off to a running start. The only book that covers all four key cornerstones of effective teaching—organization, classroom management, instruction, and assessment—this handy reference offers a bridge from college to classroom with a hearty dose of practical guidance for teachers who aspire to greatness. At a time when school leaders are pressed to hire and retain high-quality teachers, this guidebook is indispensable for defining and nurturing the qualities the qualities teachers strive for and students deserve. Helpful tools include: Step-by-step guidance on instructional organization, behavior management, lesson planning, and formative and summative assessment User-friendly taxonomic guides to help readers quickly locate topics The latest information on student diversity, special needs, and lesson differentiation Teacher testimonials and examples Explanations of education standards and initiatives Each key concept is addressed in a resource-style format with activities and reproducible that can be customized. Teachers will also find lesson plan templates, graphs, charts, quizzes, and games—all in one easy-to-use source.

How Ministers Can Be Excellent and Effective Teachers Effective teaching is important not only to the Christian faith but to the success and impact of Christian ministry. This book champions the role of teaching as a necessary skill for ministers to develop, equipping them to work effectively for the spiritual growth of young people. Terry Linhart, who has more than twenty-five years of experience training youth workers, brings together expert Christian educators representing a broad array of evangelical institutions and traditions to show how teaching connects to discipleship and the church in current contexts. Designed for the classroom, the book covers a wide range of topics and includes helpful illustrative diagrams, tables, line drawings, and charts.