I am of the belief that authenticity is a significant part of effectively reaching the heart of kids.  That is why I have never been a fan of traditional curriculums.  Many times they are followed as the only way one is allowed to teach a group of kids.  Instead of a message that is full of life that kids can connect with, they end up with dry “by the book” messages.  The curriculum that I collaborated with a friend is designed to draw on my personal belief that we as believers have all the creativity of the creator of the universe living on the inside of us.  The KFCUSA is included in my book: “How Are You Doing That”? (Purchase at www.robertcheath.com)

That said, I love the variety of the meetings of Kids for Christ.  Each club is different because the students, parents and ministry teams are different.  On Monday I attended a group lead my a close friend of mine and his daughter.  The style was more of a traditional “Sunday School” format.  If  someone asked me if that would work, I would say NO because this generation of kids is used to fast paced hyper-active cynical television shows (And that is just the cartoons.), but because of the authenticity of this father/daughter team it worked.

My personal style is more of the “Big Show” style.  

Then there is my young friend David Sanders.  At the beginning of the year, instead of telling the students how to behave, he sat down with the kids and asked them to make some commitments.  He posted them on a poster board and then asked the kids to sign the poster if they agreed to keep those commitments.  He even wrote the commitments into a song, the kids sing it every week.  Here are the commitments and the song:

1. Love God with all your heart

2. Love each other

3. Respect each other

4. Honor God in worship

5. Pray for each other

 The song goes like this:

We are KIDS FOR CHRIST, and we are here to say,

Love God with ALL YOUR HEART, and love each other everyday,

and we will HONOR GOD, as we sing and pray

to Jesus, the reason we are here today, HEY!

The result is a group of kids that come together, focus and worship God together.  So, if you are the leader of a group, whether you use my curriculum or not , just be authentic.—Bob Heath