Adapting Small Group Ministry for Children's Religious Education

By Gail Forsyth-Vail

---

Theme and Description

Adapting Small Group Ministry for Children is a new approach to structuring Sunday school programs. Utilizing a small group ministry format, this formant begins with a worship service for grades one through eight, then moves into smaller groups (grades 1-2, 3-5, and 6-8) for discussion and activities relating to the theme of the day.

Goals for Participants

To build an intentional community and create a sense of belonging to a larger community;
To practice being together authentically, hearing and being heard;
To respond to the great questions of life;
To feel valued;
To experience a sense of mystery, wonder, ritual and sacred space;
To tell and retell wisdom stories;
To be of service, and work with others on justice-making within the community and in the larger world.

---

Age Range

ages 6-15

Size of Group

flexible

Space Requirements

A worship space large enough to comfortably fit the entire group from grades one through eight. Three (or more) separate rooms for small group discussions and age-appropriate activities.

Number and Length of Sessions

31 sessions
Length: 60 minutes

Leader Training

No formal training is required, but a leader who can tell stories effectively is recommended for the worship segment. Because this model may be new to leaders, a suggested outline for a leader orientation is included in this resource.

Leader Preparation

1-2 hours for worship leader; 20-30 minutes for small group leader

---

Strengths

Builds a sense of community by bringing all the children together for worship.
Utilitizes wisdom stories from the six sources of our living tradition as the themes for worship and reflection.
Encourages adult volunteers to participate because it moves away from the classroom teacher model.
Encourages relationship building and sharing connections.
Incorporates new children/youth and occasional attendees easily as the structure—while similar from week to week—does not build upon knowledge from past weeks.
Most sessions encourage social action related to the theme of the day.

Limitations

All of the sessions were written for the children and youth of North Parish of North Andover following their calendar, priorities and projects; every session would need to be adaped to the individual congregation.
Many of the sessions use stories for worship that will need to be found and familiarized to the point of storytelling.
Requires a worship leader who is comfortable and competent with leading children's worship.
Middle school youth may find it "babyish" to share worship with the younger children and will need to be incorporated into the worship plan with roles to empower them.

Adaptability

This curriculum is adaptable to congregational needs and is flexible enough to serve as a process guide rather than a fixed curriculum plan.

Unitarian Universalist Values

Each session centers around stories from one of the six Unitarian Universalist sources. The wisdom stories encourage appreciation of many religious traditions as well as those of Unitarian Universalism. Each session includes a section, "Carrying Our Faith into the World," which often involves planning or participation in a social justice project.

Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108 | 617-742-2100