What do we want for the kids in our classes? For them to become children of God and to grow in their love for him and in the likness of his son. That’s thankfully not a burden we have to bear alone but it’s also no small task. Here are 5 books that helped me to aim for that goal when it was hard:
The Jesus Storybook Bible
There are so many good children’s Bibles out there but this one is my favourite because of how it puts Jesus at the centre of evey story. Jago’s pictures are gorgeous and it’s easy to read with a small child but I find it so useful for myself, it demonstrates and inspires me to look for the Gospel in whatever passage I’m teaching and Sally Lloyd-Jones has done a fantastic job of explaining complicated yet necessary theology in a beautifully simple way. She says: “I couldn't rely on jargon. A little child has no concept of what sin is, for instance. I had to find other ways to describe it. I wrote that: sin is not just about breaking the rules, it's breaking God's heart; it's like poison that makes your heart sick and stops it from working properly; it's like running away from God and hiding in the shadows.” And that’s inspiring too; how can I tell them the gospel in a way they’ll really understand?Digging Deeper into the Gospels
There is actually a mini series of Dig Deeper books co-authored by Andrew Sach all of which aim to eqiup you with the right tool kit for understanding the Bible and those tools are super useful! The most obvious application is in reading those passages that you’ve never really understood why they’re there but’s it’s also so helpful with those passages you teach repeatedly, is there a depth to them you’ve been missing and have you been teaching them correctly? Dig Deeper with Nigel Beynon has a chapter dedicated to each tool and is a useful reference, my actual preference is seeing Exodus explored with these tools in Dig Even Deeper, with Richard Alldritt, and Mark’s gospel (which to my shame I had always considered the least interesting Gospel!) in Dig Deeper into the Gospels with Tim Hiorns.The Chronicles of Narnia
So this is a cheat because it’s actually 7 books but it’s also really a place holder for any children’s fiction with a Christian perspective. I would encourage any children’s worker to read or re-read a book which does for them what Narnia does for me. It helps me to feel like a child re-encountering the wonderof Jesus in the same way that the children discover Aslan. I never read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe without remembering when my best friend said “I think Aslan is sort of like Jesus” and thinking why had I never seen that before. Books that take us back to being a child (even if that book wasn’t part of our childhood) and that help us to experience aspects of God’s character differently to normal are brilliant for helping us understand, and plan for, the children we serve. CS Lewis himself wrote: “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally -and often far more-worth reading at the age of 50 and beyond.” What more of a recommendation do you need…Basic Christianity
John Stott’s introduction to the Christian faith is excellent, it’s deep but simple, short but comprehensive and very readible. It makes a great example of the kind of books that help to remind us of why we’re writing lessons on Judges or cutting out crafts on a Saturday night - this is what we want them to know, this is the gospel they need. It’s a great tool for re-centering our teaching and our lives around him. Other books that would fall into this category are Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God, CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity and the Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, which are all great. I realised that this list was very white-western-male centric and so looked around for some similar books from different perspectives; if you know of any please leave them in the comments - I would love to add them to my reading list.Serving Without Sinking
The previous books have all been about helping you become better at teaching Sunday School. This one is for you as a Sunday School teacher who is doing the best they can to serve Jesus and his church in this way. When it’s hard, when you don’t have the time, when expectations are too high, when it’s only hard work and not any fun, then this book is for you. John Hindley explores some of the reasons why service might have become a burden and how to find the joy again. I have found it so helpful in giving me a better perspective on what I’m doing and why. And you definitely don’t have to wait until it feels hard to read this.
I hope these five books encourage you; there are so many more I want to recommend and even more that I want to read. Please share books you’ve found helpful in the comments.