Date

8-6-2025

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Reginald Weems

Keywords

Bridging the Gap, conversational teaching method, curriculum, disciple, evangelism, expository teaching, personal growth, spiritual growth, theology

Disciplines

Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

New Jerusalem Church has the pleasure of teaching Bible stories in the children’s church and Sunday school. However, after the children age out of these spaces, they do not transition to the adult classes; they sit in the hallways. Suppose they continue this practice after aging out of the children’s classification and do not engage with fellow believers in the discipleship process. Will they remain connected to their faith-based community? The problem is whether their behavior is due to the absence of theological content in the Bible curriculum used to teach them in children’s church and Sunday school. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the impact of expository teaching with theological subject matter would assist them in transitioning to the adult classes. Eleven students, ages eight to fourteen, participated in this project by attending four sessions and completing two questionnaire surveys and interviews at the beginning and the end of the project. Results were determined by measuring the students' understanding of theological concepts and personal growth before and after attending the Bible study sessions. The growth and development of the students' theological knowledge were compared with what they knew from learning the curriculum content from children’s church and Sunday school, to what they knew after the “Bridging the Gap” curriculum sessions. By incorporating theological content with familiar Bible stories, students can better understand their faith, share their faith, and be ready to transition to adult Bible study classes.

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