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The Story of DiscipleLand™ (by Mark Steiner, Founder)
 Biblical Illiteracy
Once upon a time, Christian parents asked their children after church, "What did you learn about God?" Today, the question is often, "Did you have fun?"
Not too long ago, wanting to fully equip children to serve Christ, churches offered extensive Bible training for all ages. Today, wanting to keep kids happy and to make recruiting easy, many churches offer high-energy, entertainment-based programs. Children rarely use their Bibles.
Most Christian kids today:
- ...know more about video games than they know about God.
- ...they love peer approval more than they love Jesus.
- ...they serve themselves before they consider the needs of others.
Children's Discipleship
My Christian education training included a course taught by Dr. Howard Hendricks called "Principles of Discipleship." That experience opened my eyes to how Jesus made disciples in the first century—and how that process impacts His Church today. As the last session of that course drew to a close, Prof Hendricks gave one final assignment: "When I visit your places of ministry," he told us, "I'll ask you only one thing—show me your disciples." Each of us left that room stunned and silent, but inspired.
Months later, while in the trenches of a local church ministry, I began to work closely with children. They were receptive. They were eager. They were capable. But their spiritual growth was marginal. These kids were not being challenged. They were not reaching their peak potential—and it was our fault!
Our church began searching for curriculum that would help us "make disciples." We completed a lesson-by-lesson analysis of seven children's programs. In the end, we concluded that no existing curriculum provided an adequate foundation to accomplish this goal. We decided to launch our own. Soon, a team of designers, writers, illustrators, and editors began creating a discipleship-driven Bible curriculum for children. After ten years of praying and preparing, writing and revising, teaching and testing, DiscipleLand was born!
DiscipleLand's Mission
DiscipleLand's family of resources form a comprehensive Children's Discipleship System™ that helps you equip kids to reach their peak potential as Jesus' disciples. DiscipleLand partners with teachers and parents to transform children into dynamic disciples of Jesus Christ. In DiscipleLand, kids grow...
- ...to know God intimately.
They develop a reservoir of knowledge based on a Biblical worldview.
- ...to love God passionately.
They display Christlike character in every area of life.
- ...to serve God selflessly.
They demonstrate faithful conduct that honors God and helps people.
On the day of His ascension into heaven, Jesus gave His faithful followers one final mandate. He surely looked each disciple in the eyes when He told them, "Go into the world and make disciples of all nations..."
Most churches today are doing a poor job discharging that responsibility. If Jesus paid us a surprise visit, we would show Him our nice classrooms and resource centers. We might introduce Him to our teaching staff, invite Him to share snacks with preschoolers, and ask Him to teach the older kids. Afterwards, my guess is that Jesus might say: "Thank you for the tour. I can see that you're having a good time together. You've invested in resources and environments. But I came today for another reason-remember the one thing I commanded you to do? Now, please show Me your disciples."
What will you and I say when Jesus asks us that question?
As your church considers the needs of children, please remember Jesus' highest priority. Discipleship is the one thing we cannot neglect. Our team at DiscipleLand wants to join hands with you in growing Christlike children who love God and His Word. We stand ready to help you accomplish your Christian education goals for children-and to help you develop world-class disciples. Children's discipleship is the hope of the world!
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