Introduction
What is Cross+Generational Ministry?
What is the Narrative Lectionary?
What’s in a Leader’s Guide?
Scope & Sequence
Other Resources
Ordering & Download Information
Letter to Leaders
Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
Explore God’s amazing story together and build life-giving intergenerational community in your congregation with our Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education (2024-2025), classroom-based product! Bring the unique wisdom of each generation together in this fun, active, and easy-to-use curriculum that brings participants into the magnificent story of God’s love found in Scripture. As a product in our Living the Word series, this Cross+Gen Education curriculum journeys through the Bible following the stories of the Narrative Lectionary. Purchase the whole year, try it for a season, or buy individual lessons to fit your schedule!
Each lesson plan provides all the information leaders need to teach the weekly lesson, including necessary supplies, step-by-step instructions, and even scripts for those who want them. The lessons contain more activities than can be used within a typical education hour, which allows leaders to choose the activities that best fit their participants and their leading style.
The Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education (2024-2025) curriculum is a high-quality, low-cost option for congregations and ministries of all sizes. Pricing is based on your estimated attendance range, and the purchase of a single license covers the entire congregation. You and your leaders can download the materials from your Customer Account as soon as each quarter is released (See the current Release Dates page for details). You can then print whichever pages you would like, or access the PDF files through your mobile devices!
What is Cross+Generational Ministry?
Cross+Generational Ministry has at its core the concept that faith is formed through meaningful relationships. When we connect with people of a different generation, we are able to learn from them and share our own experiences, no matter what age we are. We find our place in God’s story best by exploring that story as community. Effective cross+generational experiences are:
+ Experiential
+ Interactive
+ Engaging
+ Story-centric
+ Home-based
+ Equalizing
all of which promote an encounter with God. All of the activities included in this leader guide are intended to engage these principles, through intentional cross+generational interaction and active, creative activities that bring the Bible story to life in our lives.
We pass on the faith through every action, experience, or relationship that nurtures a transformative relationship of trust with God and shapes the way we see and interact with God’s world. When we do this in meaningful, intergenerational relationships, our faith is enriched from the diversity of the experiences we share with each other. Our communities are strengthened, and we have confidence in our sense of belonging to God and with each other.
What is the Narrative Lectionary?
The Narrative Lectionary is a nine-month calendar of Scripture readings which focuses on one story or passage each Sunday or festival day. It starts in September with a story about creation and touches on the major stories, characters, and plot points in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) until mid-December. At that point, the lectionary picks up one of the four Gospels (one Gospel each year for a four-year cycle) and moves through many of the main stories or passages of that Gospel sequentially until just after Easter. From the second Sunday of Easter through Pentecost Sunday, the readings are pulled from Acts and the Letters. Read more about this on our What Is the Narrative Lectionary? webpage.
What’s in a Leader’s Guide?
Each downloadable lesson includes:
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- Leader Pages– A big idea for the day (The Point), unit theme, background information, and a diverse menu of possible activities all make it easy for leaders to prepare for their own unique multi-age class.
- Learning the Story– Participants engage in the week’s Bible text together through art, actions, and more!
- Living the Story– Participants connect the Bible story to a spiritual practice (prayer, worship, fellowship, or service) each week through a hands-on activity, helping participants live out their biblical faith.
- Additional Activities– Each lesson includes a wealth of additional games, creative activities, service projects, and other activities to reinforce the day’s themes.
Scope & Sequence
Check out the Living the Word Scope and Sequence (2024-2025) for the complete list of lessons!
Other Resources
Our Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education product is complemented by many of our other Narrative Lectionary products:
- Living the Word: Singing God’s Story (PK-6th) – Original children’s music following the Narrative Lectionary.
- Living the Word: Contexts & Connections – Bible background notes for faith formation leaders.
- Living the Word: Sharing God’s Story @ Home – Bulletin insert bringing faith formation home with a weekly devotional tool.
- Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship – For creating interactive, intergenerational worship experiences.
- Living the Word: Mini Lessons (PK-6th) – Short lessons for short classes.
Ordering & Download Information
To order, go to the Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education (2024-2025) product page and select your best estimate of the attendance range of your class(es). You will also select the season you would like to order, the Full Year, or the Fall, Winter, Spring quarters, or individual lessons to meet your needs. After you add the product to your cart and complete the rest of your shopping, you can proceed to checkout. There, complete the form and select your payment type.
All resource materials are available as digital downloads (PDF files) for printing or using electronically. The end user licensing agreement (EULA) allows congregations to download, print, and use the curriculum lessons as often as you would like if the materials remain in the purchasing congregation.
After your payment is processed, you can download the materials from your Customer Account as soon as each quarter is released (See the current Release Dates page for details). Each quarter purchased comes in a single compressed (ZIP) file, which your operating system should be able to open and extract the folders and PDF files, at which point you can print or share with your leaders as you please!
For more detailed information on ordering, downloading, and other topics, please go to our Customer Service FAQ page.
Letter to Leaders
Introduce leaders to this curriculum with the letter below from the publisher, or write your own! Also available is our Cross+Gen Groupings Guide, a resource to help classes divide into multi-generational small groups.