Chronological Bible Storying for Children

For 2008-09 INCM has restructured the international training program in order to expand training opportunities for international and cross cultural children’s ministry organizations.

Please read the following revised invitation. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for training for your ministry, the proposal information is included in this invitation.

INCM: The International Network of Children's Ministry is a non-profit, denominationally independent, Christian organization located in Castle Rock, Colorado, USA. Our mission is to train, encourage, motivate, network and resource Christian leaders who minister to children.

For the past several years The International Network of Children’s Ministry has sponsored cross cultural international leadership training and resourcing projects as part of the Children’s Pastors’ Conference programs. During the annual Children’s Pastors’ Conferences international training projects are promoted to the CPC conferees and funds are raised to support these activities.

Each year, INCM partners with international children’s ministries to provide training projects for teachers and leaders. INCM has partnered with children’s ministry organizations and conducted training in Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Puerto Rico, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, India, Jamaica, Pakistan, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Malaysia.

The primary focus of INCM’s international training effort is to equip and train children’s workers worldwide with effective tools, resources and strategies for teaching children the Word of God and introducing them to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

INCM will consider training invitations from established ministries working with children and their teachers and leaders.

What is Bible Storying?

“Storying” is an approach of telling the story of God, the Bible, in a chronological sequence so that the learner can not only appreciate the individual stories of the Bible, but can see the overriding purpose of God’s interactions with mankind from the very beginning of creation. This sequence is important to understand the God’s story.

The stories in the Bible were originally taught through oral communication when storytelling was as natural as breathing.  The world of children is a unique culture. Children initially learn as oral learners.  Most children do not formulate reading skills until age six or older.   It is important for children to learn the sequence or chronology of the Bible to understand the connection that exists from one biblical event to the next. This defines God and man’s relationship with God.

Understanding how all the events are chronologically connected enables children, as well as adults, to better understand the meaning for the Gospel, which means understanding the importance of having a personal relationship with God.  Without that chronology the Bible could be viewed as a series of unrelated, incomplete events. While each story in itself has a spiritual lesson and merit, the chronology of the story reveals God’s plan for mankind.

INCM has developed a training seminar for teaching children the Bible through chronological Bible storying, which is a systemic approach for children ages 4-13. This method is effective for teaching and evangelizing children in cross cultural settings. The training material for teachers and leaders and storying outlines are easily translated for non-English settings.

INCM - Our Beliefs: International Network of Children's Ministry subscribes to the following statement of faith formulated by the National Association of Evangelicals.

• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

INCM - Our History: INCM’s ministry began with a children's pastors' gathering held in 1980 in Denver, Colorado. Approximately 35 people attended. The following year, the gathering was established as a Children’s Pastors’ Conference and it grew to 60 attendees. As more publishers and suppliers of ministry resources desired to attend the Conference as exhibitors, the Conference expanded. Since that time, the organization has grown annually with now over 4000 attending Children's Pastors' Conference in the United States and over 500 attending INCM partnered training conferences and seminars worldwide.

Invitations Offered: INCM offers an invitation for training proposals as part of the INCM international effort for leaders, teachers and children’s workers. Once the training is completed, the host ministry is provided full and free use of the seminar material for their own future training.
What INCM Provides:  

• INCM will cover the cost for trainer’s travel, food and accommodations to the country’s training site.
• Where in-country travel is required, INCM will cover the in-country travel costs for the INCM training team.
• INCM will provide training for up to 50 participants at each training location, and up to two training locations for each training project.
• Participants should be teachers, workers or leaders who are actively involved with children or intending to become part of children’s ministry.
• INCM will provide the host organization with the computer files for translating (where required) and assembling the Chronological Bible Stories teacher’s manual.
• INCM will provide the host organization a  $500 grant (USD) toward the costs for translation and producing the training manual for each participant.
• INCM will provide a Chronological Bible Storying visual to each training participant for teaching, and related resources for explaining to children God’s Plan of Salvation. (These materials are provided by INCM for a maximum of 50 training participants for each site)
• Awards for the finalists in the story telling festival at the conclusion of the training project

Note: INCM typically provides a training team of two. If additional trainers come with the INCM those trainers will raise their own funds to cover the training project expenses.