Introducing D6 2GEN...

A Game Changer for Family Ministry

By Ryan Frank

“Family” has been the buzzword in children’s ministry for the past ten years. Ministry leaders have wrestled with what family ministry looks like in their churches and communities.

At the heart of family ministry is this question: How can the church and the home work together? How can a partnership be formed so that, by God’s grace, children become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ?

An organization that has been leading the way for this church/parent partnership is a publishing organization called Randall House. Best known for the D6 Conference and D6 Curriculum, Randall House is deeply committed and trusted to help lead the family ministry conversation.

The name D6 comes from Deuteronomy 6:5-7, which commands us to love God with all our heart, soul, and might; keep His Word on our hearts; and diligently teach to impress our faith on our children as we live out our daily lives.

D6 is an intentional movement to empower churches to help parents, homes, marriages, and leaders live out the story of Deuteronomy 6. This Scripture paints a beautiful picture for the family and of God’s heart for discipleship at home. You could say that the family is God’s original small group. D6 provides resources to align the church and home to accomplish God’s design of generational discipleship.

My first experience at a D6 Conference was in 2009, when I was invited to speak. From the moment I received my invitation throughout the entire event, one word surfaced over and over again—excellence. Everything about their conference was done with excellence, as unto the Lord. I quickly felt a kindred spirit with the leaders of this ministry. The team at Randall House is simply amazing. They are humble people who have a huge heart for ministry.

I visited their offices recently in Nashville. It’s cool to see! They’re a stone’s throw away from the airport. In fact, their headquarters is an old airplane hanger transformed into a state of the art facility. They are led by CEO and Publisher Ron Hunter (@ronhunter). Ron is forward thinking and deeply committed to the local church and Scripture.

What the folks at D6 have done in a short time is incredible. They are leading and shaping conversations that ministry leaders are having about the church-parent partnership. In just a few years, they created one of the premier conferences and curriculum that exists today.

Yes, what D6 has done in a short time is incredible. But, what they have coming is a game changer!

This fall, Randall House will release the D6 2nd Generation Curriculum. I’m excited to share this with you, because I believe you owe it to yourself and your church to check it out. You can visit www.d6family.com or their intro page D62gen.com to learn more about this in greater detail, but let me help you by sharing some amazing features that really captured my attention.

CLEAR Learning System®

This is something I have always appreciated about the D6 Curriculum. CLEAR stands for Connect, Learn, Explore, Apply, Respond. CLEAR is an effective way to teach the Bible, because it’s built around the natural learning process of students.

This has always been the bedrock of their curriculum and will continue to be part of the new D6 2nd Generation. However, these features will repeat more often in teen and adult lessons. For example, the application will appear several times throughout each lesson, and so on.

Three Distinct Studies in Each Quarter

This is unique and worth noting. Each quarter will include one month in the New Testament, one month in the Old Testament, and one in a special topic. I like that!

Special Topics

As I mentioned previously, each quarter will include one month in a special topic. I love what Randall House is planning with this. These special topics will prepare students for life issues and cultural challenges, including:

Apologetics (teaching all ages how to defend their faith)

• Cultural issues from a biblical perspective (sexuality, gender, marriage, etc.)
  

• Key theological concepts (character of God, origins, inspiration, etc.)
  

• Biblical worldview shown to students in every lesson. This means the child connects what is studied to everyday life. How important is this to family ministry?
  

Emphasis on Grace Relationship Over Performance

When I first heard Ron Hunter talk about this, it resonated big time. This is so important. In other words, the philosophy behind D6 2nd Generation is that it teaches for life transformation, not just head knowledge. Really, that’s what we’re all about, right?

Available in either printed or digital platform (or both)

This is definitely worth noting. The team at Randall House has done it again. The D6 2nd Generation Curriculum is positively going to be a game changer. Please check it out for yourself. It could be the solution you’ve been looking for to connect the church and home.

About the Writer: Ryan Frank is CEO of KidzMatter, a children’s ministry curriculum and training provider to churches and a subsidiary of Awana. Ryan is also vice president of innovative ministries for Awana. He is on the board of directors for the International Network of Children's Ministry and author of Nine Things They Didn’t Teach Me in College About Children’s Ministry (Standard Publishing).