Many aspects of our lives are blessed by alignment—music, teamwork, hairstyles, tires, the drive to work. When melodies and harmonies work together on the same scale at the same tempo, the result can be heavenly. A team working together for a single purpose with a unified goal can accomplish amazing heights. Hairstyles, well, it seems alignment and misalignment are both in style these days, but I digress. Alignment makes your tires last longer and benefits your car; traffic is generally a function of some car out of alignment with the rest.
Alignment is also a blessing within a church. Many churches have groups that do their own thing and decide on their own what they will study. As long as these groups are focused on the Word of God, then there is significant alignment across groups. Like the early church, we should all be united in our devotion to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42).
But imagine the benefits of a church aligned across all age groups in book-by-book studies through the Scripture:
Josie, a second grader, explores Hebrews 1:1-4 with her class. She learns that Jesus is all-powerful and hears the powerful story of Jesus calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee. She learns the memory verse: “In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son” (Heb. 1:2a). She experiences a fruitful and fun expedition through God’s Word and then departs with her family.
On the car ride home, Mom asks Josie the questions from her Family Card for the week and they both share what they learned from Hebrews 1 in their groups. Josie excitedly gets to add the story of Jesus calming the storm—this Jesus is without equal and is all-powerful indeed. Later in the week, Dad and Mom have a One Conversation with Jack, their teenager, about his study in Hebrews 1 with the students of their church. Josie again hears the Word of God discussed and applied to life. Throughout the week, this family practices reciting Hebrews 1:2a. When difficult, stressful circumstances arise from work or school, the family encourages one another: “Who is Jesus?” “The Son of God without equal; even the winds and waves obey Him.”
It’s not hard to see how aligned curriculum across all age groups can help align families and churches with a unified vision of our God and His mission for us in the world.
So, what aligns your church? Could Explore the Bible help?