Jesus indicated that one of the reasons why the Word of God did not take root in the hearts of the audience was the stony ground within (Mark 4:16-17). Another goal of the project was to assess leaders' understanding of the discipleship of children in koinonia. The fifth part of this chapter summarizes the theological foundations of the curriculum for children's disciples.
Educators/parents must follow the example of the Lord Jesus and "go" to the children. His disciples should be careful how they listen to the mystery of the kingdom. Without this awareness they will not be able to understand the other mysteries of the kingdom.
Second, the parable explains the mystery of how the Word of God produces much fruit in the hearts of the disciples (v. 20). To experience koinonia, one must trust Christ and respond to the love and acceptance of the Triune God. The last part of the chapter focuses on demonstrating and teaching young children about the Word of God as literature for koinonia.
In fact, Christians are born of the Spirit (John 3:6-8) and the Spirit dwells in them. The Law cannot help them overcome the pleasure of the flesh (Col 2:23), but when they follow the Spirit, they will not sin against the Law (Gal 5:16, 18). By doing so, teachers can amplify this first kind of echo in the hearts of children.
Koinonia is not only communion with the Father in Christ, but also with other members of the body of Christ. Two general principles of hermeneutics are essential to demonstrate the reception of the Word of God for koinonia. If teachers are in the ministry of the Spirit, they will also resound with the Spirit.
The first difficulty was the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the target area in East Asia.
Pre-Camp Curriculum Development
This chapter presents the project preparation and a detailed discussion of the completion of the project goals. The three objectives of the project included writing a curriculum, evaluating the leader's core convictions and beliefs in discipling children in koinonia, and teaching them in an online camp. However, due to the pandemic, I changed the project from an in-person camp to an online camp, which required different ways to deliver the curriculum.
A second difficulty was the strict Internet censorship that required a lot of research to find a video conferencing tool and online survey tool. Because English is not my first language, designing the curriculum and a long questionnaire and translating them into English required back and forth translation for each review. Most of the outlines presented in the eight chapters of the curriculum follow the structure of chapters 2 and 3, with some modifications.
The book has eight chapters, similar to the nine sections of chapters 2 and 3, except that I combined the first two sections of chapter 2 as one chapter in the book.
Pre-Camp Survey: Questionnaire of Koinonia Education (QKE) of Koinonia Education (QKE)
Their contributions were valuable in generating additional insights into koinonia discipleship for children, paving the way for future improvements to the study and training. The first part was a one-hour pre-camp survey, which emphasized the focus of the training conference. These efforts were intended to give them greater opportunities to experience koinonia during the eight days of the training.
I used the structure of chapters 2 and 3 of this project for the textbook, so every time I changed the structure of the two chapters, I had to change the textbook as well. One expert from the panel also helped me with the structure of the textbook and the chapters, which improved its coherence. My initial draft of the textbook was over two hundred pages, and chapter 3 alone was one hundred pages.
During the process, my understanding of the subject and the training improved, which was reflected in a better project execution in teaching and designing the online camp and. First, I focused on their knowledge of the associated Bible verses (as discussed in Chapters 2 and 3). I wanted to help the participants focus on these areas and improve their awareness of CWC and ARA throughout the training period.
However, I assured them that the questionnaire was a useful part of the training and that the time they spent on it was worth it. In the next chapter I will discuss these results and reflect on the overall effectiveness of the project. A seven-question, four-point scale rubric was used to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum (1 = inadequate and 4 = exemplary).
Assessing the Participants in the Pre-Camp Survey in the Pre-Camp Survey
To be affirmed in the convictions they must have as educators to demonstrate koinonia to children. The average score for a chapter was 25.96 out of 28, which is a 92.5 percent positive rate from the panel.2 The panel recommended the curriculum to the Discipleship Network for Educator Training. The current network director read the textbook thoroughly and helped me refine the sentence details and linking words, which greatly improved the clarity of the textbook.
The second part of the survey used a six-point Likert scale to gauge participants' level of confidence in understanding biblical teachings and the practical application of koinonia discipleship/education, and related child psychology. On average, the participants rated their confidence level as 3.37 out of 6 (with 1 indicating no confidence at all and 6 indicating a lot of confidence), suggesting a low level of confidence given their background in ministry, as the average number of adult koinonia camps that attended was 11.67. . These results suggest that despite completing four adult koinonia camps over a period of at least six years, participants still have relatively low confidence in KDC.
While they have a somewhat confident understanding of the basic teachings, with a mean rating of 3.92, they show less than somewhat confident levels in their understanding of child psychology, with a mean rating of 2.73. Their level of confidence in practice fell between somewhat uncertain and somewhat confident, with an average rating of 3.45. Overall, the results of the study showed a low level of confidence among participating educators, confirming my suspicion that further training in KDC is needed, especially in the practical application of koinonia teaching and in understanding child psychology from a biblical perspective.
The second goal of the project was successful in that the participants reported that the survey was helpful in four areas of their training: awareness of their incorrect core beliefs (85.71 percent, the lowest), awareness of the biblical beliefs (97, 96 percent), awareness of nominal beliefs (93.88 percent), and affirmation of their personality (100 percent).
Teaching the Curriculum in the Online Camp
They also became more aware of the four important dimensions of CARA and were introduced to koinonia through the online camp. The success of the project is a testament to the dedication and commitment of the participants, as well as my commitment to promoting koinonia education for children. One of the strengths of this project is the textbook, which is a comprehensive guide to koinonia discipleship for children.
On the one hand, the questionnaire was designed to help participants focus on the key points of the course, which can improve learning efficiency. Another advantage of the questionnaire was that it included multiple assessment dimensions, which allowed for in-depth data analysis. A weakness of this project was the length of the questionnaire, particularly in the post-camp survey, where the response size was reduced.
At the end of the project, a mentor encouraged me to include koinonia love in the questionnaire. The koinonia that I and the participants experienced during the training was the fruit of the efforts of many Christians. While organizing the camp, I realized that I could have collaborated more with the participant leaders to facilitate small group discussions.
This kind of cooperation is koinonia service, to which every member of the body can contribute. Meanwhile, during the development of the textbook and training program, I focused on people with experience in adult koinonia camps. This appendix is largely a literal translation of the Chinese Survey; it may lose some subtlety of wording in Chinese language due to translation.
Overall Self-Assessment
My Conviction, Awareness, Responsiveness, and Affirmation
- Regarding the temptations a born-again faces, I believe and always practice; please select 0-6：
- Regarding demonstrating responding to the Heavenly Father’s love and acceptance in koinonia, I believe and always practice (please select 0-6)
- Regarding demonstrating responding to Jesus Christ in koinonia, I believe and always practice (please select 0-6)
- Regarding demonstrating responding to the Holy Spirit in koinonia, I believe and always practice (please select 0-6)
- Regarding Law and Grace in discipline, I believe and always practice (please select 0-6)
This past week I could often distinguish when I returned to the parable of a child to be among children and when I did not. Awareness, Responsiveness and Affirmation (please choose 1-6) This past week I was often aware when I presented. CF: Some sins or addictions shame me; I don't know how to come to Jesus as my high priest in these cases.
Awareness, Responsiveness, and Confirmation (choose 1-6) During the past week, I was often aware when I remembered. Jesus Christ as my atonement, looking to Him as my high priest in heaven, and when I wasn't. During the past week I have often shown children how to respond to Jesus Christ as my Atonement and High Priest in Heaven.
Awareness, Responsiveness and Affirmation (Please choose 1-6) During the past week I was often aware of when I was following. CF: I often feel glad that I didn't have misfortune or punishment when I sin, but I don't focus on being born again and that I might not sin. Awareness, Responsiveness, and Affirmation (Please choose 1-6) During the past week, in self-discipline, I was often aware.
In the coming week, I am very willing to remind children with the grace of God in discipline that they have been born again and that they can love God and others in the same way. This past week I have often thanked and praised God for the privilege I have been able to demonstrate to love Him and others as I love children.
Overall Assessment about the Survey
TEST OF OVERALL CONFIDENCE OF KOINONIA DISCIPLESHIP BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING
TEST OF OVERALL AWARENESS, RESPONSIVENESS AND AFFIRMATION BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING
TEST OF OVERALL CORRECT CONVICTIONS BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING
Knowing the Father's Heart: Four Experiences with God That Will Change Your Life. This thesis aims to develop a curriculum for teachers in East Asia to improve their ability to disciple children, starting with the creation of a textbook and followed by teaching the curriculum at an online camp.
