Children are always listening. From campfire stories of old to today’s constant stream of screens, the narratives they absorb shape their identity, worldview, and faith. Too often, counterfeit stories win children’s hearts, much like Stockholm syndrome, where hostages grow attached to their captors. By the time most kids turn 13, these cultural narratives have already formed their lifelong beliefs.

In The Story We Tell Our Children, Matt Markins, President and CEO of Awana, calls pastors, ministry leaders, and child discipleship advocates to action. He exposes how churches can unintentionally offer a “Bible Lite Strategy” that emphasizes good behavior without anchoring kids in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This book will sharpen your vision and provide practical ways to disciple kids in the one story that is both true and life-giving: the Gospel.

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As the best-selling Awana® book and 2025 Christian Book Award® winner in the Ministry Resources category from ECPA, Forming Faith helps provide a pathway forward for church leaders. Matt Markins, Mike Handler and Sam Luce combine leadership experience from Awana — a global pioneer in children’s discipleship — with pastoral wisdom from the local church to provide a much-needed, timely resource for ministering to children in both the church and home.

Resilient equips you with an innovative, biblical and proven child discipleship philosophy to build your ministry around – plus practical questions to equip you and your team! Cowritten by Awana President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Markins, Awana Chief Communications Officer Mike Handler, Valerie Bell, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Awana, and Chris Marchand, former vice president of Partner Solutions.

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A decade ago, Awana began to ask and study this most important question: What is it that the church does that forms lasting faith in children? The Faith of Our Children is the first fruit of that research.

Author Matt Markins provides children’s ministry leaders and parents with critical insights to build child discipleship around the factors that form lifelong faith. With data-driven, lively and relatable discussion about the effectiveness of recent ministry processes and systems, The Faith of Our Children illuminates a path toward changes that will help foster lasting faith in the children you lead.

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Discover a new vision for children’s ministry that invites and involves your whole Church. Kids’ ministry is a powerful opportunity to cultivate resilient faith in the lives of young people. Yet a majority of children’s ministry leaders (56%) agree at least somewhat that children’s ministry is often forgotten by their church.

To shine a light upon and bring new insight to this important work, Barna partnered with Awana to study children, families and resilient faith in our rapidly changing world. Together, we’ve created a data-driven report called Children’s Ministry in a New Reality.

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