Discussion

YouVersion Bible Plan

Make sure to check out the Bible Plan associated with this series:

Is Church Important? LESSON DISCUSSION GUIDE

Big Church Week 1: What Is Church? (FAQ)

Icebreaker Question

Big Question

Would you rather be a palm tree, a pine tree, or a maple tree?

Do you think church is important?

Discussion Questions

The Verse

1. What stood out to you the most from the message? What’s one thing you learned?

2. What’s your favorite thing about coming to church?

3. What’s your least favorite thing about coming to church?

4. Read 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV. According to this verse, where does it sound like God really wants to hang out—where does He want to make His house? With us! Inside our hearts.

5. If God lives inside our hearts, why do we need to go to church? Because God also asked us not to neglect gathering together. We can do more together. The Body of Christ has many parts and everyone who trusts and follows Jesus is a part of it. Etc.

6. Would you still go to church if you were told you didn’t have to? Why or why not? Allow students to speak freely. Don’t shame them if they’d rather not go to church. Let them know you’re glad they’re here!

7. Pray together. Pray that your students would realize they are the Body of Christ—God’s Church! Pray they’d be able to use the gifts and talents God’s given them to help God’s will to be done on earth.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Next Steps:

Remind your kids about the YouVersion Bible Plan and encourage them to complete it together with friends or family using Plans with Friends.

Instructions

1. Say: We’re going to make some cool paper origami that shows questions and answers about why the Church matters and why it matters that we are a part of the Church.

2. Give each child a What Is the Church? activity sheet.

3. Kids cut instructions off bottom of activity sheet and follow instructions to make an origami question device. (Sometimes called a “cootie catcher.” Some kids might call it a “fortune teller.”)

4. Kids choose a partner and ask the questions in the cootie catchers to their partner following this pattern:

Child inserts thumbs and index fingers into the flaps under the colors on their origami.

Begin with origami closed so only the colors are showing.

Partner picks a color.

Child spells the color while flexing the origami up and down once with each letter they say. End with origami open so numbers are showing.

Partner picks a number.

Child flexes the origami up and down one time for each number they count. (Repeat this step once if desired.)

Partner picks another number.

Child opens the origami fold to reveal a question about the Church.

Child reads question to partner.

Partner answers.

5. Kids can decorate cootie catchers with markers as desired.

ACTIVITY GUIDE

Big Church Week 1: What is Church? (FAQ)

Church Catcher

This is just a fun way for kids to talk to one another about church and being the Church!

Activity Objective

Fold the origami so the kids can answer questions about the Church.

You’ll Need

What Is the Church? activity sheet (1 per child)

Markers

Scissors

YELL

OW

BLUE

GREEN

RED

1 23

4

56

7

8 • Do

I hav

e to

go to

chur

ch?

To

be

a Ch

ristia

n, yo

u do

n’t H

AVE

to g

o.

It’

s m

ore

abou

t wan

ting

to g

o be

caus

e

God

aske

d us

to.

• Do I have to go to church? To be a Christian, you don’t HAVE to go. W

e do because it helps us grow closer

to others and God.

• Is online church really a church?

Church has grown beyond a building, so yes!

• Is online church really a church?We can find spiritual community both online

and in physical locations, so yes!

• Whi

ch d

enom

inat

ion

is rig

ht?

Any d

enom

inat

ion

that

has

com

mitt

ed it

self

to G

od. A

lway

s ch

eck

the

root

s!

• Does church even matter?Gathering together matters to God,

so it should matter to us.

• Does church even matter? You have a lot to give to God’s people,

and vice versa. Every last person matters to the Church!

• Which denom

ination is right?If a denom

ination decides not to follow God or

His Word, you can tell that one’s not w

orth follow

ing. Always check the roots!

OrigamiInstructions

With the back side up, fold from corner to corner, making a triangle.

Open up the paper (back facing up again) and fold from corner to corner in the opposite direction.

Unfold your paper; you’ll have a giant X creased into your paper.

Fold one corner to the center of the square, where the two diagonals meet.

Repeat this with the other three corners.

This is what your paper will look like. Your square should be getting smaller.

Turn your paper over.

Fold the corner to the center of the square, where the two diagonals meet.

Repeat this with the rest of the corners. Your square will be smaller.

Fold and unfold the square in half horizontally.

Fold and unfold the square in half vertically.

You’ll have creases that look like this:

Turn over & slide your fingers under the flaps and push the outer corners to the middle.

Cut here