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Grades 6-8

Junior High

Kids get older. Then they get here.

A Jr. High walks into a bar…
No wait, not on our watch.

Jr. High students are in the middle of some awkward transitions, but their experience with One Story doesn’t have to be one of them. As they continue with familiar looking content, they are also being invited to think, engage, and experience at the next level. Students will be encouraged to take initiative in their walk with Jesus and how they interact with their parents.

Fact: Jr. High students smell sometimes.
Fiction: Jr. High students can’t go deep.

God has big plans for Jr. High students, and not just “when they grow up.” So we want to equip them with the very best understanding and experience of Jesus.

Our Jr. High curriculum is divided into two different categories:

  1. Jr. High Weekend is designed to be used in a larger group setting with smaller group breakout options. There is video teaching followed by discussion questions, activity, and prayer.
  2. Jr. High Midweek continues the discussion started on the weekend and dives more deeply in small group conversation with additional biblical content and activities.

The two experiences are designed to compliment one another, but are not dependent on each other either. So feel free to choose what works best for your context.

Scope and Sequence

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-25, Genesis 1:26-2:25, Genesis 2:1-3, Genesis 3:1-24

In this series, students will discover that we can see God’s fingerprints on every part of creation. He is the ultimate artist. He designed an amazing world for us to take care of, a place for us to be creative, and a place for him to hang out with us. This series rolls back time to the very beginning to help us understand who we are in connection to God and his great desire to be in relationship with us.

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9, Genesis 15:1-21, Genesis 17:1-8, Genesis 18:1-15, Genesis 21:1-6

In this series, students will learn about the many ways that God has proven he is trustworthy right from the start. They will focus on the idea that God is a good God who can be trusted by discussing what trust is and why it is important in relationship.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16, 1 Samuel 17, 1 Samuel 18-24, 1 Samuel 25-31, 2 Samuel 1

In this series, students will learn the beginning of David’s life story from musician and shepherd boy to king. Students will discover that God doesn’t choose us for his purposes based on the way that other people choose, but by what is in our hearts. David’s story helps us to see that God’s plans for us are much more interesting than anything we can dream up on our own!

Scripture: Isaiah 7, 40, Luke 1:5-56, Luke 1:57-2:2, Luke 2:8-20

In this series, we will look at the Christmas story and the prophecies of Isaiah hundreds of years before. This series focuses in on what it means to listen to God. During this series, students will discover why and how we listen to God. Kids will be given the opportunity to take some time to listen to God, and they will be challenged to try out different ways to really experience Him.

Scripture: Luke 2:21-40, Luke 2:41-52, Luke 3:1-22, Luke 4:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Jesus is the son of God. Through this series, students will grapple with the idea that Jesus lived a human life just like them. He was tempted and uncomfortable. He was hungry and thirsty. He felt joy and sadness. He felt all of the things that we feel. He lived on earth being tempted, but never sinned. Because even though Jesus was fully human, he is also God. This series is jam-packed full of incredibly rich Jesus- centred conversations waiting to happen!

Scripture: Luke 5:17-26, Luke 7:1-10, Luke 7:11-17, Luke 8:40-56

Jesus showed us that he really is God’s Son through his teaching, great love, and miracles. His miracles weren’t just for a good show, but to pour his love and compassion on those who really needed it most. There was love and meaning wrapped in to each one. In this series, students will learn through the miracles of Jesus and see his immense love for people.

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37, Luke 11:1-13, Luke 12:22-34, Luke 17:1-4

Jesus taught many amazing things, and the truth is that if we actually believe them, take them to heart, and live them out, it’ll change not only our own lives but the lives of others around us. And when we don’t know where to start, it’s very best to start with the basics. In this series, we’ll look at love, prayer, forgiveness, and worry.

Scripture: Luke 23:26-56, Luke 24:1-34, Luke 24:35-48, Luke 24:49-53, Acts 1:1-11

Jesus came to show us God's love and set up his kingdom. We see that in his life. We also see it in his death. In Jesus' death, we see an unassuming rescue. Jesus saves us from sin and death. He rescues us from a life of selfishness, loneliness, and sin to an eternal life with God. Jesus came to rescue the lost. To be a light in the darkness. He came to save us from sin, show us God's love, and set up his kingdom. We are forgiven. We are loved. We are rescued.

Scripture: Acts 9:1-19, Acts 9:19b-31, Acts 13:1-3, Acts 13:4-12, Acts 14:1-7

Radical can mean awesome and amazing. It can also mean something that has an impact so intense that it affects the very root of the thing. The triune God has a radical impact in our lives—so awesome and amazing—that it changes us at our very core. And that's radical.

Scripture: James 1-2, James 3, James 4, James 5

When we call ourselves followers of Jesus, or Christians, we can't just say we follow Jesus, and not live like it. We must show it by how we live. Living for Jesus means living a different way, following in the way of Jesus as we understand it in Scripture, and as we work it through in community, the church. Our life, our words, and our actions must line-up with the label: Jesus-follower.

Scripture: Matthew 12:22-30, Romans 8:38

God's story has characters we can see, and characters that we cannot see. It has our great loving, powerful God, and it has an adversary. It has angels and fallen angels. It has things going on that we can see, and that we cannot see. But it is all in the hands of a God that is love. In this series, students will learn about each of these characters through the lens of a loving God.

Scripture: John 15:1-13, Psalm 100, Matthew 26:47-56, Ruth, Matthew 7:12

When we focus in on Jesus, and grow closer to him, the Holy Spirit becomes "louder" in our lives. We choose love over hate. Joy over misery. Peace over anger. Patience over worry. Kindness over selfishness, and so on. None of this is easy. It takes dependance on God, and constant reminders that life isn't about "me first" but instead about God first. This series we will stare into the beautiful results the Holy Spirit can have in our lives.

What’s included:

  • Weekly lesson plans including bible stories, discussion questions, activities, and games.

  • Weekly videos to accompany each lesson plan.

  • Series overviews that break down each week’s Big Idea, God Story, and learning outcomes.

  • Supply lists that compile the materials to print and gather for each week.

  • Weekly activity pages to print.

  • Series graphics for digital use.

  • Take Home Cards for parents and community engagement.

  • Resources to help you continue the learning and engagement experience beyond Sundays into the rest of the week in a variety of settings.

  • Access to our customer service team should you have any questions or issues.