- How Do I Get Started?
- What Age-Groups Are Available?
- Where and When Should Pioneer Clubs Meet?
- How Long Does a Club Meeting Last?
- What's a Typical Meeting Look Like?
- What Leadership Is Needed?
- What Materials Are Needed?
- What Will Our Costs Be?
- What If We Have Only a Small Number of Kids?
- What If We Prefer a Large Group Format?
- Why Do Parents Want Their Children in One of Pioneer Clubs' Programs?
- What's Your Philosophy of Christian Education?
- How Does Your Program Meet the Needs of Different Age Levels?
- What Is Your Statement of Faith?
- How Can I Find a Pioneer Clubs Program in My Area?
How Do I Get
Started?
The
first step is to order a Ministry Review Kit for a hands-on look at Pioneer
Clubs. The Ministry Review Kit contains:
- Leader plan books & kids' handbooks for age 4-grade 6
- Recruitment video
- Club Coordinator's Manual
- Promotion helps
- Registration materials-and more!
The Ministry Review Kit provides everything you'll need to review the
curriculum, plus much of what you'll need to recruit and train leaders,
and to promote Pioneer Clubs to the kids in your church and community.
When you're ready to begin, simply register and place your first order!
See for yourself how starting a Pioneer Clubs ministry in your church can transform kids' lives! Order a Ministry Review Kit today!
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What Age-Groups Are Available?
Pioneer Clubs has seven separate programs to choose from. You may begin with one age level or as many as you choose. The material allows you to have separate clubs for girls and boys or to conduct coed clubs. It's all very flexible and designed to meet the needs of your church and community.
Where and When Should Pioneer Clubs Meet?
With Pioneer Clubs, you have the flexibility to minister to children in practically any setting. Whether they have 5 children or 15, or are meeting in a Christian education classroom, a home, or a large fellowship hall, leaders are equipped for a successful meeting. You can meet year-round, during the school year, or in quarterly segments. Clubs can meet just about anyplace and anytime — midweek, Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon, or Sunday evening. You fit the program into your church’s schedule and needs.
How Long Does a Club Meeting Last?
Meetings are designed for
1 1/2 to 2 hours. If your club meets for less time,
the material tells you how to adjust the plan to cover the essentials
of the meeting—Opening, Award Activity, Bible Exploration, Bible Memory,
and Closing. Pioneer Clubs’ program is designed to be flexible and
adaptable to the needs of your children and your church.
What’s a Typical Meeting Look Like?
The only thing typical about a Pioneer Clubs meeting is that it’s never typical! While each meeting has an underlying routine that everyone can count on, there is a great deal of variety to round out a child’s experience. Our age-appropriate skill-building activities include arts, camping, sports, personal development, and hobbies. And of course, Bible Exploration, Bible Memory, and skill activities are part of every meeting.
What Leadership Is Needed?
Each church sponsoring a Pioneer Clubs ministry should appoint a club coordinator to oversee the program. The club coordinator’s responsibilities include recruiting, supervising, encouraging, and training club leaders. Because Pioneer Clubs is a relationship-oriented program, we recommend one leader for every 8 to 10 club members. Young children should have a smaller ratio. Parents, husband-wife teams, senior adults, and singles make great leaders. Don't forget to include teenagers as assistant leaders. Pioneer Clubs is a wonderful way to give them on-the-job ministry experience. Pioneer Clubs’ Club Coordinator’s Manual provides lots of help and suggestions for recruiting, supervising, and training leaders.
What Materials Are Needed?
The
essential materials for club are a child’s handbook, Bible Memory
cards, and a leader’s plan book. Weekly meeting plans for leaders
contain materials for 1 1/2 to 2 hours of activities.
You can easily adjust the material to adapt to your specific needs. Materials
are simple to understand and use. The supplies required are inexpensive
and easy to round up, and leader preparation time is reasonable. Pioneer
Clubs’ curriculum is age-appropriate. Our materials are professionally
designed to address children’s developmental stages and learning differences.
Each child has a handbook designed for their specific age group. In addition,
Bible Memory cards are available to help them learn verses weekly. Leaders
will find a host of helpful supplementary resources available in the Pioneer
Clubs catalog and online store.
Skippers (ages 2& 3)
Scooters (ages 4 & 5) Voyager (grades 1 & 2)Child’s handbook
Pathfinder (grades 3 & 4)Child’s handbook
Trailblazer (grades 5 & 6)Child’s handbook
Challenger (grades 7-9)
What Will
Our Costs Be?
Pioneer Clubs wants its ministry to be accessible to everyone, so we work
hard to keep participation costs reasonable. Churches can conduct a Pioneer
Clubs ministry for as little as $1.50 per child per week, depending on
the options selected and resources purchased.
In addition to annual registration fees and product purchases, churches
that have a Pioneer Clubs program are also invited to co
ntribute to the
national ministry of Pioneer Clubs by supporting our regional ministry
consultants and specific projects. Making additional contributions is
voluntary. However, our ministry to children and youth could not continue
without the support from churches who value what Pioneer Clubs has done
for their young people and support us through their missions budget.
What
If We Have Only a Small Number of Kids?
If your church is ministering to
fewer than 20 kids in kindergarten through grade 6, you may want to check
out Discovery Club—the small-church solution for children's ministry—published
by Pioneer Clubs®. Discovery Club® is a multi-age-level
curriculum that allows your K-6 kids to meet together to study God's Word,
memorize Scripture, and enjoy fun activities. Discovery Club contains
everything you need to run an exciting children's program for an entire
school year—24 meetings in one box!
Visit www.discoveryclub.org to begin Discovery Club in your church today!
What If we Prefer a Large Group Format?
Check out the NEW Exploring Series Large Group Format from Pioneer Clubs! The Exploring Series gives you the convenience and high-energy of a large-group presentation, plus the relationship-building aspects of small groups. And because your adult volunteers choose a club leadership role based on their own gifts, interests, and schedules, recruiting leaders has never been easier or more rewarding.
Order material online
Why
Do Parents Want Their Children in One of Pioneer Clubs' Programs?
In a recent Pioneer Clubs
survey of parents, we found that both churched and unchurched parents
value the experience their children have in club. The program provides
an opportunity for children to have fun, learn new skills, build relationships,
and ultimately, learn to make Christ Lord in every aspect of life. Parents
appreciate knowing that their children are learning biblical values and
making friends in a safe, caring environment under the watchful supervision
of Christian adult role models.
What's Your Philosophy of Christian Education?
We believe that:- God has created each person a whole being with individuality, uniqueness, dignity, and potential. Children develop a sense of personal identity and character by comparing and contrasting themselves with both male and female adults. Children learn Christian behaviors and biblical values as modeled by their adult leaders. Values are formed when children choose among alternatives and consider the consequences of each alternative.
- A club curriculum should be balanced between a child-centered and content-centered program.
How Does
Your Program Meet the Needs of Different Age Levels? Psychology of Learning
- Children progress through certain developmental stages, mastering the tasks of one age level before moving on to the next stage. Learning is most effective when children actively participate in meaningful learning experiences. Children have unique and individual learning styles. Holistic learning occurs when all three learning domains (knowing, feeling, and doing) are included in the learning process.
- Children are motivated by a desire for achievement, success, and self-improvement. With maturity, young people may also wish to serve God and help others.
In all that we do at Pioneer Clubs, particularly in hiring staff and preparing our publications, the following statement of belief guides us.
- We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Matthew 28:19).
- We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man (Matthew 1:18-23).
- We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and of supreme and final authority in faith and life (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
- We believe that we were created in the image of God; that we sinned, and thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born in sin, and that this sinful nature is the origin of all sinful acts in thought, word, and deed (Genesis 1:26; Romans 5:12; Isaiah 59:2-4; Romans 6:23).
- We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in him are justified on the grounds of his shed blood (Romans 5:8-9).
- We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby become children of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:9).
- We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and his ascension to Heaven, and in his present work as High Priest and advocate (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 4:14-16).
- We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
- We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just to everlasting blessedness, and the unjust to everlasting punishment (Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:15; Romans 6:23).
In order to respect the privacy of our registered churches and other Pioneer Clubs programs, we have not posted their contact information on our Web site. However, if you are interested in connecting with a Pioneer Clubs program(s) in your area, please e-mail or call us with your name, address, and phone number and the reason for the request, and we will attempt to put you in touch with a local Pioneer Clubs church.
