November 2, 2004

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Faith Alive Christian Resources announced today that sales of its Sunday school materials have increased by 40 percent over the same period last year. The increase coincides with the introduction of the new Walk With Me curriculum, which was launched in July.

"We've never had a curriculum get such a positive response in such a short time," said Gary Mulder, executive director of Faith Alive. "It's truly remarkable - especially given recent trends."

This comes at a time when many denominationally-owned publishers have been losing sales to other large publishers. "There's no question that many of our members have lost ground in recent years," says Alan Meyer, executive director of the Protestant Church-Owned Publishers' Association. "Declining curriculum sales has been a hot topic at most of our meetings."

Mulder says the success of Walk With Me shows that churches do want a curriculum that fits their theology. But they also want one that has solid pedagogy, engaging design, and is easy to teach. "They don't want to sacrifice quality for theology. They want both."

In the case of Walk With Me, that meant developing a curriculum that was engaging - yet stayed true to its Reformed/Presbyterian roots. "We've added colorful leader guides and flashy student pieces," said Ruth VanderHart, managing editor, "but the belief system presented in the curriculum is still by far the most important thing."

That belief system, Mulder argues, is unique to each curriculum on the market. "There's a false notion that all Sunday school curriculums teach the same thing. Yes, they all teach the gospel message and for that we're thankful. But in 10 years of Sunday school, children also learn how to interpret and apply that message to their lives and to the world around them. That's where huge differences can exist from one curriculum to the next."

That distinctiveness appeals to a wider audience than just the Christian Reformed churches that funded the development of Walk With Me. Churches from various Reformed and Presbyterian denominations appreciate its approach and, in fact, make up more than half of the total sales. "It's an excellent curriculum," says Jeff Japinga, minister for education and faith development for the Reformed Church in America. "I'm pleased that such a wide variety of our congregations are using it."

Walk With Me also is endorsed by Presbyterians for Renewal (PFR), an organization of about 3,000 churches within the Presbyterian Church USA. "We looked at everything on the market and nothing came close to Walk With Me," says Meri MacLeod, PFR board member and a professor of education at Western Theological Seminary. "From both theological and educational perspectives, it's outstanding. That's why we chose to recommend it for our churches."

Faith Alive is confident that other churches will agree with that assessment. "The growth is strong," says Mulder, "but when you look at the total number of Reformed and Presbyterian churches, the potential is even greater. As more churches find out about this curriculum over the coming months, we expect the trend will continue."

Details about the Walk With Me curriculum can be found at http://www.WalkWithMeOnline.org/.

About Faith Alive Christian Resources - Faith Alive Christian Resources is a not-for-profit publisher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that specializes in ministry resources for Reformed and Presbyterian churches. Product areas include Sunday school curriculum, youth resources, small group Bible studies, worship resources, and materials for other church-based ministries. Faith Alive is a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, although the majority of its sales are to churches from other Presbyterian and Reformed denominations. http://www.FaithAliveResources.org/.

Christian Reformed Church