One of the most moving things to witness as a follower of Christ is the light that shines on the faces of children when they accept Him. After they take that first step, investing in their spiritual development through intentional discipleship is paramount to building a firm foundation of faith.
For youth, ages 7-13, junior soldier courses are an important resource for discipleship. Engaging curriculum has been developed for this generation, keeping true to the same purpose of introducing our elementary and middle school kids to the Bible, Salvation Army doctrine and distinctives, and how to live in a way that represents Christ.
Updated materials, including printable PDFs of lessons in both English and Spanish, a media kit for digital presentations, and videos are accessible online. An easy-to-use instructor’s guide also includes activities or crafts to accompany each lesson.
In the six-week preparation course, children are introduced to God’s purpose for mankind and His desire for relationship with each individual. They learn about His love, what it means to receive Him, and what it looks like to worship and serve Him as part of The Salvation Army. The invitation to sign the junior soldier promise at the end of the course provides the opportunity to publicly declare their faith as they are enrolled and become official members of the Army. Once enrolled, junior soldiers continue courses to aid in their spiritual development.
The complete five-year program is broken up into 10 modules and centers around the 11 doctrines of The Salvation Army. Each module includes four elements: Salvation Army doctrine, Salvation Army tradition, Salvation Army distinctives, and practical faith, ensuring balanced instruction to grow spiritually healthy disciples with a strong foundation of biblical and theological understanding.
For junior soldiers who complete the 10 modules, the Honor Junior Soldier Course provides an ongoing opportunity to learn and grow in their faith until they are ready to engage in senior soldier classes at age 14 or older.
To learn more or to access jr. soldier course materials, visit salvationarmyyouth.org and click on the jr. soldiers icon.
