> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ministryy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Awana - URL: https://www.ministryy.com/awana/ - Published: 2026-10-02T20:06:41.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-02T20:06:41.000Z - Author: Ministryy - Tags: Bible Memorization, Motherhood Ministry, Youth Evangelism, Family Discipleship, Youth Ministry, Parent Resources, Grandparent Ministry, Childrens Ministry, Fatherhood Ministry, Parenting Ministry, Leadership Development ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/d5/24d5d8e2-e840-471b-ac6c-29e74e44dc3e/content/images/2026/10/awana-cover.jpg) # About Awana What if children's ministry wasn't mainly preparation for adulthood, but one of the most important seasons of discipleship itself? That's the conviction behind Awana. For more than 75 years, this global Christian ministry has helped local churches introduce children to the Gospel and walk with them as their faith develops. The games and Bible memory that generations associate with Awana are still part of its story, but they serve a much larger purpose. Awana wants children to know Jesus personally, become deeply rooted in God's Word, and develop a faith capable of following Christ for the rest of their lives. ## It Began With Kids in a Church Basement The story started in Chicago. Pastor Lance “Doc” Latham and youth director Art Rorheim were serving together at North Side Gospel Center when they began developing a weekly ministry capable of reaching children from both inside and outside the church. Kids came to play. They learned Scripture. They heard the Gospel. And they wanted to come back. Eventually, around 500 children were participating each week. Other churches noticed what was happening and wanted to do something similar. So in 1950, the ministry became the parachurch organization now known as Awana. What began in one local congregation was gradually placed into the hands of thousands of others. ## More Than Getting Kids Through a Program Awana has become famous for Scripture memorization. For good reason. Getting God's Word into the hearts and minds of children has been part of the ministry from the beginning. But memorizing a verse isn't supposed to be the finish line. Awana wants children to understand the God behind the words. Its approach to discipleship can be summarized through three ideas: Belong, Believe, Become. A child experiences belonging through relationships with caring Christian adults. Within that environment, they're invited to believe the Gospel and trust what God has revealed in Scripture. Then discipleship continues as they become increasingly like Jesus. It's a process rather than a single decision. ## The Adult Who Remembers Your Name Curriculum matters. Relationships make that curriculum personal. Awana believes one of the most important influences in a child's spiritual development can be a caring adult who consistently shows up. That leader listens. They notice when something is wrong. They celebrate progress. They open the Bible with the child week after week. Eventually, a relationship develops where conversations about Jesus aren't merely lessons coming from a workbook. They're happening with someone the child trusts. That's why Awana doesn't only produce resources for children. It equips the adults discipling them. ## Growing With the Child A two-year-old and a seventeen-year-old aren't asking the same questions. Awana's discipleship pathway grows with them. Young children begin encountering basic truths about God through age-appropriate activities and Bible teaching. As they get older, Scripture engagement becomes deeper. Teenagers are increasingly challenged to think seriously about their beliefs and begin living as disciples themselves. The aim is continuity. Awana doesn't want faith to remain something associated with childhood games that students eventually outgrow. It wants the foundation built during childhood to mature with them. ## The Church Remains at the Center Despite becoming a global organization, Awana isn't trying to replace the local church. Its model depends on it. Churches use Awana's curriculum and discipleship framework within their own communities while their own leaders build relationships with children. Internationally, that principle becomes especially important. Rather than exporting one American children's ministry model everywhere, Awana invests in local and national Christian leaders. Those leaders learn how to disciple children within their own cultural setting. Then they return home and train others. The ministry multiplies because local leaders become the ones carrying it forward. ## From Chicago to the World The first international Awana club began in Bolivia in 1972. The ministry continued spreading. It entered Africa and Asia during the following decade and eventually expanded throughout regions of the world where children's ministry can look very different from the Chicago church basement where everything started. Today, Awana says 11 million children and youth participate in weekly discipleship across 140 countries. Its work can happen through traditional church clubs, but the larger movement reaches much farther. In Africa, for example, Awana has begun bringing biblical discipleship into schools on an enormous scale. Different environments require different methods. The Gospel remains the foundation. ## Thinking About the Church Decades From Now Perhaps the most interesting thing about Awana's current vision is how far into the future it looks. The children sitting in today's classrooms will become tomorrow's parents and church leaders. Some will become pastors. Others will become missionaries. Many will simply become ordinary Christians trying to faithfully follow Jesus through adulthood. Awana wants to help churches prepare them for that future now. Not merely by keeping children entertained long enough to attend church. Not merely by filling their heads with information. By making disciples. A child encounters the Gospel. A caring adult walks beside them. Scripture begins taking root. Years pass. And eventually the child becomes an adult who still knows, loves, and serves Jesus. At the heart of Awana is a long-term investment in a child's faith. By putting God's Word into the hands of children and surrounding them with adults who consistently point them toward Jesus, Awana helps churches look beyond simply running a successful children's program. The goal is to form resilient disciples whose faith survives childhood, grows through adolescence, and continues shaping their lives long after they become the adults leading the Church themselves. [HomeA global child discipleship ministry.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/d5/24d5d8e2-e840-471b-ac6c-29e74e44dc3e/content/images/icon/cropped-awana-blue-favicon-270x270-4012705f-56de-4b25-be6c-40934d856485.png)Awana![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/d5/24d5d8e2-e840-471b-ac6c-29e74e44dc3e/content/images/thumbnail/awana-website-metadata-image-thumbnail-faa270f8-1ccb-43ed-aea1-fd204e934fdd.jpg)](https://www.awana.org/?ref=ministryy.com) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/AwanaHQ/ "Facebook") [ ](https://www.instagram.com/awana?ref=ministryy.com "Instagram") [ ](https://x.com/Awana?ref=ministryy.com "X") [ ](http://www.youtube.com/@AwanaHQ?ref=ministryy.com "YouTube")