Leveling Up Your Family Discipleship
New weekly devotional gives families the opportunity to establish the building blocks of faith, one level at a time.
In this digital age, it can be difficult to keep kids’ attention, especially during family devotional time. However, kids have always loved asking questions, and they do like a challenge. Faith Builder Catechism: Devotions to Level Up Your Family Discipleship (New Growth Press/September 25, 2023) gives kids both with fifty-two questions and answers in a fun and interactive format to help them “level up” on biblical truth. This weekly devotional will help families press pause on screen time and develop healthy discipleship rhythms.
Faith Builder Catechism was written by three dads, Kevin Hippolyte, Jared Kennedy, and Trey Kullman, all raising kids in a digital world, experienced in children’s and family ministry. They understand what capture kids attention. “The enthralling video games take place in elaborate kingdoms. They have characters we embody and root for, as well as stories we connect with. Whether you’re rescuing princesses with Super Mario Bros., scoring goals on the latest FIFA game, or slicing up flying objects with your beat saber, players learn—clumsily at first and then with greater ease—to inhabit a video game’s world,” the authors write. “The same is true with our faith. We don’t dive into the complexities of the Trinity with preschoolers. When building a Christian worldview, we first introduce kids to the basics of the Christian life by telling simple Bible stories, memorizing short verses, and rehearsing bedtime prayers.”
The authors lead the way for families to establish regular discipleship conversations and cultivate a deeper knowledge of the theology expressed in the Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments, the doctrines of grace, the Great Commission, and the Lord’s Prayer. They help families build a biblical worldview step by step by focusing on five areas that serve as levels: God’s glory, God’s kingdom, the gospel, God’s church, and God’s mission. The book includes fun stickers so kids can “level up” and track their progress at each stage.
“We wanted to write a book that was an easy win for parents stepping into discipling their kids for the first time. Something that didn’t require a Bible degree to work through, or hours of preparation to pull off. Most parents feel strapped for time as it is, and don’t feel qualified to walk through the Bible with their children, so we wanted to build a resource parents could pull off the shelf alongside a Bible and feel good about time spent pointing their kids to Jesus and the deep truths of the Christian faith,” the authors explain.
Whether a family is taking their first steps in family discipleship or are pros who have a weekly devotional routine in place, the interactive questions, answers, and devotionals in Faith Builder Catechism will help families establish building blocks of faith, one level at a time.
Kyle Idleman, bestselling author of Not a Fan, writes, “Full of rich theology, Faith Builder Catechism makes the foundational truths of Scripture accessible and memorable for families. Thanks to the thoughtful questions, witty prompts, and charming theme, this journey through Scripture and the basic beliefs of the Christian faith is full of life-changing potential.”
Faith Builder Catechism: Devotionals to Level Up Your Family Discipleship
By Kevin Hippolyte, Jared Kennedy, and Trey Kullman
September 25, 2023 / Retail Price: $17.99
Print ISBN 978-1-64507-290-4
Religion / Christian Education / Children & Youth
Kevin Hippolyte serves as director of student ministry at Sojourn Church Midtown. He’s also on the board at Hope Collaborative, a trauma-sensitive community development organization serving students, internationals, and neighbors. He lives with his wife, Kelly, and son in Louisville, Kentucky.
Jared Kennedy serves as an editor for The Gospel Coalition and is the cofounder of Gospel-Centered Family, a ministry that helps churches and families share Jesus with the next generation. He’s the author of Keeping Your Children’s Ministry on Mission, God Made Me for Worship, The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible, and the Beginner’s Gospel Story Book series. He’s also helped to develop two VBS programs, Proof Pirates and Clap Your Hands, Stomp Your Feet. He and his wife, Megan, and their three girls also attend Sojourn Church Midtown.
Trey Kullman served for more than five years as a family pastor and is now managing editor of Gospel-Centered Family. He and his wife, Annie, and their three children also live in Louisville, Kentucky where they attend Sojourn Church J-town.
Together, they host Gospel-Centered Family’s Press Pause podcast. Learn more at gospelcenteredfamily.com, on Facebook (Gospel-Centered Family), X (@GCF_com), and Instagram (@gospelcenteredfamily).
For review copy and interview information, contact:
Audra Jennings – audra@newgrowthpress.com
WESTMONT, IL—InterVarsity Press has announced that the host for the fifth and sixth seasons of The Disrupters podcast will be writer and speaker
EUGENE, OR.— The year is passing fast, and the Advent season will be here before we know it. In her new book, Awaiting the Manger: Whispers of Advent in the Old Testament, best-selling author Ocieanna Fleiss invites readers not to rush through the 25 days of Advent, but to relish those days by delving into the timeless stories of the Old Testament. Years in the making, Awaiting the Manger shines a light on the hints of Jesus’s birth woven through the ancient text. Through daily readings, which showcase vibrant cultural and historical insights, readers will step into the sandals of biblical characters such as Abraham, Sarah, Joshua, Naomi, Elijah, and many more.
WaterBrook, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is celebrating the milestone sales achievement of The Wingfeather Saga reaching more than one million copies sold. Authored by Andrew Peterson and illustrated by Joe Sutphin, The Wingfeather Saga is a series of middle grade fantasy novels. The four books follow the three Igiby siblings on a perilous journey where they discover their true identities, fight against evil, and attempt to save their world from destruction. The bestselling series has been licensed for translation in 14 languages worldwide and adapted into an animated television series by Angel Studios, with Peterson as an executive producer along with J. Chris Wall.
The Wingfeather Saga’s books have garnered many accolades, including the 2009 Christy Award Winner for Young Adult Fiction (North! Or Be Eaten), WORLD’s 2015 Children’s Book of the Year (The Warden and the Wolf King), and the 2015 Clive Staples Award for Fantasy Fiction (The Warden and The Wolf King).
Upcoming additions to the Wingfeather universe include A Ranger’s Guide to Glipwood Forest in November 2023, a paperback edition of North! Or Be Eaten in January 2024, a picture book The Prince of Yorsha Doon in August 2024, and other longer-term projects coming down the pike, including season two of the animated series early next year.
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, September 18, 2023 — Gateway Publishing and Bethany House Publishers (a division of Baker Publishing Group) are pleased to announce the newest release from Robert Morris, Dream to Destiny: A Proven Guide to Navigating Life’s Biggest Tests and Unlocking Your God-Given Purpose, will officially release on September 19, 2023.
In this book, pastor and bestselling author Robert Morris shares exactly how to navigate the journey from your dreams to your destiny. Using the biblical story of Joseph, he explains how Joseph had a God-given dream, but he didn’t reach his destiny overnight. Over a period of thirteen years, God took Joseph through ten character-building tests that prepared him for his extraordinary future—tests you also need to pass to reach your destiny.
(Carol Stream, Illinois, USA) Media Associates International is pleased to announce the LittWorld 2024 global publishing conference will take place November 3-8, 2024, in Puebla, Mexico. More than 200 Christian publishing staff and writers from 40-plus countries are expected at this first LittWorld to be held in a Spanish-speaking country.
Authors and readers will gather at the inaugural JustRead Rendezvous in the St. Louis metro area on November 17, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST. The event will celebrate Christian fiction and sweet reads with food, games, giveaways, and books and will be held at the Holiday Inn St. Louis SW on Route 66.
The JustRead Rendezvous is open to registered attendees only.
Carol Stream, IL (September 15, 2023)—Tyndale Momentum, a nonfiction imprint of Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse), will release
(Nashville, Tenn.) September 14, 2023 – Bestselling author, storyteller, and sought-after speaker, Tori Hope Petersen has signed a two-book deal with Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. The first book Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt will be released in February 2025.
EUGENE, OR — In her second book, The Gift of the Outsider: What Living in the Margins Teaches Us About Faith, author Alicia J. Akins takes readers on a journey of what it means to be an outsider. Opening with a compelling foreword from author Jen Oshman, Akins herself leaves no stone unturned as she details the outsider experience, poignantly weaving in her own story along the way. The Gift of the Outsider celebrates the blessings found in unbelonging—and encourages Christians of all backgrounds to love and listen to their community’s outcasts.




