I wore my hockey equipment to church once when I was a teenager. With a helmet, shoulder pads, hockey pants, and skates (with guards on), I walked down the center aisle, up onto the stage, and shook the pastor’s hand.
Nobody thought it was odd.
That Sunday was a special event our church held annually called Worldfest. The church’s membership had folks from 70+ nations. Every year, at Worldfest, all the flags were hung around the sanctuary, people would dress in their national clothes (hence my hockey gear), and our church would celebrate the fact that we could taste and see Jesus’ great commission coming true. Disciples of all nations gathered together in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18–20).
Christianity is global by design. Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” who “purchased people for God by [his] blood from every tribe and language and people and nation” (John 1:29; Rev. 5:9). The book of Acts narrates the spread of the good news about Jesus from a small group in Jerusalem throughout Asia Minor and into the very heart of the Roman Empire. People heard the gospel, met Jesus, and became part of the growing and global community of Jesus’ followers.
Part of how we see and celebrate God’s work in the world is by learning about the global church. As a pastor, I want to help my church do that. And as a parent, I want to help my kids do that.
In recent years, Tim Challies has provided several excellent resources on the global church. His latest one is a children’s book illustrated by Sian James, based on his personal experience visiting and learning about how churches around the world worship. It’s called God’s Great Big Global Church: Visit 10 Kids and Their Churches Around the World (The Good Book Company, 2026). In this book, boys and girls from around the world share what going to church and being a Christian is like in their country. Each chapter also has interesting facts about each country and culture, specific Bible verses fitting to the experience of being a Christian in each country, and discussion questions for families.
God's Great Big Global Church: Visit 10 Kids and Their Churches All Around the World
Tim Challies
Purchase on Amazon.comPurchase on Amazon.caGod's Great Big Global Church: Visit 10 Kids and Their Churches All Around the World
Tim Challies
My family appreciated reading about the joys and hardships of Christians around the world and noticing the similarities and differences between our church and the churches we met in the book.
The Joys and Hardships of the Global Church
My kids loved hearing the stories of courageous missionaries, church families sharing meals (eating with their hands!), and kids playing soccer together after services. At the same time, other stories were honest and sobering about the danger of being a Christian and going to church in some places. At our church, we sing loudly, with microphones and speakers. Some churches we met in this book must sing quietly so they won’t be heard by neighbours and reported to the authorities.
Reading this book together helped us pray, both to praise God for what’s happening in the church around the world and to help Christians in dangerous places continue to be courageous and trust in Jesus.
Same and Different
My kids noticed the many similarities between churches around the world. The services with singing, prayer, Bible reading, preaching, and sharing in each other’s lives all stood out for them. It was a reminder that the global church is the one body of Christ.
It was also fun to spot the differences. When we read about going to church in Brazil, the narrator Gabriela talked about baptism day for the babies at their church. I barely finished the sentence before my boys asked me why we don’t baptize babies at our church.
Churches are the same but different. Sometimes it’s because of cultural differences; sometimes it’s because of secondary theological differences. Noticing and talking about these differences is good for kids and parents alike. It helps us understand and delight in knowing that God’s work is wider than our home church, our city, our country, and even our imagination (Eph. 3:19).
Some Thoughts From My Kids
I want to conclude this review with some thoughts from my kids. Here is what my 10- and 7-year-old sons had to say:
What did you enjoy about the book?
7-year-old: “I enjoyed learning about the different amount of Christians in different countries. Some have a lot, some have a medium amount, and some have very little.”
10-year-old: “I enjoyed learning fun facts about other cultures. Stuff I didn’t know before.”
Did reading this book teach you something about your church?
10-year-old: “I learned that some people from our church come from the same countries as the kids in this book. It helped me learn about what their life might have been like before coming here.”
Why should other kids read this book?
7-year-old: “Other kids should read this book because it will help them learn about why it is hard for people in some countries to be a Christian.”
10-year-old: “They should read it because they will learn about how hard some places are to be a Christian and also learn cool stuff about different countries and how people worship in other countries. … The artwork is also cool.”
Take it from my boys: this is a good book. You should get it.
