In a strategic launch from Desiring God, Children Desiring God will become an independent ministry, changing its name to Truth78, introducing a new website, and releasing new resources.

At an event on April 10th, 2018, Children Desiring God will officially re-introduce itself as Truth78, an independent 501(c)3 organization structured to more strategically fulfill its mission to equip the next generations to know, honor, and treasure God.

“The name Truth78 connects us to Psalm 78 which has been a signature text defining our ministry over the past 20 years,” explains David Michael, founder and chairman of the board. “Psalm 78 charges us to take this testimony we’ve received from our fathers and faithfully pass it on to the next generation . . . so that they would set their hope in God.”

Truth78 nurtures the faith of the next generations by equipping the church and home with resources and training that instruct the mind, engage the heart, and influence the will through proclaiming the whole counsel of God.

Michael sees the launch of Truth78 as an opportunity to encourage and equip even more parents, pastors and teachers with the same ministry philosophy that grew from two decades of serving within Desiring God, the ministry of John Piper. “Our burden,” says Michael, “is for the next generation to have a faith that can joyfully endure with joy the trials and temptations of this age.”

In 1998, Children Desiring God was established as a ministry of Desiring God. The ministries shared many things, including a similar name, typeface, and color palette. Over the past twenty years, however, Children Desiring God grew more broadly as a developer of curriculum, the Fighter Verses Scripture memory tools, family discipleship resources, and vision-casting and training, while Desiring God increasingly focused its emphasis on spreading a passion for the supremacy of God through resources on the website of desiringGod.org. This resulted in distinctive needs for infrastructure, technology, fundraising mechanisms, and artistic and editorial methods.

“We saw pretty clearly after a while that we were holding each other back from the maximum flourishing of both by trying to constrain this under one organizational structure,” said John Piper. “Hence the new name and new organizational structure.” Reflecting on the transition process, Piper adds, “If you put your ear to the sound of this transition, what you’ll hear is mutual cheering on both sides for the joy and hope of what’s going to come of these two ministries.”

The organization will launch a new website, Truth78.org, featuring responsive design, a Spanish translation (Verdad78.org), and a new weekly e-newsletter, “Joy for the Next Generations.”

Truth78 will also introduce four new resources for equipping churches and parents: Glorious God, Glorious Gospel, an interactive devotional for families; When I Am Afraid, a children’s book; a newly revised A Father’s Guide to Blessing His Children booklet that will also be available as an app, and Indestructible Joy for the Next Generation, an anthology featuring chapters by John Piper, Albert Mohler, Russell Moore, Bruce Ware, and more.

The launch event will take place at Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., and will feature a charge by Bruce Ware and a video message from John Piper. Also speaking will be Ryan Fullerton, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church; Mark Vroegop, pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis, and David Michael. The event will be livestreamed at http://truth78.org/live.

About Truth78

Truth78 is a vision-oriented ministry for the next generations — that they may know, honor, and treasure God, setting their hope in Christ alone, so that they will live as faithful disciples for the glory of God. Truth78 seeks to nurture the faith of the next generations by equipping the church and home with resources and training that instruct the mind, engage the heart, and influence the will through proclaiming the whole counsel of God.

As a 501(c)3, Truth78 seeks to meet a global need for solid biblical teaching that points the next generation to the glorious character and works of God so that they might “set their hope in God” and walk in his ways. Truth78 is committed to providing biblically sound resources for children and training materials that will not only serve North America but those around the world. The ministry provides mostly non-consumable resources to defray curriculum costs for churches. Though more costly, the ministry also uses original artwork in order to remove barriers for translation projects around the world — offering its copyrighted materials free for overseas translations to approved translation teams.

About David and Sally Michael

David and Sally Michael are the co-founders of Truth78. Their ministry has been marked by a strong commitment to equipping and partnering with parents and churches in discipling the next generations and developing resources which reflect sound doctrine. Supported by John Piper, their pastor for 33 years and ministry colleague, they developed a philosophy of ministry and discipleship plan for ministry to children. The Michaels now live in Indianapolis where they serve families at College Park Church. They enjoy spending time with their daughter Kristi, daughter Amy and her husband Gary, and three grandchildren.