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Head to the Heart + Frequently Asked Questions

What comes with my standard H2H order?
Your Head to the Heart order comes with one 90-lesson DVD-ROM disc containing all of your lessons (master lessons, PowerPoint files, and MP3 theme music, along with new alternate versions of the student handouts, Guide handouts, FAITH 5 Home Huddle sheets for parents, and promo art posters), a Support CD-ROM with documents getting you rolling with H2H (how-to articles, our Member Manual set-up guide, Tech Manual, Guide Training manual, and more). Please note: Audio CD’s are not supplied with H2H membership. However, all of the music is available in MP3 format from your materials discs and is available for download from iTunes.

I see I have two H2H discs instead of four as in years past. Why?
In order to cut down on the amount of plastic needed to produce discs, we’ve moved to a single DVD-ROM for our lesson disc. A DVD-ROM is basically a larger capacity CD-ROM and this allows us to combine more files on fewer discs. Most computers built within the past five years have a DVD drive in them, so you will notice no difference when using these new discs. The H2H Support disc remains unchanged and stays a CD-ROM as it has been in the past.

Why do you send out Head to the Heart on discs?
Not everyone has high-speed access to the Internet or time to wait to download a bunch of stuff. Authoring our materials on discs effectively brings the Internet to you, allowing more time for ministry and less time for prep work. Of course, all of our materials are backed up on the web in case you need them.

What is available on the H2H discs and what is available online?
All of the files on your H2H lesson disc available and accessible online. In fact, more and more churches are using our Member Download Area as their main lesson depsoitory, and the disc as backup. As always, you can even establish secondary user accounts to your volunteers so they can access the materials online too. Head to the Heart membership grants me access to all 90+ lessons.

How in the heck am I going to use all this stuff?
Chances are very good that you won’t be able to use all of it. Access to all the great resources of H2H allows churches the maximum flexibility to teach what they want when they want. It also provides you with options for summer programming, retreats, and maybe even a little secret, remedial adult education! (The Luther lessons work great for Lutheran adults!)

The Head to the Heart journals are now available as 10-lesson editions. Why the change?
It’s simple: you asked for it. Although the 30-lesson editions were useful, many churches wanted the flexibility of using ten-lesson journals instead. This allows for more flexibility when planning your teaching year (you can skip around the lessons sets more easily), and more flexibility financially (churches can order what they need, when they need it).

If we use the Head to the Heart Journals, do I still need to print out the standard H2H Thought-Time sheets?
No. The journals cover several bases at once, but from a traditional H2H perspective, think of the journals as the Thought-Time sheets on steroids. In other words, users of the journals would no longer need to print out Thought-Time sheets each week. Each journal lesson contains all of the elements of the standard Thought-Time sheets plus extra materials for the parent-child discussion at home.

How many themes do I need to cover in a year?
Most churches run Head to the Heart from September through May. With nine months of events, that averages out to about 20 themes a year during the confirmation schedule.

Do I need to prepare different topics for each confirmation grade?
No, because each topic is “processed” in small group at a grade-specific level. H2H takes multi-faceted brain-based learning theory into account, the same theme can be processed by kids at their own level. In H2H, the “rubber meets the road” when small groups care, share, and process the main teaching presentation together. Small groups allow kids to ask questions and explore the topic at their own pace.

There are a lot more individual pieces available for each lesson this year. Why?
A major request from users was to split the main H2H PDF lesson file into smaller parts that were suitable for electronic distribution. Simply put, you can now email a Guide’s Thought Time sheet to your Guides, or a kid’s sheet to kids much more easily. Of course, the main lesson file as a complete Adobe PDF document is still available.

Why don’t I cover a lesson each week?
You can do this, but you’d be missing out on the complete Head to the Heart system of learning, fellowship and service that truly turns confirmation instruction into complete ministry.

Is it okay to combine themes?
Based on experience, we strongly advise against it. If you want to cover the information and make sure it sticks, you’re best served with a focused presentation. Special retreats, fifth Wednesdays, or summer camps can be planned each year to cover additional topics.

The H2H system looks pretty involved. Do I need a lot of training?
No. Although H2H is more than just a toolbox of resources for confirmation, if you realize this, are willing to recruit parents in the process, and generally are comfortable in giving ministry responsibility away (freeing yourself to do the things you do best) you’ll be fine.

More Information

To learn more about Head to the Heart and the new Head to the Heart Journals, follow the links to the left. For deeper details on the theology, philosophy and tools behind H2H, download our "Head to the Heart Details" pages. If you have any questions, please contact Monty Lysne, National Director of Youth and Family Ministry, at mlysne@faithink.com or toll-free at 888.55FAITH.