Canvas: A Portrait of God Leader Guide

We recognize the challenges churches face in engaging high school teens in deeper faith formation. Made up of 5 4-week studies, Canvas will captivate your students as they experience and explore the theological beliefs and foundational concepts that ground their faith.

By working together to learn from history, tradition, and the Bible, students will uncover a portrait of God that will be an inspirational foundation to their own journey.


This undated resource is designed to empower students to lead the lessons themselves, thus drawing students to not only learn about their faith, but put it into practice by serving and teaching others.


Flexible to use as a continuation of confirmation, a small group resource, or student leadership resource. Canvas will inspire your students to paint the picture of their faith.

From beginning to end, the Bible is the story of God. It tells us who God is, and how we should relate to this all-powerful cosmic deity. Theology is no different. The very word translates as “the study of God.” In Canvas: A Portrait of God, your students will begin an adventure to encounter God and learn more about who God is and how God has been revealed both in the Bible and throughout history. Over four weeks, students will read through the Psalms, unpack the essence of the Trinity, and learn how we can talk about the God who created the universe and who loves us more deeply than we can imagine.

Dr. David A. deSilva, an elder in the Florida Annual Conference, attended Princeton University, Princeton Theological Seminary and earned his Ph.D. in Religion at Emory University. He currently serves as Trustees' Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary. He has written over twenty books, including Unholy Allegiances: Heeding Revelation's Warning, The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude, An Introduction to the New Testament, and Introducing the Apocrypha. He also served as Apocrypha Editor for the Common English Bible and has published extensively in journals, reference works, and adult Bible curriculum.

Dr. Natalya Cherry, an elder in the Susquehanna Conference, earned her BA from Georgetown University, MDiv from Wesley Theological Seminary, and PhD from Southern Methodist University. Having served churches in DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, she joined Brite Divinity School on the Campus of Texas Christian University in 2018 as Assistant Professor in Methodist Studies and Theology. Dr. Cherry, the author of several articles, is turning her dissertation, Believing Into Christ: Restoring the Relational Sense of Belief as Constitutive of the Christian Faith, into a book and is also working on multiple projects in Methodist Studies.