Zondervan to publish 'Faith Commander' with Duck Commander's Robertson family

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- America's favorite reality show family continues to use their fame for God's glory. The Robertsons, from the hit series "Duck Dynasty®," are expanding their outreach into churches across America with "Faith Commander: Living Five Values from the Parables of Jesus." In this new church-wide curriculum -- published by Zondervan -- Korie Robertson along with her mother, Chrys Howard, created a five-week experience for all ages.

"Faith Commander," releasing in May of this year, focuses on five themes found in the parables of Jesus: faith, forgiveness, obedience, prayer, and kindness. This new tool creates a church-wide experience, for children to adult ministries, where an entire congregation can walk through this curriculum simultaneously.

Korie Robertson, wife of Duck Commander's CEO Willie Robertson, said, "With the 'Faith Commander' curriculum, we took some commonly found themes that the show 'Duck Dynasty®' actually teaches. We use these, not in a preaching sort of way, but really the kind of way that shows how we live our lives and the way our family works. This faith is behind who we are as a family and what keeps us together and strong."

"We chose the parables of Jesus because sometimes they are not always studied like they should be," said Chrys Howard. "God put those in the Bible for us to learn from. Willie, Phil, Alan, and well, all the guys are great storytellers. In 'Faith Commander,' they explain the parables as stories to bring people closer to God. We really believe that this is going to benefit the entire church family -- kids, adults, and teens. It's something families can all study together just like they watch the TV show together."

Adult and teen resources for "Faith Commander" each includes a book and DVD with accompanying Robertson-family stories -- the adult curriculum features Phil, Alan, Willie, Jase, Jep, and Si; the teen curriculum hosts John Luke, Sadie, Will, Reed, and Cole Robertson. The five-week children's curriculum is only available on a DVD-ROM, and also includes "Willie's Redneck Rodeo," a five-day bonus Vacation Bible School program. In addition, "Faith Commander" provides pastors with free sermons and other promotional resources.

"The Robertsons' authentic faith and love for Jesus was evident throughout our time working with them," said John Raymond, vp and publisher for Trade Curriculum at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. "We had the privilege of visiting the Robertson family in West Monroe, Louisiana while filming 'Faith Commander;' their entertaining and inspirational storytelling brings the curriculum's five key themes to life."

"There are some things that the Bible tells us are God's guidelines," continued Korie Robertson. "He gives us examples throughout the Bible so that we may live a better life and those are the lessons that we have tried to cover in 'Faith Commander.' We hope that people will bring these lessons into their own family through this curriculum."

"Faith Commander" adult and teen studies will go on sale May 6, with the church-wide curriculum kit being available for purchase on May 20, 2014.

The "Faith Commander Church-Wide Curriculum Kit" ($124.99, box, ISBN: 9780310820307) will include:

• "Faith Commander: Living Five Values from the Parables of Jesus" (Book and Discussion Guide) by Korie Robertson and Chrys Howard ($12.99; Softcover; ISBN: 9780310820338)
• "Faith Commander: A DVD Study" ($19.99; ISBN: 9780310820352)
• "Faith Commander Teen Edition: Living Five Values from the Parables of Jesus" (Book and Discussion Guide) ($9.99; Softcover; ISBN: 9780310820345)
• "Faith Commander Teen Edition: A DVD Study" ($19.99; ISBN: 9780310884514)
• "Faith Commander Children's Curriculum: Living Five Values from the Parables of Jesus" (includes Bonus "Willie's Redneck Rodeo VBS") ($49.99; DVD-ROM, ISBN: 9780310820536) – this product will not be sold separately from the kit.
• "Willie's Redneck Rodeo VBS Director's Guide: Lassoing Five Values from the Parables of Jesus" ($14.99; Softcover; ISBN: 9780310884521)                   

About the Authors
Korie Robertson stars in the popular TV show "Duck Dynasty®," helps run the day-to-day operations of Duck Commander®, and is the very busy mom of five children. She is also the coauthor, with her husband, Willie, of the "New York Times" bestselling book "The Duck Commander Family." 

Chrys Howard is the mother of Korie Robertson, star of the hit TV show "Duck Dynasty®,"  has edited and cowritten more than 100 books, and is the author of ten books with more than one million copies in print in six languages. Chrys and her husband, John, have three grown children and eleven grandchildren.

Chrys Howard and Korie Robertson will be available for interviews.

About Zondervan
Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc.,  is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. For more than 80 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The company's products are sold in multiple formats, worldwide in more than 60 countries, translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Mich. For additional information, please visit http://www.zondervan.com

SOURCE Zondervan