Faithful or Flashy? Discerning Curriculum for Your Children’s Ministry-

Any time I feel and think I am unequipped to do this job as children’s ministry director, the Lord is unbelievably kind to show me how He has prepared me for this job over the last twenty years. Unbeknownst to me, I’ve been discerning curriculum for a very small ministry my whole adult life. Our family is blessed with five souls to shepherd, and as a young Christian, wife, and mom, long years ago, I started examining the songs we listened to and the books we read. I was saved in 2006, and my sanctification came during a time of great trials. John Piper’s transcribed sermons were some of my closest friends, and Sovereign Grace music was my most comforting background music. As our family transitioned into the mundane after affliction, Desiring God Kids and Sovereign Grace Kids ministries had resources we wanted to share with our children. Because my husband and I knew the truths with which they communicated to adults, we were confident that their precious children’s music and books would be sweet additions to our daily rhythms as we raised our children too.

Now, as a Presbyterian church’s children’s ministry director, the process of scrutinizing curriculum isn’t much different, except now I have a wonderful vision from the Session at our church to lean on, too! There are several steps that now help me think through whether a curriculum is appropriate for our church context.

First and foremost, we must pray and seek God’s wisdom as we plan and prepare to implement a new curriculum and even reassess a curriculum our church has been using for years.  James 1:5 encourages us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Pray this scripture right back to God. Ask God to give you wisdom from above generously. Pray believing He will grant you all you need and more.

Second, examine whether the curriculum lines up with the vision of the church as approved by your Session. Is it biblical? Does it promote a huge, vast, and right view of God, self, sin, and salvation? Or does it encourage children to set their eyes on someone or something other than Christ? Is the source, writer, and publisher of the curriculum trusted and saturated with the truth of the gospel? Prayerfully consider the answers to these questions.

Next, does the curriculum help your teachers fulfill their vows made at each child’s baptism to come alongside the families to help shepherd and guide their children in the knowledge of God? This is a sweet one. When we consider the promise we made in the presence of many witnesses to help guide and train each covenant child in our church, we want to choose the best ways to teach and communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to them! Does the curriculum clearly point to the Person and work of Christ, even when teaching Old Testament stories? Does the curriculum decipher age-appropriateness when laying out each grade-level of lessons?

Lastly, when you make a decision about a curriculum, set up a meeting with your Teaching Elder, or your point person on the Session, and talk through the curriculum with him to consider if you are seeing the whole curriculum clearly. After doing so much praying, digging, and searching through that one curriculum, you will know it inside and out and will be able to communicate clearly to that Elder or Pastor so they can help you decide if it’s a right fit for your church context.

And one final point: if you deem it time to pivot from something your church has done for years and you can’t quite find the right curriculum, consider compiling resources to create your own lessons. With help, I’ve created a Bible Drill Lesson Plan, and now I’m working on “Little Pilgrim’s Progress” for our 1^st and 2^nd Grade Sunday School classes using some resources I’ve found. It’s been a fun and rewarding challenge for both our children’s ministry and me.

Often, I feel inadequate to hold the responsibility of choosing curriculum for a whole church’s children’s ministry. If you feel this way, please know you are not alone. And just because I’m writing about this topic on this blog doesn’t mean I’m an expert, because I’m not. As we hear every Sunday before taking the Lord’s Supper, the efficacy of the sacrament does not depend upon us but upon the work done by Christ on our behalf on the cross. Our jobs as a children’s ministry directors does not depend on us—our creativity, our ambition, nor our skills. No, Christ shapes every day of our work as a children’s ministry directors. He guides, He provides, He equips, He enlightens, and He ushers His plans into place. We are just vessels for His glory.