by Angela Rotello and Tiffany Mills, C4SO’s Family and Children’s Ministry Network
Choosing a curriculum for the Fall is one of the biggest tasks a Children’s and Family Minister faces. It is a particular challenge for Anglican churches because of the varied expressions and liturgical practices within our tradition. Very few resources are specifically designed for our Anglican context. Therefore, Children’s Ministry leaders often must decide between the intensive task of writing curriculum or choosing a “plug and play” option that can be edited to meet their needs.
Whether you choose to write your own or purchase a curriculum, ask these three important questions.
1. Does this curriculum align with our theology?
The most important choice in curriculum selection is ensuring the content teaches the grace and truth of the Gospel. If we miss this mark, none of the rest matters. You have seen it before—the Sunday School lesson that feels watered down or even seems to focus on behavior management and/or character development instead of the character and faithfulness of God and biblical truth.
Our chief goal is to lay a foundation that leads to a lifetime of spiritual formation. The essential theologies of the nature of God, our identity as His Creation, and the work of the Holy Spirit must remain central elements of each theme and activity.
When our children learn to look for God first and foremost, they can learn from any part of Scripture as they grow. As the children come to church each Sunday and then seek to live out their faith in the week following, we want to immerse them in a God-focused, Biblically orthodox and rich teaching that fosters a love for Jesus and a desire to follow him.
2. Do kids like it?
One of our favorite questions to ask when considering curriculum is, “Do real-life kids today like it?” Kids need to be engaged and excited about content in order to learn. Rarely does anyone want to participate in something they consider “boring,” and children are no different.
As you look through or create various activities , evaluate whether they consider diverse learning styles and developmental stages of kids. Preschoolers need to MOVE, elementary kids need to WONDER, and your curriculum choice should accommodate for all of these factors. You will know you are on the right track when you see kids engaged, asking questions and participating in activities. If they are not engaged, then this may not be the right curriculum for your group.
When we hear feedback from parents who say ,“My kids cannot wait to come to church. They never want to miss what is going to happen,” we know we have created an environment where kids are excited to grow in their faith!
3. Can volunteers execute it?
It’s not just the kids who need to engage with the curriculum. Our volunteer leaders are essential to ministry success, and if the curriculum we provide is confusing, overwhelming or difficult to execute, it will impede their ability to lead effectively and joyfully!
As much as we want volunteers who have hours to pour into lesson planning each week, they often have limited time to prepare. We as ministry leaders have the task of creating clear and succinct activities that our volunteers can lead with minimal preparation. Rather than choosing what to do from a list of activities, volunteers are most successful when we tell them exactly what to do! Ministry leaders need to discern and design the ministry environment that works for their volunteers, and then use curriculum to achieve specific ministry goals.
Curriculum is a powerful tool for our ministries. If it’s the right fit, curriculum should help, not hinder, as we lead our children to know Jesus and create a pathway for lifelong spiritual growth.
If you feel stuck as you move through the selection or creation process, we encourage you to press in to the support of the C4SO community by joining us at our Family and Children’s Ministry Network bi-monthly gatherings, where we share ideas and resources. Contact us here.
Angela Rotello is the NextGen Director at Restoration Anglican Church.
Tiffany Mills is the Family Life Director at Christ Church Anglican.