Ministries typically trade out their children’s church curriculum every few years. The reasons vary, of course. Sometimes the change is content related. But most often, it’s due to leadership transitions or administrative headaches…err, factors. With so many great publishers and programs out there, it’s not uncommon for a new pastor or director to switch providers for strategic reasons or personal preference. It’s also typical for children’s ministry decision-makers to try out a fresh resource due to feedback from colleagues, leaders, kids, and families. Regardless of why your curriculum gets changed out, the fact remains: you’re going to make this weighty decision again at some point in the future. The deeper question is, “What will guide how you decide?”
If you’re like most ministry leaders, you’ve probably already decided two things before you start shopping for children’s church curriculum: 1. We’re committed to using biblical content that aligns with our church’s beliefs, and 2. We want a program that promises to make learning and lifelong discipleship fun for kids. Well, there’s good news! Search the web, and you’ll find lots of viable options. What you may not realize as you head out on the hunt is that there’s a subset of practical questions running through your mind: How much does the curriculum cost? How easily can materials be distributed? How much lesson prep is required by teachers? How complicated is the shopping list of supplies? How many volunteers are needed? How adaptable is the content for our schedule and setting? While these are good questions for adult decision-making, they miss the mark when it comes to what the children inside and outside your ministry desire most deeply.
To help you prepare for your next big children’s church curriculum purchase, remember this truth: Kids care more about how you spend your time than your money. Here are seven needs children have that are more important than whatever program your ministry picks.
“I need time to feel safe.”
Safety is probably already a top priority in your children’s ministry. However, there’s more to this than screening leaders and keeping rooms secure. The tempo and tone of your curriculum make a difference in how kids feel as they’re led by trained leaders. Make sure the content helps create a healthy community for children over time.
“I need time with caring leaders.”
In Jeremiah 3:15, God promised to provide Israel with loving and wise spiritual shepherds. Kids in your ministry need space to get to know the people who are responsible for them, not just be firehosed with biblical truths. Choose a curriculum that builds in time for leaders to share candidly from their own life as a follower of Jesus.
“I need time to think and feel out loud.”
Letting kids process what they’re thinking and feeling isn’t efficient, but it is essential to faith formation. They need the opportunity to make sense of what’s happening in their world at home, school, church, and wherever else life takes them. It’s also important for them to wrestle with what’s going on in their heart about their experiences. Rather than one that rushes everyone through rote answers to questions, use a curriculum that lets kids talk out what they’re thinking and feeling.
“I need time with friends.”
One way kids connect with Christ is by connecting with people in their church family—which includes other children. They need time to play, sing, laugh, cry, pray, read, talk, worship, eat, serve, try, fail, and just be Jesus’ disciples together. Sometimes children’s ministry gets so concerned with its program and teaching that it overlooks the value of developing meaningful friendships. When you consider your next curriculum, see how the content and schedule helps or hinders the formation of lasting friendships among children.
“I need time to slow down.”
It’s tempting to create learning environments that are filled with one action-packed activity after the next. Why? Because kids are full of energy and love being on the move. Unfortunately, constantly living at Mach-speed isn’t how God created humans to thrive. In Psalm 46:10a, the Lord tells children of all ages: “Be still, and know that I am God.” If you want to serve kids well, your children’s church curriculum needs to provide them with margin for silence and stillness.
“I need time to wonder.”
Kids are naturally and genuinely curious. They love asking questions, especially ones that don’t have clear-cut answers. When it comes to spiritual matters, it’s not easy to address every child’s rabbit trail or roadblock in real time. Do your best to find a curriculum that invites children and leaders to wrestle with unknowns, not one that oversimplifies what it means to know, love, and serve God.
“I need time to hear God.”
John 10:27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Spend any time with kids, and you’ll discover they are way more receptive to God’s voice than adults. Rather than dismiss the Spirit’s prompting, they believe it’s really the Lord telling them how to live and love like Jesus. If your children’s ministry keeps kids so busy that they can’t listen for God to speak, where else will this happen in their world? Pick a curriculum that honors how Scripture communicates so it has time to guide the hearts of children and leaders in your ministry.
The time you spend with kids is way more important than the money you spend on them. Your children’s church curriculum will demonstrate what you fundamentally believe about discipleship, so choose wisely. Instead of focusing on what you think you need when you start shopping, revisit the seven needs above—they’re what kids need you to know before you buy curriculum.
