Our church began to pray and dream about what God may have for us
regarding the future of children’s ministry. We were feeling tension in a
few areas, and it seemed as though evaluating our curriculum was a good
place to start. As we compared our current curriculum with three
recommended options, it was evident that a change was on the horizon.
When weighing the contributing factors, three emerged as pivotal to our
decision to make a change:
It’s Not You, It’s Me
This could mean a number of things. In our
case, there were three senior pastor transitions (including an interim),
an exodus of young families from the church, and an influx of new
families with new needs coming into the church—all within a three-year
period! Our children’s ministry dropped from about 60 kids to around 35.
The size, scope, vision, and direction of our senior leadership
changed. We were looking for something different. We needed a curriculum
that introduced the possibility of multi-generational discipleship. It
wasn’t anything our previous curriculum did wrong, it was simply that
our needs as a church had changed.
Action step: Assess the current needs of your church. Has anything changed that would necessitate a change in curriculum?
My Friends and Family Don’t Approve
Curriculum is a resource for
teachers and parents. If it no longer serves their needs or assists them
in their ministries, it’s time to “put it out to pasture.” Our teachers
were sorting through 50 pages of material to teach from 4 pages. The
digital curriculum was taking three times as long for our volunteers to
download and print; and a printed curriculum wasn’t an option. The
take-home pages were frustrating our parents each week. They practically
had to bring another bag to carry home their child’s classwork!
Action step: Take the time to listen to your teachers and parents. Is
the curriculum still serving its intended purpose as a useful, time
saving tool?
The God Card
As children’s leaders, our personal relationship with
Christ is key to our ability to lead. By keeping our eyes focused on
Him, our ears attuned to His voice, and our hearts open to His
instruction, we place ourselves in a posture to move as He leads. In our
case, I sensed God calling us to something more. I felt a deep desire
for kids to know His story. I wanted them to see evidence of Jesus
throughout the pages of the Bible and to be able to identify not only
people who God used to write His story but also how they fit into
Christ’s redemptive work. I yearned for our young families to grow in
their knowledge of God’s big story and, as a family, become part of His
plan and help complete the Great Commission. This was the call God
placed on my heart, and our current curriculum wasn’t the best fit for
accomplishing it.
Action step: Prayerfully ask yourself—and the Father—if you, as a
leader, are keeping your eyes focused on Christ, your ears attuned to
His voice, and your heart open to His guidance for you and your church
family.
As we began evaluating the new curriculums offered, one in particular
stood out as a good fit for our church. Not only did it help resolve
the tension we were feeling as leaders, but it also aligned well with
the mission, beliefs, and purpose of cmalliancekids. While it was hard
to say goodbye to our old curriculum—which had served us well in years
past—we as teachers, parents, and church leaders shared a fresh
excitement about where God was taking us and how this new curriculum
could help get us there. It took time and intentionality to make the
shift, but we are moving forward and following God’s leading into this
new partnership!
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