Do You Need a New Curriculum?

One of the hardest things for me as a curriculum editor to hear is that a customer is dropping the curriculum I have spent years helping to create and choosing another curriculum instead. We value customer loyalty and engagement at Concordia Publishing House and we will go to great lengths to keep customers. Today I heard that one of our valued customers is planning to switch to another curriculum. Ouch!

However, it is a question that every congregation will face at some point: Do we need a new curriculum? The question will always be one that can only be answered locally, in that congregation's setting. Let me suggest some things that should be considered.

What Problem Are You Trying to Solve?
It has been said that, if your only tool is a hammer, every problem will look like a nail. Changing curriculum will not fix every problem.

Sometimes congregations allow Sunday School to become a very low priority. It does not get mentioned from the pulpit. A new worship service competes with what used to be a dedicated Christian education hour. Leaders are selected with too little care. Teachers spend a little less time each week in lesson preparation or receive little encouragement or training. A new curriculum will not solve these problems over the long term.

What Will Bring Lasting Improvement?
A new curriculum will often bring a surge of interest, enthusiasm, and participation. Parents and children will be curious about this new thing, for a while. Teachers will spend a little more time preparing lessons, for a while. Congregations will spend a little more time and money on Sunday School, for a while. Sunday School will show signs of improving, for a while. All too often, though, these improvements will be short-lived. The root causes have not been addressed and they will reappear over time.

In What Ways Will the New Curriculum Be Better?
No material this side of heaven will be perfect. No curriculum will suit every congregation. If your Sunday School intends, however, to share the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ with the children you serve, it stands to reason that the material you teach will need to have "Jesus as Savior," not just "Jesus as moral example" or "God is love," as the central message of every lesson. For me, this would be a non-negotiable factor in curriculum choice. Most, if not all, shortcomings in material can be corrected more easily at the local level than theology.

I am not an unbiased observer when it comes to Sunday School curriculum. It is my life's work. But, I'm very willing to listen and learn.

Does your congregation need a new curriculum? Why?

Yes, you should be able to have theology and _______. For you, what goes on that blank line?

Click the "comments" counter below and share your thoughts.

Helping Hands

Okay, it is not a perfect analogy. But if we look at Sunday School using the model of the human body, teachers might be the hands.

Teachers do the "hands on" part of Sunday School, the teaching. Most teachers are volunteers who give hours every week to prepare and teach lessons that share the Gospel with the children placed in their care for a precious hour. They certainly deserve all the help and support we can provide.

On Sunday I was privileged to be a helping hand, and to help the hands, of our Sunday School. I and about fifteen others, parents and children who love Sunday School, gathered to sort the Sunday School curriculum material for the next quarter. Of necessity, the material comes from the publisher (yes, we use Growing in Christ material from Concordia Publishing House) with each set of student material for all thirteen weeks bundled as a unit. For a teacher with ten or fifteen students, separating the material into weekly sets for easy use can take several hours each quarter. So our volunteers assemble two or three weeks before each quarter begins to do this sorting job for all the classes in our Sunday School. The teachers are relieved of this time-consuming and, for one person, somewhat mind-numbing task. And the volunteers, quiate honestly, have a great time!

It's nice to know that with less than an hour of our time, we were able to make a difference, be helping hands, for some of the the hardest working volunteers in our congregation.

How do you support the "hands" of your Sunday School, your teachers?

How do you help make their work easier or more enjoyable?

How do you recognize their service?

Share your ideas!

From Where I Sit

From where I sit, Sunday School remains a viable tool through which churches teach God's children His Word.

Where do I sit? I am an editor for a denominational publishing house, Concordia Publishing House. I edit Sunday School material of various kinds and a magazine for volunteer Sunday School teachers. Because I make my living from promoting Sunday School, you might be tempted to write me off. I hope you don't.

I'd like to promote conversation about how Sunday School can be more effective in it's task of teaching God's children His Word. I've heard people say that Sunday School is dead. I don't believe it. There are hundreds of thousands of Sunday Schools in the world today. They all struggle to some degree. They exist in a world plagued by sin. But all also succeed to some degree. I know this for certain, because God's Word promises that that is so (Isaiah 55:11).

By God's grace, and with His help and the help of others, our Sunday Schools can be better than they are. I hope you will join me in a quest for better Sunday Schools, better places to teach God's children His Word.

So let me start with two simple questions.

How is your Sunday School doing?

What do you need to improve?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Tom Nummela