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?

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