How to Customize Any Curriculum

It seems that most publishing companies have a philosophy behind the curriculum they provide.  A set of values they want you to buy into when using their curriculum.  A philosophy and approach to ministry that is behind the content they provide.  In many churches, buying into the vision and purpose behind a curriculum can be helpful.

But I look at preteen curriculum and children’s ministry curriculum much differently.  I’ve got a good friend Sean Sweet, who has a great metaphor for curriculum.  He says, “Curriculum is the wheels of a car, not the steering wheel.”  It helps you reach a destination, not dictates the destination.  I think that’s a very helpful way to look at curriculum.

I love the Orange philosophy.  I love what the Rethink Group and all they bring to the table.  I love how they and other publishing companies help resource the local church.  I’ve learned much from them over the years.  But God wants to do something unique and special in my community and my church.  He wants the same for yours.

The kids and preteens in our church experience God’s best when we customize curriculum to fit our unique setting.  Chew the meat and spit out the bones.

So, how do you customize curriculum to fit the ministry you lead?  Here are some tips I use:

First, know the purpose behind the program. Why do you have weekend services?  What is your goal for Wednesday night?  Do you have small groups, why?  Purpose comes first, programming second.  Once you know the purpose, design programming to serve it.  Look for curriculum & resources to compliment your vision.  If nothing does, then develop a creative team to make it happen.

Second, mix it up. The one problem with most curriculums is they get stuck in a rut.  Even when creating your own, you dig your own hole.  So, force yourself to mix it up.  If writing your own content, put together a team of diverse writers.  Maybe the team is within your church, but it doesn’t need to be.  Connect with others on facebook or cmconnect.org and team up with others to write content.  If you use curriculum, don’t use the same curriculum all the time.  Have a handful of resources from various publishers that you use on a rotation.  Keep it fresh, mix it up.

Third, make it your own. Speak from the heart, don’t memorize a script.  Use personal examples as illustrations.  Allow the content you’re teaching to same your spiritual growth.  Live it out, don’t just teach it.

Now, for those who lead preteen ministry, I do agree there is not a lot of good preteen curriculum out there.  That’s why PreteenMinistry.net creates preteen curriculum.  And we’ve got some pretty fantastic preteen curriculum!  But this isn’t a soap box for to sell you on our preteen curriculum.  There are other options and I encourage you to explore them.  I know Lifeway just came out with FLYTE, which is a new preteen curriculum.  I’m actually excited about buying and reviewing it on my blog soon.  Curriculum is good when it’s the wheels, not the steering wheels.

However, I challenge you to write your own preteen curriculum.  I know, not a good marketing technique, is it?  Honestly, it isn’t always doable.  But consider writing your own 4-6 week series.  Try it once.  Recruit a team of leaders to help (preferable) or write it alone if you must.  Why is it important to write your own preteen curriculum?  Because the preteens in your ministry learn best when it comes from you.  They don’t need a cookie cutter approach to teaching.  They want to hear what God is speaking to you as their pastor and leader.  How can God meet them in their school and community?  How can God shape and mold your specific group of preteens?  When your content is original, something magical happens.  Maybe you’re not in the position to do that every week, but every once in awhile is doable for most.  Think about it.

What elements are important when writing your own preteen curriculum?  Good question.  Maybe I’ll post my thoughts on that next time.

One more thing: It’s always a good idea to use any available resources to help put together your content.  Don’t think you have to always reinvent the wheel. PreteenMinistry.net, FourFiveSix.org, J12.com, JCisOnline.com are a few great websites to check out if you’re leading preteens.

I’ve found it most helpful to have a network of other preteen leaders who i regularly connect with.  We talk about what we’re teaching and share ideas with each other.  Sometimes one thing they say sparks an idea I would never have thought of without them.  Other times I use their idea and it is a huge hit.  Collaborating with other preteen leaders has made a huge impact in my preteen ministry.