When it comes time to choose a curriculum for small groups or to reevaluate the one you are using, it’s a big deal. This should never be a flippant decision where you just “pick one” that looks good or seems easy to use. When we view small groups as a time for discipleship, we don’t see them as a program or babysitting hour. Curriculum is therefore a discipleship tool. Choosing the right one matters.

Our kid’s small groups have a purpose. Ultimately we are striving to make disciples who make disciples. So our end goal is for these kids to grow up and be spiritually mature adults who make disciples. How we get to that end goal matters.

Here are some things that I think are important to consider when choosing curriculum for your small groups:

How does the curriculum teach the Bible?

What kind of hermeneutical viewpoint does this curriculum use to approach scripture? Does it teach the Bible as one big story or separate unrelated stories? Does the curriculum point to scripture or is it merely someone’s opinion of scripture? Is God the main character of each story or do the lesson try to make us the main character? The Bible is about God – who he is, what he is like, what he has done. The Bible is not about us and trying to put ourselves into each story is dangerous territory.

Knowing what the purpose of your group is essential. Is it a women’s group that needs to study a certain topic, is it a group of teens that needs to look at real life issues or do you want to take several years and study the Bible from cover to cover? Do you want lessons that teach lecture style or do you prefer video based or discussion groups? While small groups can have slightly different purposes based on what kind of members are in them, every lesson should still point to Jesus.

Does the curriculum teach the gospel or moralism?

This question gets it’s own section because I see this as a flaw in so many resources. My first grader is learning how to have integrity, responsibility and perseverance at his public school. And that’s not a bad thing. Our kids do need to be taught those things. But the church’s priority should be to teach them the gospel. When our kids begin to have a heart transformation, the good behavior will follow. We need to look at curriculums closely to see if each lesson is simply wrapped up in a nice little moral lesson or if it teaches each story as part of the bigger story of scripture and how to see Jesus in that story. If all we are focused on is good behavior and doing good deeds to make God happy, our kids will miss the gospel altogether. They will not get how the good news affects their heart and life and they will be more likely to leave the faith.

What additional resources does the curriculum offer?

There are so many great resources available that add much value to curriculums. Look to see if there are things available like promotional material, posters and signs, teacher training, additional commentary, parent resources, participant take home resources, blogs, apps and second hour worship material. These things can be very helpful to teachers as they study and learn how to teach the lessons in an age appropriate and gospel-centered way. Parent resources are a great way to partner with parents and help them continue the conversation at home with their kids. Some curriculums even have adult, student and kid studies that line up so that the parents are studying the same lesson each week that their kids are learning. This is a valuable thing to consider and makes it even easier for the parents to follow-up at home during the week with their kids are learning at church at Sundays.

When it comes to the plethora of kids ministry resources that are available, here are some additional questions that I think are important to ask before you choose.

Is the material meant to entertain or disciple?

Do the lessons have a missional focus?

Does it teach feel just good lessons or does it address the hard things in scripture too?

Does it include ideas for all types of learners? 

Meaning, does it include music, active games, hands on projects, fun pictures, interactive dialogue, videos, etc. The material should be engaging for the ages you are teaching and for all kinds of learners. A good mix of low-prep and more involved activities are a great way to appeal to teachers that have different amounts of time and experience.

There are probably many other things to consider when you’re looking at curriculums. Knowing the overall goal of your groups and keeping the end in mind will help you prayerfully determine which curriculum is best for your groups.