Tips for Choosing the Right Student Curriculum

Written by Jimmy Hester

Choosing the right student curriculum can be a daunting task in the midst of so many choices. Here are eight questions and a few tips to help you choose the best for your group.

Eight Questions to Consider

1. Does the curriculum guide the church in fulfilling the Great Commission through the five functions of evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, worship, and ministry?
2. Will students receive a sound, reliable interpretation of the Bible from a conservative point of view?
3. Does the material provide a variety of age-appropriate, timely, and relevant teaching-learning approaches?
4. Is the curriculum comprehensive, balanced, sequenced, and application-oriented?
5. Does it offer reasonably priced, easy-to-use, and attractive resources in print, audio, electronic, and multimedia formats?
6. Do experienced Bible study leaders write the material?
7. Is there optional devotional material for personal worship opportunities?
8. Will the curriculum support the foundation of your overall strategy for student ministry?

Tips for Choosing Curriculum

1. Give yourself time. Don't expect to be able to flip through the pages of a piece of curriculum and make your decision in a few minutes. In order to evaluate curriculum, you need to spend time getting familiar with the format and feel.
2. Take a look at several options at the same time to make comparisons. In order to see the strengths of a particular piece, you need to have another piece to compare it to.
3. Involve others. Allow your leadership team to take a look at your options. Give them the opportunity to use a session from several options in order to make a decision.
4. Have a long-term plan for your students' Bible study experience. Consider where you want to take your students over the course of their experience in your student ministry.

The right choice in curriculum will help develop strong disciples and an effective student ministry. LifeWay Student Ministry offers a variety of Bible study approaches to meet the needs of any church. Visit LifeWay's online catalog to view choices available to you.

Jimmy Hester is the Sr. Director of Student Ministry Publishing of LifeWay Church Resources in Nashville, Tennessee.

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