What hopes do you have for your ministry? What physical and technological capabilities exist? Where will you encounter stumbling blocks? Is there a budget? All of these questions are good starting points for knowing your ministry and choosing curriculum.

This process starts with some potentially hard truths. 

First, you have to realistically think about what your congregation can and can’t support.

While the latest curriculum may look flashy, if it’s designed with a mega-church audience in mind and you’re a small church, there could be a problem.

Is this a failing of your church? Of course not!

But even the best resources will come with certain limitations. That’s because every church context is different and, while necessary, curriculum can’t anticipate those contexts completely.

So! The work is yours to do. How many kids do you have on a given week? How many active and committed volunteers?

While “ministry math” can sometimes magically inflate numbers, this is a time to be honest with yourself.

A small ministry isn’t a curse, but it is a unique context. A curriculum that presupposes 50+ kids each week isn’t going to fit that context without some serious tweaking.

This has been an excerpt from our eBook available through Spark House Digital. To learn more about how to choose the correct curriculum for your church check it out here.