Less is More With Curriculum/Teaching

Posted by Adam Fix on January 13, 2009

One of the challenges in working for an average church is often finances.  The mortgage will probably get paid and the lights and heat will be kept on,  but sometimes that leaves little money for other things, including ministry budgets.  As a youth pastor, I am constantly struggling to find helpful teaching resources that engage our students and challenge them to think Biblically.  While I dislike it anyway, prepackaged curriculum is usually not an option on a tight budget.

A quick online search will direct you toward many sites that offer bundles of materials, complete with video clips, handouts, and prepared lessons…for a price.  Usually these sets are priced based on the number of students you have attending.  The other drawback to most of these bundles is that they are fairly generic and, because of their target audience, aimed a huge variety of students.  The reality is, you know your students better than a publishing company and you are more equiped to teach them the Bible.

Primarily we (myself and our adult volunteers) teach through books of the Bible.  However, when we are inbetween books and looking for a few weeks to fill, a teaching plan based on a good book works really well.  They help to focus your time and provide a helpful resource for developing content.  This will probably look similar to a small group study, but without as much discussion and interaction.  Additionally, books give lay leaders who are still learning how to teach some added structure and help planning a message or Bible study.  The cost is also extremely inexpensive when compared to buying whole sets of DVDs and printed materials.

Here are some books that we have taught through in the past:

Do Hard Things - Alex and Brett Harris

Is God Really in Control? - Jerry Bridges

The Jesus Storybook Bible - Sally Lloyd-Jones (quick note: this is a children’s Bible that points many prominent Old Testament stories to Jesus - it’s very good and I think your students will find it helpful)

The Cross Centered Life - C.J. Mahaney

Run with the Horses - Eugene Peterson (our Senior Pastor used this as the basis for a preaching series)