Almost every student pastor wants to be a great communicator. For many of us, this is the #1 expectation from the churches we work for. In my opinion, the key to a great teaching is great curriculum. Most of the student pastors I know write their own curriculum. I don’t think this is always a win. Over time, I’ve learned that naturally gifted speakers are not always strong curriculum writers and the best curriculum writers are not often gifted public speakers. My point is that just because you speak well in front of a crowd of students doesn’t mean you are a great communicator…unless you are using great curriculum.
I spent the first half of my student ministry career believing I was a strong communicator. I wasn’t. I was a naturally gifted speaker who taught about whatever book or section of the Bible I had just read. In other words, I wasn’t remotely strategic. What I’ve learned over the last 5 years is that great curriculum involves an immense amount of planning and strategy. Here are a few thoughts on what it takes to write killer curriculum:
1. YOU’RE NOT ANDY STANLEY
Rule #1 for writing killer curriculum is understanding that you’re not Andy Stanley. I don’t know how he does it but the guy consistently comes up with the most brilliant phrasing I’ve ever seen. He’s an absolute genius…and I’m not, and neither are you. The smartest thing you can do as a curriculum writer is collaborate. On our team, I usually craft the initial phrasing and we rarely use exactly what I write. We end up using the collaborative result of our collective brainstorming. Our team curriculum is ALWAYS better than what I write on my own. The 13 of us together might make one Andy Stanley. The verdict is still out. My point is that if you want to write great curriculum, you should collaborate.
2. LEARN THE GAME
If you want to master any skill, you must learn from the best. When it comes to curriculum, I read the best stuff I can find, simply for the purpose of learning. Personally, I think the team at XP3 from the reThink Group creates the best student ministry curriculum available. I’m in the habit of buying series from them either to use or learn from. Look for the ways that great curriculum writers structure their teachings. Pay attention to their phrasing and contextualization. My own curriculum has improved dramatically from learning from the best..
3. CHANGE YOUR GOAL
In my early days of student ministry, I thought that the goal of a great teaching was to have a great teaching. If someone told me I did a good job then I win! These days, I’ve changed my focus. The point is transformation. I firmly believe that transformation happens when God’s truth is engaged in the context of community. This means that the goal of a great teaching should be the conversation that follows it. First, I believe in a ministry structure in which small groups immediately follow teaching. Secondly, I believe that the most important question you can ask as you prepare a teaching is: “What conversation do I want small groups to have following this teaching?”
These days, I know I nailed it when small group leaders tell me about the conversations that took place in their groups.
4. SIMPLIFY
I’m a firm believer in clarity. Say too much your audience will remember nothing. If your goal is transformation, the smartest thing you can do as a curriculum writer or teacher is to make one point and to make it with crystal clarity. Here are the crucial questions every great teaching must answer:
- What is the one thing you want to say?
- Why does it matter?
- What do you want your audience to do with your one thing?
If the Scripture you are teaching from says 5 things either pick 1 and run with it or create a 5 week series. Simplify your content for the sake of clarity.
5. CREATE A MAP
The big questions my mentor Brian always asks about my curriculum are: “Who do you want students to become?” and “Where are you taking them?” In other words, what’s the point of your curriculum? To speak a little Orange: Teach with the end in mind.
Killer curriculum functions as a map that leads your students to a destination. What is your destination? Who do you want your students to grow into? The best way to uncover this is to spend a few hours with a white board dreaming about what a mature graduating 8th grader or 12th grader looks like. Once you have a solid picture then work backwards. If your dream includes students who are passionate about evangelism then you probably need to teach about evangelism on a regular basis.
As youth workers, it isn’t enough to be good speakers. We need to become strong communicators. To do that, we need solid curriculum. My advice? Take the time to learn the art of curriculum writing. Or, if you simply don’t have the desire or time, use ours. Email me and I’ll hook you up. Or, go out and get the best curriculum available and adapt it to your setting…XP3.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what it takes to write killer curriculum.
image credited to Jonathan Kim via Flickr
