How do you spell “stress” in children’s ministry? Many children’s ministry leaders will answer that question with this phrase: launching a new curriculum.
The decision to move from one curriculum brand to another is typically made over a season of time. The journey of change usually begins with the idea that your present tool has served its purpose, but now it needs to be retired.
So, the search begins and you look for the best new curriculum for your ministry. You search, choose, and then implement your new plan – done!
Simple, right? Not quite.
As you likely know, change does not come easily for many, so don’t assume that changes, even good ones, will be welcomed by everyone on your team. Your job is to hold the hand of every one of your team members and assure them the future destination will be better than they can imagine.
You must remind your team that the journey you are in is a process with many moving parts. You should be transparent and communicate there will be hidden obstacles that will need to be conquered along the way.
Five years ago, our children’s ministry transitioned to TRU curriculum and now I can look back and say we had a very successful launch. We haven’t regretted the decision to change for one moment, but in hindsight, we would have tweaked our journey just slightly.
The process of change taught us a few things which have helped us to make some important adjustments on behalf of our team.
Knowing that a switch to TRU is not without its challenges, I offer you five tips that helped us to navigate the journey with great results. My hope is that these insights will help you and your team as well.
Tip #1: TRU is not your average or even “typical” curriculum because it impacts leaders as well as children.
One of the main attractants for our team to switch to TRU was the spiritual emphasis it brings. TRU is unique in that it encapsulates the common values of Biblical accuracy, child-centeredness, fun and relevancy while focusing every lesson on one central character – God.
TRU brings a fresh and spiritually rich approach to your ministry that children love, while it respects the presence and activity of God. Your team needs to understand this dichotomy and should be prepared to experience something new and exciting for themselves.
The TRU experience intentionally creates moments for kids to listen for the voice of God and respond to Him. There were some people on our team that were uncertain about how to process those moments for themselves.
Your volunteers will come to understand the “Big God Story” with deeper reverence and awe and in the process, they’ll discover how our “smaller” narrative fits into His plan.
I say all that to acknowledge that although the TRU experience is aimed at your kids, your leaders will grow in ways they could not have imagined. Training your TRU leaders must include helping them understand how the new curriculum will differ from previous ones.
Prepare your team for the journey of change that they will experience right alongside the children they serve.
Tip #2: TRU creates moments that may feel uncomfortable to some on your team.
When we were preparing to launch TRU, and also in the early going, we realized that some of our team members were feeling moments of discomfort and awkwardness. This new (to us) phenomenon was due to one reality; many of our volunteers were not creating space to listen to, hear from, and respond to God on their own.
The TRU experience intentionally creates moments for kids to listen for the voice of God and respond to Him. There were some people on our team that were uncertain about how to process those moments for themselves.
… change does not come easily for many, so don’t assume that changes, even good ones, will be welcomed by everyone on your team.
Being completely honest, some of our leaders chose to quickly move past those opportunities because they felt too uncomfortable. In time, we made adjustments, kept leading and coaching, and their comfort level grew.
Training TRU leaders must include leading them into a deeper relationship with Jesus through the blessing and power of the Holy Spirit. Ministry leaders must realize that just because an adult has volunteered to serve children, that step of obedience does not mean they have a dynamic walk with Christ.
TRU will create an environment where your team can work through the discomfort together.
Tip #3: Think preview versus review.
Every curriculum I have ever used or created has included an effort to review what was learned, specifically targeting the attention of parents. Review is important, but TRU creates the tools you need to preview lessons – at home.
Imagine with me for a moment. It is 12:15pm on any Sunday and parents are hustling to pick up their children and get on with their day. The adults are asking their kids a bunch of questions, but the top two are usually, “did you have fun?, and “What was your lesson about?” Both are legitimate questions worth asking and answering. Common. Ordinary.
TRU gives you the tools to provide every home, representing every child, simple, easy to understand materials that change how you think about parent/child interaction.
Imagine with me again. It’s 10:45am on any Sunday and parents are hustling to drop off their children and get into church. Everybody hugs, mom gives a few last minute behavioral coaching tips, and then they go their separate ways. Typical. Normal.
Now imagine this scenario. It’s 10:45am on any Sunday and parents are hustling to drop off their children and get into church. Everybody hugs and mom says, “Don’t forget the Bible story we read this week at home. You’re going to talk about that story today in church.” Would you describe that conversation as common in your church? Ordinary? Typical? Normal?
TRU makes this reality possible by providing lesson information to parents before it’s presented at church. TRU gives you the tools to provide every home, representing every child, simple, easy to understand materials that change how you think about parent/child interaction.
This strategy helps parents engage with their child around upcoming Bible lessons providing an important disciple-making opportunity. Training your TRU leaders with this unique feature will help them lead parents more intentionally. Further, this underscores one of the primary pillars of TRU curriculum, that parents are primary in the spiritual development of their child. The church supports parents at home in those efforts.
Tip #4: TRU will introduce your team to new language and practices.
When I first took a look at TRU, I had to think through some new terms, unique curriculum language, and spiritually focused practices. I had questions: what is a “response time”, what did it mean to give a “blessing”?
Training began with clarifying definitions and terms at the staff level, then moving with confidence into the world of our volunteers. It wasn’t difficult, just new for many.
We knew special things were happening through TRU when our children initiated prayers of blessings over their adult leaders. That was quite powerful to see and experience.
Understanding TRU begins with clarity around unfamiliar terms and language in the context of a new experience. Training your leaders begins with the acknowledgement that TRU brings with it new language, but they are terms that can easily be understood.
Further, when trained, your team will consider it an honor to pray blessings over the children in their group.
We knew special things were happening through TRU when our children initiated prayers of blessings over their adult leaders. That was quite powerful to see and experience.
Tip #5: TRU will help you create intentional connection points with parents.
One of the primary reasons that we chose to move to TRU was the natural way the curriculum helped us to connect more with parents. Many of the TRU tools and the companion products (i.e., Spiritual Parenting and Home Front) lend themselves to creating a more effective relationship with the adults that bring their children to your ministry.
Your leaders can take advantage of teaching moments sparked by the Home Front magazine that thematically tie-in with TRU. Since launching TRU we have created a variety of venues that equip and support parents in their efforts to lead their kids spiritually.
How far you go is largely up to you, but TRU provides a variety of options for any church of any size in any setting.
I will admit that my first glance at TRU left me with many questions. I remember thinking to myself, “How will we ever be able to train our team?” With God’s help, many meetings, intentional coaching and loving shepherding, we did it.
I have every confidence to believe that if we can lead a team with success, so can you.
As I conclude this article, I’m praying one of my favorite apostolic prayers over every reader:
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21
