Recommended Curriculum
Finding a good curriculum is a challenge. It needs to be biblically-sound, but usable for volunteers who’ve never formally studied either Bible/Theology or education. And it needs to be deep enough that church kids will actually learn something while also being simple and grounded enough that students are challenged to apply the Word to their daily lives. Of course, this is all within the framework of biblical theology - where the whole Bible proclaims the gospel from Genesis through Revelation.
The Rooted Curriculum, by the Rooted Ministry
I (Mike) was involved in the development of this curriculum, so I know the heartbeat that drives it, and it’s a good one! Each lesson is question-driven around the three main questions of hermeneutics (What? So What? Now What?), so they’re learning how to do exegesis/hermeneutics as they work through each lesson. There are a few different tracks available (Paul’s Letters, Gospel/Epistles of John, The Prophets), with more on the way. As with any curriculum where every series is written by a different author, some series are stronger than others.
The Thread, by YM360
Although YM360 has many curriculum options and their content is reliable, The Thread stands out among them for the way it teaches biblical theology to students. Lessons are teacher-friendly but do require prep-time so you can teach with confidence and clarity. It will be helpful to remind teacher that most curriculum is designed with the assumption the teacher will modify somewhat - so if you try teaching everything you’ll probably run out of time (and attention). But this is one of the best Sunday School curriculum I’ve used (twice!).
The Gospel Project, by Lifeway
This has become one of the most widely-used curriculum, and for good reason. It’s well edited and there’s a kids, youth, and adults edition - so each age group can study the same series, though in age-appropriate ways, and have a good family discussion on the ride home from church or over dinner. This is a great option for churches who are looking for a solid curriculum with an intergenerational emphasis. When I used this curriculum (years ago, so it’s likely improved since then) it was theologically sound, but my volunteers had to put in extra work to make the lessons work for them.
Deep Discipleship, by LeaderTreks
This curriculum has multiple series, built around the “8 Roots” of discipleship: Rescue, Knowledge, Kingdom, Outreach, Apologetics, Worship, Community, and Identity. These roots show up throughout the various series in order to give students a clear way to think about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The engaging way this line is written makes it a good curriculum, especially for churches who are transitioning from a more entertainment-driven model of ministry to a gospel-centered approach. And the different series (each of which will last a full school-year) means you can build scope-and-sequence for your ministry off this framework. Churches who are looking for a more straightforward “Bible Study” may want to go another route.
Bible Studies and Tracks Series, by Reformed Youth Ministry
Where can you find a Bible Study for teenager about Christology? At RYM, that’s where… and it’s free! As of May 2021, they have eight different Bible Studies available for free (of varying lengths). The Tracks series of books provides a books on various topics for youth workers to read with students. The series is adding to their titles every year, some include: Sanctification, Glorification, Prayer, Technology, Anxiety, Gaming, and more.
Visual Theology Curriculum
Based off the Visual Theology Guide to the Bible, this curriculum provides a leader guide, presentation slides, infographic handouts and a student workbook (all as PDF downloads). Pricing is reasonable and relative to your church size.
Feed Bible Studies
Feed has various (free) Small Group studies that are built around the catechism. Although I haven’t used this curriculum, other trustworthy youth workers vouched for it.
