Have you ever struggled when trying to decide how to choose a Bible study curriculum? In today’s world, there are many options available to us. However, choosing the right curriculum can be difficult when you have many different options to consider.
What matters the most when choosing a Bible study curriculum? While no curriculum is perfect, there are several factors to consider when evaluating your curriculum options. For the purposes of this evaluation guide, we will assume that you are looking for a Bible study curriculum that provides resources for large group Bible study teaching, small group Bible study discussion, and individual Bible study.
Bible Study Curriculum Evaluation Guide:
Core Questions:
- Do you want to study a specific book of the Bible? Or, do you want to study a specific topic in the Bible?
- Is the study designed to be user-friendly for a wide variety of people, both from your church and from the community, regardless of their knowledge level?
- Does the curriculum provide a scope and sequence? A scope and sequence is a list of Bible passages and topics that are covered each week. This is helpful so that you can see how the curriculum is laid out.
- Is the curriculum Biblically accurate? Does it reach Scripture in a way that is accurate to the context of each passage?
- Is the curriculum compatible with your church’s mission, vision, and values?
- Does it encourage a personal faith with Jesus?
- Does each lesson contain an application section?
- Do the lessons include prayer as an element?
- Are people learning Scripture as they work through the study?
- Is the curriculum creative and engaging?
- Is the curriculum editable, so that you can adapt it for your needs?
- What is the cost of the curriculum?
Teachers – Factors to Consider:
- Is the curriculum well-organized and user-friendly for teachers?
- Can both your experienced and new teachers use the curriculum successfully?
- Can the teachers customize the lessons as needed?
- What materials are given to the teachers to help them prepare for teaching the Bible study? Do the lessons include suggestions for teaching aids?
Small Groups – Factors to Consider:
- Does the curriculum encourage spiritual conversations by providing thought-provoking questions?
- Does the curriculum provide questions that encourage the group members to have conversations that build relationships with each other?
- Based on the curriculum, what is the ideal size for your small groups? How many volunteers do you need to lead the small groups?
- Does the curriculum provide deeper insights into the discussion question answers, in order to help set up the small group leader for success?
- Can you train your volunteers to use this curriculum well?
Individual Study – Factors to Consider:
- Is it easy to understand the curriculum? Will your people enjoy working through the curriculum?
- Work through a sample of the curriculum. Do you personally like it? Does it have a good balance of questions and teaching?
There you have it! Hope these tips for how to choose a Bible study curriculum will help you.
If you already have a Bible study curriculum and wondering if you should continue using it, then take a look at this article:
