Making a curriculum switch is no small decision for a children’s ministry. It impacts everything: your volunteers, your parents, your kids, and the way your church teaches God’s Word. I did a digital interview with Vicki Abbott, the Director of Children’s Ministry at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to hear how her team navigated a recent curriculum change.
Ada Bible is a multi-site church with 6 campuses, 16 kids ministry staff, and an average of 1,600 kids each weekend. Vicki has faithfully served there for 14 years, and her team recently walked through the big task of transitioning curriculum. Here’s what she shared about their journey and what you can learn if your church is considering the same move:
Knowing When It’s Time for a Change
How do you know when it’s time to change curriculum? According to Vicki, it all comes back to your ministry goals.
“We had been long-time users of our previous curriculum and while we liked it, our leadership thought it was time for a change. As a church, we are really leaning into biblical literacy and the narrative of scripture.”
For Vicki and her team, this meant asking: What curriculum will best help kids understand the big story of the Bible? If your ministry goals have shifted or you realize your current curriculum isn’t meeting them, it may be time to consider something new.
Building a Process
One of the most impressive parts of Ada Bible’s transition was the intentional process they followed.
- Form a review team – Vicki kept her group to 8 people or fewer, including staff from both preschool and elementary perspectives.
- Do research in person – At a January conference, the team took advantage of multiple curriculum providers being in one place to ask questions and grab samples.
- Narrow to top contenders – From there, they identified their top 3–5 options and requested full-month samples.
- Evaluate through filters – Each option was reviewed against 12 carefully chosen filters (more on those below).
- Get leadership approval – Once a top choice was clear, they presented their decision and vision to church leadership with data to back it up.
“We did not test any specific curriculum out in classrooms before selecting our new curriculum. This doesn’t mean that a church shouldn’t, but given our size and potential obstacles it could cause, we chose to not go that route.”
Smaller churches may choose to pilot a curriculum in classrooms first, and the summer or during a “special” season like Easter or Christmas are a great time to explore other options. The important part is finding a process that works for your context.
The 12 Filters for Curriculum Review
Vicki’s team was really intentional about evaluating the curriculum samples against 12 “filters” they created. These filters helped them compare options consistently and gave leadership confidence in their final choice.
Here are the categories they used, ranked by priority:
- Bible Literacy – faithfulness to Scripture, scope and sequence, statement of faith, translation, etc.
- Big Story Learning – does it connect kids to the narrative of Scripture?
- Gospel Focus – where and how does the gospel show up?
- Live Teaching Preference – scripts, quality, and ease of use
- Video Learning Options – available for backup or online use
- Bible Memory Verse – emphasis on Scripture memory
- Addresses Different Learning Styles – age-appropriate, academic, upper elementary depth
- Large Group/Small Group Format – must include both
- Worship – support for kids worship
- Parent Components – built-in or supplemental?
- Editable – is it flexible or locked down?
- Content Over Bling – depth of content matters more than flashy slides
DKM Subscribers can find a printable version and more explanation of these 12 filters here!
Overcoming Challenges
Even with a clear process and intentional evaluation, Vicki admits they still faced challenges.
“Any new curriculum is going to look different, will have different key words or language, and include different parent resources. The flow of the hour is different as well as the elements we needed to train to. Putting together good training resources will take time and then training volunteers and equipping them to lead will take more energy than you think.”
Her biggest takeaway? Don’t underestimate the investment required to retrain volunteers. It takes energy, patience, and consistent communication.
Building Excitement and Buy-In
Vicki’s team didn’t spring the change on people. They communicated early, often, and through growing layers of groups of people.
- Staff first – their internal team was brought on board before anything was public.
- Leaders next – campus coaches and team leads heard the vision.
- Parents and volunteers – they shared through emails, social media, and in-person conversations.
They timed the launch for Promotion Weekend, when parents were already paying attention, and used the season to build excitement.
“As with any change, there are early adopters, people who know it is good but are hesitant, and those who see the negative or what they lost. All are normal and need to be addressed to help everyone go in the same direction.”
Vicki’s Advice for Other Leaders
If you’re thinking about switching curriculum, here’s Vicki’s encouragement:
“Give the process over to God and pray often for what he might have for your families and kids at your church. Take your time, ask good questions, and make sure to gather a team. If you are the only staff member at your church, form a team of volunteers and parents to help you. Find your core leaders—they will be your biggest champions—and always lead with vision. Last, do not underestimate the need to train early and often.”
And one more practical tip: expect it to take about three months after launch before everyone feels confident with the new material.
Final Thoughts
Switching curriculum is a big deal, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic. With prayer, intentional planning, and lots of communication, you can set your ministry up for success. Vicki and her team reminded me that when you invite God into the process, gather your leaders, and communicate with clarity, a curriculum change can actually build momentum instead of causing chaos. So if you sense God nudging your ministry toward something new, take Vicki’s advice: pray often, lead with vision, and train, train, train. Whether you’re serving 50 kids or 1,600 like Ada Bible, the key is keeping your mission at the center: helping kids grow in their faith and learn the story of God’s Word.
Leader Bio: Vicki Abbott has been serving in children’s ministry for 23 years and currently serves at Ada Bible, a multi-site church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is passionate about leadership development and enjoys collaborating with others. Her favorite volunteer role is serving as a large group storyteller, and she especially loves speaking at camp. She has been on the speaker team at CPC and Kidzmatter and also serves as a ministry coach.
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