Are You a Slave to Your Curriculum?

Last winter I led a creative Bible teaching workshop at a kidmin conference in Kentucky.  I showed the crowd all kinds of engaging techniques they could use to bring the Bible to life in a way kids will never forget.  I spent a lot of time showing them how to juice up mediocre curriculum so it would rock.

At the end of one of the sessions, a young lady came up to me nearly in tears.  I thought she was about to give her life to Jesus.  She told me how her church had just hired her to direct their children's program and that she loved teaching the kids, but no one had ever told her it was okay to deviate from her curriculum.  She thought she had to read it word for word.  She said I had set her free.

Then she asked if she could hug me.   I get that a lot (and by a lot I mean this is the only time it's ever happened).

You would have thought I'd just walked her through the Red Sea.  But it made me think.  There are far too many of us out there, paid staff and volunteers alike, who are living as slaves to our curriculum.