Everyone is producing Bible study curriculum, so it seems. From smaller independent publishers to large corporations, we are being overwhelmed with options. What are the differences between the curriculum offerings and how can you make the best choice? Begin with the following three steps:

1. Know the writer/publisher.

Writers and publishers have agendas. Denominationally affiliated curriculum publishers usually are under the guidelines of the denominations they represent. That's not always a bad thing, but sometimes denominations reinterpret Scripture to make it support their agendas. In addition, denominational publishers will tailor their offerings to the denominational calendar--therefore, you can count on specific emphases each year at the same time.

Writers, likewise, have agendas that come through in their writing. Let's say you are affiliated with a church that believes in baptism by immersion only. A study on baptism written by someone who believes differently might cause confusion. Do your homework before you pick up the next study all because it has a cute title and a nice cover!

Corporate curriculum publishers have a production cycle that is measured in years, not months. The "new" study released this month might have been written two years ago and edited 18 months ago. When used by most corporations, "new" has little connection to the relevance of a study to today's events.

2. Know the needs of the learners.

If you abandon the responsibility to teach to the needs of people, you will find your class (and church) shrinking. Adults invest themselves in things that make a difference in their lives. They have needs and will engage themselves in studies that meet their needs. When you know the needs of the adults in your class and shop with those needs in mind, you will be drawn to studies that meet those needs. However, if you purchase curriculum simply because it is the next issue in a series your church has been using for 12 years, you have given up the ability to meet needs.

A large denominational publisher offers "age graded" Bible study curriculum that is basically the same across all adult age groups. The only differences between the young adult products and the senior adult products are the covers and the font sizes! Even though you and I both know that there are significant distinctions between 18-year-olds and 70-year-olds, this large denominational publisher doesn't know it--or they choose to ignore it!

3. Choose curriculum on the strength of the teaching plans and helps.

When I did my doctoral dissertation, I discovered that most Bible study teachers spend very little time learning how to teach adults. They choose to lecture because that's the easiest thing to do. However, adult students identify lecture as their least favorite teaching style. Great teaching skills can overcome bad curriculum; but great curriculum will never overcome bad teaching!

The large denominational publisher I mentioned earlier created an educational philosophy that identified eight ways people learn. Their approach was to incorporate all eight approaches into lessons for people of all ages--preschool through adulthood. In the end, the curriculum didn't work and it went through a radical redesign. What was the problem? Preschoolers and adults learn differently! This corporation created a curriculum line without seeking the input of educational professionals. Today, that large publisher still struggles to provide quality material for small group leaders!

Before you purchase curriculum, review the teaching plans and leadership helps. Many teaching plans offer a script of things to say and questions to ask. The problem is that the script wasn't written with your class in mind. Other studies offer nothing for the teacher other than a few poorly written questions that have "yes" or "no" answers.

The bottom line is that Bible study curriculum is big business and leading a Bible study is a huge responsibility. Be careful because everything that comes from your denominational publisher isn't good, and everything good doesn't come from your denominational publisher. Think about it!