Development of a Sunday School Curriculum

Several years ago, a large church in China accepted the challenge to develop a Sunday School curriculum that would be appropriate for China. The Outreach Foundation has become one of the principal partners in this pioneering effort.This Sunday School curriculum is the first set of materials developed by the Chinese Christians to nurture the younger generation as taught by the scripture, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
 
The scope of the curriculum has since been expanded to cover a ten-year span of a child’s life, rather than the eight‐year plan in the initial draft. The curriculum seeks to honor Christ’s calling for the younger ones in the household of God, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16).
 
The materials are now organized into two semi-annual sets per age level, instead of the traditional four‐quarter format, having been adjusted based on the feedback collected from the field test of the two trial sets. Every set now comprises a teacher’s manual, a student’s workbook, and a collection of visual aids in a pictorial booklet. There are 26 lessons available in each set.
 
Every age level begins its school year with the A set in July and continues with the B set in January of the following year. The curriculum development team has since produced two sets of materials for two age levels. Both four and five year-olds and first graders now have the A set ready to enhance their learning experience. The six items in the two sets will be published by the National China Christian Council and will be made available to churches throughout the country.
 
The picture of Jesus teaching the multitude is taken from the teacher’s pictorial booklet for the four and five year-olds. This and the other pictures in the books are unique in that the Chinese Christians themselves produced them all. At the conclusion of the project, there will be 20 sets of materials for ten age levels comprising 60 items produced by the Chinese Christians and published by their own Christian council.