What’s The Best Content For Your Ministry?

As I opened up the workbook, I became anxious. The pages were beautiful, with terrific quotes, but I had no idea where to begin or how to use them. Apparently, an online tutorial explained each section, but it wasn’t helpful, considering I had only given myself 30 minutes to prepare. So, I went online and looked up a quick game led by high school guys through a brief Bible study, and we discussed how the Sacred Scripture impacted us that night. It ended up being a pretty powerful night for our small group.

As a catechetical leader, I always look for adaptable and easy-to-navigate content. However, I also understand that putting on a video and asking the teens or kids questions about what they just witnessed isn’t always practical. Picking the right content can feel like an impossible task. You either don’t have the time to curate your own, or you don’t have the money to buy a subscription.

While I don’t have a silver bullet answer (sorry, folks), I have learned that if you are a ministry leader, you can set up your small group leaders, catechists, and ministry leaders for success when you help them:

KNOW THEIR AUDIENCE

There is a lot of well-produced material, but it’s not always relevant to your community. There are several factors one must consider when choosing content, such as:

Does this fit the culture? As someone who works in a growing multi-cultural parish, language is critical, and so is making sure that the videos I use represent those I serve.

What is the faith maturity of the people I lead? What spiritual habits do your community embrace, and which ones do they lack? Choosing a curriculum that focuses on the liturgy, the Eucharist, Bible studies, or the kerygma could help your community build the foundation of faith that they need.

What are their interests and passions? You might live in a community that is very much into justice, so fueling their Catholic social teaching would be huge. You may live in a community consumed by the arts; therefore, investing in content that speaks to Sacred art would be attractive.

Granted, there is so much we can teach and share through catechetical ministry, but knowing your audience allows you to identify where it is you need to start.

EQUIPPING THEM TO GROW IN THEIR DISCIPLESHIP

Many curriculum companies are starting to build out online volunteer training and resources. The problem is that many volunteers do not have the time or ability to invest in online activities. Therefore, as a leader, you need to find content that is easy to understand and build a culture where your leaders see that serving is more than the 60-90 minutes they’ve committed to each week.

Equipping your leaders is more than giving them a training guide; it’s helping them to grow in their discipleship. Catechesis is an outpouring of what one disciple knows through a personal witness. If there is anything, you should teach your leaders to pray and encourage them to make that a massive part of their time serving. While the content does matter, if it’s not immersed in a spirit of prayer, it’ll quickly become an academic subject, which many of us are trying to avoid.

PROMOTE FLEXIBILITY

The content you purchase or subscribe to does not have to be used verbatim to work. Any quality content organization I’ve talked to would agree with me. Their goal is to provide you with enough, so you aren’t left looking for more. But, they are also interested in learning how you have used their content.

As a leader, giving your leaders permission to adapt, add and tweak their content is essential. Remind your team that they do not have to follow things perfectly. Yes, we want to avoid blasphemy and heresy; however, that is resolved with training. Give them content where they can use some or all, but ensure they have permission.

Developing the right content is challenging, but it does not have to be paralyzing. While you can spend time and money on finding that content, it’s best to invest in your leaders so that they know who they are serving, how they can grow, and how they are leaders in how they shepherd the group.

What do you look for when it comes to content for your ministry?