Prioritizing Relationships and Results Ahead of Curriculum

     This past Tuesday, I went out to visit one of our Crossroads Kids Club sites. This particular site has been led by Patty LoCascio for at least five years. When Patty saw me, she was less than enthusiastic about my presence. "Why are you here?" she wanted to know. I made a joke about how it seems like she never wants me to visit, and she explained that I make her nervous and that she was not following the Crossroads curriculum plan for that day (which apparently made her more nervous). She said that she planned to explain the gospel to the students using the classic "bridge illustration" that day.
     As a side note, I am personally not a big fan of the bridge illustration for a number of reasons, including the fact that it focuses on us coming to God instead of the fact that God came to us—"to seek and to save that which was lost." In any case, later that day I received an e-mail from Patty telling me that 14 children had decided that they wanted to be forgiven and to follow Jesus! 14 children responded to her presentation of the gospel message. 14 lives are changed forever.
     The curriculum plan for that day called for the students to learn about how to resolve conflict and get along with their siblings. What if Patty had followed the leading of Crossroads instead of the Holy Spirit? What if I had expressed my reservations about the "bridge" and Patty had happened to listen? Only God knows what might have happened, but I suspect that the results would not have been as good. The other day I wrote a post about how Crossroads offers connection, curriculum, and consulting to local churches wishing to have school-based ministries. As important as the curriculum piece is (and it is very important), the consulting—the relationships—are far more important.
     A Kids Club leader must have a healthy relationship with the Lord. They need to listen to his leading and follow that regardless of the curriculum plan. Second, they must keep their eye on the ball, by which I mean that our goal is for all children to come to know, love, and serve Jesus. Sometimes they will need to modify or abandon a lesson plan to move toward that goal. To determine this, the leader needs to be in touch with both the Lord and with the students. Who knows? They may even use illustrations that I personally don't like, and they might see great results! Bottom line: Relationships and results are far more important than any curriculum or another person's preferences. In the end, I suppose that relationships are the curriculum—they are the "how" of what we do. And I am so glad that Patty did what she did and that there was much rejoicing among the angels on Tuesday as 14 children turned from sin and turned to Jesus!