Youth Sunday School Curriculum - Setting Norms

By Jamie Starrett

If you are a teacher of a youth Sunday school curriculum, especially if you teach in a small group format, the key to your group's success will be setting norms. Norms are basically rules that the members of your group agree on and then follow. Each group is unique and therefore will have its own norms. Therefore this article will not deal so much with specific norms as try to give you some specific categories that you need to keep in mind when setting your small groups norms.

    Confidentiality- In any small group made up of teens there will be serious issues going on. Many of your students will be dealing with the divorce of their parents, addictions, abuse, and other serious issues. The place to deal with these issues though and find comfort is in your small group. But this cannot happen unless your students feel like your groups is a safe place. Therefore one of the first things you must do as a leader is set a norm that what is said at the table or in the room stays there. But be wise in this. You must realize that you have a legal responsibility to report some things so let your students know that while your group is safe you cannot promise them that you will not let someone know what they share.

    Communication- Much of the time in your study of whatever youth Sunday school curriculum you choose will be spent in discussion. In order for this to be an effective time though you will need some norms concerning who can talk, when they can talk, what can be shared, and how it should be shared. These will change slightly depending on the lesson topic and the age and makeup of your group, but for the most part should remain very consistent.

    New Member norms- One of the goals of your group should be growth. You should always be actively looking for opportunities for growth and outreach. Plus, whether you like it or not, your group will have new members as new families join your church. This is why you need to set some norms that ensure that new students feel welcome and comfortable in your group. There are a lot of different strategies to going about this so just think about the personality and needs of your group and then go from there. But whatever you do make sure that your group is a place where people are drawn in and made a part of strong Christian community.

Norms are the key to any successful small group study of youth Sunday school curriculum. Without them you will have mass chaos and no learning will take place and your group will definitely not grow. Therefore take a few moments at the beginning of your next small group session and set the norms for your group of students. This little extra time invested will make a great difference in your small group and the lives of those students who are a part of it.

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Jamie Starrett is a student pastor and has been at the same church for over 12 years and He loves it! He has two boys that he loves going camping and riding bikes with and a beautiful wife that is his best friend and partner in life.

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