Curriculum - "Write It or Buy It???"

In my work with Children's Ministries, I have both written/authored curriculum and used purchased curriculum from other companies.  Do I think one is better than the other?  Well, it really all depends.  Some ministries write their own curriculum because they cannot find one to purchase that fits their ministry needs or maybe even one that is Biblically strong or sound.  This, however, takes a LOT of time when you want to do it right.  Still, I have seen many a Children's Ministry Director battle with the decision of whether to purchase or create their own.  Here are some things to consider when trying to make the decision:
 
1. Do you have the time and possibly the staff to create it? - As I said before, writing curriculum correctly takes time.  Do you have the time to dedicate to do this?  Do you have staff available to help?  There are 52 Sundays in a year - do you have the time to create AT MINIMUM 52 lessons (more if you have more than one class of students)?  Do you and your staff have sound understanding of the Word to write Biblically sound lessons?  These are all things you should consider and preferably (in my opinion) a "yes" answer to all of the above would be needed in order to be ready to create your own curriculum.
 
2. Do you have the budget to purchase curriculum for your teachers? - Many curriculums out there will not allow you to make copies of their materials, which means you have to purchase a copy of that curriculum for each of your teachers. Also, many curriculums only cover three months (a quarter) of a year, so you will have to purchase new teaching guides four times a year.  If you have a large volunteer teaching staff, this can be very costly.
 
3. Are you a new Children's Ministry? - If you are a new Children's Ministry, maybe purchasing a curriculum is a good option for you because of all of the work it is going to take to get things up and running.  If you feel like you want to create your own curriculum, then possibly use the first years of your Children's Ministry to create it while using purchased curriculum until you have completed your lessons.  If you are a new ministry with a smaller volunteer staff, this could work out better for your cost wise as well; you won't have to purchase as many copies.
 
4. You can purchase curriculum AND supplement with writing your own. - Sometimes you can take a purchased curriculum and make the necessary changes to it in order to make it work for your ministry.  There are still copywrite guidelines that will prohibit you from making copies in some cases, but you can still work to create lessons that fit your teaching style and ministry needs.
 
These are just a few things to think about when deciding which path to take in choosing curriculum for your Children's Ministry.  The bottom line is putting something in place that fits the needs of your church and keeps the children engaged, learning, and growing in God.  If you have the heart and passion to reach children with God's Word, then you are more than halfway there!