Follow a Plan: A Simpler Way to Lead Ministry

Planning a full year of ministry curriculum can sometimes feel like trying to assemble a puzzle without the picture on the box . . . only to discover you’re missing a piece halfway through the year.

We’ve all been there.

You thought the year was mapped out, but somehow Easter landed on the wrong weekend, a series ran too long, or you realized too late that there’s a major gap in your teaching schedule. Between special events, volunteer coordination, church rhythms, and weekly ministry demands, planning a full year of discipleship can quickly become overwhelming.

Over the past few years, we’ve spent a lot of time watching how leaders actually use curriculum on RaiseUpFaith. And over time, we started noticing a clear pattern.

While some leaders enjoyed building custom teaching schedules from scratch, most churches naturally gravitated toward one of two approaches.

• following One Story as a long-term discipleship journey, or

• using one of our 52-week plans to guide their ministry year

That told us something important.

Ministry leaders aren’t necessarily looking for endless curriculum options to sort through. More often, they’re looking for clarity. They want confidence that the curriculum they’re using is intentional, organized, and helping move their ministry somewhere meaningful over time.

In other words, they want a plan.

That insight shaped the future of our new plans experience.

Instead of simply adding more curriculum to the platform (although we’ve done a lot of that too!), we decided to invest more deeply in curated year-long pathways that help churches spend less time piecing content together and more time leading well.

What Does It Mean to Follow a Plan?

Our plans are curated year-long curriculum pathways designed for Preschool, Kids, and Youth ministries.

Each plan includes a full year of ready-to-use curriculum organized into a clear weekly schedule. Rather than simply collecting random series together, each pathway is thoughtfully built to help churches lead with consistency and intentionality throughout the ministry year.

Every plan is designed to help children and students:

• Grow closer to Jesus

• Build a foundational understanding of the Bible

• Practice spiritual habits that shape everyday life

• Discover their place in God’s story and kingdom mission

Plans include:

• A full year of curated curriculum

• Clear weekly scheduling

• Age-appropriate pathways for Preschool, Kids, and Youth

• Thoughtful sequencing of themes and topics

• A roadmap for the ministry year with no gaps and no guesswork

What’s Included in a plan?

Each plan includes a collection of curriculum series scheduled throughout the year so leaders know exactly what lesson is being taught each week.

While formats may vary slightly between curriculum brands, every lesson includes:

• Leader overviews

• Opening activities

• Biblical teaching content

• Application activities

• Prayer experiences

• Take-home materials

Plans are designed to reduce planning stress while still giving leaders flexibility to adapt content to their ministry needs.

Flexible Plans for Real Church Ministry

Our plans are designed to provide guidance and structure, while still leaving room for the realities of church ministry. Churches may choose to pause for a special event, spend extra time on a series, or adjust pacing throughout the year as needed.

The plan isn’t meant to control your ministry calendar.

It’s meant to remove some of the pressure of figuring out what comes next.

We’ve done the mapping and sequencing work for you so leaders can move through the year with greater clarity, consistency, and less guesswork.

Find the Right Plan for Your Ministry

Our plans are designed to provide guidance and structure, while still leaving room for the realities of church ministry. Churches may choose to pause for a special event, spend extra time on a series, or adjust pacing throughout the year as needed.

The plan isn’t meant to control your ministry calendar.

It’s meant to remove some of the pressure of figuring out what comes next.

We’ve done the mapping and sequencing work for you so leaders can move through the year with greater clarity, consistency, and less guesswork.

Whether your church is looking for a fully mapped-out year or a long-term journey like One Story, our plans are designed to help leaders move through the ministry year with greater clarity and less guesswork.

Because at the end of the day, most leaders don’t just need more curriculum.

They need a plan they can follow with confidence.

✨ The new Follow a Plan experience is now live.

Every RaiseUpFaith subscription includes access to all plans, along with our full curriculum library and resources.

👉 Become a subscriber.