Why Ohio's Success Sequence Curriculum Matters for the Church
A Monthly Publication of the Church Ambassador Network
In a culture increasingly marked by relational confusion, economic instability, and fractured homes, our young people are searching for direction. They need to know that God’s design for human life is not an arbitrary set of rules meant to restrict freedom, but a blueprint for human flourishing.
The Ohio General Assembly took a monumental step toward reinforcing that truth by passing the Success Sequence bill (originally introduced as Senate Bill 156 by Sen. Al Cutrona and then amended into SB276). This crucial legislation requires the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to review and maintain a list of curricula centered on the "Success Sequence" for students in grades 6 through 12, making instruction on these principles a requirement for high school graduation.
This is a profound victory for Ohio's children, and an urgent call to action for the Church.
What Is the Success Sequence?
The "Success Sequence" is a simple, data-driven framework for poverty avoidance and personal stability. It outlines three fundamental milestones young people should achieve:
Education: Complete at least a high school education.
Work: Obtain and maintain full-time employment.
Marriage: Wait until marriage before having children.
While this formula might sound like basic common sense to those grounded in a biblical worldview, its power is backed by overwhelming empirical data.
The Brookings Institution Study
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and Marline Pearson first identified the Success Sequence framework. Brookings Institution scholars Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill later popularized it.
Analyzing national data tracking thousands of young Americans over decades, researchers found an unmistakable pattern: 97 percent of young adults who follow all three steps of the sequence avoid living in poverty as adults.
Crucially, subsequent research from the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) demonstrates that this sequence acts as a powerful equalizer across racial and socioeconomic lines:
96 percent of Black Millennials and 97 percent of Hispanic Millennials who follow the Success Sequence are not poor in their mid-30s.
94 percent of individuals who grew up in lower-income families avoid poverty if they follow these three steps.
95 percent of those raised in non-intact, single-parent homes escape poverty when they adhere to this order.
The data proves what Scripture has taught for millennia: personal choices, self-discipline, and honoring God’s design for work and marriage create a foundation of stability that structural disadvantages cannot easily overturn.
Replacing Deceptive Curricula with Common-Sense Truth
For years, public school curricula across our state and nation have been infiltrated by ideologies directly opposed to biblical principles. Students have been subjected to instruction shaped by:
Radical Sexual Ideology & Gender Theory: Lessons that detach sex from marriage and separate biological reality from human identity.
Victimhood Narratives: Frameworks that teach young people they are entirely helpless products of systemic forces, stripping them of personal agency and hope.
Moral Relativism: Curricula that present all family structures as functionally identical, ignoring the immense social, emotional, and economic value of a home led by a married mother and father.
The implementation of the Success Sequence curriculum directly counters these harmful narratives. It replaces moral ambiguity with objective reality, reminding students that their decisions matter and that their future is not predetermined by their past.
Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 22:6 to "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." By embedding these principles into public education, Ohio is helping ensure that young people, especially those who do not have intact families modeling this pattern at home, are given a clear map toward flourishing.
Facing the Opposition with Pastoral Grace and Boldness
Surprisingly, this legislation faced intense resistance. The bill passed along strict party lines, with every progressive lawmaker in the Ohio General Assembly voting against it.
Critics argued that promoting the Success Sequence imposes traditional or religious moral standards on students, ignores structural economic barriers, or "shames" non-traditional family structures.
As pastors, we must respond to these objections with love, yet unyielding clarity:
Truth Is Not Hostility: Telling a young person the truth about how to avoid poverty is not judgmental; it is one of the highest acts of love.
Empowerment Over Despair: Highlighting personal agency does not mean ignoring real hardship. It empowers young people to break cycles of poverty in their own lives.
Redemption for the Broken: We must always remember that many in our pews and communities have not experienced this ideal sequence. Our message must never be one of condemnation, but of hope, restoration, and a better path forward for the next generation.
Wisdom from Christian Thinkers
Great Christian leaders throughout history have emphasized that God’s moral order is built into the fabric of creation for our good.
In his classic work Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis illustrated why living according to God’s design is necessary for human success:
"God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself... There is no other."—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
When society attempts to build families or economic futures while ignoring God's blueprint, the machine breaks down. Reflecting on the relationship between societal stability and the nuclear family, G.K. Chesterton presciently warned:
"The disintegration of rational society started with the drift from the hearth and the family."—G.K. Chesterton
And as former prison minister and founder of Prison Fellowship Charles Colson noted regarding our civic responsibility:
"As agents of God's common grace, we are called to help sustain and renew His creation, to uphold the created institutions of family and society... to heal and help those suffering from the results of the Fall."— Charles Colson
The Success Sequence is a tangible expression of common grace in public policy—protecting youth from hardship and preserving the institution of the family.
Practical Steps for the Ohio Pastor
How should local church leaders respond to this cultural momentum? Here are three practical steps you can take today:
Preach a Comprehensive Biblical Worldview on Family and Work: Dedicate sermon series or adult education classes to teaching God’s design for work, stewardship, dating, and marriage. Do not let culture be the primary voice instructing your church's youth on these vital topics.
Engage Local School Boards and Christian Educators: Reach out to local public school administrators, teachers, and school board members in your community. Encourage them as the Ohio Department of Education rolls out this curriculum, and advocate for faithful adherence to the law in your district.
Pair Truth with Active Ministry to Single Parents and At-Risk Youth: Proclaim the ideal with clarity while wrapping your arms around those in crisis. Establish mentorship programs, financial literacy classes, and single-parent support groups in your church to help families heal and thrive.
Join the Movement
Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) is dedicated to equipping pastors, protecting families, and advancing public policy rooted in Gospel truth across Ohio. Here is how your church can stand with us:
Partner with the Church Ambassador Network: Connect your pastoral team with local and state government leaders to bring the presence and truth of Christ into the halls of government.
Read the "Hope and a Future" Policy Report: Explore CCV's comprehensive policy initiative that recommended the Success Sequence and other solutions to strengthen Ohio families.
Support the Mission of CCV: Partner financially with Center for Christian Virtue as we continue to advocate for life, family, and religious freedom in Ohio's Statehouse.
The Church Ambassador Network is a ministry of Center for Christian Virtue. They exist to serve and resource the Church in Ohio to understand the times and know how to respond. Read more about their mission at CCV.org/CAN.
