SOME PROBLEMS

1. “I have a Class member who can’t stop talking.”

.    When you ask a question, conclude it by say­ing, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance to talk yet”

• If the talker takes you on a sidetrack, say something like this. “That’s an interesting point, and some of us will want to pursue that after class. But for the moment I’d like us to focus on (and name the topic).”
• You may have to confront the person privately, after church or in their home. This may be painful for both of you. But if the matter isn’t resolved, the entire class will continue to suffer.

2. “The lessons are boring.”

• Buy some Bible study aids, such as an atlas, Bible dictionary, or a commentary on the Bible book you’re studying. Illustrated Bible Life has this kind of material to accompany the WordAction curriculum.

.    Allow your own personal excitement about the day’s lesson to infect your students. This can only happen if you have spent adequate time reflecting and praying about the lesson in your personal study time.

.    Give yourself a break and invite others to lead the class on occasion. Their different approaches may give you good ideas for lead­ing future sessions.

3. “I sometimes get dumb answers”

• Don’t bother asking questions with obvious answers, like “Who lead the people out of Egypt?” Avoid questions that have answers that are clearly correct, such as “In what city was Jesus tried?” People are afraid of being wrong and you are also embarrassed if their answers are incorrect. Go for questions that ask for an opin­ion, or a reaction.
• Say, “How do the rest of you feel about that?”

This gives class members a chance to correct the person, or to offer a different perspective.

• Handle the “dumb” answer with the kind of sensitivity you would want from Jesus if you said something wrong, though sincere, to Him.

4. “We meet in the sanctuary.”

• Get out of there if you can. This setting limits what you can do to involve your class. And it provides an environment_, that programs the people to listen, rather than talk. Talking is important to learning. A memory retention study concluded people remember 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, and 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what they say, and 90% of what they do and say. Though pews can be hard to bend into a cir­cle, you can do small-group activities that involve 3-4 people sitting near each other.

5. “I have a group of quiet people who don’t want to talk.”

• Consider the possibility that many have grown used to hearing you lecture. If this is true, it will take time to convince them that you are really interested in their insights.

.    Work on coming up with non-threatening questions that call on the people to offer their suggestions or perspective. Then resist the temptation to argue with them if you think they are wrong. (They won’t tell you what they think if they don’t trust you-if they are afraid you will embarrass them.)

.    Remember, people will always talk about one subject-themselves. Class sessions should continually allow students to talk about life, their lives and how life relates to the Bible.

6. “Our prayer time becomes a gossip session.”

.    Indiana University sociologist Donna Eder recently analyzed the lunchtime conversa­tions of 79 pre-teens and teens. She conclud­ed that it was the comment after the smear that decided whether or not the gossip contin­ued. If the first response agreed with the nasty gossip, the smear usually cOntinued. If the response disagreed with the gossip, or point­ed the topic in a more positive direction, the Smear usually stopped. So to stop gossip, point the topic in a new direction. And fast.

7. “Announcements take most of the class time.”

• Recent surveys show the main reason adults come to class is to study the Bible and learn how it applies to their lives. In a study by Mid-American Nazarene College, 572 of 990 people surveyed said Bible study was the pri­mary reason they attended Sunday School. Fellowship placed a strong second (436).

.    Appoint one person, such as the class presi­dent, to make announcements. That person would be less likely to give excessive details than the person in charge of the event.

• Ask your class council to agree on a time the lesson needs to begin, as well as end. If the announcements go over the allotted time, gen­tly hold accountable the person in charge of the preliminaries. Just before the next class session, remind the person to cut off the announcements on time, since you’ve got a lot of ground to cover in the lesson.

8. “My lessons seem to overlap quite often, sometimes even from week to week.”

.    Understand that many Bible passages do talk about the same basic principles, from differ­ent perspectives. Some overlap is always pos­sible. However, there are always new levels of truth and application to discover, even in the most familiar of passages.

• Do not limit the Spirit’s ability to be at work in new ways in your student’s lives, even in lessons that seem to be repetitious. Each day offers new experiences and new challenges that bring God’s Word to us in fresh ways.
• Be sure that you look far enough ahead in your study times that you know the basic direction of the unit you are in.
• A variation in methodology can give your content a fresh appeal.

.    Don’t try to cover too much material in any one lesson, thereby impinging on other lessons. Remember, one new truth each week is plenty of material to digest.

9. “I have a wide range of ages and interest in my class.”

.      Use your unique setting to your full advan­tage. The many different experiences your class has to offer can add a fuller sense of meaning and application to your teaching. Create an atmosphere where all feel they have something to contribute to others no matter what age or interests.

• Be sure you know your class well and look for common denominators to enhance your teaching.

.      If the class is too diverse and cannot prof­itably learn together, seriously consider the possibility of adding a new class, in consulta­tion with your SSM board.

10. “I never seem to finish my lessons.”

.    If your class times are meaningful and sincere discussion is taking place, finishing a lesson should not concern you.

• If your inability is due to poor planning on your part, create for yourself a planning guide for each lesson where you outline the approx­imate time you think each section of the les­son should take. Then do your best to hold to your outline.

11. “I don’t know which translation of the Bible to use in class.”

• In some classes, this is a very sensitive issue. Treat your students’ opinions with respect.

.    A class vote sometimes can help.

.    A variety of Bible translations used in class actually is a good Bible study tool. Use it to your benefit as you read and study the text.

.    Agree that one translation will be used for public reading, while each person can use their own version for discussion purposes.

12. “I can’t answer all my students questions.”

.      Good! No one expects you to. Good teachers are ones who are learning with their students.

13. “Our class never starts on time.”

.      Model your sensitivity to time by arriving early to class each week.

.      Start class on time whether your class is all there or not. Many will get the hint.

.      Conduct a class discussion on the issue of your class starting time. As a class, agree that starting on time is important and become accountable to each other.

14. “It always seems like I’m doing too much.”

• You probably are. The reason for most teacher burnout is overwork. Allow your students the privilege of taking over many of the jobs teachers often take. Students can take atten­dance, plan socials, visit absentees, oversee outreach opportunities, etc. as well as you (perhaps better!).

-Randy Cloud and Steve Miller

Prepared by Sunday School Ministries, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, Missouri, 64131. Permission to copy for local church and district training use only.

The

First

Two

Minutes

w important are the first two minutes of your lesson presentation? The basic components of the Sunday School lesson, as they usually occur, are: introduction, Bible study, life application, conclusion. Obviously, all are important. The lesson would be incomplete if any were deleted.

However, the introduction, the first two minutes, is the most important part of the lesson. Why?
It immediately tells students whether or not they should pay attention.

People attend Sunday School for many reasons. Hopefully, most of them attend to learn from the Word. Realistically, some have come because they want their children to attend. Others are there out of habit.

Many people join Sunday School classes because they enjoy the fellowship of Christian friends. Their classmates are their most-valued social contacts.

Though adults attend for a variety of reasons, this much is clear–they are all busy people. Unless given an adequate reason to be involved, they will take the class period to solve the problems facing them on Monday morning. Of course, they appear to be listening; but if you look carefully, you note a certain emptiness in their stare. That clue is undeniable evidence that, while they are present physically, their minds are far away. One businessman leveled, “I give my teacher 30 seconds of undivided attention. Then, I decide whether to pay attention for the rest of the period.”

Unfair? Probably, but common. One key reason why the first two minutes are so impor­tant is that, properly handled, they get the students “on board” from the beginning. It is easier to capture their attention to start with than to corral it later.

The first two minutes set the mood for the lesson.

In the introduction, the teacher sends a message to the class. Those early moments are like a weather vane that tells which way the wind is blowing. Those two minutes are valuable to show the class where you plan to go.

Be careful to not send confusing signals as to the purpose of the session. A class that has been led to believe it will study one topic will be confused if the teacher shifts directions. Valuable time will be lost, and competing ideas will be injected into the study.

The kstroduction gives a hint about teaching methods.

Do the students in your class know before they leave home how the lesson will be intro­duced? If so, the teacher has made a down payment on boredom. The teaching method chosen by the teacher will immediately inform the class if this will be just another class session, or one that promises unexpected challenge.

Television has impacted the learning skills of adults. This powerful medium designs its programs to capture the attention of casual listeners, keep them from turning to another sta­tion, give them a hint of the plot, and sell a brand-new deodorant–all in less than a minute and a half. Can we expect a nation addicted to that form of entertainment to be challenged by a weekly presentation lacking variety and vigor?

The first two minutes are not the enemy but the teacher’s best friend. They can be used to enhance even a dull classroom setting and increase everyone’s learning ability.

The last five minutes in a class should be more than a transition. The conclusion should have at least three aspects:

It should include an attempt to resolve the issues discussed. The conclusion should reach toward the lesson goals.

The last minutes should give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to apply the sacred truth to individual lives.

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The teaching methods used during the last five minutes will differ greatly depending on the goals the teacher has set for that lesson. Effective conclu­sions result from using the right method to summa­rize and apply the biblical truth being studied.

These techniques can be used during the last five minutes:

Questions

Carefully designed questions are one of the teacher’s best tools. They guide the class in unwrap-ping the scriptural truth as it relates to their daily experiences.

Many educators insist that some form of per­sonal evaluation must be built into the conclusion of every Sunday School lesson.

Share the most meaningful .. .

The teacher asks the students to identify the one thing that was most meaningful to them during the lesson presentation. It could be a scripture, an idea, a sentence, perhaps just a word. Each person shares what was most meaningful–and why.

Write a sentence

Not all Sunday School classes enjoy writ­ing. But it can be a worthwhile experience. Writing forces us to define our thoughts. At the close of a lesson on a controversial subject, each student could complete this sentence.

“I used to think__________________ , but

now I think_________________________

Set Personal Goals

During the last five minutes the teacher will want to help students answer this question:

“If I took today’s lesson seriously, what would I do?”

The answer can vary from a group commit­ment to a private decision. But, before the bell rings or the choir members leave, each person needs to be challenged to take a specific action.

Making the Scripture

Personal

One goal in adult Bible teaching is to help the students realize the promises of God’s Word are for each individual. How can you help people put their “monogram” on a scripture passage?

Place your name in

Invite students to place their names in the verse in place of the personal pronoun; for example, “For God so loved Mary Jones, that he gave his only begotten Son, that when Mary Jones believes in him she will not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Imagine

Set the biblical scene, inviting students to put themselves in that place–like sitting on the hillside where Jesus took a lunch and fed 5,000. How would they feel?

Closing Devotional Period

Not every lesson lends itself to a worshipful conclusion. Nor should a teacher build this atmos­phere when it is not complementary to the mood of the scripture being studied.

On the other hand, the sacred opportunity should not be lost. When it is appropriate, give time for prayer requests, both vocal and written. You may want to assign prayer partners so people know someone shares their burden.

A simple chorus or a verse from a well-known hymn can also provide the seal of God’s blessing on the Sunday School class period.

–Gene Van Note

Prepared by Sunday School Ministries, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, Missouri, 64131. Permission to copy for local church and district training only.

1. ONE LESSON TO GO, IT WILL BE POSTED ON 6/20 IT ACTUALLY IS A SET OF VARIOUS ARTICLES THAT I HAVE CULLED. READ THEM COMMENT ON THEM AND USE THEM.  YOUR FINAL ASSIGNMENT IS TO PRODUCE: [CHOOSE ONE]

A. A SET OF TEACHING MATERIALS ON A STORY IN THE BIBLE…IT COULD E A POWER POINT PRESENTATION OR A VERY DETAILED LESSON PLAN SO THAT ANYONE COULD WALK INTO YOUR CLASS, PICK UP THE LESSON AND TEACH IT. POST UNDER A.

B… USING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED PREPARE A LESSON ON TEACHING TEACHERS TO TEACH.. POST UNDER B

2. HOW HAS THIS CLASS AFFECTED YOU?  CHANGED YOU?  WAS THE CLASS WORTHWHILE?  WORTH THE PRICE?  WERE THE ASSIGNMENTS BENEFICIAL? WERE THE LESSONS RELEVANT?  ON TOP OF HAVING TO REWRITE MOST, I SHIFTED GEARS AND CHANGED TEXTS [SOME OF THE LESSONS WERE FROM T HE NEW TEXT], WAS THE CHANGE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.  THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN I DIDN’T COMMENT. [I HAVE READ ALL YOUR COMMENTS] DO YOU WISH THERE WAS MORE FEEDBACK FROM ME? POST UNDER COMMENTS.

effective-teaching-tools-resources-and-methods-for-adultsT

effective-teaching-tools-resources-and-methods-for-adults1

a-burning-desire-or-a-burned-out-spirit

if YOU would like the powerpoint send me an email.

We learn from Acts 4:36-37 that Barnabas was a Levite landowner from Cyprus. This son of encouragement was also “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (11:24).

Possibly Barnabas was a bachelor, though we cannot positively discover whether this is true from the New Testament. Paul asked the rhetorical question, “Don’t we have the right to take a believ­ing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?” (1 Cor. 9:5-6)

We have no record of a wife for Barnabas, but the argument from silence is not conclusive. There does seem to be a hint in the Corinthian passage that Paul compared Barnabas with him-self as one who was serving the Lord as a single.

With all the emphasis on the family in our day, we sometimes tend to make singles feel as though they must be out of the will of God. Such is not the case. Several notable New Testament leaders were single people, and Barnabas may have been among them.

I am impressed that Barnabas did not feel the need to start some new sect or group of his own. As a popular leader, he easily could have formed a divisive group that would have been de­structive to the fragile workings of the early church. But Barna­bas was not a divisive man. On the contrary, he exemplified a cooperative spirit when he gave the proceeds from the sale of his land to the church (Acts 4:37).

An encouraging leader understands the difference between stewardship and ownership. Barnabas was a steward of his land and acknowledged God as its Owner. Barnabas had the re-sources; the church had the need. It didn’t take him long to determine what God wanted him to do.

ENCOURAGING LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC MINISTRY

An encouraging leader is a man or woman of faith, the kind of faith that was obvious in the public ministry of Barnabas.

Barnabas demonstrated his faith in the church. Luke indicates that Barnabas trusted the leaders of the church at Jerusalem with his money (Acts 4:34-37). It is important to keep in mind that his donation preceded the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit (5:1-10). Indeed, since Luke recorded the passages back to back in Acts 4-5, we see an almost deliberate contrast between the open, trusting attitude of Barnabas and the selfishness and devious mistrust of Ananias and Sapphira.

Do you want to be an encouraging leader in your congregation, a help to other leaders, and an example to other members of the workteam? Then be a person who has faith in the church. It is easy to criticize the church because churches, like people, are imperfect. The reason is obvious–churches are made up of people. I don’t doubt that the Jerusalem church was imperfect in its embryonic state as it suffered persecution and tried to formu­late a definitive New Testament theology.

But think what the presence of Barnabas meant to that group! Without question he presented both his financial resources and himself for service to Christ in the church. No wonder his fellow Christians called him “Son of Encouragement.”

Barnabas also showed faith in people. This is clearly demon­strated by his attitude toward Saul: “When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord” (9:26-28).

We should not be surprised that the other leaders in the Jerusalem church were suspicious of the great persecutor. The real point of the passage is that their trust in Barnabas was greater than their distrust of Saul. It is a clear display of an attitude apparently prevalent in the church: “Any friend of Barnabas a friend of ours.” Barnabas was known as a man who trusted people; therefore, he was trusted. Integrity was a strategic component of Christian leadership then-and it is now.

We can imagine that Barnabas had been most interested in the dramatic conversion of Saul and had probably watched his devel­opment since his conversion, notably his preaching at Damascus.  On the basis of all the evidence Barnabas had, and probably having carefully prayed about the situation, he boldly moved forward with the leading of the Lord to introduce the former scourge of Christians to the church of Jerusalem. His recommen­dation erased all questions and Saul was accepted as one of the brethren.

Barnabas also demonstrated his faith in people by his attitude toward his own nephew, John Mark. We read in Acts 15:36-40: “Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp dis­agreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.”

This is one of those realistic passages that establishes the Bible’s credibility. It would have been easy for Luke as a historian to gloss over this dispute between two great church leaders, but he recorded it as it happened.

Certainly, there could be some family feeling in the case of Barnabas toward John Mark, and one hesitates to say whether he or Paul represented the correct position in the dispute. No doubt Mark had been undependable on the first missionary journey. Paul, the perfectionist, was not going to put up with that kind of incompetence again. But Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement, was willing to give the young man another chance.

The fact that Barnabas passed out of history at this point is not disturbing. Mark reenters not only as a valued companion of the Apostle Paul but also as the writer of one of the synoptic Gospels. It is genuinely fascinating to hear Paul’s words from a Roman prison cell: “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11).

What made Mark profitable for Paul’s ministry? Certainly not the apostle’s rejection of the young man because of his earlier mistakes. Quite possibly Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement patiently tutored Mark and helped him become a faithful servant of God. Later Mark would be one of the Bible’s writers.

Another positive factor of the early church leader Barnabas is the fact that he had faith in himself When things were beginning to develop at Antioch, the church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to help the believers there. When he arrived and saw that the grace of God was clearly evident in that city, “He was glad and encour­aged them all to remain true to the Lord ith all their hearts” (Acts 11:23).

As the work developed, Barnabas did an unusual thing. He went to Tarsus to seek Saul, “and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch” (11:26).

That’s an amazing twist to the contemporary understanding of leadership! Here was a man who was willing to be vulnerable. Barnabas had complete faith in himself and his own abilities, but he also recognized the limitations of those abilities. What the new believers at Antioch needed was a man who could institute in-depth teaching of the Bible, a man capable of applying Old Testament Scripture to New Testament Christianity. Though Bar­nabas was a Levite, he hardly had the schooling of the brilliant young Pharisee from Tarsus; and he knew that Saul was the man for the job. Barnabas was not insecure, he was not threatened, and he was not defensive about his position at Antioch.

Here was his big chance. Barnabas could have had “a church of his own,” perhaps even larger than the one at Jerusalem. But Barnabas did not think like the rulers of the Gentiles (cf. Mark 10:42) when it came to his understanding of leadership. He had a New Testament servant’s mentality. His calm faith in himself, in God’s call, and in God’s provision for leadership enabled him to send for Saul so that the church at Antioch could profit from Saul’s unique teaching abilities.

Finally, it is important to recognize that Barnabas had faith in the mission of the church as it related to world evangelization. Antioch was destined in God’s plan to become the first mission­ary church. When it came time for the members of the church to  send forth their first missionaries, they waited before the Lord Until the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2).

One of the most difficult jobs of a Christian education director is to remove a person or dismiss him or her from responsibility. This is the hardest part of the work, but sometimes it is necessary.

Here Are Several Reasons Dismissing Workers Is Difficult

• They may not have the ability to do what we’ve asked them to do.
• They may be unwilling to do what we asked them to do. They said yes but were unable to carry through.
• Sometimes people are just undependable. They don’t have enough discipline to do it.
• Sometimes people have a negative attitude. They do their work but seem angry about it all the time. Or they don’t like the pastor and constantly undermine his or her leadership.
• Sometimes people have major disagreements about the doctrine of the church.
• Maybe there is something about his or her personal life that is immoral. He or she has succumbed to the temptation of sin and is unrepentant.

Sometimes we think the easiest thing to do is simply wait and hope that the problem will go away. It usually doesn’t. So a leader must take the responsibility to lead and do something about the situation.

What Are Our Options When This Happens?

• Clarify the responsibility. In this way, we might correct the problem so that the person can continue in his or her responsibility. If he or she isn’t doing the job, we may ask if he or she doesn’t understand the written job description. Communicate well using the written document. Perhaps he or she has forgotten or has misunderstood what was written. This will give you opportunity to correct that situation. Perhaps he or she will say that he or she didn’t understand and can’t do the job as you wish.

• Move him or her to something else or adjust the assignment to fit his or her abilities. You may need to help him or her find something else better suited to his or her abilities that he or she can do. Maybe he or she doesn’t have enough time to be the main teacher but would have time to be the assistant teacher. Maybe he or she thought he or she could work with children but didn’t do well. You might try him or her leading an adult prayer meeting.

• The third option is the hardest. Sometimes we have to ask him or her to leave the assignment because of a negative attitude, doctrinal difference, or immorality in his or her life. In this case, he or she would only take the problem with him or her to a new assignment.

Always pray before you choose this option. Always seek the counsel of another leader in your church before you choose this option. It could be the counsel of another mature Christian in your church. It must be the counsel of a person who will not talk a lot. You must also be very specific about why you are asking the person to step down. It can’t be done only on your feelings. You must be very specific when you talk to him or her. I will tell you now that sometimes the person will be very angry with you, but no one ever said that being a leader would be easy. That’s why you must be sure that what you are doing is the right thing and you are doing it for the right reason.

Our Ultimate Goal in Asking Him or Her to Step Down Is Redemption

We are not forgetting about the person when we ask him or her to step down. We don’t want the person to leave the church. Our responsibility to minister to him or her actually increases. That is very hard because he or she may not want your ministry, but that must be his or her decision and not yours. You must continue to pray for him or her, to call, to let him or her know that he or she is welcome to come to the church. Sometimes he or she will reject that and go to another church. There are times when, if we do it in the right spirit, the Holy Spirit will talk to him or her and he or she will say, “You are right. I need to repent.” The Holy Spirit is faithful to show him or her how he or she is wrong, and he or she submit himself orherself to the church and is redeemed back into the family. Then after a while they can again take a position of leadership. When it works well, that is the way it is supposed to happen. I’m sorry to say it doesn’t always work that way.

In the New Testament, when discipline in the church is discussed, it is always for the sake of redemption. It is never to dismiss the person to judgment. It is always so that he or she will come back to faith. That is the principle even in the issue of excommunication. We are to always exhibit the grace of God. We cannot close our eyes to sin and pretend things are right when he or she is wrong, but we can let him or her know that the grace of God is available, and if he or she will repent, the will welcome him or her back.