Tips For Teaching

Teaching is not easy, in fact it can be rather challenging to present a lesson and lead discussion for your peers. There is something else that is true about teaching, it is impossible to teach a good small group lesson if you do not put the necessary time in to prepare. It is a disservice to yourself, your class, and your Lord you represent. The following are 3 simple tips for teaching a Bible study:

1. Preparation – preparation is the key to teaching a good lesson; if you do not put the necessary time in to preparing to teach you class, do everyone a favor and step down; think through questions to get people thinking about the topic and involved in the conversation.

 

2. Patience – when asking questions be patient; assume silence means people are thinking; if silent for long enough, people will eventually talk; 

3. Practice – practice makes perfect; before you get to the classroom setting, practice your lesson (this is part of preparation); teaching is a skill that is learned, do not quit if it takes a while to get good at it!

Staying In Love - Promo

This Sunday we are starting Staying In Love at First Baptist Jenks. I am really excited to see how this goes and what God does through the marriages in our church. In my opinion, there is not a better communicator than Andy Stanley and I am sure this will be great! Here is a promo video about the series:

Thoughts on Preparing a Lesson

The following was produced by my friend Jerry Adams during a recent leadership development meeting at First Baptist Jenks.

Preparing the Teacher

• Understand your Responsibility: James 3:1 & 2 Timothy 2:15
• Understand the Need to Pray
• Be Taught before Teaching: Be willing to do whatever God asks you to do
• Be a Servant Leader: Actions speak louder than words

Preparing the Lesson
1. Historical Background: Understand the big picture of the book your teaching
2. Observe: Who, what, when, where, why, & how of the passage
3. Interpretation: Summarize the main point into one sentence
4. Application: How did it apply and how does it apply today

Helpful Hint: Try to ask questions that drive people to look for answers in God’s Word.

5 Steps to Dynamic Teaching

1. Study, Study, Study
If you do not prepare, your lesson will stink!

2. Understand the Context of the Passage
If you don’t understand the context of a passage, you miss the main point and most likely fall prey to erroneous teaching.

3. Stay Focused
With the amount of time you have on a given lesson, stay focused on the main idea and point… don’t chase rabbits, shoot them!

4. Connect Content with Life
Point out how the message is relevant to daily life.

5. Apply Content to Individual’s Lives
Point out specific applications.