Connecting with Teenagers During the Coronavirus Lockdown
In some ways, teenagers have been preparing for the coronavirus lockdown all their lives. Building community online is not new to them. Using everything from text messages to Internet-based video gaming, they talk and laugh with each other electronically all the time. We can discuss the value of online community for young people later. The […]
Connecting Members to Members (and Beyond) in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Online education is not simply watching a video and church shouldn’t be either. Our members need engagement with biblical content and interaction with the church leadership, but they also need one another. The third component of our online education framework, “The Community of Inquiry,” is connecting members to other members, neighbors, friends, and the lost. […]
Connecting Members to Leaders In the COVID-19 Pandemic
As we consider how online education theory can inform ways to create a healthy community at a distance, the next component in our “Community of Inquiry” framework is to facilitate ways for the church leadership to interact with members. Sometimes we forget how important a quick phone call, text, or written note directly from the […]
Connecting Members to Content in the COVID-19 Pandemic
As our church members feel isolated, fearful, anxious, and uncertain, they need the truth of God’s Word. This brings us to our first component of the online education framework called “The Community of Inquiry,” which is the need to connect members to content. During this chaotic time, church leaders must help members engage with Bible […]
Caring for the Deaf Community during the Lockdown
My little church has about 75 or 80 attenders, about 35 members, and a Deaf ministry. Yes, I know, you normally see Deaf ministry in larger churches, but we have Derek Foddrill. Derek is a college student with a passion for the Deaf, has learned to interpret American Sign Language, and invites his friends who […]
Teaching the Gospels, Part One: Finding Jesus in the Gospels
“Teach the Gospels!” That’s a journey worth the travel, an adventure worth the price. In the Gospels we meet Jesus in person, hear his voice, see him die and rise again, and learn his ways. Teaching the Gospels can be a dynamic and life-changing experience, an encounter with the living Lord. But it’s not a […]
Maximizing Prayer Time
Small group prayer can be some of the most meaningful moments of your group’s weekly time together. Prayer builds bonds between members of the group, encourages faith in God’s provision and care, and invites God to interject in our lives in a powerful way. As Bible teachers, you know that prayer requests are an essential […]
How to Get the Most out of Biblical Characters
Some of my favorite Bible studies are studies that go through the life of a biblical character. I love to learn about Abraham’s faith, Joshua’s courage, David’s humility, and Nehemiah’s leadership. The stories are often gripping and application for my life abounds. However, I often see Bible teachers use lessons about our favorite Bible characters […]
Other Activities For Adult Learners
We have all been there. Another Bible study to teach, and the same basic lesson outline. It usually goes something like this: Opening illustration, read the passage, a few basic discussion questions, application, prayer. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this lesson outline, but using it week in and week out can become a bit […]
Growing as a Bible Teacher
In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul encouraged his apprentice Timothy in “rightly handling the word of truth” (ESV). Teaching the Bible is an incredibly important endeavor. The Bible is the word of God, completely true, and has the potential, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to transform that lives of those we teach. That is […]