Teaching: Have a goal in mind.

 When you teach, what goal do you have in mind? Frankly, I have often taught with the goal of covering all the material or every verse in the passage. Sometimes my goal was to simply get in my three points, a poem and a prayer. But I confess, none of those are helpful or effective goals for leading small group Bible study.

In teaching, a goal is the knowledge, understanding, attitude, or behavior you desire for the learners to exhibit when the session is over. The goal is not stated in terms of what I will do as the teacher. It is stated in terms of what the learners will do to demonstrate that they have learned. Learning always includes change: learners will change in their knowledge, understanding, attitudes, or behavior as a result of the study. Sometimes, we may refer to our goal as a teaching aim. The most important part of a goal or aim is to state it in terms of what the learners will learn.  Therefore, the goal becomes the primary way to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning that occurred in the session. Note these examples:

Ineffective Goal:

I will teach the meaning of the Great Commission in Acts 1:8. (This goal is stated in what the teacher will do and has nothing to do with the learners. In fact, this goal can be carried out in an empty room and no learners in sight! Learning is not even mentioned.)

More Effective Goals:

As a result of this study, the learners will state the Great Commission in Acts 1:8 in their own words. (This goal shows the learners will change in their understanding of the Great Commission.)
The learners will show an appreciation of the Great Commission in Acts 1:8 by committing to learning about one mission opportunity in our church. (This goal aims to help learners change their attitudes about the Great Commission.)
The learners will memorize the Great Commission in Acts 1:8. (This goal reflects a change in knowledge in the learners.)
The learners will show skill in living out the Great Commission in Acts 1:8 by joining a mission team and completing a mission trip. (This goal works toward a change in the learner’s behavior.)

I perceive that leading Bible study with correct goals is one of the biggest challenges facing Bible study leaders. So, for the next several Wednesdays, this blog will explore how to determine teaching goals, how to create indicators which show learning is occurring, how to use goals to guide what the learners do in the Bible study, and how to use goals to evaluate the learning. Check here next week for further discussion of teaching with goals.

Scripture:

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 ESV

Prayer:

Study your Bible lesson for the next session you teach. Then ask God to help you formulate a goal for the session.

Dig Deeper:
Read Chapter 8, “Focus on Results: Teaching for Life Change,” in Creative Bible Teaching by Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt (Moody, ISBN:0-8024-1633-6).

Growth: Your Foundation for Growth

The Bible is the basis for all personal spiritual growth and corporate spiritual growth. God is the source of all growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) but He very frequently uses the Bible as the agent for growth in our lives. Think about it: while reading about the Bible and about God is good, reading the Bible, God’s own words, is infinitely better. The Bible is our textbook in group study and personal study.  It is our source for knowing God.  As a teacher or Bible study leader, your teaching skills flow out of what God is doing in your life. What God is doing in your life will very like be proportional to the amount of time and attention you give to the reading of God’s Word.

The more you read and reflect on God’s Word, the more opportunity you give God is build His truth into your life. Consider developing a Bible reading plan for your personal growth. My own experience is that as I read through the Bible repeatedly, God links significant passages to one another. Insights tie centuries together. New Testament and Old Testament relates in ways I had never found before. A stronger foundation forms as I systematically read my Bible. While I can read the Bible in empty, even legalistic ways, let’s remember that the Bible “reads” me as much, if not more, than I read it. All this weaves together a foundation that supports my study and preparation for teaching. 

I am convinced that reading the Bible is the basic and most important of all the spiritual disciplines. I also believe that reading the Bible greatly increases the likelihood that spiritual transformation will occur in each of us. Years ago I heard a teen explain his hunger for God. He opened his Bible to the flyleaf and read what he has written there: “Dear God, I give you permission to change my life every time I open this book.” Should you write the same prayer in your Bible?

Scripture:

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8 ESV

Prayer:

Finish this prayer to God: “God, help me love your precious Word more. Help me . . .”

Dig Deeper:

This website for CrossWay’s English Standard Bible (http://www.esv.org/resources/reading-plans-devotions/) provides numerous Bible reading plans with a variety of download options. Find a plan and make a commitment to read through your Bible using this plan.