A Mid-Week Bible Club Teacher’s Life

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Gods Purposes, Design, Mission - Mid-Week Bible Teacher's Disicpleship Goals Modeled in their Life
Since a mid-week Bible club provides a good setting for discipleship, we obviously need disciple-making teachers. These are teachers who not only verbally teach about God’s purposes, design, and mission for the Church but whose lives model what it looks like to pursue these goals.

Mid-Week Bible Club Teachers Are Also Disciples

Being a disciplemaker begins in our own hearts. Before being told to impress the commandments of God on their children, the Israelites were told, “these commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts” (Deut. 6:5-7). Before telling believers to “always be prepared to give an answer”, we read “in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (1 Pet. 3:15). If we’re going to disciple others to know and love the Lord, it must start with us loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind, not just with the outward acts (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 22:37-40).

When we’re teachable, we model for our students that the Christian life is a continual growth process. None of us have arrived but rather keep pressing forward (Phil. 3:10-14). Only as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:16) will we keep from straying. Our lives can help students know this reality.

Other Traits That Help Teachers in Mid-Week Programs

The passage referenced above from Deuteronomy 6 goes on to tell us how to make impressions on children. We reinforce what we say with what we do, using every opportunity we have to point children to the Lord both verbally and visually (Deut. 6:7-9). This speaks of the need for disciple-making teachers to be:

enthusiastic – the love in our hearts for God is so consuming of our whole being that it can’t help but spill over
intentional – not only looking for opportunities but also purposefully making opportunities
flexible – able to adapt wherever we are and in whatever we do

These qualities will enable us to make the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:16) whether in greeting students when they arrive, playing games, doing crafts, working on projects, or any other activity. We won’t be reliant on the lesson alone.

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A Mid-Week Bible Club Teacher’s Methods and Materials

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Methods and Mateirials for Mid-Week to Disciple toward Gods Purposes, Design, Mission
If our mid-week Bible clubs are going to be a platform for discipling children toward God’s purposes, design, and mission for them as members of His Church, then we need to use methods and materials that will open the door for that to happen.

Methods and Materials that will Help a Mid-Week Bible Teacher Reach Goals to Disciple

Since discipleship is built on relationships, it’s important to build relational opportunities into the entire session, including what happens before and after. That could include:

  • meet and greet children as they arrive
  • guided conversation as the group engages in various activities
  • large group to small group times to allow for a more intimate discussion
  • ratio of adults to children that allows for a small enough span of influence to engage individually and in small groups

With an objective of discipling children toward love for God and others, it’s important to plan for interaction with God and fellow members. That could include:

for time with God –

  • prayer times
  • interaction with God’s Word that’s creative and engaging
  • pointing to God in all we do, including fun activities
  • Scripture memory embedded in games, arts & crafts, etc.

for time with each other:

  • sharing times that lead to praying for one another and determining if there are practical ways of showing care for one another
  • group discussion about Bible truths
  • group activities/projects that are fun but with a purpose (don’t want this time to remind them of school, yet want them to learn and grow)
  • setting up the classroom so the seating arrangement best accommodates interaction

Since discipleship begins with children accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we need to incorporate the Gospel presentation into the sessions. Even more, we need to be ready for one-on-one conversations.

  • have enough workers to be able to talk one-on-one with visitors and regular attenders who may not be saved
  • have Bibles and outreach materials on hand for those still undecided to take home with them

As suggested in a previous point, we should guard against making outreach only the teacher’s responsibility. The mid-week Bible club presents a good setting for discipling those who do already know the Lord to reach out to those who don’t.

  • provide materials that make it easier for kids to share Jesus with other kids
  • incorporate unique ways of children to share their testimony
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A Mid-Week Bible Club Teacher’s Goals

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When strategically planned, a mid-week Bible Club can be a great setting for discipleship. Often a less formal setting with more activities, it can offer many opportunities for relationship building which forms the bedrock upon which to disciple. Think of Jesus who commissioned us to make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20). He came to earth to live among people, conversing with them through the course of everyday life and showing them the way to the Father (Jn. 14:6). As a disciple maker, Jesus spent time with people in all sorts of activities. In so doing, He communicated in both word and deed what it means to love God with all of our being and love others as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40).

Specific Objectives of a Mid-Week Bible Teacher’s Discipleship Goal

With an overall goal of discipleship, consider these three specific objectives that a mid-week program gives opportunity to reach:

Gods Purposes, Design, Mission - Mid-Week Bible Teacher's Disicpleship Goals1) Disciple them so love for God becomes their primary purpose in life.

As we build relationships with individuals in the group, we too can communicate in both word and deed what it means to love. Since Jesus clearly stated that the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:36-37), what greater objective can we have than to disciple these young lives to not only know the Lord but to love Him with their entire being?

It begins with understanding that God so loved us that He sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment our sin deserves (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:16). Loving God is only possible because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). Start by knowing the spiritual condition of students. Have they accepted this gift of love and grace? If so, what’s their next step to growing in their love for the Lord?

2) Disciple them so they build relationships with other Christians that follow God’s intent for us to love one another.

The informal structure of a Bible club lends itself to more social interaction among group members. What an opportunity this can be to disciple them to relate to one another the way God designed His Church to function — inclusive not cliquish, selfless not self-serving. Model this kind of interaction in the way you relate with other staff, parents, and ministry leaders both in and out of club time.

3) Disciple them so they reach out with the love of Christ to those who don’t know Him.

Make outreach about what the kids do rather than a primarily teacher initiated effort. Provide opportunity for them to pray for unsaved friends. Teach them how to share the Gospel and lead others to the Lord. Encourage them to invite these friends to the Bible club. Instill a sensitivity toward the unsaved in their midst, stressing the effect of their actions and reactions on being salt and light to them.

For More about a Teacher’s Role of Discipleship, follow the series of posts starting at: Bible Teacher’s Role as a Disciplemaker

Also Check Out This Resource: DISCIPLESHIP: Isn’t teaching a lesson enough? Teacher Training Worksheet

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FAQ about Small Group Studies

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Small Group Studies
We hear much about small groups in churches these days. Some may question the benefit of small group studies versus large groups.

Questions about Small Group Studies Versus Larger Groups

Why teach in small groups when you can reach more in a larger group?

While it is true that you will reach more people in a large group setting, the group dynamic will differ, allowing different possibilities in smaller groups than larger ones.

Here are benefits of small groups: 1) provide opportunity for deeper sharing as it is less intimidating than in a large group, 2) maximize participation so more people can engage more often, 3) increase the potential of fellowship and ministry to one another as people are able to get to know one another better, 4) engender a sense of accountability as it isn’t as easy to hide in a small group, 5) enable teachers to do more shepherding as their span of influence isn’t as great (See: Shepherding Ministry Venue: Small Groups)

Large groups, on the other hand: 1) provide an entry point for people who aren’t ready to get more intimate, 2) feel less threatening to people who are reticent to participate, 3) have potential of bringing greater diversity into fellowship, 4) can make people feel like they’re part of something bigger, 5) enable teachers to reach more people at once

It’s not simply a question of reach versus depth. The greatest benefit for people would be learning opportunities in both large and small group settings.

How can a church provide both large and small group studies?

Because both small and large groups have benefits, some churches follow the large group/small group model in their Sunday School or other teaching platforms. The session begins with a time of large group instruction followed by breakout groups. This approach can happen when a church has a lot of people the same age so only one teacher is needed for higher prep teaching and then others to facilitate discussion in smaller groups. It can also be used in smaller churches with multiple ages meeting together for large group instruction, followed by small groups based on age to bring greater understanding of its relevancy to their particular needs and life experiences.

Some churches rely on the sermon during the worship service for large group instruction and Sunday School for smaller groups, although in some churches Sunday School can still be mid to large size groups, not fully providing the benefits of truly small groups. They may also encourage people to get involved in life groups throughout the week which tend to be on the smaller size. Many churches have disbanded Sunday School and gone solely to small groups that generally meet throughout the week. Some use that smaller group to rehash the sermon to help personalize it more through discussion.

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