Category Archives: General

Normally it’s best to tailor teacher training to the age of the students being taught, the setting in which they teach, and the needs of teachers based on knowledge, skills, and learning preferences. There are, however, topics relevant to all teachers so training general enough for all teachers may at times be appropriate.

When Teacher Training That’s More General May Be Best

These topics may be best suited for ….

• prospective teachers who want to learn a little more about teaching before committing.
• new teachers who need to see the big picture as they embark on their teaching journey.
• veteran teachers who need reminders of their overall purpose or mission.

That sounds like it includes about everybody who might be involved in a teaching ministry. So, while it’s best to tailor training to the needs of individual teachers, we mustn’t get so caught up on specific topics that we forget the big picture. That’s the foundation upon which to build the particulars.

Broad Topics Relevant to All Teachers

We should want all teachers to come under the umbrella of a biblical teaching philosophy with goals that align with God’s intent for learning His Word. Hence, we might provide general training on the following topics. (Click on links to read articles to further your understanding of these topics.)

1. overall goal of Bible teaching — that toward which we proceed

• The Ultimate Goal of Bible Teaching
• Grasp of the God of the Bible
• Pray Bible Teachers Present a God Great Enough
• Teaching for Changed Lives?
• The End Result of an Effective Bible Learning Process
• Is Changed Lives Everyone’s Overall Goal?
• Teachers with Shaky Foundations
• Bible Teachers Goal to Advance God’s Work?
• Bible Teaching has an Important Objective
• Do We Have the Same Objectives as Jesus?
• Leaving Church Changed?
• Let’s Not be Shortsighted

2. teaching-learning process — how we arrive at our goal

• What’s the significance of using a process?
• Foundations for Teaching-Learning Process
• Role of the Teacher in the Teaching-Learning Process
• Methodology in the Teaching-Learning Process
• Bible Teaching-Learning Process
• Questions About the Teaching-Learning Process
• Four Elements in the Bible Learning Process
• A Starting Point in the Bible Learning Process
• An Often Missing Element in the Bible Learning Process
• An Element Often Not Taken Far Enough in the Bible Learning Process
• The End Result of an Effective Bible Learning Process
• From Knowledge to Understanding
• From Understanding to Application
• From Application to Bearing Fruit
• From Fruitfulness to Knowing God Better

Teacher Training Resources for All Teachers

The following resources cover our overall goal and teaching-learning process:

The Aiming for Empty-less Teaching resource stresses the importance of aiming toward our overall goal with a process that will get us there. If we don’t, it will be like as though our students were never there. This training session challenges teachers to examine their own teaching.

The workbooks in the Teacher Training Workbooks Download Bundle fill in some of the particulars. They can be useful in bringing everyone under the umbrella of the same overall goal and teaching-learning process. You may want to start with the Teaching for Changed Lives Workbook. (You’ll find suggestions for how to use the workbook at: Teaching for Changed Lives Training Sessions) — Though you would save by ordering the bundle, any of these workbooks can be ordered separately.

Safety is a prime concern in today’s world. It seems very few places have been exempt of potential danger, even the Church. Bible teachers need to be aware of classroom safety issues.

3 Tips for Bible Teachers About Classroom Safety

Bible teachers should start with some broad tips when it comes to classroom safety.

1. Don’t take the “not at my church!” approach.

A church sued by a member used to emphatically say, “Not at my church!” Now that same church knows that they are not the exception. If you have a “Not at my church!” approach, you might not implement even commonsense safety precautions or might inconsistently implement policies. And, you will certainly not provide adequate training for teachers about safety issues.

Perhaps no one in your church will ever physically abuse a child. Be careful, however, of saying “Not at my church!” Your church is made up of human beings, isn’t it? Sometimes a person you might least expect can be dealing with secret issues. Safety policies and precautions are intended to be a safeguard against those times someone in your church is out of fellowship with God and not walking in the Spirit. Yes, it happens, even at your church!

2. Take a holistic approach to classroom safety.

Physical harm isn’t the only threat to classroom safety. People deal with all kinds of dysfunctional behavior they might bring with them. We need a holistic approach to safety — physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. Teachers need to know how to deal with various kinds of threats from bullying to physical aggression. (Order the Classroom Safety Issues Worksheet for help thinking through ways to provide a safe environment in all areas of our students’ being.)

3. Trust God but also put commonsense measures in place.

When Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself down from the highest point in the temple to prove He was the Son of God, Jesus quoted Scripture saying, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matt. 4:5-7). God does expect us to use commonsense. Yet, we’re also to trust in the Lord with our whole heart and not lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). As we submit to Him in ALL our ways, He’ll give us the wisdom and understanding on the best safety measures for our church and Bible classes. When we look to Him in ALL our decisions, we’re exercising the faith that pleases Him (Heb. 11:6).

For More: Classroom Safety Issues Teacher Training Resources

Imagine if everyone would be on the same page in terms of our overall goal! When we work as a coordinated whole, we tend to see more growth in that direction. People with varying spiritual gifts and ministry positions bring different perspectives, or aspects, to the same objective. When presented in different ways and a variety of settings, these priorities keep getting reinforced leading to a greater potential of becoming a reality. — So, the question becomes, “What is the page everyone should get on?”.

The Overall Goal We All Should Be On

Our overall goal should reflect God’s big picture. His primary objective is that we become lovers of God and people (Matt. 22:37-40) who walk in the light as He is in the light (1 Jn. 1:7) becoming more and more conformed to our Lord Jesus (Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 1:14-16). Getting there is a growth process (Col. 1:9-12; 2 Pet. 3:18) wherein we constantly change …

• becoming less and less lovers of self to lovers of God and others,
• moving out of darkness and into His glorious light,
• conforming less and less with the world and more and more into Christlikeness.

So, the page we need to get everyone on is that of seeing changed lives so we become more fully devoted followers and lovers of God.

The Network Needed to Increase the Potential for Changed Lives

God’s intent is that everyone has a part in the process. He wants us to “all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” so we’re not “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming”. As we speak “the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Eph. 4:13-16)

While teachers do have a major role, teaching for changed lives, they need a network of support beginning with leadership on through parents, teacher’s helpers, and any other believers involved in their students’ sphere of influence.

Bible teachers must keep the goal of changed lives ever before them. We help our students not only gain knowledge but true understanding that leads to change. We must keep coming back to this goal. A good starting point could be the Teaching for Changed Lives Workbook available from Ministry Tools Resource Center.

Teacher’s helpers must understand their role in working toward that goal. Teacher training efforts must keep bringing them back to this goal as well so their actions, words, and attitudes model and reinforce the overall goal.

Leaders are responsible to train teachers toward this goal but also provide structures, budgets, and other tools to assist in this process. The entire leadership team should be on the same page, which will in turn reinforce it in teachers. Check out this resource: Christian Education Leadership Team Training

Parents need to view the Christian education ministry of the church as a supplement to their primary role as disciplers, not a substitute. The church can help them understand their role. For Resources, go to: Biblical Parenting Resources

What part might you have in helping people experience changed lives?

How easy it is to apply a one-size-fits-all approach to teacher training. Yet, the help one teacher needs may not benefit another. We may also be prone to choosing topics we think would be helpful but aren’t what teachers struggle with the most. Taking time to learn more about individual teachers and their needs will help us provide teacher training that can truly equip them to become better teachers because it’s relevant to them and best fits their situation.

What We Need to Learn That Will Help Us Identify a Teacher’s Needs

To provide training tailored to the teachers themselves, we need to identify:

Topics of Greatest Need
Greatest Deterrents in Teaching

But, their training needs aren’t just about skill development. To be most beneficial we must also consider:

Preferences for Means of Teacher Training
Time Preferences for Teacher Training

How to Identify Training Needs of Bible Teachers

Sometimes it is as simple as asking. Other times we might need to use guiding questions. We can identify needs using one or more of the following means:

• teacher surveys
• student surveys
• one-on-one consultation
• observation/evaluation

You’ll find a survey in the Teacher Training Module which is part of the Christian Education Files Resource. This module can also be ordered separately.