Category Archives: Meeting Students’ Needs

We may feel our primary role as a Bible teacher is to communicate God’s Word. Yet, students in crisis may not feel like they can attend class. Do we just ignore those students? If they do come to class, it can be hard for them to pay attention. Do we simply hope they get something out of the lesson? Or, do we seek to help students in crisis?

If we want to truly reach and touch the lives of people in our classes, we may at times need to step out of traditional roles of a Bible teacher and meet them where they are. The title of a training resource points to a Bible Teachers’ Many Roles in Times of Trouble.

An Acrostic of What People Need from their Bible Teachers in Times of Crisis

Here’s an acrostic using the word “crisis” to help us think through what people do and don’t need in times of crisis. (Please note that this acrostic is only found in this post, not in the above mentioned resource.)

C  – Comfort of God, not mere pity (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

R – Reassurance of God’s care and presence, not a promise that all will be well (Ps. 23:4; 46:1-3; 139:1-18; Isa. 41:10; Heb. 13:5-6)

I – Insight into God’s perspective, not simply what will make them feel better or what they want to hear (Ps. 119:28, 105; 2 Cor. 4:15-18)

S – Sense of God’s grace, not condemnation (Lk. 6:31-42; Rom. 8:31-39; 14:10-14; 2 Cor. 12:9; James 4:11-12; Titus 3:2-5)

I – Intervention that’s about coming alongside, not about fixing them (1 Cor. 12:26-27; Gal. 6:1-5; 1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 10:24-25)

S – Support that’s practical, not simply words spoken to them (Matt. 25:35-40; Heb. 13:16; 1 Jn. 3:18)

Other Resources for Helping Students Going Through Difficult or Traumatic Times

• Crisis Strikes Worksheet
• Ministering to Students with Hurting Hearts Worksheet

Bible teachers, wouldn’t it be great to have students so motivated to know the Lord that they would say, like the Apostle Paul, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord …” (Phil. 3:8). Oh, to hear them not only say, “I want to know Christ” but also, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:10-12).

What if it seems like all I’m doing is pushing and pulling people to learn?

Face it, people have a lot competing for their hearts and minds. You may sometimes find yourself pushing and pulling students to learn and to grow in the Lord. Ask these questions about your efforts to motivate students:

1. Are you connecting with people in ways that help motivate them?

Training Resource: Help! My students don’t want to be here! They don’t want to learn! Worksheet

2. Are you strategic in connecting students with the God of the Bible and not simply its truths?

Training Resource: Motivating Students to Believe … And Act on What They Believe Worksheet

3. Are you relying on God, through His Spirit, to do the work through you and in your students’ hearts and minds?

Training Resource: The Holy Spirit & My Teaching Devotional

The Bible Teacher’s Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions provides a few more thoughts about each of these points. It also asks these questions about motivating students:

• How do we know what will motivate our students to learn?
• How can we motivate students if we don’t know what’s truly in their hearts?

The handbook covers 49 different issues related to Bible teaching, asking a total of 153 questions.

Bible teachers mustn’t assume all their students are true believers.

Just because a person has been going to church all his/her life, doesn’t mean he/she is a true believer.

Going to church doesn’t make a person a believer.

Just because a student seems to know what the Bible says, doesn’t mean he/she is a true believer.

Even demons know/believe what the Bible says (James 2:19). Head knowledge doesn’t make a person a believer.

Just because someone seems to walk the walk, doesn’t mean he/she is a true believer.

Many people are good and sincere. Doing good works, however, doesn’t make a person a believer (Eph. 2:8-9).

Just because a student says he/she is a Christian, doesn’t mean he/she is a true believer.

Some people think that because they aren’t atheists or Jews or of other persuasions, they must be a Christian. We aren’t true believers by default.

We can’t know if students have a personal relationship with God solely based on outward appearance. True conversion is a heart issue. Only God knows what is in a person’s heart. Only God can change a person’s heart. God will use a teacher and other believers to lead people to Himself but ultimately His Spirit regenerates.

If We Can’t Know For Sure if All Students Are True Believers, What’s a Bible Teacher to Do?

In light of the reality that only God truly knows what’s in a person’s heart, as Bible teachers we mustn’t assume. Rather, we should …

regularly pray for all students since God knows the true condition of their hearts.

always keep pace with the Spirit of God so as not to push ahead of the work He is doing in someone’s heart, nor to lag behind.

occasionally present the Gospel message even if we think all students in our class are believers.

Click Below for Teacher Training Resources & Ideas:

• Some Outreach Do’s & Don’ts for the Adult Classroom Worksheet
• Tools for Teachers to Share the Gospel
• More Training Resources for Outreach Efforts in the Classroom

Churches may not even think about including people with special needs or challenges until the first time someone with a disability attends. It would be good to think through a plan so we’re ready.

The First Question Churches Might Ask about Special Needs Ministry

Should we have a separate class for students with special needs?

As the Body of Christ, we must always strategize in ways that line up with God’s purposes and design for the Church. He intends that “each member belongs to all the others” (Rom. 12:5) with growth coming when everybody does their part (Eph. 4:16). We find no exclusions or conditions in those verses and others like it. People with special needs are a part of the Church and have something to contribute to the whole. If we isolate them into a class of their own, they miss out on the opportunity to contribute to the whole and other students will miss out on the blessing these students can bring. Making our classes inclusive communicates what the Body of Christ is about … loving and accepting one another. If we have separate classes, what will we do to show that they belong to the Body just as anyone else?

You’ll find a few more thoughts on the above question in the Bible Teacher’s Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions which also asks:

• How should the classroom be designed so it’s inclusive of students with special needs?

The handbook looks at 48 other issues related to Bible teaching, responding to a total of 153 questions.

Training Resource: Including Students with Special Challenges