Churches sometimes struggle with how to teach adults, even the importance of teaching them.
Question about the Importance of Teaching Adults
Isn’t children’s and youth ministry more important than adult Bible classes?
We do hear a lot about the priority of children’s and youth ministry. We must, however, be careful not to minimize adult ministry. Adults are the decision-makers in families, the workplace, schools, government, etc. God identifies adult parents as primarily responsible for discipling their children (Deut. 6:5-9; Eph. 6:4). Doesn’t that make equipping adults very important? While Jesus viewed children as precious, loved them, and did not turn them away, most of what we read in the Gospels shows how He focused mainly on adults. There must be a reason. Further, the Bible itself is written in language most suitable for adults and often deals with complicated situations. Certainly God puts great importance on teaching adults.
More Questions from Bible Teachers about Adult Classes
Once we settle the issue of the importance of teaching adults, we’re ready to ask other questions about teaching an adult class like . . .
- Adults are pretty much set in their ways so how much can we really reach them?
- Shouldn’t we deal more with the real life experiences of adults than facts of the Bible?
- Which method is best to use with adults?
Check out the Bible Teacher’s Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions which responds to these questions. The training resource looks at a total of 153 questions Bible teachers might have covering a wide range of topics.