Student-Focused Learning: Making Your Teaching Style More Exciting

By Larry Thomas

Are you looking for practical ways to nudge your discipleship students closer to God no matter where they are on their spiritual journey?

Without question, things are different in the local church today than they were a few years ago. We are in an unprecedented competition for people's time, energy and attention. How can Sunday School or small groups successfully attract, keep, and nurture believers today?

In the classic training manual, Student-Focused Learning, you'll follow a typical family as they progress from casual seekers of faith to active involvement in kingdom ministry. Their story will show you:

• New perspectives on teaching and learning
• Easy ways to incorporate ideas into your teaching
• How to give your class what they want out of church
• And more!

You'll be surprised at how easy this style of teaching is, and your growing class will be delighted as you provide sound biblical teaching that will affect their lives, as well as give them a place where they can belong.

Also available in Spanish, El alumno el la mirilla.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gospel Publishing House
• Release date: Jan 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781607315308

Larry Thomas

My desire to become an author developed through the years as my own children grew.We read books every night. When they were little I read to them. As they grew, and learned how to read, they read to me.We congregated on the couch, or on one of their beds, and read stories together. It was fun, crazy, and sometimes frustrating. There were times when schedules made group reading difficult, but individual sessions were managed most nights.During those years of family growth, I developed the desire to write my own books. Initially I thought about writing children’s books – and developed outlines for a couple of them. Jeremy Raybourne was one of those initial children’s books. But as my children grew and they began to read different genres, my desires changed, too.The outline for the Jeremy Raybourne series was written over 20 years ago, but was put on the back burner due to time constraints created by my career and family responsibilities. Much has changed since the original outline. Technology is changing at light speed. Scientists are making new discoveries every day. When I picked up the project again, I had to re-think the concept and start from scratch. The new series is much better than the original idea.Through the years I have enjoyed reading gay themed novels. Initially I read the typical romance – man meets man, falls in love, and lives through the conflicts that same sex couples faced. Then I discovered the gay themed suspense thriller and became hooked. I couldn’t get enough.I started writing gay (male/male) themed novels, using my pen name John Charles and never looked back. I enjoy the romance aspect that only two men can have. I find developing a character that is passionate about his life and the life of his lover is a turn on to many readers as well as to me. So I try to develop that passion in my books and endeavor to make each character special.The plots in my novels come from real life situations. I have always believed that real life is more interesting than anything a person could make up. So I listen, keep my eyes open, and let the world give me the ideas that make my stories believable and interesting.

Book preview

Ministry

Introduction

Things are much different in the church world today than they were only a few years ago. It doesn’t take superior intelligence to recognize this. A quick glance will provide ample evidence of the changes.

One major difference is how people move from church to church on a regular basis. The reason for the change can range from relocation to another area to dissatisfaction over an insignificant event.

Another difference is the lack of denominational loyalty and family traditions. These increasing realities, combined with the fact that our society has transitioned to a postmodern and post-Christian era, have resulted in a greater number of people who have very little use for the institutional church as we know it. Without question, today’s church is in an unprecedented time of competition for people.

How then can today’s church successfully reach the unchurched and keep those who fellowship in our churches? One method to accomplish this is to develop and maintain an effective and exciting small group ministry in the local church. This places a great deal of pressure on Sunday School teachers and small group leaders. No matter what else goes on in a church, most people are reached and assimilated into the body through these smaller settings.

The natural question that surfaces is how does a teacher or group leader develop a class that is exciting without sacrificing biblical integrity?

In this book we will look at vital principles for creating an effective small group. Each plays a significant role in maintaining an environment that will draw and keep those who attend the class while remaining true to God’s unchanging Word.

To help us along our journey of discovery, we will follow a typical couple named Dave and Jenn. They are a composite of the typical modern-day couple the local church is commissioned to reach and disciple. We will follow them as they progress from casual seekers to a couple that has become actively involved in Kingdom ministry.

The intent of this book is not to present a new revelation, but to challenge you to explore common assumptions from a new vantage point. No matter how well we have done things in the past, future effectiveness requires adjustments designed to reach the current generation of seekers. Our communities are filled with people like Dave and Jenn who will respond to the gospel if they see what the local church offers as relevant to their lives.

My prayer is that you will finish this book with new insight and a desire to see your small group or class, regardless of age, become more effective in reaching and discipling the unchurched of your community.

Are you ready to begin our journey? Let’s go.

Foundations for an Effective

Teaching Ministry

Meet David and Jennifer or, as they like their friends to call them, Dave and Jenn. They are a typical couple in their late thirties. They have a nice home, two careers, and better-than-average incomes which have provided a good life for them. In addition, they are the parents of three wonderful children who are fourteen, twelve, and four years old.

Dave and Jenn are typical in another way, too. Maintaining their chosen lifestyle has enslaved them. Job responsibilities, school activities, sports for the kids, and extended family concerns consume most of their discretionary time. Sunday is the only day they have to themselves for family time and fun activities. So, like a multitude of others who share their lifestyle, their participation in church slowly slipped away until they had totally ceased going to church. Their movement away from the church wasn’t intentional but it happened anyway.

After a few years, Dave and Jenn realized their need to reestablish connections with a local church. They missed spending time with people who shared their faith. They also recognized that their children needed the influence of positive peer pressure from others their own age. As a result, they decided to go back to church. But where do they begin in order to find a place that will fit their family’s needs?

Ironically, their previous denominational affiliation, the location, or the church’s facilities have very little to do with their decision. Their number one priority is to find a church that has something that will appeal to the needs of each member of their family. They want a place that will provide good relationships, biblical teaching that will affect every area of their lives, and a place they can feel like they belong.

Does a place like this exist? It most certainly does if the local church has a class or gathering that is exciting and meets the basic needs of its people on a regular basis. Churches most often call these classes Sunday School. Some churches use other names such as the Christian education hour, small groups, or Adult Bible Fellowships (ABF) for this weekly gathering, but they are all basically the same. An exciting small group ministry is a key to attracting the Daves and Jenns who are searching.

But what exactly makes a classroom exciting and attractive? It may be hard to come up with a single concrete response to this question because the answer is subjective. If you ask ten different people, you will get a variety of answers. Everyone, based on several variables, has their own definition of an exciting class. But there are some common elements that can help us find a solid answer and develop an accepting and nurturing environment. When these elements are present, they are guaranteed to make every class an exciting and effective one.

Let’s rejoin Dave and Jenn in their search for a church home and a group that meets their family’s needs. In the process of following our couple, we can learn what makes for a truly exciting classroom that will attract, keep, and nurture promising families like Dave and Jenn’s.

Why Are Small Groups Important?

There is no way you can overestimate the importance of a strong Sunday School. Extensive research has been conducted and to the surprise of some, Sunday School ranks very high as a major part of the overall process of attraction and retention of the unchurched around us.

These findings should make you feel pretty special and valuable. At the same time, it should also make you intensely aware of the awesome responsibility you shoulder and how seriously you should view your ministry.

There are many factors that will play into the final decision that Dave, Jenn and others like them will make concerning a church home. Understanding the social and emotional make-up of people like Dave and Jenn and the driving need that motivates them will better equip you as a teacher. This knowledge puts a lot of power in your hands. It will enable you to be more effective and successful at retaining those who give your church and Sunday School a brief trial.

The Daves and Jenns of society are often labeled as seekers and/or searchers. That pretty well describes them. Those involved in the seeking or searching process generally report that their primary desire is to find a place where they can belong, feel comfortable, and find acceptance.

A previous staff training book, Give Them What They Want: Turning Sunday School Into A Place Where People Want To Be,¹ addressed these same issues in an informative manner. According to the book’s authors, most of those seeking a church home reported they looked for an environment where they could develop good relationships, meet God, and hear the truth in a way that applies to their daily life. They also wanted a place where they could have fun, find understanding, and develop a lasting sense of purpose that would help them cultivate a better way to live their lives in their everyday world.

Those searching for a church home want to find a place where they have things in common and develop strong relationships with others like themselves. To the shock and alarm of denominational leaders, denominational affiliation is of little consequence to most people in their search for a church home. Whether they have moved, gotten married, had children, or experienced some other trigger event that drew them back to church, most people seek to find fulfillment of their felt needs more than alignment with past denominational affiliations. Notice again how an exciting Sunday School class and a caring teacher are perfectly suited to attract these people.

Another common characteristic of the Daves and Jenns is they are usually not in any hurry to make up their minds. By the time they attend your class they may have visited many other churches and classes in the area. They may also attend your church and small group for a few weeks to a few months and if things don’t come together, they move on to the next church on their list.

According to some reports, as many as two out of five church shoppers may take as long as a full year to make up their minds. This screams to you the teacher and to your follow-up coordinator, DON’T GIVE UP! Be sure genuine and caring follow-up is provided for the Daves and Jenns that you come in contact with until they let you know they want you to stop pursuing them. Most often the group that keeps in touch with them during their searching process is the one who wins them over.

I saw this happen several years ago. A high school band teacher and his wife moved into our town. While their home was being set up, the young couple’s Sunday School class took a picnic basket with enough prepared food for a couple of meals. Later several members of the class invited them to accompany the group on a meal outing followed by an evening of entertainment. They really worked at making this couple feel right at home.

Several years later he saw the basket that had been used to deliver the food to them. The band teacher reminisced how that basket was responsible for his family becoming a part of the church. Taken back a bit, I asked what an old picnic basket had to do with their decision to come to our church. He told me how prior to their move they had promised some friends in the area they would be attending church with them in a neighboring town. Then he went on to say that as our young couple’s group continued to reach out to them his wife remarked, If this bunch wants us enough to go to all this trouble, how can we think of going anywhere else? The couple responded to these acts of love and made a wonderful addition to our church. Consistency pays.

What Are You Promising?

Due to the highly competitive nature of retaining people, the process for doing so is sometimes endangered by the possibility of compromise. We must resist the subtle danger of compromising our core values to attract people to our group. Sometimes these compromises are intentional but most often they are unwittingly made.

Unfortunately, some groups have compromised vital issues, key doctrines, and certain distinctives or dropped them altogether. Driven by the growing competition and unreal expectations put on churches by searchers, it becomes too easy to misplace our priorities. This can be a tragic mistake. Churches that cater to seekers must maintain a strong focus on their mission and purpose to avoid going off course.

Let it be understood that when we talk about an exciting class or small group, it’s imperative to realize that excitement in itself is not the ultimate goal. The excitement we are talking about and hope to achieve should be a response to good things that happen in the lives of people rather than an attempt to make good things happen by simply getting everyone excited through gimmicks.

When a person strolls through the midway area at a carnival the environment is certainly one of excitement. The noise, the swirling and flashing lights, and promises of winning big being barked out by those who operate the games all work to generate excitement and suspense. The average person quickly gets caught up in this environment. They fall under the hypnotic effects of their surroundings and can lose all sense of reasoning and reality. When they return home they discover to their dismay that they have spent money they didn’t have, for something they didn’t want, and all they have to show for it are fading memories and a cheap prize.

If you allow excitement to be your group’s primary goal, you will constantly have to find something more exciting to do each time you come together. Everything that is done has to be a big sell. Announcement time in church or Sunday School begins to sound a lot like one of those low budget commercials on late night television. You can know this is beginning to happen when you hear a lot of superlative words being used—the biggest, the best, most intriguing, state-of-the-art, etc. in association with your church group.

You don’t want your small group ministry to turn into a spiritual midway where you attract people with false hope and deliver much less