Designing Effective Biblical Instruction

By Chris Cobb

There is a great need today for effective and life-transforming biblical instruction in our churches and Christian schools. In order to meet this need, we must focus more on developing instructional units or courses that are geared toward the needs and contexts of our learners. Applying the principles of instructional design will help you in this pursuit as you learn how to build learning profiles, perform needs assessments, shape educational goals and objectives, determine the scope and sequence of instruction, select teaching strategies, and craft assessments.

Whether you are a pastor, small-group leader, Sunday school teacher, or Christian school Bible teacher, Designing Effective Biblical Instruction will help you engage the steps of instructional design and apply them to your specific ministry context. You will be challenged to refine your skills in these areas and become a more dynamic Christian educator.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512792744

Chris Cobb

Dr. Chris Cobb has served in church ministry for more than ten years in the areas of Christian education and worship. He has also taught Bible and history courses for several secondary Christian schools in Colorado and Florida. He received his doctorate degree in education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he holds master’s degrees from Denver Seminary and Colorado Christian University.

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Copyright © 2017 Chris Cobb.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. HCSB. Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-9273-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9272-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9274-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017910388

WestBow Press rev. date: 8/15/2017

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

List of Figures and Tables

Foreword

Preface

1. Introduction

Part I: Instructional Analysis

2. Analyze the Learners and Learning Environment

3. Determine Existing Educational Gaps

4. Define the Focus of the Content

5. Establish the Scope and Sequence

Part II: Instructional Strategy

6. Arrange Instructional Objectives

7. Select Appropriate Teaching Strategies

8. Design Assessments and Provide Feedback

9. Conclusion

Glossary

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figures

Figure 1: The Building Blocks of Instructional Design

Figure 2: Elements of Learning Profiles

Figure 3: Ruth Beechick’s Spiritual Development Tasks

Figure 4: Areas of Emphasis in Educational Ministry

Figure 5: Sequencing Illustration

Figure 6: Sequencing Unit on Bibliology

Figure 7: Venn Diagram Representing Doctrinal Emphasis in Galatians and Romans

Figure 8: Power-Thinking Graphic Organizer (The Sacraments of the Church)

Figure 9: Idea Web (The Main Theme of 1 Peter)

Figure 10: Idea Web (The Structure of James)

Figure 11: Cycle Graphic Organizer (The Book of Judges)

Figure 12: Sketch Noting Example (Courtesy of Anissa Labrador)

Figure 13: Depiction of Test Items That Are Aligned to Educational Goals

Figure 14: Group Essay and Presentation Rubric (Simple)

Table

Table 1: Duel-Response Survey Questions

Table 2: SWOT Analysis Example

Table 3: Bloom’s Taxonomy’s Cognitive Processes and Knowledge Dimensions

Table 4: Mager’s Three-Point Instructional Objectives

Table 5: Comparison of Organizational Strategies

Table 6: Aligning Educational Goals with Test Questions

Table 7: Group Essay and Presentation Rubric (Complex)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The heart of this book has been almost ten years in the making, and its completion would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of my wife and children. They are my greatest cheerleaders, and I will always be grateful for them. I also want to thank my parents for their continued support of my ministry. I am additionally indebted to the many undergraduate and graduate professors who have not only taught me how to study God’s Word but also how to design effective biblical instruction. This includes the faculty members of Central Bible College, Rocky Mountain Bible Institute, Global University, Colorado Christian University, Denver Seminary, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I will never be the same because of their commitment to higher education. I also want to thank the many pastors and mentors that have also supported me and helped me become the man I am today. Lastly, I want to thank Dr. Kenneth Coley for providing the Foreword, and Jeff Crawford and Anissa Labrador, who contributed some of their original material to this book. Thank you everyone, and to God be the glory for the great things he has done!

FOREWORD

For the past two decades, I have had the opportunity to introduce ministry leaders to the concepts of educational leadership presented in this text, Designing Effective Biblical Instruction. When I introduce to these educators and ministers the word curriculum and its etymology from the Latin word for racecourse, I am frequently confronted with blank stares (the author of this book being one of the exceptions, of course). In an effort to connect the unfamiliar with prior learning, I enthusiastically compare this concept with the chariot races in the Colosseum in Rome. More blank stares. You know, like the race in Ben-Hur, followed by more stares and the question: Ben who?

Now that the film has been updated and widely publicized, I hope the movie reference gives us a place to start as I make claims about the significance of instructional design-both the concepts and this text. Like the chariot races or today’s NASCAR auto races, the Colosseum event had a specific beginning place, a prescribed course laid out, and a designated finish line; at which point, there was always an evaluation. And who finishes first and in what order others follow is never viewed indifferently.

These three characteristics-a starting point, a path to follow, and an end point where assessment takes place-tell you all you need to know about the importance of this text for you and your ministry leadership. Let’s be straight. Most ministry leaders, if they are being honest, do not have a firm grasp on any of these three ingredients in their ministry planning. They begin a new season of discipleship with the latest and newest hot item from online shopping or the local bookstore with little or no information about their congregants’ backgrounds and abilities. But they drop the flag, and the participants are off. But wait a moment. Did we ever stop to consider whether or not the writers of the curriculum resource have a clue about the makeup of our classes? (Chapter 1 examines this.) How about the ability levels and prior learning of our disciples? (Chapter 2). How about our ministry’s overall goals? (Chapter 3). How could even the best intentioned author in a different state and maybe even a different culture know much about the spiritual race of my athletes? (Chapter 4).

Dr. Chris Cobb cares deeply about ministry leaders taking back the decision-making and race course design from publishers and writers. But he also is aware that those who oversee educational/discipleship programs lack the specific training necessary to make this happen. Ben who? Designing what?

If I may, let’s switch metaphors to assembling a five-hundred-piece puzzle. The author and I are concerned that those who are mentoring new believers, leading discipleship, or teaching a formal Bible class have no box top to guide their instructional plans. Present in their heads are glorious insights about the reality of Christ and the truth found in Scripture. But there is missing a prescribed format for arranging these puzzle pieces. Which pieces do I reveal first and in what order? In chapter 5, the concepts of determining the breadth of what is to be covered and in what order the pieces are examined are discussed. Each piece is then assigned an overall objective or target for the teacher and learner to aim at (Chapter 6). After the selection of the pieces is made, placed in a logical order and the objectives determined, the next significant question is asked: what instructional activities will most effectively aid comprehension and memory retention? (Chapter 7). Finally, each leader-teacher must ask: did we get there? To what extent did my learners grasp the big ideas? (Chapter 8).

When I consider my career in teaching and leading, I continue to be inspired by Colossians 1:28 (HCSB). For we proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I believe that you share this passion with the apostle Paul—to present your students mature in Christ. But I think you will agree, this maturity is not going to be achievable if we, as teachers, have a haphazard approach to our preparation and planning. In this text, Dr. Cobb provides you a committed leader-teacher, with the guidance that you need to oversee effectively the design of the instructional activities the Lord has called you to. I challenge you to dedicate yourself to putting the concepts described in the following pages into practice in your ministry.

Kenneth S. Coley, EdD

PREFACE

I recently attended a prominent Christian education conference, and one of the keynote speakers there described an experience he had as a youth pastor. His church was connected to a Christian school, and one year he was asked by the school’s administration to step in and teach a couple of Bible classes temporarily as they had lost their teacher unexpectedly. Unsure of whether or not he should accept the additional responsibilities, he told the leaders of that school, I was a Bible major in college. I have no idea about education.

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to this pastor’s sentiment as I reflect on my early years in educational ministry. I too felt unqualified to teach even though I had a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology. Sure, I took an education class as part of my degree program, but I had little expertise when it came to developing a series of lessons, assessing the people in my educational ministry, or incorporating a wide range of teaching strategies. I was mostly trained in hermeneutics and homiletics, not education. When I entered the ministry, I had to write much of the material that I taught, but I didn’t feel equipped with the necessary training to do this effectively.

After several years of trying to figure it out on my own, I decided to pursue a master’s degree at Colorado Christian University (CCU) in curriculum and instructional design. While this program was designed for general education (K–12) teachers, I quickly discovered that the skills I was acquiring through each course directly applied to biblical instruction. To help me put these new concepts in practice, I not only continued teaching in my local church, but I also found a Christian school where I could teach Bible classes on a part-time basis. I enjoyed my initial experience so much that I have continued doing so off and on for the past decade.

My experiences and studies at CCU (followed by Denver Seminary and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) have spurred on my desire to write this book. Through the years, I come to believe that as stewards of God’s Word, we must commit to focusing more on the whole process of instruction. This includes coming to understand the abilities and needs of students, writing succinct goals and objectives, selecting and sequencing material appropriately, choosing relevant teaching strategies, and designing appropriate assessments. This holistic view of the educational process is what is commonly referred to as instructional design. Concentrating on these areas will enable us to better assist our students in retaining and applying the material we share with them.

While there are already many great books available on instructional design (many of which are discussed in this book), few give attention to the needs of pastors and other biblical instructors. In fact, most of the books that are on the market today about instructional design are written from a secular point of view. Books such as Smith and Ragan’s (2005) Instructional Design, or Dick, Carey, and Carey’s (2011) The Systematic Design of Instruction, or even Morrison, Ross, Kalman, Kemp’s Designing Effective Instruction (2011) will give educators a detailed overview of the process of instructional design while giving practical advice for applying its principles in the public school system. However, these textbooks are lengthy, and each author’s technical language can make it difficult for many pastors or other biblical instructors to understand its content. Moreover, the authors give no advice for ministers of the gospel who seek to apply these principles in their specific educational ministry.

Seeking to simply the process, Richards and Bredfeldt (1998) wrote an intelligent Christian education textbook entitled Creative Bible Teaching that focuses on how Christian educators can write comprehensive lesson plans that take into account learner characteristics, a needs assessment, and a plethora of learning strategies. Richards classic strategy called hook, book, look, took has helped countless educators stay focused on the major elements of a lesson. However, this text concentrates solely on individual lesson plans instead of looking at them through the lens of an entire unit or course. Similarly, Clark, Johnson, and Sloat’s (1991) collaborative effort in Christian Education: Foundations for the Future gives Christian educators an overview of many aspects of education, but they fall short when it comes to teaching people how to develop units of study. Leroy Ford’s (1991) astute work entitled A Curriculum Design Manual for Theological Education comes closer yet, but its emphasis is more on preparation for collegiate studies.

That is why this current work seeks to pull together both worlds (secular and sacred) to give pastors, small group leaders, Sunday school teachers, and/or Christian school Bible teachers an overview of the instructional design process and how to apply its principles to a number of educational contexts. I hope you will come to enjoy studying these concepts and principles as much as I have, and you will be able to integrate them in your educational ministry as you seek to more effectively teach those whom God has entrusted you with.

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Introduction

In their ministry, expositors serve as builders of bridges as they endeavor to span the gulf between the Word of God and the concerns of men and women. To do this they must be as familiar with the needs of their churches as they are with the content of their Bibles.

—Hadden Robinson

My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

—Psalm 78:1–4 (NIV)

That was a great series!

You really challenged me today.

You knocked it out of the park with that one!

I always learn so much from your lessons.

Who wouldn’t love to receive compliments like these after spending countless hours preparing for, and then presenting, a series of biblical lessons or messages? However, as flattering as these comments may sound, they fail to give us as pastors, small group leaders, or Bible teachers any tangible information about how well those in our educational ministries are retaining and applying the content we present. If we do not gauge this on a regular basis, we will fail to understand if the concepts we teach are merely going in one ear and out the other. Since our goal in Christian education is life transformation, we must do our best to ensure our students are following through with what we are communicating.

How to do this effectively is a question that ministers of God’s Word have been asking for centuries. Even in the days of the Old Testament, God’s prophets contended with how to get the Israelites to heed God’s instruction. Consider Ezekiel as an example. Ezekiel was a prophet during the southern kingdom of Israel’s exile in Babylon. The Israelites had been displaced in a foreign land because of their sin, but little had changed in their hearts and minds. They were still full of immorality and apostasy. In Ezekiel 33:31–32 (NIV) God exposed their double-mindedness when he told Ezekiel,

My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.

This passage stirs my heart every time I read it. Although Ezekiel was faithful in proclaiming God’s words, he had become no more than a good entertainer in the eyes of the Israelites. In fact, as Ralph Alexander (1986) points out, the Israelites listened to Ezekiel because he was amusing and fun to watch, but they did not feel a need to respond to his messages. Unfortunately, this haughty attitude can still be found in many churches and Christian schools today. People in our culture love to be entertained, but they resent being told how to live. This reminds me of the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV), For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

So what can be done to prevent this attitude from emerging in our Bible-based educational programs? I believe part of the solution involves an application of the adage Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. One reason our students are often unable to retain and apply important information from our well thought-out lessons is that we don’t intentionally plan for them to do so. This is why the principles of instructional design can be so beneficial for biblical instructors. Instructional design offers a process for the

Reviews for Designing Effective Biblical Instruction

[Eli Burd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Cobb has done a phenomenal job of presenting instructional design principles for Christian educators in schools and churches.

If you want to find a better way to measure discipleship in your church, then I highly recommend that you would adopt this process and begin to implement it within your church today.