10 Tips for Teaching Students

December 12, 2012

Good things are happening among the teenagers of PCC.  Parents are stepping forward to serve, students are active and excited, a few absentee students have returned, and a new teaching team (of highly capable adults) is being formed!  To everyone involved, here are a few tips I’d like to offer when teaching and leading teens:

1.  START STRONG.  You have to get their attention the moment you step up to teach if you want to keep their attention.  Start with high energy, a big question, or a big concept.  Remember, you’re about to tell them what God has said – so start strong and nail your theme in your opening comments.

2.  TEACH ONE CONCEPT.  Students are not stupid.  They can learn more than is expected of them.  Don’t dumb it down, just focus your one concept with laser intensity.  Give them one big idea – sin, Scripture, the Cross, Jesus’ divinity, the resurrection – something to focus the entire message around.

3.  ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS.  Make the lesson interactive by calling on kids.  Ask questions throughout the message to keep students engaged to see what they are thinking.  The purpose of asking question is not merely to get a right answer, but to ascertain their level of understanding.  Throw out a candy bar to the kids who give good answers, which keeps it fun and light.  When students ask a question, let other students try to answer it.  If they don’t get it right, then you can answer it.  The point is to get students thinking and talking about faith and content of the Bible.

4.  BE ENTHUSIASTIC YOURSELF TO KEEP THE ROOM ALIVE.  Students don’t just believe what you teach.  They get excited about the things you get excited about.  If God’s Word does not light your fire, it’s not going to light theirs either.

5.  MAKE IT FUN.  Have a sense of humor when appropriate.  Get students up front leading worship or sharing their testimony.  Plan activities that will help the kids to develop relationships with each other and adult mentors.  Use interesting props or anything else that might keep it fun yet still reverent toward God.

6.  ALLOW TIME FOR Q&A.  After you teach, open it up for a focused Q&A session to gauge where the kids actually are.  Students have questions, so invite them to ask.  For students who may be shy or have a private question, invite them to find you or another leader after the teaching time.  Be around and available following the lesson in order to talk with students and answer their questions.

7.  CONNECT EVERYTHING TO JESUS.  The whole Bible is about Jesus.  Say the Name of Jesus.  Point to Jesus.  Honor Jesus.  And focus on Jesus.

8.  GIVE AWAY NICE BIBLES.  Many students, even those from Christian homes, don’t have a decent Bible.  They often have one of those cheap, paperback types with font so small that it requires a magnifying glass to read it.  Or it’s one of those cheapies that have kiddy pictures in it.  On the other hand, a good Bible can change a student’s life.  They might consider it such a great gift that they take it seriously and start reading it.  I would recommend a leather (or at least bonded leather) NIV Study Bible or ESV Study Bible.  Spending money on a quality Bible for students who show an interest in spiritual matters or the potential for spiritual growth is a much better investment than chips and soda pop for the masses.  Remember, discipleship is always the goal.

9.  TAKE A PARENTAL TONE.  Pray for students all week.  Ask God to keep giving you the Father’s heart for the students so that when you get up to teach they see in you a parental role, loving and leading them.  The NT is filled with the language of spiritual adoption while using family terms to describe the relationships we have with one another.  God might be calling you to be a spiritual father or mother to some of these students, so see yourself in that kind of role.

10.  AND ABOVE ALL, ENCOURAGE & INSIST THAT STUDENTS BE IN THE ADULT SERVICE ON SUNDAY, WHICH IS THE “LORDS DAY.”  Students should be attending Sunday services for corporate worship just like anyone else.  Sunday is the “Lord’s Day” and we are commanded to gather for corporate worship on that day.  They are not “little people” who need to be segregated from adults and entertained with cake-and-ice-cream parties. They are young adults who should be integrated with older adults so that they will start acting like adults.  After all, if they can attend school for 8 hours a day learning subjects like algebra, chemistry, history, science, and literature, they are old enough to learn, worship, and comprehend what’s taking place in the adult service.  Besides, by integrating them into the adult service as part of their discipleship training, they will more likely to stay in church after they graduate from high school.

A Closer Look at PCC and it LOOKS GOOD!

I’ve just got to say how thankful I am at the way God is using the ministry of PCC. So many things are going just right… and so many lives are being changed that it has to be a God thing.

Every Sunday God is sending new people to our church - people who are desperate for help, for healing, for salvation, and for deeper understanding. God sends them to our church because HE KNOWS they will receive help here. For this I feel privileged.

I still attend a small group during the week; I’ve been a part of this group for years.  Beyond that, I am very pleased at the number of other groups (most that have been formed organically, rather than organizationally), in our church.  It is very encouraging to see the depth of fellowship and bonding taking place among the members; not to mention the depth of Biblical discussion.

There is so much growth in our church right now that I’m having to learn a whole new set of pastoral skills. Most unsettling to me is having to learn how to pastor people whose name I will probably never know. I’m a people-person and like to know everyone by name. God is stretching me here.

PCC is a Staff-Led Church which means we have a combination of paid and unpaid staff who lead the church, run its ministries and administration, as well as providing oversight.  Those who have the highest levels of responsibility to manage God's House meet the requirements of 1^st Timothy 3 and Titus 1.  However, all our staff are exceptional people and appropriately deployed.  I don’t know what we would do without them.  No matter the “title” one has, these are the people who make PCC happen.  It takes a lot of personnel to pull off our weekly responsibilities and all our workers are first-class.

Morale is very, very high at PCC right now.  If you want to get involved in a move of God (of making disciples, seeing life-change, and advancing the kingdom of God), I encourage you to go ALL IN.  There’s room for you if you desire it. 

We have experienced “the day of small beginnings,” growth, conflict, purging, and pruning. Now we are in a season of renewed growth. The people who are with us right now have truly been “sent of God” and will take us to the next level. I cannot tell you how happy I am.

Have I mentioned that we have an amazing church? Better yet, we serve an awesome God!

Our music is exceptional each week. Probably some of the best in the area. But that’s not the point. The point is - does it help me connect with God?  Is it God-honoring and Christ-exalting?  The answer is a resounding YES. I feel like shouting each week, “OMG!”

Not only that, we are very deliberate about platforming young people.  This has always been an emphasis of ours – you’ve seen it over the years at PCC – and it’s happening now.  We are about to have a breakthrough.  Just watch and see.

Every Sunday we have cards turned in with prayer requests. I am silenced by what I read. People are hurting. They are reaching out. They are hoping, trusting, that this church can help them find their way to God. It makes me tremble. I don’t want to mess up and cause the faith of any person to fail by doing something, or saying something that is insensitive or dumb. “God, put a guard on my lips.”

We also have marvelous testimonies turned in each week. This is what I look forward to the most.

I am glad that we get to have a small part in what God is doing.

Next year – 2013 – is going to be our best year ever!  New leaders, new preachers, new talent, new ministries, new groups, – it’s all about to happen.

Stayed tuned to this blog to keep informed.

Deep and Wide

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I recently finished Andy Stanley’s newest book, Deep and Wide.  It’s one of the better books I've read this year.

There are several things I appreciate about Andy Stanley.  He’s laser-focused on reaching unchurched people for Christ and leading them towards discipleship.  He not only understands the value of the Great Commission, but also developing healthy systems to accomplish the mission.

Here are a few highlights from the book that grabbed my attention, with number 10 being my personal favorite:

1.  “The best performers usually build the biggest churches, but not necessarily the healthiest ones.”

2.  “Read the Gospels and you will have a difficult time finding even one example of Jesus being fair.  He chose twelve apostles from among hundreds of disciples.  He gave preferential treatment to three of the twelve.  He didn’t heal everyone.  He didn’t feed every hungry crowd.”

3.  “If you want a church full of biblically educated believers, just teach what the Bible says. If you want to make a difference in your community and possibly the world, give people handles, next steps, and specific applications.”

4.  “Nearly all the senior pastors I’ve ever talked to would claim adamantly that they want unchurched people to attend and connect with their churches. But then they turn right around and create weekend services that assume everybody present is a believer and attends every week.”

5.  “New ideas are generally considered bad ideas. Then they become normative. Then, eventually, they are yesterday’s news. Nothing is new or innovative forever.”

6.  “Vision is the place to begin every discussion pertaining to change. Start the discussion anywhere else and you will experience resistance.”

7.  “One of the primary reasons churches are empty is because church leaders love their models more than they love people.”

8.  “The primary reason churches cling to outdated models and programs is that they lack leadership.”

9.  “If no one is following you, if you are uncomfortable asking people to follow you, if the only people following you are people you secretly wish would follow somebody else, you may not be the one to introduce and implement change in your local congregation.”

10.  “What does your church pray for? What does the staff pray for? What do your elders or deacons pray for? God’s blessing? The presence of God? A pouring out of the Holy Spirit? Safety? As far as the ‘presence of God’ and ‘an outpouring of the Holy Spirit,’ you’re a bit behind - both of those were covered on the day of Pentecost.  Regarding God’s presence, Jesus promised to be with those who were making disciples. So besides you, and what you and your congregation want God to do for you, what does your church pray for?”

Sunday Mind Dump - December 9, 2012

Wow.  Attendance jumped by more than one hundred people today!

God is really up to something.

Very encouraged by the new people coming in.  I’ve met a lot of new folks the past couple of weeks.

Especially encouraged at the turnout for the Children’s Workers Meeting after service.  The room was packed to capacity with parents, volunteers, and new volunteers.

Seems like people are pouring out of the woodwork right now.

Some high capacity people have stepped forward to fill all sorts of positions.

We have some amazing people at PCC.  Their dedication, support, commitment, and "can do" attitude is impressive.

God is really up to something.

Things are really fixing to take off.

Big changes improvements are coming next year too.  A lot of things are in the works right now to make that happen.

More about that later.

Christina Hatmaker nailed the offertory.  Who knew she could sing so good!  Christina has attended PCC since elementary school with her family and is now in college.

Today’s message title was “Living Between the Times” and dealt specifically with the subject of Advent.  I think it was very informative to a lot of people in our congregation.  There are some very nice comments on Facebook.

I’m really enjoying the month of December thus far, and hope to make the most of the holiday season.  I’m in the mood for it.  One thing I will not do is get stressed out or try to do too much.  I’ve got margin in my schedule.  I’m going to maintain a manageable pace, not speed up; and will make right choices about God, family, and friends.

December 19^th is the Teen/Youth Bonfire.  Families are invited & encouraged to attend.

December 23^rd, is our special Christmas service which will include a Children’s Christmas Chorus, Advent readings, and receiving of Communion.

Great Opportunity:  Next Sunday we're taking family photos in front of the Christmas Tree or in the children's hallway.  If you'd like your photo taken, just step up.  We'll provide free copies to you.

I'll be active on my blog this week.  Be sure to check back in.

Gotta go.  Having company over for dinner.  Really looking forward to it.

PCC Women of Purpose

Annual Christmas Brunch today.

Youth Group Last Night

Patrick Melton speaking to the teens last night.  Who knew that he had such a gift?  BTW, Patrick is about to finish his Masters degree in Pharmacy.

Blueberry Bushes in the Ground

I went  back to my property late this evening to finish planting the blueberry bushes.  I'm satisfied with the end result.  The next thing to do is to cover them with mulch (pine bark, cypress chips, or sawdust) to raise the pH level; blueberry bushes like acidic soil.

The bushes are dormant right now, without leaves.  They will begin budding in Feb and will be in full bloom by April.  I'll post pictures next June of the fruit they produce.

Is it Okay to be a Low-Drive Christian?

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (I Thessalonians 4:11-12).

Is God-pleasing spiritual growth supposed to morph us into some sort of super saint?

As a new Christian I would have answered, “Of course.” All my faith heroes were mountain-moving, charge-the-hill warriors for God. Somehow, somewhere, I picked up the idea that we are all called to do great things for God; that the more devout we become, the more we will be transformed into spiritual Bravehearts, serving God, staying busy all the time, and rallying all others to do the same.  Spiritual burn-out was a badge of honor.  It sounds good.  Even spiritual. 

But what if you are more of a private person?  What if the most important thing to you is to spend time with your family each evening?  What if your idea of a great life is a quiet life filled with plenty of margin?  Does it mean that something is seriously wrong with your spirituality? Or could it be that that is how God made you, and the rest of us will just have to learn to deal with it?

In the verse above the apostle Paul advocated that the believers of Thessalonica make it their ambition to live a quiet life, minding their own business.  However, it appears that plenty of modern-day high-commitment Christian leaders don’t think he really meant it.

That’s how I used to feel until God brought some remarkable people into my life. They weren’t remarkable for what they accomplished; they were remarkable for who they were. They were as godly in character as anyone I’ve ever met, and not a single one of them was a leader, missionary, or Bible teacher. What’s more, when it came time to charge the hill, they opted to serve in the supply line. When challenged to sign up for new programs, work their way up the system, and join us in bold steps of faith, they smiled and politely declined.

On one hand they failed to match up to my image of what a sold-out-for-Jesus, on-fire-for-God Christian should look like. Not a lot of drive, not many accomplishments. On the other hand, when it came to character, relationships, and integrity, they were some of the most Christ-like people I’d ever met.

That caused me to start wondering if my definition of a good Christian was flawed. I began to wonder if there room in God’s kingdom for regular people? Could someone be average and still please God?

I had always assumed that Timothy, Titus, and Silas represented the standard fruit of Paul’s ministry. But I missed the obvious. Timothy and Titus were rare, and represented the next generation of leaders, not the standard for everyone. The vast majority of people that Paul led to Christ, and the majority of people in the churches he planted, never became leaders or joined Paul on a missionary journey. They were farmers and merchants, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters who quietly lived out their lives as regular Christians. These Christian converts of Paul never planted a church, spent hours in study or solitude, or courageously preached on a street corner. Even though they didn’t do great things for God, they DID cross the finish line after having run the race well.

Let’s be honest. In many churches today, average Christians are criticized as being “nominal” believers.  Those who don’t sign up for the latest event offered by the church are viewed as uncommitted.  Everyone is called to greater sacrifice, deeper study, more evangelism, digging wells, stopping sex trafficking, signing petitions, staying busy, and a host of other things that are seen as proof of genuine commitment.  These drive-by guiltings can mow down an entire crowd.

Think of the countless numbers of regular Christians who sit in churches on Sunday worshipping the God they love. They will never read their way through the Bible. Most will never teach a Bible class, go on a mission trip, house the homeless, talk to strangers about Jesus, or do anything spectacular. All they will ever do is simply live a life of obedience with grace and dignity. All they will ever accomplish is raising their children well, be good citizens, faithful employees, attend & support their church, and walk with Jesus daily. Yes, they will love and know God… model a quiet life without hypocrisy… and bear the fruit to prove it.

In my mind, such people are not only spiritual, they are spiritual giants.  It is a pure delight to shepherd them.

I hope more people in our church family will see the value of what the apostle Paul advocated.  On a personal note, it's my ambition too.

Sunday Mind Dump - December 2, 2012

Very solid day.

The entire day was good.  A home-run in many ways.

Today’s message had an Advent emphasis.

After service we had our fourth covered-dish-fellowship-lunch for seating section 4.  Really had a good time.

Met a first-time visitor today.  Very interesting fact about her:  she has just purchased the property next to the PCC campus – all eighteen-to-twenty acres of it.  She also attended the lunch afterwards.  Very glad to see so many people gravitate towards her and make her feel welcome.

I was also very encouraged by the overwhelming support I received from so many people.  They made it perfectly clear how happy they are with PCC and assured me of their continued support.

This has very positive implications for our future.

2013 is going to be a good year for us.

Within the next week or so there will be a meeting for the children’s ministry of PCC to outline strategy, structure, and shore-up a few gaps in the schedule.  I am also very encouraged by the number of people who stepped forward today indicating their desire to be involved.

On December 23^rd, the last Sunday before Christmas, we will be featuring a children’s choir in service.  Practice sessions begin next week.  Stay tuned for details.  The first meeting was held today after church, and a lot of people are very excited about this.  Their enthusiasm was off-the-chart!

Philip Polk and Renee Jones will be leading this effort; who happen to be two very gifted and talented musicians and singers.  You’re going to be very proud to see your kids perform this musical.

The worship team/band of PCC will be leading worship in the Wednesday night teen service during the month of December.  Both the kids & worship team seem to be very excited about this.

Patrick Melton will be speaking the next two weeks in the teen service.  He is very excited too at this new opportunity.  (BTW, Patrick is our primary projection tech in the Sunday morning service.  He is the one who projects all the words to the songs we sing, the videos we view, and the scriptures for the message guide.  This is no small job and is a high-pressure position.  He has served faithfully AND skillfully in the role for a number of years.  We are fortunate to have him because he is such a faithful servant).

This afternoon I spent some time planting Blueberry bushes.  There's a picture below.  Very excited about this.  We love blueberries.

 

Blueberry Bushes

Twenty-two Blueberry bushes about to go in the ground. 

I spent a few hours this afternoon today on this project.  I got half of them planted after taking this picutre.  It was so nice being outdoors breathing cool air.