Being asked to teach a group of people insights from God’s word, the Bible, is a significant privilege. The following steps will help you as you begin.
PRAY
Thank God for the opportunity to teach. Ask Him to guide your preparation and to prepare the hearts of the audience for the lesson that you will teach.
AUDIENCE Learn as much as you can about the people that you will be teaching. Age, gender, family background, interest in spiritual matters, hobbies, and cultural interest are all helpful insights.
MEETING LOGISTICS
Ask how long you are intended to teach, what the meeting area looks like(seating arrangements, windows, other furniture, are the walls decorated or blank), whether music is provided, if snacks will be provided, and are items like video projection, music stands, easels, or white boards with markers available?
CHOOSE WHAT TO TEACH
Sometimes the Bible passage or topic will be chosen for you. Other times you will be encouraged to choose it yourself. When given the option to choose the theme yourself, ask God to make His direction clear. Then, once your theme is chosen, identify a Bible passage to use that connects with the theme.
STUDY
Read the Bible passage several times. Ask what you need to clarify, what insights you can gain from the passage, and how these insights apply to our lives today. Use outside resources (commentaries, concordances, maps, study notes, and other Bible study resources) to thoroughly understand the passage.
BIG IDEA
Identify the “big idea” or main point for the Bible passage. Choose other sub-points that all relate to the big idea.
STRUCTURE
Choose a message structure that matches your audience, the material, and your personality, gifts, and resources. Make sure the structure hooks the audience at the beginning, and then does little things to thank your audience for being attentive along the way.
One structure example: Another structure example:
Game Opening song
Announcements Announcements
Prayer Worship set
Ice breaker Prayer
Scripture lesson Teaching
Teaching Small Group Questions
Small group questions Closing prayer
Closing prayer Hang out/games/snacks
RESEARCH & WRITE
Begin searching for ideas to fill in elements of your lesson. Try to complete this process several days before you teach to allow your mind to test your lesson’s process. Ask someone else you trust to review your lesson. Give them permission to be honest.
Put this into practice for your students -
Rehearse elements of your lesson. Make a detailed supply list and double-check that you have collected everything that you need.
Arrive early – take time to pray for God’s leading and for Him to impact those attending the lesson. Test all technology elements to make sure they function and run smoothly. Set-up everything you can in advance.
Greetings – finish your set-up with enough time to begin greeting as many people as possible. Individual greetings break down barriers. Even when teaching large groups, greet as many people as you possibly can.
Reflect - Ask yourself: What went well? What could you change next time? What information would have helped you be better prepared?