Sunday School Teachers And Bible Study Leaders

by Don Hite

Sunday school teachers and bible study leaders can sometimes ultimately do more harm then good - even with good intentions!

Let me begin this post with how not to be a Sunday school class leader with a true story taken from one of my personal experiences.

A Sunday school leader was gone one Sunday because he had car problems and could not attend. The following week they made it to their class where they simply took turns reading reprinted materials out loud and answered questions where indicated in the materials.

When the Sunday school leader came in, the excited group said “All right our teacher is back so we can get started.” To this, the bible study leader said “I was gone last week and didn’t have time to study the materials so one of you can run the class today.”

Then one of the older class members began reading and with each section a new reader would began reading and the class completed without further ado. It was not until some time afterwards that resentment and a slight anger began to rear its ugly head.

One class member said to another “Why did they say that they didn’t have time to study the materials when they carry the magazine home each week?” Another mentioned “All we do is take turns reading the magazine what is there to study?” and the reply was “So and so did as good a job as they do and they didn’t ‘study’ either”. Then finally a newer member of the class said “That is not much of a Sunday school teacher. Either you know the materials or you don’t so I am going to start attending so and so’s class next week.”

Sunday school leaders with attitudes like this can do more harm than good in a group setting and in the case of this individual they should not be in that position.

Things like this show the leader’s lack of commitment to being a true teacher. It also reflects their attitude towards the other members of the class and shows that they are not as caring or as knowledgeable about the word of God as they were expected to be.

A Sunday school leader should be respected, not criticized or thought of in a poor light.

As a Sunday school leader or teacher it is YOU who makes or breaks the class group. It is not the materials whether they are preprinted magazines such as the fine materials from LifeWay or a book such as those found in Christian book stores.

The materials in a bible study are Gods word from the bible and that is why it is called a bible study.

There are of course some who have been teaching the word of God for a good many years and seem to have a marvelous grasp and understanding of the Bible.

Those people are to be respected if not just for their persistence in bring the word of God to others though Bible study over the years.

Still there are others who loved the Lord and have been blessed by God so that they can take a chapter or even a single verse from the bible and present it to the class in clear and easy to understand terms.

If you have a desire to be a Sunday school teacher or Bible study leader, pray about it and when the time is right ask your pastor how to become involved.

When you do become involved at the beginning you may just assist or even take turns leading the class with an existing teacher or leader. This is so that you can adjust or get familiar with the role of a teacher or leader and allows you to get a feel for how to be an effective one.

You will also usually have a Sunday school director to report to which should be the case. If not then the Pastor should assume that responsibility.

When you do get a class or group it will usually be a small group that is age appropriate to your gifts and it should be a meaningful Bible study. In your group encourage all to participate so that you can build a positive relationship with your group members.

It is also a good idea to have an attendance sheet which is usually provided to you by the director. This can also be an incentive for your class members to show up.

As a Bible study leader or Sunday school teacher you should ultimately lead the group members and teach them how to serve God through bible study, worship and fellowship.

PB&J is my philosophy in this matter where the acronym is not Peanut Butter and Jelly but PB&J is easy to remember because of that. Here the acronym is for Prayer, Bible And Jesus.

With this in mind open each class with Prayer then turn to the bible for your study and finally Bring our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the study in praise and devotion.