A passion of mine is Christian education. I enjoy thinking about how God transforms people through the study, teaching, and application of His word. Sunday School leaders are teachers and facilitators of this type of growth. Most of us who have walked with God for any length of time have been greatly impacted by a teacher or small group leader. The effective Bible teacher and Sunday School leader has the needs of people in mind as he or she trains the church to dig into the Scriptures. It is very important for the leader to study the Bible passage effectively before putting together a lesson plan and teaching. This study should be inductive, that is, it should be based on original investigation into the Bible by observation, interpretation, and application. Outside sources should indeed be consulted, but not right away. It is important to wrestle with the meaning of the passage before using commentaries. This makes the study personal and helps in applications.
After the study, the teacher should prepare a lesson plan based on the main point of the passage and in a creative, relevant way that speaks to his or her audience. One resource that I have used is a Sunday School teacher lesson plan worksheet. This helps a teacher organize Biblical research in a way that can be implemented in the lesson. This resource is based on the Hook, Book, Look, Took method from Creative Bible Teaching by Richards and Bredfeldt. It is a simple, memorable approach to lesson planning. The hook is how you will create a need and draw interest in the topic. The book is where the class digs into the Scriptures. The look addresses universal principles that can be used for today. And the took makes personal applications. If you are a teacher, I hope this resource can help you. I have also included below a sheet to help you study the Bible.
Sunday School Lesson Plan Worksheet
For more ideas on Bible Study go to: The Devotional Tab at the top of the page and scroll down to Bible Study Resources.
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