PREPARATION FOR TEACHING:
One Of The Most Important Jobs You Will Ever Have!


PART SIX – THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER…


QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT…


1. What would a perfect Sunday school teacher be like? List the qualities that a perfect Sunday school teacher might possess. For example, a heart of love and ears of understanding.  


2. Think about a special teacher that you have known during your lifetime (from Sunday school, public school, college, etc.). What was there about this teacher that makes them memorable to you?


3. Look back at the list of qualities that you listed for the perfect Sunday school teacher in question #1. Which of these qualities did this special teacher possess?


The fact is, none of us are perfect. However, it is still important to think about the traits and qualities that a good Sunday school teacher should have. For example, every Sunday school teacher should…
          -Be born again.
          -Have a strong personal spiritual life.
          -Live a good, exemplary Christian life.
          -Love the students that he or she has been asked to teach.
          -Agree with their church’s theology.
          -Be faithful in attendance every week at Sunday school.
          -Be dedicated to the job to which they have been called.
          -Have the ability to inspire others.
          -Have the experience of living life as a dedicated Christian
          -Have a good knowledge of the Bible.
          -Have a basic knowledge of teaching methods and tools.
          -Have curiosity and the desire to learn even more about the Bible and ways to be a better and even more effective teacher.

Teachers come in all ages and sizes, and from all backgrounds and walks of life. Unfortunately, the average teacher has very limited formal preparation and training to be a teacher in the church. Far too many teachers are recruited only because of the urgent need to fill a teaching position. The typical recruiting pitch that happens in many churches goes something like this: It’s Sunday morning following the worship service when the Director of Christian Education or the head of the Christian Education Committee corners a prospect in the back of the church and starts to give them a sob story. “Oh, that poor junior high class! We just can’t find a teacher for the class. You’re our last hope. Won’t you please help us out?” Reluctantly, the prospect say, “Oh, okay!” “Great!” says the C. E. Director, “Here’s the teacher’s guide. See you next week!”

What’s wrong with that whole scene? First of all, what are they really looking for in a teacher? Are they just looking for a warm body, someone who is breathing? Several years ago I asked that question in a workshop that I was presenting and someone spoke up and said, “No, in our church breathing is optional!”

Knowing the importance of teaching people about Jesus Christ, most of these “prospects” will say “yes,” whether they are qualified or not, whether they know what they are getting into or not, and whether or not they are prepared for the task.

I have often asked this question in the workshops that I present, “Which is worse, a bad teacher or no teacher at all?” I actually believe that a bad teacher can be worse that no teacher at all. That bad teacher can drive people away from the church and Sunday school, leaving such a terrible taste in their mouths that these people may never return to the church again.  

So, if we shouldn’t just be looking for someone to fill a position, what should we be looking for? I would say that the three most important qualities that every teacher in the church must possess are…
          1. They must be born again, truly a Christian.
          2. They must live an exemplary Christian life.
          3. They must love the students that they are asked to teach.

You can learn the methods and tools, but if the person doesn’t love the Lord, live a good Christian life and love the students that they will be teaching, they are not the right person for the job.

Since many Sunday school teachers are ill prepared, they tend to teach as they have been taught. And, quite honestly, anyone who thinks that they can get away with teaching in the same ways that they were taught 20 or 30 years ago is missing the mark. Experts say that if you have been out of a formal educational situation for more than 10 years, the ways that you learned are not today’s best and most effective methods for teaching. Much has changed in the world in recent years. Things like computers, the Internet, TV and many others have greatly influenced society and the ways that people learn. If the church is to be its most effective in reaching and teaching people about Jesus Christ, we must be willing to adopt many of these modern teaching methods and put them to work in the church and Sunday school.

One of the biggest weaknesses in our Sunday schools is the self-satisfaction that many teachers seem to have. Far too many teachers don’t even see the need to make any improvements in what they are doing. After all, there are still people coming to their class, so they must be doing something right. Right? The fact is, most teachers are not even familiar with the modern methods of teaching that are available to them today. Many persons have never even seen these methods in practice and most would have no idea how to use them in their presentation. (This is why we encourage you to attend one of the P.S.S.S.A.’s teacher training workshops that focus on today’s best and most effective teaching methods and tools, such as our “What Today’s Sunday School Teachers Need To Know” workshop.)

Every person needs to realize the importance of their commitment when they agree to serve as a teacher in the church. They need to see the importance of the Bible and the urgency of leading their students to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

In the little New Testament book of James there is a verse that really puts this all into prospective. The verse – James 3:1 – says this, “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness.”

What exactly is this verse saying? Is James saying that you shouldn’t be a teacher in the church? No! That’s not what he is saying at all. What he is saying is that, as a teacher, you must fully realize the responsibilities involved with this very, very important job. What responsibilities? As a teacher, you are teaching God’s Holy Word! You are not teaching trivial facts and information. Your teaching should have life changing implications for each of your students. In fact, you teaching may affect your students for the rest of their lives and beyond. Your teaching could, in fact, help to determine where each of your students will spend eternity…in heaven or in hell! That is a tremendous responsibility – not something to be taken lightly!

If our teachers are not helping their students come to Jesus Christ, accept Him as personal Lord and Savior, and then grow in His love and His Word, we, as the church, are doing a great dis-service to those students. And, the teachers involved are certainly not doing the job expected of them. Teaching God’s Word is a great responsibility. The teacher has been entrusted with the important responsibility of leading and shepherding the students of their class, just as a pastor has been entrusted with the responsibility of caring for the members of the church congregation.

Teaching in the church and Sunday school is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. There is an old Sunday school hymn that says, “Give of you best to the Master.” Every Sunday school teacher should do nothing less. A teacher in the Sunday school and church is not just teaching history, science or math. They are teaching the Bible – God’s Holy Word – and that’s more important than anything else that a person might learn. Teaching Sunday school is more important because our purpose is more important, our source material is more important, and our responsibility is greater. After all, if the teacher fails, their students may be lost for eternity.


QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT…


1. Why is being a teacher in the church or Sunday school important?


2. What do you see as the primary duties of a Sunday school teacher?


3. What do you see as the most important qualities of a teacher in the church or Sunday school?


4. How does the importance of what is being taught in Sunday school compare with what is being taught in public schools?


5. What do you think James means when he says that “not many of you should become teachers in the church?”


6. How do the requirements to be a teacher in your church compare with the requirements that are set for teachers in the public schools in your area?


7. Should we be setting higher standards for our Sunday school teachers? Why or why not?