Teaching 101

The final lesson in Teaching 101 is all about making the presentation portion of your lesson as polished as it can be. Are you using a PowerPoint? Have you placed bookmarks in your Bible for quick access? What are some other ways you might want to help the lesson play out smoothly for your group or class?

Preparation is key for honing your lesson. You will want to practice your lesson to find any faulty points or weak illustrations and to get the timing down. Listen as Derek gives a number of best practices for preparing your lesson. This is the beginning of Section Three, "The Presentation."

Our final lesson in Section Two of Teaching 101 focuses on landing the plane. It can be difficult to know the exact moment when a lesson should end and how to wrap things up. Think through what needs to be expressed at the end of your lesson. What will you review? How will you include an application with which the class can leave?

In our next step of "The Process," Derek Ewalt walks through Pastor Steve Gaines' three-step teaching method. We'll also discover the importance of asking questions in our teaching and appealing to the learning styles of different adults.

In this lesson, Derek encourages us to find the "central idea of the text" (CIT). We'll look at Greg Scharf's "The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching" to find a few guidelines for settling on that central idea. Then, we'll see how outlines can improve your lesson planning and the teaching itself.

The next step in "The Process" calls us to be learners before teachers. If we are going to be teaching others about what the Bible is saying, we need to do everything we can to fully understand what is going on in a text. Once you have the context down and can answer the 6 questions pertaining to a passage (Who, When, Where, Whom, Why, and What), you will be equipped for teaching. Listen as Derek shares how you can find the answers to those questions.

The next step in "The Process" is discovering the subject matter of your lesson. Here, Derek will share some of his own recommendations for finding that text, as well as those of Pastor Steve Gaines.

Lesson Three is the beginning of our second section of Teaching 101, "The Process." As you move closer toward beginning your time as a teacher of God's Word, the first place you should go for inspiration and guidance is the Lord Himself. Through prayer, we can grow closer with God and find the answers for which we are searching. Spend time with God as you take your first steps in planning every single lesson.

Now that we've answered the question of whether or not we are called to teach, Derek Ewalt walks us through how we can better understand the audience or demographic God may be pushing us toward. Are you meant to be teaching children, senior citizens, men, or some other part of the church?

Join Derek Ewalt, Bellevue's Pastor for Men and Teaching, as he begins a series of lessons on what it means to be a teacher at Bellevue. Initially, we will focus on "The Promise." This entails learning what the Bible says about those who teach and lead in the church. First, we will look at Paul and Peter's writings concerning the different gifts in the church. Then, Derek will share a few resources that can help you discover and discern God's calling in your life.