Having an Aim for Your Lesson
Pastor Daniel Habben continues his series of articles that helps us as we consider the question, How can we best reach adults with God’s Word in a Bible class setting? With a clear reminder of the blessings God’s people receive as they study his Word, this series of articles challenges all of us to take a serious look at the way we teach Bible class. Pastor Habben offers specific and practical suggestions for us to consider as we strive to become better communicators of God’s truth.

In his second article, he reminds us of the importance of establishing an aim before we develop each lesson.
 

Pastor Daniel Habben has served St. Peter Lutheran Church in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada for 18 years. He recently accepted the call to serve St. John’s Lutheran Church on the island of Antigua. 

Pastor Habben came to love teaching when he tutored at Luther Prep School and is thankful for the feedback he received from his fellow tutors—especially from the Martin Luther College teacher grads! He was a presenter at the 2015 symposium on education at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Most of the materials in the following articles are from that presentation.  

Pastor Habben will be leading an Interactive Faith online Bible study on Isaiah 1−12 during January and February of 2018.
They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. -Acts 5:42
Adult Education: Additum
Designing Developmentally

Professor Maryellen Weimer wrestles with a question that applies to Bible classes as well as to the college classroom: How do you prompt your students to think? In this article she suggests possible strategies that can be designed into the lesson, which have been proven to promote “thinking” and thus learning.


Teaching Toolbox
Flipped Classroom Can Work Very Well

In the last two issues, we have talked about implementing a flipped classroom. Some are hesitant to try it because attendance at Bible class is different each week. The pertinent question is, Can we use the flipped classroom approach when participants aren’t always consistent in their attendance? Actually, with a couple of simple strategies, it can work. 

Curriculum Connection

Any number of forces can challenge our ability to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving—stress, the brutal effects of sin that we see in the daily news, and certainly the sinful inclination of our hearts.
 
364 Days of Thanksgiving is a three-lesson course that reminds us that our lives are filled to overflowing with blessings from our gracious heavenly Father.

An added feature with this Bible study course is the inclusion of three corresponding sermons that can be used to provide a unified focus in our worship and Bible study on the truth that we have been blessed by God.
This course is especially compelling when used with the popular devotional book by the same title.

Click the links below to see the sample lesson, "Overwhelming Gratitude."

Leader's Guide: PDF
Student Lesson: PDF | RTF
 

Teaching Tip

Good teachers take time to learn. It not only broadens the pool of knowledge they can share and thus makes their classes more interesting, but it inspires enthusiasm for the topic. Enthusiasm tends to be contagious. 
  Teach the Word  is a collaboration of Northwestern Publishing House, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and WELS Adult Discipleship.