The objective of any educational setting is not to teach but that the learners learn. Christian education must move beyond the telling plane and allow our listeners to become active learners. We want the listeners to learn and we must utilize the different methods available to ensure learning takes place every time we meet.
A doctor will prescribe an antibiotic for an illness. If that antibiotic does not bring about restoration of health, he prescribes another one, something different. If the first one did not bring about the desired change, the doctor does not continue to use the same prescription.
We need a teaching prescription to restore the health of the church. A prescription to bring about life-change in our learners. If our teaching does not affect change in our listeners, what are we teaching? In some of our churches the same prescription has been in use for forty or fifty years to no avail.
The concept behind a medicine is to bring about change in a person’s health. If a medicine does not bring about the desired change a different prescription must be tried. In Christian education, the inspiration behind teaching is to bring about change in the learner’s spiritual health. If life-change is not occurring, a different prescription (teaching method) must be tried.
I contend that much of the “Christian education” in our churches is not affecting the life-change desired. If it were would the majority (90%+) of our churches be in decline? What is the evidence of effective, life-changing teaching? Would it not be found in people’s lives being radically changed, sharing the gospel and the love of what God is doing in their life and the life of the church? Would we not see our members bringing new people into the fold of Christ?
One place to start is with active learning. Active learning will only come to pass when learners are allowed to participate in the learning process. Active learning helps people use their natural God-given learning abilities. Each time you deliver a lesson there are up to seven different learning styles sitting in front of you. As a teacher using only one method of delivery, you may only be reaching one-seventh (1/7) of the potential learning in your classroom pupils. That means, at best you may be affecting only 14% of the learning potential in your classroom. Actually, 14% is likely a stretch.
Spending time studying learning styles will make you a more effective teacher. Developing and using different teaching methods will make you a more efficient teacher. Prepare your lesson with each of your class members in mind, then build your lesson using various methods that engage the different learning styles. Introduce different methods in your teaching and you will see your class begin to learn at an increased level, and with greater enthusiasm!
Allow God to stretch you in the way you teach and He will pour out blessings on you and through you.
George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.