ABSG Questions for Discussion: A Perpetual Ministry

Welcome

Many Sabbath School class teachers either preach a sermon to their class or deliver a monologue on the whole lesson, going through it "day-by-day." The most rewarding sessions involve the members in discussion. These questions here are intended to stimulate the active participation of the members in your class. Of course pertinent information imparted by the teacher is also very valuable, for which there are many resources in print and on the internet. This site seeks to provide a resource for discussions.

If you are a member and not a teacher and your class is boring, try asking questions such as these in your class.

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

A Perpetual Ministry

Never-ending Witnessing and Evangelism

At what point in life may one be excused from witnessing and evangelism?
What does Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well teach us about the value of background knowledge in witnessing? Should we be doing more research into the backgrounds of our "targets" to discover their needs or anything else?

A Nurturing Environment

What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of waiting till a prospective new member is so "fully grounded" before baptism that no further nurturing is required?
How soon after baptism may a new member be involved in witnessing and evangelism? What are the conditions, if any?
We have baptismal classes for the young people who have grown up in our church: should we have a nurturing class for them after baptism?

Training Trainers

Why are some seniors reluctant to train their juniors? How can you get a seasoned worker to share his knowledge with you?
How old should a person be before recruitment into witnessing and evangelism?

Reclaiming Former Members

What are some of the reasons why people stop coming to church?
If you were one of those who have stopped coming to church what would it take for you to start attending again?
If there are some members of your church who could be reclaimed, would you be interested in visiting and inviting them back?

The Back Door

Why are we more interested in the 'front' door than the 'back' door of our church?
Would you rather be posted at the front door or the back door? Why?

How to Teach a Sabbath School Class

1. Make a conscious decision that you will lead a discussion and not preach a sermon. Prepare accordingly and be alert for discussion opportunities. A discussion in which many participate is very rewarding.

2. You must have a page of freshly written notes. Don't waste people's time with inconsequential things just to occupy the time.

3. Sprinkle your notes with discussion questions and mark them out in bold. Any time you feel you are losing the attention of the members get them into another discussion. The discussion should be relevant to the lesson as well as to everyday life.

4. Start the lesson with a discussion question, or at the very latest within the next few sentences. If you wait for ten minutes and then try to generate a discussion it will be too late. The class will have tuned you out because you have tuned them out.

5. The opening question should be general enough so that even those who have not studied will be interested in contributing.

6. Avoid questions that can be answered by a single word. If someone answers with "yes/no" ask them to give reasons for their answer. If the answer is too short ask them to clarify or simplify the answer.

7. If a member asks a question, that is a golden opportunity for a discussion. Don't waste it by answering it too quickly. Throw the question back to the members for their opinion. You can give yours at the end.

8. Avoid childish questions such as "Which day is the Sabbath?" Members will not feel any need to answer it. Similarly do not pause in a sentence for the members to supply the last few words. That kind of participation is not a discussion. Members must contribute ideas and thoughts and not just words.

9. Avoid trick questions. Members will be embarrassed if you show them wrong and they will not answer the next time. Also avoid questions that will make it obvious whether or not they have studied the lesson. Those who have not studied should also feel urged to contribute.

10. You may sometimes present two views and ask the members to evaluate the views.