Well, you knew it wouldn't be long before I found myself involved in working with adult Sunday School classes again.
The class that El Jefe and I have been attending at church wants to revitalize and renew itself. For the rest of the summer we will be using The Wired Word curriculum. But then we need to find a new topic and/or study that can bring in new participants this fall.
I'm convinced that there are a good number of folks in any church who can't become involved in adult Christian education or small groups during the week, but can do so on Sunday mornings. I've made a list of some possible topics and books, but would love some other ideas.
Can any of you offer some advice about a study or topic that you are familiar with and think would help a class reach out and attract new participants?
UPDATE: QG readers responded with a wonderful discussion of different ideas for adult classes in the comments. If you are looking for some great suggestions for adult groups, check out the comments below and give us your ideas, too.
The class that El Jefe and I have been attending at church wants to revitalize and renew itself. For the rest of the summer we will be using The Wired Word curriculum. But then we need to find a new topic and/or study that can bring in new participants this fall.
I'm convinced that there are a good number of folks in any church who can't become involved in adult Christian education or small groups during the week, but can do so on Sunday mornings. I've made a list of some possible topics and books, but would love some other ideas.
Can any of you offer some advice about a study or topic that you are familiar with and think would help a class reach out and attract new participants?
UPDATE: QG readers responded with a wonderful discussion of different ideas for adult classes in the comments. If you are looking for some great suggestions for adult groups, check out the comments below and give us your ideas, too.
I don't have any ideas other than to ask if you have tried looking at thoughtfulchristian.com?
ReplyDeleteHow has the "wired word" worked? looks interesting. I'm looking for some adult education ideas too, since our only adult class is a bible study that doesn't really seem to attract anyone who isn't already a part of it.
I've used The Wired Word a couple of times before and it's always been well-received. I think it is particularly useful when you want "stand-alone" topics so that people don't have to commit to a long-term study.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with the thoughtful christian is that the studies are short-term and more expensive. The Wired Word is only about $80 for an annual subscription and the church has permission to forward it to any number of leaders and participants.
The Wired Word is also much more current since it is based on news of the previous week.
What we did one year at my former church was have a study on "Presbyterian Beliefs", using the book by Donald K. McKim.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Presbyterian-Beliefs-Introduction-Donald-McKim/dp/0664502539/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0115866-8228730?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185292771&sr=1-1
While not particularly a 'bible study', it covers topics from Revelation and the Trinity, to Predestination and Salvation by Grace with a Reformed viewpoint.
It does require some preparation by any group leader, but it does invite some interesting discussions. I remember that many of those who attended were 'long time' Presbyterians, who had no idea what the Reformed viewpoint was about.
QG - I've not used WW or TC but am interested in the idea.
ReplyDelete-Two ideas we've used in adult SS are:
1- we studied Paul and used a supplemental novel by Johnny Cash - MAN IN WHITE. It was read good and interesting for our discussion, especially since we did it about the time of the Walk the LIne movie.
and 2-We are doing a study of Esther now and using a novel about Esther called CHOSEN as a suppliment for discussion. Has been a good combo for our setting.
-Mark Hunt
islandpreacha
Reformed Catholic-- I've read the McKim book but hadn't thought about it. Good idea.
ReplyDeleteMark--never heard of Man In White, but will check it out. That sounds really good. I'll also check out your Esther suggestion.
Thanks to both of you!
Any series on a current event topic and how it relates to faith should do reasonably well. After the pastor and a mission trip got back from the Middle East their presentations were rather popular.
ReplyDeleteOur church did a series on vocation (kind of the same questions that I'm asking on my blog) using the book by Parker Palmer that I'm reading.
We had a great response to our Practices of Faith series last year. People seemed to most like the presentations by super-experts followed by questions and the tiems when we turned it into sort of a mini-presentation followed by small group discussions. We used two or three books on Practices of Faith for our planning and then worked it out ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI've had two church find SS revitalization with the use of Seasons of the Spirit.
ReplyDeletewww.spiritseasons.com
Good luck
I'm looking at doing the DVD series of "Simply Christian" by NT Wright. It came highly recommended by a pastor whose opinion I trust and who is really grounded in Reformed theology. There are ten video lessons and a discussion with Wright and Richard Hays.
ReplyDeleteI normally don't like doing video/dvd stuff but the congregation seems to like it, so I think we'll give this at try.
I love the idea of using McKim's book!
Thanks for asking this question! It's obviously helping alot of us as we start planning for the year that begins in September.
I don't know if there is such a thing, but it would be so interesting to take the gospels and view the historical persepective: ie, politics of the times, social mores of the times, what would have been on the front page of their newspapers. And then take the same teachings of Jesus and apply them comparatiavely to the perspectives of our time. As in "Blessed are the poor in spirit". Who were the poor in spirit then? How did they live? compared to "who are the poor in spirit now?" etc. and has there been any change from then to now? and what is the challenge for us as Christians today with these teachings.
ReplyDeleteWow! Ask and you will receive...what great ideas!!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I need to share a few of the things on my list in case some of you would find them helpful.
1. A study of Jeremiah, using Eugene Peterson's Run With The Horses in addition to the scripture. There's an audio CD of Peterson's book for those who would like to hear it in the car or on an ipod.
2. Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler. Use the PBS DVD along with the book and read the scriptures Feiler reads at each location.
3.Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diana Butler Bass. Good discussion guides are included.
4. Deeper Connection series -- published by Zondervan. 3 studies with DVD's of Jesus' parables, miracles and prayers led by seminary professors, including blogger Ben Witherington. Small group discussion materials included. I haven't reviewed the materials, but have read about them but it looks worth investigation.
Has anyone used "The Bible From Scratch" as a Sunday School or one-hour-per-week study? My wife and I recently agreed to use the Old Testament materials as the basis for a seven-week class on Sunday afternoons at our church (Pulaski Heights UMC in Little Rock, Arkansas.)
ReplyDeleteI would really be interested in suggestions for presenting the series, which looks like it is very accessible. I would also be interested in general advice for doing a Sunday afternoon/Sunday school series for beginners. This course will be the first that my wife and I have taught.
I've used Bible From Scratch and think it is a very good introduction to both Testaments.
ReplyDeleteThere's usually more in each chapter than you can use in a one hour session. I found that some groups enjoy the suggested activities and some don't, so a little trial and error in that department is a good idea.
This is a good study for a first-time teaching team because the teacher's guide is very thorough and helpful.
QG: Thanks for your suggestions, too! I'm using "Christianity for the Rest of Us" for a Session retreat next week.
ReplyDeleteWow great discussion!
ReplyDeleteFollowing up on a previous post someone made: I am doing a summer study using Wright's "Simply Christian" book. We've gone through it two chapters at a time with about an hour discussion every monday night.
Too be honest while it has provoked excellent discussion, it's also been very meaty for some of my folks. Almost more than they could chew. But it might go better in your context QG; I also do wonder if the video presentation spoken might prove better than just a book group.
The "Christianity for the Rest of Us" would be excellent I think it's a great book.
In the SS class I teach, we haven't used a supplementary guide in years (oh, wait, last year we did do an emphasis on spiritual disciplines that used Donald Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life which was pretty challenging). We are currently looking at the sermons of Jesus as recorded in Matthew and considering how they struck Jesus' original hearers, Matthew's fellow Christians, and how to hear them in our time.(How do you like that, PresbyGal?)
ReplyDeleteI did a series that I called "20 Questions" for which I asked the class to write out questions about th eBible they had always wondered about. Then I grouped the questions and taught about three months' worth of lessons from them. The preparation is a killer, but the participant interest was high.
Little david,
ReplyDeleteCan I come to your class? How far is it from Houston???
Seriously, I love 20 Questions and the way you are approaching the sermons of Jesus in Matthew.
I want to ask Little David the same question. Where is your church and if it's too far for me, do you have your classes on Pod Cast? I love the 20 questions idea too.
ReplyDeleteOK, message to QG and PresbyGal--thanks for the compliments. I would love to have you visit for Sunday School sometime, but Plainview is a "fer piece" up the road.
ReplyDeleteAt one insane moment, I decided to post the 20 Questions series on a separate blogsite. Well, I only posted one lesson. It was just a lot of work to transcribe all my notes plus all the explanatory stuff necessary for the uninitiated reader. But here is what I decided to do. I just posted a lesson plan that could be used by a SS teacher. Take a look at this site and see what you think. If I get some encouragement, I will post more lessons.
QG:
ReplyDeleteIn the summer, we move from three adult Sunday School Class down to one (people travel, etc.) and I teach to give people a break. In order to give myself a break, I use videos, and we watch 25 minutes (more or less) and talk for 15 or 20. We're using "Jesus Camp" right now, three Sundays, and it's been good. I often use videos for which there are no study guides, and videos that weren't explicitly made for discussions. They aren't pre-formatted to last 20 minutes, and the material in those 20 minutes aren't intentionally set up for question and answer. While those type of video studies are easier to work with, they also can seem a bit stiff and a bit too produced for conversation. I had to watch and divide "Jesus Camp" up myself, and there's no study guide, but it also allows for conversation to go where it may, and not as the program may want it to go. We used a DVD documentary called "With God on Our Side" last summer that was also very good.