If you lead adults through Lifeway's Explore the Bible, you probably love the fact that it keeps your class in the text. Verse-by-verse. Week after week. No drifting into shallow, topical detours. For a lot of Southern Baptist churches, that's the point. But you've also seen the other side - - many adult classes feel like a lecture. A faithful teacher studies hard, shows up prepared, and then spends most of the hour talking while everyone else listens. In my view, that's u

If you lead adult Bible studies or small groups, you've probably used some kind of Bible trivia questions game along the way. It's a fun way to break the ice, wake people up, or review familiar stories. Folks laugh, compete a little, and feel good when they remember the right answers. But when you think about . . .

For many of us, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas feel like a swirl of warmth and exhaustion at the same time. The lights go up, music fills the stores, and families plan special traditions. At church, attendance bumps up, guests slip into the back row, and your calendar quietly doubles in size. If you shepherd adults—whether as a Sunday School Teacher or small group leader, Discipleship Pastor, Education Minister, or small-church Pastor—you know something el

It happens every year: in early December, discipleship pastors, education ministers, and small-church pastors all feel the same tension: your people are busier than ever, but they’re also more open than usual. Concerts, school programs, work parties, travel, and family expectations crowd the calendar—yet guests, infrequent attenders, and curious neighbors walk into your church because “it’s Christmas.” In that kind of season, your . . .

Imagine walking into your ideal adult Sunday School class. The room is buzzing long before the official start time. People greet each other by name. Bibles are open, not just quarterlies. The discussion is honest but hopeful. Prayer feels natural, not tacked on. And when the hour ends, no one . . .

Adult Sunday School teachers and church leaders know the tension: you want your group to grow spiritually, not just fill an hour. Your people are tired, distracted, and often over-scheduled—but they still show up hoping something will change. The question is: are your discussions actually helping anyone grow, or just keeping them politely engaged? Recent research from the Barna Institute notes that . . .

Imagine sitting down with your pastor—not in crisis or confusion, but with a cup of coffee and a curious heart. You’ve been faithfully leading your adult Sunday School class, studying the Bible week after week, and now you want to go deeper. Not just for yourself, but for your group. You want to ask good, thoughtful questions. But where do you begin? Here are eight suggestions.