A Crash Course in Discussion-Based Teaching for Sunday School Teachers

A good Bible teacher doesn't have to become someone else to begin leading better discussions.

You probably have at least one.

He's faithful. He studies the lesson. He knows his Bible. He shows up every Sunday prepared to teach.

And then he talks for 45 minutes.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with what he's teaching. The problem is that the people in the room have very little opportunity to wrestle with the Scripture themselves.

The good news is that you don't have to turn a good Bible teacher into somebody else.

Sometimes a few small changes can help a teacher move from delivering most of the lesson himself toward helping the class engage with God's Word together.

Why Use Discussion-Based Teaching for Sunday School Teachers?

Lecture has its place.

Discussion-based teaching for Sunday School teachers doesn't mean eliminating explanation or asking teachers to abandon the way they've taught for years. It means making room for class members to engage with Scripture too.

But adults also benefit from opportunities to talk about what they're seeing in the text.

A good discussion asks them to read carefully, put ideas into their own words, listen to other believers, and consider what the passage means for the way they live.

Discussion doesn't replace teaching. It's one of the ways a teacher can help people engage with what Scripture says.

So how do you help a teacher who is accustomed to doing most of the talking become more comfortable with discussion-based teaching?

Good News: You don't have to change everything at once.

Step 1: Start With Better Questions

One of the easiest changes is simply to put a few good questions into the lesson.

Not questions that merely test whether people were listening. And not questions that can be answered with a quick yes or no.

Ask questions that send people back into the Scripture and give them something worth thinking about.

If you'd like to go deeper into what separates an ordinary question from one that really makes adults think, I've written more about how to develop thought-provoking biblical questions.

For example:

• What do you notice in these verses that you might have missed on a quick reading?

• Why do you think he responded that way?

• What would make this teaching difficult to put into practice?

• Where might we encounter this situation in ordinary life?

Good discussion questions give people something worth looking for in the Scripture - and something worth talking about.

The specific questions will depend on the passage, of course. But notice the progression.

We're asking people to look at the text, think about what it means, and then consider what it looks like in life.

That's quite different from asking a question when the teacher already has one particular answer in mind - and everybody in the room is trying to guess what it is.

Step 2: Give People Different Ways to Participate

Not everybody processes a question at the same speed.

Some people seem to have an answer ready before you've finished asking the question. Others need a little time to think. And some people who would never volunteer an answer in front of 25 people will talk quite comfortably with one or two.

A few simple techniques can help.

Turn and discuss. Ask a question and let people discuss it with someone sitting nearby before opening the conversation to the whole class. This can work particularly well in a larger group.

Try a silent start. Ask the question, but don't immediately call for answers. Give everyone a minute to jot down a thought first.

Ask people to rank some possibilities. If the passage raises several challenges or choices, ask class members which they think would be most difficult and why.

These aren't gimmicks.

They're simply ways of giving more people time and opportunity to think about what they're seeing in Scripture - and join the conversation.

Step 3: Break Up Long Stretches of Talking

I wouldn't tell a teacher that he's only allowed to talk for five minutes.

Sometimes explaining a passage takes longer than that.

Instead, help him look for natural places to stop.

Explain something. Ask a question.

Read another portion of the passage. Ask what people notice.

Give some background. Then ask how that information changes the way they understand the verse.

One of the hardest adjustments for some teachers is accepting that they don't have to say everything they learned during preparation.

That's difficult when you've spent several hours studying. You found something interesting. Of course you want to share it.

But good preparation gives you choices.

You can explain something when the class needs it - and leave it out when they don't.

I've written more about how to decide what really needs to make it into a Bible lesson here.

Leaving something out isn't necessarily wasted preparation.

Sometimes it's what creates room for the class to engage with the passage.

Step 4: Give Teachers Some Safety Nets

One reason teachers fall back into lecture is simple:

Lecture feels safer.

Ask a question and nobody answers? Start talking.

Discussion wanders? Start talking.

Running behind? Start talking.

Pretty soon the discussion has disappeared.

You can help teachers become more comfortable with those moments.

Encourage them to have a few backup questions ready. Teach them to wait longer than feels comfortable after asking a question.

Ten seconds of silence can feel like an eternity to the person standing in front of the room, but the people sitting in the class may simply be thinking.

Help teachers learn to respond to an answer with a follow-up:

What makes you say that?

Where do you see that in the passage?

Does anyone see it differently?

A discussion leader doesn't need all the answers. Sometimes the next good question is enough to keep people thinking about the Scripture.

And make sure they go into class with several good discussion questions already prepared.

They don't have to invent every question from scratch. Good discussion resources can give them a starting point while still leaving them free to follow the conversation where the Scripture takes it.

You bring what you know about the Bible and the people in your class.

The questions can help you get the conversation started.

Step 5: Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection

A teacher who has spent years teaching primarily through lecture probably isn't going to become an experienced discussion leader next Sunday.

That's okay.

Look for small changes.

Maybe someone who rarely participates starts opening his Bible and referring to the passage when he answers.

Maybe class members begin responding to one another instead of directing every comment back to the teacher.

Maybe somebody asks a question the teacher hadn't anticipated.

Maybe the teacher starts asking follow-up questions instead of immediately supplying the "right" answer.

Those are encouraging signs.

And if you're responsible for several teachers, I've written more about what actually helps when you're trying to equip Sunday School teachers.

But don't measure progress simply by how many people talked.

The goal isn't merely to get more people talking. A lively conversation can wander a long way from meaningful Bible study.

What we're looking for is deeper engagement with Scripture - people reading it, thinking about it, talking about it, and considering what it means for the way they live.

That's worth encouraging.

You Don't Have to Turn Your Teachers Into Someone Else

That faithful teacher who talks for 45 minutes doesn't need to become a different person.

He may just need some help discovering that he doesn't have to carry the entire class on his shoulders.

Ask a good question.

Give people time to think.

Let them look at the passage.

Listen to what they say.

Ask a follow-up question.

Then see where the Scripture takes the conversation.

Sometimes better Bible teaching begins with talking a little less - and asking one more good question.

Want Some Help Getting Started?

If you'd like to help a teacher begin making some of these changes, I've put together a free Questions-Based Bible Teaching Quick-Start Guide.

It's a brief, practical introduction to asking better questions, handling silence, encouraging participation, and keeping the conversation centered on Scripture.