When Your Best Volunteer Says “I’m Not Qualified"

In many small churches, one of the hardest conversations happens when a faithful volunteer looks you in the eye and says, "I'm just not qualified to teach adults." You've seen it: the dedicated servant who prays, serves, and loves people-but the moment you ask them to lead a class, they draw back.

Why the Fear?

It's understandable. Teaching adults-and Biblical truth at that-can feel heavy. Especially if they don't have seminary training or haven't taught much before. They worry about...

• Saying something wrong or unbiblical

• Fumbling over tough questions

• Not keeping people engaged

But here's the truth: God doesn't call us to be perfect-He calls us to be faithful. And that kind of faithfulness often looks like saying, "Yes - I'll try."

The Real Cost of Letting Fear Win

When fear keeps teachers silent, your Sunday School ministry starts shrinking-spiritually and numerically. You end up relying on the same small group of confident (and often overworked) leaders. Every retirement, every vacation, every busy season risks leaving the class without a leader. And if no one feels equipped to step in, the class often just melts away.

For pastors who double as discipleship ministers, the cost is personal. You're left recruiting from an ever-smaller pool, firefighting burnout, or resorting to sermons because volunteer upheaval just makes consistency impossible.

But What If We Equipped the Willing?

This is where StevesBibleQuestions.com steps in - not by offering templates, but by offering confidence. Our discussion guides give hesitant teachers:

1. Clear, Scripture-Based Questions

Each guide opens with a passage, follows with well-crafted questions, and leans on biblical truth - not personal opinion. This means you don't have to know everything; you just lean on God's Word.

2. Supporting Scripture, not Scripts

We don't hand over an outline for a sermon; we provide thought-provoking questions, backed by verses and a Bible-to-life application prompts so teachers can facilitate, not lecture. That subtle shift helps volunteers lead a class without feeling like preachers.

3. Forums for Growth

Every worksheet is keyed to the exact scriptures you're already teaching, whether you're using Lifeway's Explore the Bible or Bible Studies for Life curriculum - so you don't have to reinvent the wheel . . . you just have to ask the questions to start the discussion wheel turning !

What Faithful Equipping Looks Like

In practice, it might look like this:

• You share a guide with a nervous volunteer: "Try this Bible Discussion Worksheet. Read it through. Pray over it."

• You check in mid-week with a simple text: "How's prep going? Anything I can pray for?"

• Come Sunday, the teacher leads the class, using the worksheet. You notice firsthand: the fears were there, but the Spirit showed up.

• Monday, you follow up: "How'd it go? What surprised you?" That conversation - more than the lesson - builds confidence for next time.

In our experience, volunteers don't need perfection. They DO need encouragement. A little guiding hand that whispers, "I've done this before, and God honors your effort."

Why This Matters for You

As a pastor wearing all the hats, you need a system you can hand off. You don't have time to train a volunteer from scratch. You need materials that:

• Require minimal prep

• Lean on Scripture's authority-not your teaching staff's

• Build confidence one Sunday at a time

Our Bible Discussion Worksheets fit that role. They give your people a nudge in the right direction-and before you know it, fear steps aside and faith rises up

Discussion Guide Worksheet for July 27