Teachers

[SolaSaint]

After teaching Sunday on false teachers, we came up with a good question. Should churches have all their teachers go through an interview process before they hold this position? Does the church you attend do this and if so how is it accomplished.

I must admit I have taught Sunday school classes for many years at six different churches and none of them ever sat me down to see if I was orthodox. I think they all knew me very well from the conversations I had with others in class, but I never went through any vetting process at all.

 

[Revmitchell]

While I understand the desire to make sure all teachers and preachers are at a certain level, this is largely an idea found in suburbia. In third world countries and even in outlying areas in the US the standard that may be imposed in suburbia where idealism is more attainable it cannot be met in many areas around the world. The reason is there can be no one found with the standards and high ideals that suburbans may have. Its just not there.

 

[SolaSaint]

Rev, I didn't understand that post.

 

[Revmitchell]

Rev, I didn't understand that post.

I do not know how else to say it other than to point out that it is not a disagreement just pointing out that based on what I have seen having come from the suburbs the standards often held in these areas would be impossible to meet in so many areas in the world with regards to teachers in the church.

 

[SolaSaint]

So churches in suburbs are different than other churches? Does the church you attend vet their teachers?

 

[Revmitchell]

So churches in suburbs are different than other churches? Does the church you attend vet their teachers?

The church I pastor and the other churches in areas like mine (out in the middle of no where just outside of the Navajo Reservation) does not have people who have had very much serious discipleship. We want to make sure they show some level of faithfulness but out here we are just glad to have anyone at all who will be willing to teach.

 

[preachinjesus]

After teaching Sunday on false teachers, we came up with a good question. Should churches have all their teachers go through an interview process before they hold this position? Does the church you attend do this and if so how is it accomplished.

We ask all of our group leaders (that's what we call them but they are the teachers/facilitators of our various groups) to meet with a staff members (usually a director level, junior staffer) prior to leading a group. During this initial meeting we check that they are covenant members, ask them if they have any theological disagreements with our statement of faith, ask some general question about theology, and require them to sign a leadership covenant which details some things (I'll generalize its contents below.)

We also ask our group leaders to attend two training sessions a year (we offer four) where we talk about leading a group and open up the floor to questions about group leadership. Throughout the year, we ask for at least a 1 year commitment, our groups staff will touch base with the individual group leaders assigned to them once a month. While we don't require specific curricula to be taught, we do make recommendations and ask them to keep us up to speed on what they are teaching. (Occasionally we have to ask leaders to not teach something.)

If there are problems we confront them with authenticity, integrity, and ground everything in Scripture.

As for the leadership covenant we require them to agree to:
- Uphold and speak well of all leaders of the church.
- Not be involved in any moral sin which is mentioned in Scripture.
- Submit to the leadership of our church for the guidance of our overall groups.
- Support the church in prayer, attendance, and giving.
- Always base their lessons in biblical truth.

Leadership is important, this is how we do it. The process isn't perfect, but we're not a perfect church.

 

[Herald]

After teaching Sunday on false teachers, we came up with a good question. Should churches have all their teachers go through an interview process before they hold this position? Does the church you attend do this and if so how is it accomplished.

I must admit I have taught Sunday school classes for many years at six different churches and none of them ever sat me down to see if I was orthodox. I think they all knew me very well from the conversations I had with others in class, but I never went through any vetting process at all.

Teaching is the responsibility of the elders (2 Tim. 2:24). If the elders are not teaching directly they are responsible for vetting other teaching. Too many teachers outside of the eldership creates problems. Accountability is more difficult.

 

[OldRegular]

I would say that many who teach Sunday School are relatively ignorant of Scripture. They simply parrot what the quarterly says and my experience is that they are generally useless

 

[Iconoclast]

I would say that many who teach Sunday School are relatively ignorant of Scripture. They simply parrot what the quarterly says and my experience is that they are generally useless

This sadly is true more often than it should be.It would seem that there are times when God uses extreme means to work in His people.:thumbs:
It is a blessing to have a plurality of elders who labour in the word and doctrine.

 

[12strings]

Teaching is the responsibility of the elders (2 Tim. 2:24). If the elders are not teaching directly they are responsible for vetting other teaching. Too many teachers outside of the eldership creates problems. Accountability is more difficult.

I would agree that the elders/pastors should be vetting those doing teaching...however I believe it possible, perhaps even necessary to allow non-elders to teach, especially if you have many children's classes.

I suppose the alternative would be that any who had giftings and desires to be teachers actually be recognized as Elders, and only have these teach in any setting?

Regarding the OP, I think in most small/medium sized churches, this process works best not in a formal "teacher certification" process, but in simply knowing people over a period of many months/years, so that a pastor/elder knows whether or not the person is qualified to teach, not because they were able to answer a questionnaire correctly, but because their life and words accord with sound doctrine.

 

[OldRegular]

After teaching Sunday on false teachers, we came up with a good question. Should churches have all their teachers go through an interview process before they hold this position? Does the church you attend do this and if so how is it accomplished.

I must admit I have taught Sunday school classes for many years at six different churches and none of them ever sat me down to see if I was orthodox. I think they all knew me very well from the conversations I had with others in class, but I never went through any vetting process at all.

I would say that if preachers did their job, expository preaching, perhaps there would be no need for others to teach. But then I am afraid many preachers are not up to expository preaching!

 

[SolaSaint]

I would agree that the elders/pastors should be vetting those doing teaching...however I believe it possible, perhaps even necessary to allow non-elders to teach, especially if you have many children's classes.

I suppose the alternative would be that any who had giftings and desires to be teachers actually be recognized as Elders, and only have these teach in any setting?

Regarding the OP, I think in most small/medium sized churches, this process works best not in a formal "teacher certification" process, but in simply knowing people over a period of many months/years, so that a pastor/elder knows whether or not the person is qualified to teach, not because they were able to answer a questionnaire correctly, but because their life and words accord with sound doctrine.

Yes, I agree.

 

[Jerome]

teachers actually be recognized as Elders

:thumbsup:

Spurgeon called church-school teacher Mrs. Bartlett his best deacon, even a pastor.

From The Sword and Trowel:

Mrs. Bartlett is a remarkable woman. Converted with her whole heart to God before arriving at her teens, she early manifested an irrepressible desire to seek the soul-good of others. While engaged at twelve years of age as a Sabbath-school teacher, her infantile exertions were marvellously seconded by God. She was a spiritual mother even then; and many souls were brought by her to the Saviour.. . . .stimulated by her success in the school, [she] sought to enlarge her sphere of usefulness by journeying from village to village within easy distance of her parents' residence, where she might seek the salvation of neverdying souls. It was tough work to exhort burly farmers and their still more boisterous sons to seek an emancipation from the tyranny of Satan; but is anything too difficult for even a timid damsel, filled with the sufficiency of Jesus Christ?

Mr. Thomas Olney, the venerable treasurer of the Church, invited Mrs. Bartlett to conduct the Bible class in question for one afternoon, there were only three persons present. . . .it has increased its numbers, until the average attendance has now become seven hundred, which sometimes swells to an additional hundred or so.

A visitor would probably be struck with those peculiar characteristics of the Sabbath afternoon service. . . .On a recent visit to the class, it seemed to me that there was an undefined something in the prayer alone which robbed one of that calmness of mind so requisite in joining in a public supplication, but filled the soul at the same time with a holy exhilaration and devout expectation which fully compensated for loss of calm. It was a simple, tender, earnest, powerful and prevailing address to a real present Father. If woman can thus approach the Lord in supplication, how much do we not lose, my male friends, by not occasionally hearing her voice?

[Her teaching] was experimental—a woman's vivid fancy calling up scenes of spiritual conflict and cares, coloured with life and beauty. It was doctrinal—founded on the eternal verities of the great I AM. It was chiefly exhortative—recalling God's performances in bygone times of Christian experience, specifying the many sacred privileges of the present, painting bright pictures of coming joys and communions to be realised by faith in the far-stretched future. Better still—it was savoury, full of Jesus. Peculiarly tender and eloquent was her appeal to the unconverted. Convince a sinner of your real anxiety for his eternal welfare, and you have opened a channel in his heart for further communications. Few could resist admiring the exuberant and passionate utterances of this Bible-teacher. Such earnestness, coupled as it is with an unwavering faith in God's word, can hardly fail to bring down Heaven's blessings. If you ask me what is the secret of this good woman's success, I reply, an implicit reliance upon God's promises, and a strong assurance that He will do all that she believingly asks of Him. I may add that the service is conducted by Mrs. Bartlett almost always without assistance; occasionally, however, elders of the Church look in upon the interesting assembly.