Church Leadership

When you finish teaching your lesson or preaching your sermon, how do you know if you accomplished anything? You won’t unless you have set goals for yourself.

No matter what learning style you are trying to reach, you cannot just present facts. Instead, you need to know what your plans (goals) are. In Part 8 of this series, a lesson plan format was presented (available on line). On page one it asks you to think through two things: what is your AIM and what are your Objectives.

An aim is written in broad terms stating what the pupil should learn. It does not state what the learner will do to prove he has learned; it states in relatively broad terms the direction of learning. Aims do not state what the teacher will do to teach the lesson. They tell what happens or will happen to the learner by the end of the lesson.

Objectives are what the student does to “prove” the lesson aim has been achieved. How many times have you finished teaching a lesson and walked away not having a clue if what you just did accomplished anything? You feel like you have “taught” a great lesson, but do you really know if the student has walked away not only having heard a great lesson, but has something he can do with it? Instead, you can look back at your lesson plan and know for sure if you accomplished anything by reviewing your goal (aim-objectives).

Writing aims and objectives are not complicated, but they are necessary if you want to accomplish anything more than you talking for an hour. Here are a few examples. The aim is in bold (left), and the objective is in italics (right):

The writing of aims and objectives need not be seen as a daunting task. It is, however, the only way you can know if you have accomplished your goal for that lesson. To help you with this I will make available a complete study on the writing of aims and objectives. Just write me and request it at dbennett@pcanet.org.

Next time we go over how to write objectives for each of the three domains of objectives – what you want them to know, to be, and to do. e

– Dennis Bennett, Coordinator of Resources

Order the 2012 Reformation Insert from the PCA Bookstore

In Ephesians 4:16 the Apostle Paul states, “From whom (Christ) the whole body, joined, and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (ESV). John Calvin wrote in The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book Four that God has committed the ministry of the Gospel to His Church. Each believer has a functional place in the body.

The Protestant Reformers of the 16th and 17th centuries often stressed the concept of the “priesthood of all believers.” Placed in its historic context, prior to the Reformation, the Roman Catholic church had developed an organizational structure that created an order
of priests who “lorded over” the Church. They actually taught that man’s access to God was through this man-made priesthood system; however, when Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Reformers read the Scriptures, they found a different instruction, namely that every believer in Christ Jesus was a priest. They called for the church to reinstate the doctrine called “the universal priesthood of all believers.” That biblical position had been lost in the context of a hierarchical ecclesiology.

The missionary and ecumenical theologian Hendrik Kraemer writes that while the Reformation emphasized the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, it failed to give the concept an ongoing practical expression. We see today’s Church suffering from that same mistake.

The Reformers did rightly emphasize that every Christian had the right to study the Scriptures, to come before God, and to help govern the Church’s ministry. Where the Roman Catholic church had developed a strong dichotomy between the clergy and laity, the Reformers said “no.”

The Romanists taught that the priests were spiritual, in a unique way unlike the average church member. The priests were the rulers and the teachers while the people were the ruled and the taught. Authority was vested in that man-made priesthood system. What they said, had in effect, become the law of the land over the centuries.

One of the great fruits of the Protestant Reformation, which returned the Scripture to its rightful place of authority in the Church as over against the authority of the Church of Rome itself, was their emphasis on and their insistence that the Church implement the universal priesthood of all believers. R. B. Kuiper called this doctrine “a distinctly Protestant doctrine.” We observe that since the days of the Protestant Reformation the Church has, too often, neglected the implementation of this truth. We continue to see the tendency to make a strong dichotomy between the clergy and the laity.

Unless the church practices this great biblical doctrine, it will never be able to function in the manner in which God intended. We believe that both clergy and laity share the blame for this neglect. Often the clerics feel more secure if they are in control, plus many are not equipped to implement this doctrine. However, the laity is also at fault because they have been unwilling to become that involved in the church’s ministry. It is generally easier to hire clergy (professionals) and other staff to do the work of ministry. In many churches the involvement of the laity is much less than the Scripture indicates it should be.

The thesis found in Ephesians 4:16 is that each believer has both a position and a function in the Church’s ministry. The challenge is always how to create an environment in the church where “each part does its work.” Every Christian is enlisted in carrying out the mission and ministry of the Church. That is integral to their call to Christian discipleship and kingdom living.

R. B. Kuiper, in his classic, The Glorious Body of Christ, emphasizes this “Priesthood of All Believers” doctrine. He refers to it as the universal office in contrast to the extraordinary offices both of which are built on the prophet, priest, and king concept. He underscores that each believer is part of the universal office of prophet, priest, and king. He further says this is one of the most significant doctrines restored by the Protestant Reformation.

In one sense we could say that one of the fruits of the Protestant Reformation was to get the Church into its rightful place within the kingdom in order to carry out its God given assignment to make kingdom disciples who in turn would do their part in making kingdom disciples. As we have said in other places, the effectiveness of the kingdom of God is generally determined by the energy and focus of the Church. That is the procedure for how God’s truth and the good news of the kingdom make a difference in the world.

“The Reformation leaders went back to the Apostolic Church, as described in the New Testament, to find there the spirit and practice of the Church as they believed it should operate and closely related to this aspect of reform was the stress on the priesthood of all believers,” writes B. K. Kuiper. What fell through the cracks with the twofold thrust of that doctrine was the second part of “each part working properly.”

Therefore, the Reformation principle of the priesthood of all believers is needed within the community of believers in order for the Church to fulfill its assignment from Jesus, the King and Head of the Church.

The Family that… Deuteronomy “6s” Together

If your schedule is anything like mine, there is little time left over. However, when I am honest with myself and my schedule, there always seems to be time to do what I want.

The Levites in the OT were appointed to be the teachers in Israel. Elders do this in the NT along with those who have the gift of teaching. All three are told specifically to teach adults. The only instructions God gives for teaching the children are given to their parents.

Because of all that invades our lives on a daily basis, we just don’t seem to have the time to set aside for teaching our children. But there may be a way we can do something, at least to start. How about making a family decision to set apart one night a week, preferably the same night each week? This day must become sacred and special to all and only the most critical interruption will be allowed to break this pledge.

On this night, let’s say it is Monday; there are rules which must be followed:

Rule One – we eat at an agreed time. Clean-up can either be done right after dinner if the kids are involved, or it can wait until after the young ones are in bed.

Rule Two – the TV and computer are off limits! This will be hard for some, but all addictions must be conquered.

Rule Three – plan to have fun!

This is a night for the family to spend together, enjoying each other’s company, regardless of the ages of the children. This is not a night for a two-hour Bible study. However, a study or devotional time should be a regular part of the evening, as we always want the children to see Christ as the center of everything we do, be it Bible study or fun. The length of the evening depends on the ages of the children and how engaged they get in the discussion.

Games – this is a wonderful way to spend time together. It can also be used to discuss topics like godly ethics or money management when playing a game such as Monopoly or Careers. Most games are played to be won. But what if the objective of the game were to see who could be the most helpful to someone else or the most philanthropic?

Included in the evening could be Bible and/or catechism memory and explanation. I remember using Susan & Richie Hunt’s Big Truths for Little Kids, and even though our kids were older when they came to live with us, it was an effective teaching tool.

Sue Jakes gave me this idea: If your church is using GCP curriculum in SS there is a family time idea in the toddler, preschool, and early elementary take-home paper every week. If you don’t use the specific idea, it would be a great time to have each child report on the SS lesson. Your church pays for those take-home papers for a reason – so that the Bible truths will find their way into the family’s life and conversation during the next week.

Focus on the Family has a series of books available to help with the teaching and fun times, called the Family Night Tool Chest dealing with holidays, basic Christian beliefs, Ten Commandments, Proverbs, and wisdom life skills.

If your family is doing something you think other families might like to try, email me the details, and I will either list them in the next Equip or post them on our website and let you know in the next issue where you can find these helps. We are a connectional denomination, and this is one way we can help each other stay connected. My email is dbennett@pcanet.org.

It is sad to admit this, but the Mormons are far ahead of us on this. Every Monday night, in every Mormon home, they are meeting to have fun and learn the ways of their non-Christian cult. We can do so much better. Will you?