A Season of Providing Teaching Helps is Coming to an End this Week

After serving at Lifeway for 13 years, I moved back to serving on a local church staff in 2012.  During those 13 years I had made notes of things I would do differently as a minister if I were to make this transition. One of those changes focused on helping Sunday School/Group leaders learn how to customize their teaching plans. My goal was to demonstrate how I assimilate personal Bible study, the resources provided by Lifeway, the context of current events, and the needs of my group into a customized plan. Because I teach a group each week, I began sharing my finished teaching plans with my church group leaders every week via a blog post.

Over the years, other church leaders asked if I could share this finished plan with their leaders. Individual group leaders also asked to be added to a list so they could receive the helps as well. This had grown to the point that delivery via a public blog was the best approach to sharing this information.  Again, the goal was to help leaders learn the art of customizing their plans in their context.

After some discussions with Lifeway, I feel it is time to discontinue this practice via my website  and email effective this week.

It's my prayer, if you use Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum, that you will continue to customize your plans each week based on your study of God's Word, Lifeway's helps, and the context of your group. To those who have discovered the Explore the Bible curriculum through this regular post, I hope you will explore the use of that curriculum further. As always, I am available to train group leaders if you need that ministry in your church.

If you should have questions regarding Lifeway curriculum please contact Dwayne McCrary at dwayne.mccrary@lifeway.com.

Thanks again for all your words of encouragement, support, and other kind words over these past years. 

My prayer for you can't be stated any better than Paul's words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14-17:

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

With that said, below are the downloadable teaching helps focused on Mark 15:21-39 where the gospel story finally reaches its climax as the perfect Son of God gives Himself as a final sacrifice to pay the penalty for man’s sins. He bridges the gap for those who willingly respond to His invitation to follow Him! Let’s rejoice for the gift Jesus gave as we observe the sacrifice Jesus made for us!

Downloadable Teaching Helps

These helps include additional ideas and my plan I use to teach my Bible study group.

Download PDF Version

Download Word Version

LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources.