5 Things that helped me, and can help you, become a much better Gospel Doctrine Teacher

 

5 Things that helped me and can help you become a much better Gospel Doctrine Teacher, is the concluding segment of an article entitled:

Why I am no longer concerned about false doctrine being taught in Church every week.

 

I have been a teacher of the gospel for more than twenty years, both in a lay ministry capacity and also professionally. I have taken classed from the brightest minds in the Church. Yet nothing has been a more powerful teacher to me of how to instruct than those who taught by example the proper way to be in tune to the gospel and to teach the way the Savior taught. I remember a young man I served with in a college ward (comprising of students and leaders chosen from the surrounding community) before I served a mission. We were both teaching the missionary preparation course. While I had not served a mission I was the only young woman in the ward that had received my own endowment in the temple. Since that is a step that all missionaries needed to take in their preparation to serve a mission they figure I was the closest thing they had. I may have been through the temple but I didn’t know much when it came to anything else.

Luckily I was not on my own. My partner teacher was a wise returned missionary who taught with love and the spirit. In attempting to correct a problem that had happened in the ward through teaching correct principles I decided I would put in my two cents as well. I definitely thought that what I had to say would solve the problem a lot faster. I don’t remember what I said but I did remember being condemning in my tone. He thanked me for my comment, but said I prefer to follow the spirit. It was one of the first times where I had recognized that my thoughts were not in alignment with the spirit of the Lord. I was teaching the truth without love or understanding and I was that tinkling symbol the scriptures talked about. My teaching didn’t lead to edification, it led to hurt and guilt.

I wondered why I could have even justified that I was speaking by the spirit at all. In quiet reflection I realized that in looking back at my education in the spirit at that time I saw examples of both good and bad teaching, but I accepted it all as good. Some people had said they were “going by the spirit,” when in actuality they were just, “shooting from the hip.” They hadn’t even bothered to study the lesson at all. I did also have great teachers that took great pains to help us feel the spirit and they followed it in class. One teacher was Shirley Squires. I felt the warmth of her faith. I could tell she cared about us and she really wanted us to understand. One time I remember her asking me what the answer was to a question she had posed to the class, but there was only silence after and no one dared to raise their hands. I knew the answer. What I couldn’t understand why she knew that I did. This both scared me and left me confused.

I know now that I didn’t have within myself a spiritual compass to guide me. I am forever grateful for her wonderful instruction. It taught me a valuable lesson that when a person is led by the spirit there will be a power carried to the hearts of those who are seeking to understand. I also learned that the spirit would help me as a teacher know who to call on. Thankfully I learned later through my missionary training that God would speak through us, but it was our responsibility to fill our souls with his truth so that when he picked us up to write his message we would be pens filled with ink. I was finding at last my internal spiritual compass.

I am so grateful for the shift the Church has made in teaching the youth. The approach they are taking is much like the way I learned to teach the gospel in the MTC and the way we were expected to teach in the professional Religious Education world. I have served teaching the youth with this new curriculum and have absolutely loved it. I have also had conversations with those who are overwhelmed and frustrated with trying to adapt to this new method. I know that it will take some time and some adjusting, but I can tell those that are teaching that this will be the greatest blessing to their lives when they learn to teach by involving the students in the process. Lessons sink home when they have the chance to learn the doctrine for themselves and teach it to the class. I have also learned is anyone can be a powerful teacher in the gospel if they know where the power comes from and how to access it for their classroom.  

I have tried to compile lessons I learned while being trained as a religious educator that really helped. Our training happened yearly with Apostles, weekly with our principles, and all the summer months from a variety of the best teachers that the program could offer. I share this because we were constantly encouraged to change and challenged to learn more and there is nothing that can give us greater power in our teaching than to repent, or change, and exercise greater faith in Christ. I know this list has the potential to be helpful. I did not mince words here because I feel very strongly about each of these helps. I could tell you many good and bad experiences that helped to make this a firm part of how I approached gospel teaching. There is not one of these that do not have scriptural foundation, as well as counsel from Prophets, Apostles, and promptings by the spirit. While I treasure the messages I have learned they have become so part of me that I feel them right from my heart. I do invite you to find out the truth of what I say for yourself. Study it out for yourself, practice it and I can assure you with all of my heart that you will teach with greater conviction and power and you will touch the hearts of those the Lord needs you to reach out too.

1.       Don’t stray from approved curriculum! Help your class to understand the doctrines you are assigned to teach that day by using the scriptures. They are the foundation of any class on Sunday. You should be in the scriptures throughout your entire class and take no more than a few minutes in a readiness activity (object lessons or stories etc. that introduce your topic). Never teach from unapproved sources. Religious Educators call that the kiss of death! The spirit will back you up when you obediently use the approved materials for your classes.

 

There are additional sources that are always appropriate to use when there are questions and you need more information to help your class better understand what you are trying to teach. Those sources are: the scriptures( not commentaries on the scriptures), General Conference addresses, True to the Faith, For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, Daughters in my Kingdom, the Hymnal, Teaching no greater call, and approved manuals and materials for your courses, and the Church handbook of Instruction which is available online.) There is so much information in these approved sources that I pretty much guarantee that you will find everything that is your responsibility to answer questions and teach with clarity and power of the Spirit. Don’t do the work for your students when they need to seek for answers themselves. Help them know where to go. Help them not be frustrated and loose hope. Most importantly, follow the Spirit in what you say and the question you answer. Follow the spirit as to the questions you have your class answer and those questions which should remain answered through prayer and revelation given to that individual.

 

In order for the scriptures to profit us and help us learn, we must be able to take the topics and apply them to our lives. They were written to show us how to live and how to come unto Christ. You are not teaching a history lesson! It is unnecessary to focus on the history. Our focus should be how to help the class come closer to Christ that day. You are not expected to speak Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic, or be able to explain all the maps in the topical guide.  Inviting others to share how the principle and doctrines you are teaching has changed them and made them better will be the most edifying experience you can do for your class.

 

2.       Avoid speculative comments about doctrine and people! Don’t allow your class to take you down this road! Stick to the scriptures and words of living prophets! If they are not addressing it you shouldn’t either! Learn to politely lead the class back to the Savior every time they stray into topics of little spiritual value and importance. It is easier to pick up when you can recognize the spirit with your class. The spirit will not attend such comments and you will feel the difference as you seek to understand this yourself, then you can help others understand it as well.

3.       Live the Gospel! You must be a stellar example of the principles and doctrines of the gospel you teach. Living the gospel will help you to teach with a pure heart. There is no replacement that will be more powerful. Don’t worry about being perfect or not knowing a lot. You are only expected to do your best and the spirit will attend you and testify of the truthfulness of what you are saying. If you lack confidence in your obedience repent and ask for help. There is someone in your ward that is a stellar example of whatever principle you are trying to teach that would be happy to help you whenever you need them. When they stand with you the spirit that will enter your classroom will amaze you. When they are approved by your bishop, they will make a wonderful example for the class. If you are living the gospel it will be much easier to recognize the spirit in your lessons and pause to help others recognize when they are feeling the spirit as well.

4.       Keep it simple! The Savior himself said that if it does not teach faith and repentance it is not His doctrine. Everything we teach must help us and others want to repent and exercise greater faith in the Savior. If we are not leading others to partake of the gift of the Atonement we are wasting all of our time. Testifying of doctrines and principles frequently throughout the lesson rather than just at the end will increase the feeling of the spirit in your classroom. When in doubt stick to the basics 1. Godhead, 2. Plan of Salvation, 3. Atonement of Jesus Christ, 4. Dispensation, Apostasy, and Restoration, 5. Prophets and Revelation, 6. Priesthood and Priesthood Keys, 7. Ordinances and Covenants, 8. Marriage and Family, 9. Commandments. These basic doctrines can be taught weekly and they always bring an edifying feeling when you know they are true and you testify of them and invite others to testify of the same. We should always seek to build others faith in these principles and doctrines including building the faith in the Lord’s organization for his Church. We should never demean any program or leader in the Church.

 

5.       Remember it is about those you teach and not about you! We must magnify Christ in the methods we use to help others. Anything to call attention to ourselves is priest craft, which is setting us up for a light and example instead of the Savior. I believe that most people are innocent of this and if they do it at all they don’t understand what they are doing. But, whether they understand it or not this weakens the power of our teaching. Even when we don’t understand that we are sinning we are still breaking eternal law which will result in a decrease or eliminate to the power of the Spirit of our lessons. Everything the Savior taught when he was living among us in mortality was to lead us to the Father. He didn’t seek praise, recognition, or anything contrary to the Father’s will. He was and is the perfect teacher to emulate. When you don’t know what to do, He does …and He will still lead us. LDS.org has GREAT REFERENCES for TEACHERS! Use them because Christ has inspired them to help His children come home. The message is about bringing us all to our eternal home. He loves us and when we love those we teach, they can and will feel his love through us. If we love the Lord we will feed His sheep.

Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog. I feel so grateful for the kindness of those who have responded to me and supported my efforts. I really try to follow the Spirit in those things that I share and my only hope is to be helpful and do what my Father in Heaven needs me to do. May the Lord bless you.

Andrea