How to Use a Ministry Preparation Plan Sheet

Written by Terry Hadaway

Your Sunday School class is unique! No matter where you look, you will never find another class just like yours. For that reason, we want to help you prepare a unique approach to leading your class - an approach that takes into consideration all of the factors that make your class one of a kind.

A Toolbox, Not a Recipe
The curriculum resources provided by LifeWay Christian Resources are used in churches all over the world. Quite honestly, it is impossible for one teaching plan to meet the needs of people in such a wide variety of settings. Each set of teaching plans is a toolbox, not a recipe. Each toolbox includes a variety of alternatives for you to use such as teaching plans for other products located on the Adult Family Bible Study CD-ROM, EXTRA!, and discussion options. But how can you take all of the options and create an easy to follow plan to lead next week's Bible study session?

Introducing the Ministry Preparation Plan Sheet [PDF]
This resource is also located in the front or back of each LifeWay Sunday School Adult Leader Guide. For information about LifeWay Sunday School Resources, visit LifeWay's online Curriculum Planner.)

Take a look at the Ministry Preparation Plan Sheet. You'll be seeing and hopefully using it week after week as you prepare to lead your Sunday School class. Go ahead and make copies of the plan sheet so you will be ready to begin preparing for next week's session.

How to Use the Ministry Preparation Plan Sheet
Begin by filling in the lesson date, lesson title, and life question. All of this information can be found on the first page of each lesson.

On the first page of the lesson, locate the section entitled, "Ministry Preparation Through Leadership Meeting." The information in that section will help you develop a strategy for helping class leaders focus on the mission of your class and church, relationships among members of your class, church, and community, and personal and corporate Bible study.

How can you connect your class to the church and class vision? How can you build relationships in and beyond Bible study? The answers to these questions should be written under the heading "Focus on Mission and Relationships."

Use the back of the Ministry Preparation Plan Sheet to list prayer concerns. As God brings to mind specific needs, add them to the list.

Now it's time to prepare to lead the Bible study session. Take a look at the "Focus on Bible Study" section of the Ministry Preparation Plan Sheet. After you have completed your spiritual preparation through personal Bible study you are ready to develop a teaching strategy that will enable God's truths to be communicated to the learners in your class. You will use the teaching plan in your leader guide, discussion options, other teaching plans found on the Adult Family Bible Study CD-ROM, EXTRA!, and your own creativity to prepare a Bible study session specifically geared toward the needs of learners in your class. List items needed for each step in the space provided and fill in the details to help you lead the class.

Finally, you'll need to identify activities to help learners continue their encounter with God's Word after the session. List those activities in the "Continue After the Session" section.

Conclusion
The Ministry Preparation Plan Sheet helps you organize your thoughts following your spiritual preparation through personal Bible study. Then, as you teach, you will teach from your own experience with God's Word, not from a book. Life-changing Bible study begins when the leader is changed through personal Bible study. Let God change you through His Word!

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