Vision and Teaching

Vision

Values

Bible Engagement: Believing in the total inerrancy, absolute sufficiency, and life-changing power of God’s Word, we will regularly engage the Bible personally and through group study. God’s Word is foundational to all we are and do. (Psalm 119:10, Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Worshipful Lifestyle: Knowing that worship is more than what we do together on Sunday morning, we will live in daily submission to God, pray at all times, and willingly serve Him. A constant attitude of worship leads to personal humility. (John 4:23, 1 Peter 4:11, Colossians 3:15-17, Philippians 2:1-11)

Intentional Relationships: Seeking more than shallow acquaintances, we will exercise sacrificial love by giving ourselves to others in meaningful relationships for mutual Christlike growth. We belong to God and one another as a Church family. (Matthew 22:37-40, John 13:34, Hebrews 10:24-25)

Gifted Service: Recognizing that God has given each of us unique talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts, we will serve individually and together for the glory of God. We always function better together as the Body of Christ. (Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Ephesians 4:16)

Gospel Sharing: Rejoicing in our personal relationships with God, we will share the Good News of Jesus with the World and serve them in His name. God’s desire is that all people would come to a saving relationship with Him. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 2 Peter 3:9-10)

Vision Statement

We are growing Christ-followers who build a legacy for God by worshiping Him through serving others and sharing the Gospel. Our personal relationships with Jesus and one another transform our lives and change our direction.

Vision Casting

If I were to guess I would guess that the average person in our city holds that the worship service is where most of our church's energy is focussed and hence where we expect to have the biggest impact. However, if you look at our vision and values I propose that it is in our Sunday School, Adult Bible Studies, and Homegroups where we really have the opportunity to have a measurable impact on our vision and values!

• Question: In your Sunday School, Adult Bible Study, or Homegroups which of our values do you feel is emphasized well?

• Question: In your Sunday School, Adult Bible Study, or Homegroups which of our values do you feel needs to receive more attention?

We Are All Teachers!

No matter who you are or why you are here today, you are a teacher. Think about it, when was the last time you taught someone something or desired for someone to learn something. We are all teachers! With that reality in mind I want you to take a second and consider that the job of a teacher is to teach, but the outcome of significance is not that the teacher has taught but that the student has learned. Therefore, a good starting point for any teacher is to spend time thinking about learning.

• Question: How would you define learning? What does it mean for someone to learn? How do you know if someone has learned?

Learning is a complicated process that involves both external and internal factors. Defining when learning has occurred is particularly challenging. If someone can mimic back a phrase does that mean they have learned? If someone answers a question correctly and then ten years later cannot remember the answer, did they actually learn the material? Most of us would say yes they did learn the material, but this forces us to ask, how long must someone retain knowledge before we can say they have learned? Thankfully, developing a fully coherent complete definition of learning is not necessary in order to teach. However, having thought about what it means to learn will help you frame your planning time and make you a more effective teacher.

The Responsibility

We should strive to be effective teachers. As teachers we bear a great responsibility and our students and in the case of young students their parents have put a great deal of trust in us.

• Question: What does James 3:1 tell us about teaching?

I do not believe that James 3:1 is intended to discourage teachers but intended to convey the seriousness of the responsibility. The Greek word κριμα that we translate as judgment is a penal judgment.¹ However, we must be careful not to view this as judgment in the eternal sense. Since the idea here is of penal judgement or a judicial verdict the idea is more of the potential for censure not eternal ‘condemnation,’ as some translations make it sound. ² Douglass Moo has a good perspective on the passage suggesting that this passage shows that, teachers "expose themselves to a greater danger of judgment. Their constant use of the tongue means they can sin very easily, leading others astray at the same time.”³ James 3:1 makes it clear that we must take our job as teachers seriously but in teaching we are not risking our eternal souls. We should strive to do our best and effectively teach the students with which we have been entrusted.

My goal today is not that you walk away feeling like the most prepared teacher and my goal today is not that you walk away feeling like you can never live up to the responsibility. My goal today is that you walk away with one or two more tools in your toolbox that you can use to plan, discuss, implement, or reflect on your teaching.

If all that happens today is you have one new way of talking about teaching with another teacher then we will celebrate because that simple conversation will result in growth!

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Footnotes

1. TDNT ↩

2. Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell, James, vol. 16, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 152. ↩

3. Moo, Douglas J. The letter of James. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, 150. ↩