Teachers

While I understand the desire to make sure all teachers and preachers are at a certain level, this is largely an idea found in suburbia. In third world countries and even in outlying areas in the US the standard that may be imposed in suburbia where idealism is more attainable it cannot be met in many areas around the world. The reason is there can be no one found with the standards and high ideals that suburbans may have. Its just not there.

 

I do not know how else to say it other than to point out that it is not a disagreement just pointing out that based on what I have seen having come from the suburbs the standards often held in these areas would be impossible to meet in so many areas in the world with regards to teachers in the church.

 

The church I pastor and the other churches in areas like mine (out in the middle of no where just outside of the Navajo Reservation) does not have people who have had very much serious discipleship. We want to make sure they show some level of faithfulness but out here we are just glad to have anyone at all who will be willing to teach.

 

We ask all of our group leaders (that's what we call them but they are the teachers/facilitators of our various groups) to meet with a staff members (usually a director level, junior staffer) prior to leading a group. During this initial meeting we check that they are covenant members, ask them if they have any theological disagreements with our statement of faith, ask some general question about theology, and require them to sign a leadership covenant which details some things (I'll generalize its contents below.)

We also ask our group leaders to attend two training sessions a year (we offer four) where we talk about leading a group and open up the floor to questions about group leadership. Throughout the year, we ask for at least a 1 year commitment, our groups staff will touch base with the individual group leaders assigned to them once a month. While we don't require specific curricula to be taught, we do make recommendations and ask them to keep us up to speed on what they are teaching. (Occasionally we have to ask leaders to not teach something.)

If there are problems we confront them with authenticity, integrity, and ground everything in Scripture.

As for the leadership covenant we require them to agree to:
- Uphold and speak well of all leaders of the church.
- Not be involved in any moral sin which is mentioned in Scripture.
- Submit to the leadership of our church for the guidance of our overall groups.
- Support the church in prayer, attendance, and giving.
- Always base their lessons in biblical truth.

Leadership is important, this is how we do it. The process isn't perfect, but we're not a perfect church.

 

Teaching is the responsibility of the elders (2 Tim. 2:24). If the elders are not teaching directly they are responsible for vetting other teaching. Too many teachers outside of the eldership creates problems. Accountability is more difficult.

 

I would say that many who teach Sunday School are relatively ignorant of Scripture. They simply parrot what the quarterly says and my experience is that they are generally useless

 

This sadly is true more often than it should be.It would seem that there are times when God uses extreme means to work in His people.:thumbs:
It is a blessing to have a plurality of elders who labour in the word and doctrine.

 

I would agree that the elders/pastors should be vetting those doing teaching...however I believe it possible, perhaps even necessary to allow non-elders to teach, especially if you have many children's classes.

I suppose the alternative would be that any who had giftings and desires to be teachers actually be recognized as Elders, and only have these teach in any setting?

Regarding the OP, I think in most small/medium sized churches, this process works best not in a formal "teacher certification" process, but in simply knowing people over a period of many months/years, so that a pastor/elder knows whether or not the person is qualified to teach, not because they were able to answer a questionnaire correctly, but because their life and words accord with sound doctrine.

 

I would say that if preachers did their job, expository preaching, perhaps there would be no need for others to teach. But then I am afraid many preachers are not up to expository preaching!

 

:thumbsup:

Spurgeon called church-school teacher Mrs. Bartlett his best deacon, even a pastor.

From The Sword and Trowel: