Pros and cons, anyone?
Quarterlies
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by DeadMan, Nov 28, 2005.
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Gold Dragon Well-Known Member
What are quarterlies?
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Well, in the SBC, Lifeway publishes quarterly Sunday School Series for different age groups and topics. They usually lay out, in step by step fashion, how to go through a lesson, what illustrations to use and what questions to ask. Right now, I am in one on Romans 1-8.
I believe that other Baptist denoms may have similar pubs.
Quarterlies are ok. I use some of the material but also draw on my own Bible education and other resources. I don't follow everything in the quarterly in a step by step manner. I also don't cover the material at the same pace. -
Gold Dragon Well-Known Member
I see. Pre-fab SS material.
Our church uses them sometimes but most of our teachers develop their own materials. While pre-fab materials are useful sometimes, especially for inexperienced teachers, it is always more comfortable for teachers to teach from their own developed materials and have the flexibility to cater it towards their expected audience.
Sometimes pre-fab stuff is useful for reference or generating ideas. But I often find them out of touch with the audience I am working with when I teach. -
I like the ones that move verse by verse through the books of the Bible, but dislike the shallow topical ones.
I've used quarterlies for the most part of my Christian life. I've found that they add a sanse of direction, and they help the whole church to be "on the same page" as far as what material is being covered.
In Christ,
Trotter -
At some point we have to get off the milk and into the meat. I don't see that happening with quarterlies.
We are going through Romans right now and I left my Bible at home a couple of weeks ago (I know, I know), so I just grabbed the quarterly and we were actually doing a review that week of what we had already covered (becuase we were interupted by a five-week church-wide series) and there were actually large chunks of verses that the quarterly didn't even cover.
How can you do a book study and not cover every verse in the book?
Not a huge fan as you can probably tell -
I really like the Sunday School Quarterlies.
They are well written by professors, missionaries,teachers, and pastors. They are a guide for study and do not limit the study of the Bible. Not all the verses are listed in the quarterly for study, but give passages that are to be studied from our Bibles in addition to the Quarterly. I can't see that they limit the depth of study. That is up to the teacher and the class.
Students can read and prepare for discussion of the lesson with their Bibles and the Quarterlies.
You can tell that I like them. -
oh man, I thought this thread was going to be about estimated taxes! What a relief!
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We don't use them in our present Church. I did find them helpful when I was in a S.B.C. church. The teacher is, of course, not bound to teach exclusively from the quarterly.
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They are shallow, not aimed at the those who want to dig deeper and who arer capable of understanding more. They are aimed at the less then mature christian. They present no challenges to learn or apply what you've learned. I would not attend a class that used them.
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Quarterlies can be useful, but the key to the class is a teacher that is willing to put in the time and present the week's lesson well.
Reading paragraphs out of the quarterly and asking "does anyone have any comments" is NOT teaching. On the other hand, quarterly or not, a teacher that puts in the time and study - presenting an actual lesson - having the gift of teaching makes all the difference in the world.
This kind of teacher is able to do well regardless of quarterly (topical or through the bible) or no quarterly at all.
Quarterlies are not the lesson, they are simply a help to some - the lesson's in the Bible, and so must it always be. -
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It depends on what quarterlie and what teachers are using them.
They can be a wonderful addition to a lesson if you have a dedicated teacher who uses them as the basics to build a lesson on, and they are wonderful for new Christians who have had little bible study.
When you have lazy teachers who don't study and pray and expand, they can be boring.
Its more about your teachers than your quarterlies though. -
Quarterlies are good as guides for the topic of the Sunday School class. They also help the teacher keep on topic and think through the lesson. They are good for home study to prepare for the lesson on Sunday, then they should be left at home. I have our teachers leave the study material (quarterlies) at home and teach from their study notes and the Bible. When they have a visitor in their class I want them to be teaching out of the Bible and not some book.
Bro Tony -
Another advantage to the quarterlies - especially for those of us who teach, but are not "gifted" teachers, is that they give teaching suggestions for learners who learn differently. For example, some folks are auditory learner and do great in a lecture format, some are more hands on - they need to touch and feel. Others cant stand to sit still (me)and to have to hear someone lecture for an hour would drive me insane - they need more of a discussion type of format. It is nice to take a sunday school quarterly and look at the different teaching options given - as well as go out to lifeway.com and download the EXTRA for additional ideas.
So of you on this board may not need the help - I need all the help I can get! -
I am a teacher.
I have taught with and without SS materials. I am using some at the momemt becuase the student books are appealing and the AV materials are superb. The student book provides a nice addition to the student library. I use the outline, but I teach the lesson.
Totally a matter of preference and choice. -
I do enjoy using SS quarterlies, of couse, depending on how good they are. In past years, I have enjoyed using REGULAR BAPTIST PRESS. I have found it to be very excellent material. However, it has been several years since I have used it. The most recent material I used was Lifeway. Havent really cared for it that much.
What I detest, is when the SS teacher puts his Bible under his chair, and teaches out of the quarterly. I will ask the students to put their quarterlis away, and I only use my Bible (if there is a great paragraph, I will copy it, and just read it)
Salty -
I am using RBP at the moment. Just finshed an OT study and will be studying "O Glorious God" next.
The materials do not teach though - I do. -
I would use children's quarterlies and quarterlies for senior adults.
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