Effective Bible Teaching

CED721
Tony Guthrie, Ph.D.
Direction of Online Learning
Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry/Preaching
tguthrie1961@gmail.com
tguthrie@legacyu.net
Cell: (404) 933-0418
The mission of Legacy Christian University is to educate students to become kingdomfocused leaders who impact their communities for Christ.

Purpose of the Course

The course is designed to both deepen and broaden the students understanding of the core
fundamentals of Bible teaching and to equip the student to effectively teach the Bible. The goal
is to prepare students to think more clearly and critically about interpreting and teaching the
Bible, so that they may become more effective teachers who participate more constructively in
helping the church learn the Bible.

Curriculum Competencies Addressed

This course will address the following curriculum competencies:
1. Biblical exposition: The student will discover passages of Scripture that will address
biblical foundations for teaching in the local church or a Christian ministry setting.
2. Interpersonal Skills: The course contains a strong emphasis on interpersonal skills with
self-directed learning and collaborative learning as vital aspects of the teaching ministry within
the local church.
3. Disciple making: In this course, students are encouraged to acknowledge and understand that
the command of the Great Commission is to make disciples through teaching obedience to
biblical commands, specifically in the context of education.
4. Spiritual and Character Formation: To provide moral leadership by modeling and
mentoring Christian character and devotion. As a ministry leader, intentionally engage in the
process of growing in relationship with God and becoming conformed to Christ through the
power of the Holy Spirit.

Course Description

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The course is designed to equip students with methods and principles in teaching different types
of Bible books, including interpretation and the unity of the scriptures.

Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to
accomplish the following:
1.

Define the terminology associated with the study of Effective Bible teaching.

2.

Identify specific methods of involving people through learning experiences.

3.

Examine how to present the Bible to impact culture.

4.

Analyze methods of teaching in order to adjust from teaching to learning.

5.

Develop lesson plans for teaching the Bible in a church setting.

Course Teaching Methodology

Course Unit Topics. Biblical models of instruction, Scripture exegesis, lesson plan
development, biblical hermeneutics, teaching-learning process, development of a personal
teaching philosophy, teaching methods, and teaching evaluation.
Teaching Method. The course is being offered in a weekly teaching format and will utilize
lecture, group discussion, small groups, reflective writing, PowerPoint
presentations, and an interactive discovery-learning format.

Materials Needed for the Course

A computer with internet access (broadband recommended), Microsoft Word, Windows Media
Player, and any additional recommended texts.

Required Readings
The following texts and resources are required reading for class discussions and are to be read in
their entirety unless otherwise specified.
Required Texts
Richards, Lawrence and Bredfeldt, Gary. Creative Bible Teaching. Chicago: Moody, 1998.
Whilhoit, James and Ryken, Leland. Effective Bible Teaching. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988.
The Bible. You may use a translation of your choice.
Optional Texts (Do not purchase these for the course, however, these are great texts to
supplement your personal library.)

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Edge, Findley B. Teaching for Results, rev. ed. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1995.
Hendricks, Howard. Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching
Come Alive. Sisters, OR: Multnomah books, 1987. (ISBN: 9-781-590521380)

Robinson, Haddon W. Biblical Preaching; the Development and Delivery of Expository

Messages, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2001.

Shultz, Thom and Shultz, Joani. Why Nobody Learns Much on Anything at Church and How to
Fix It. Loveland, CO: Group Publishers, 1993.

Wilkinson, Bruce. The Seven Laws of the Learner: How to Teach Almost Anything to
Practically Anyone. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 1992. (ISBN: 9871590524527)
Yount, William. Called to Teach: An Introduction to the Ministry of Teaching. Nashville, TN:
Broadman & Holman, 1998. (ISBN: 0-8054-1199-2)
Yount, William. Created to Learn: A Christian Teachers Introduction to Educational
Psychology, 2nd ed. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2010. (ISBN: 978-0805447279)

Assignments and Evaluation Criteria See Course Schedule for Due Dates
The student is expected to complete the course assignments in the three learning domains:
cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.
Cognitive Domain of Learning
1. Weekly Textbook Reading: (5%)
Students will read the required texts by following the weekly reading schedule. Completion of
reading before each class session is necessary and intended to improve understanding of
course content and enhance discussion participation. The professor reserves the right to
monitor reading through a variety of means, such as pop-quiz, reading percentage, discussion
questions, etc.

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2. 2- Hermeneutic Projects: (10% each)

Students will develop two hermeneutic projects to be taught to the class.
Each project will consist of a (minimum 5-paged, 12 pt. font. Doublespaced, hermeneutical paper. One project will be an exegetical paper
on a particular Scripture passage. The second project will be thematic in
nature exploring either a word or theme from Scripture. Both papers will
follow the same format and be taught at a later date to the class.
Exegetical Paper: The exegetical paper should include information on
the book of the Bible its author, dating, purpose, major themes, etc.
(This portion of the paper should account for no more than one page of
the content.) and specific explanation and implications of the related
passage. Students should consult at least 5 scholarly sources outside
of the required textbooks to support the content of the paper. Students
should use section headings in their papers and a set of sample
headings appear below:
Bible Book Information: Author, Dating, Purpose, Major Themes, etc.
Text Observations: What does the text say? Who is the
communicator? Who is the audience? What are the setting, context,
and structure of the text?
Text Interpretation: What was the intended meaning of the text to
the original audience?
Biblical Principle: What is the timeless truth from the text?
Life Application: How does the text apply to a believer in Christ?
How does the text apply for a non-believer in Christ?
Life Transformation: Based on the biblical principle, what must a
believer do or change? How should/could a non-believer respond to
the biblical principle?
Thematic Paper: The thematic paper should include information about
the word or theme from the Bible where its found, dating, person or
situation responsible for word/theme etc. (This portion of the paper should
account for no more than one page of the content.) and specific
explanation and implications of the word/theme. Students should consult
at least 5 scholarly sources outside of the required textbooks to
support the content of the paper. Students should use section headings
in their papers and a set of sample headings appear below:
Word/Theme Information: Author, Dating, Purpose, Major
Theme/Word, etc.
Text Observations: What does the text say about word/theme? Who
is the communicator? Who is the audience? What are the setting,
context, and structure of the text associated with the word/theme?

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 Original Interpretation: What was the intended meaning of the

word/theme to the original audience?
Biblical Principle: What is the timeless truth from the word/theme?
Life Application: How does the word/theme apply to a believer in
Christ? How does the word/theme apply for a non-believer in Christ?
Life Transformation: Based on the biblical principle being taught by
the word/theme, what must a believer do or change? How
should/could a non-believer respond to the word/theme?
3. Midweek Module: (10%)
Each student is required to complete the Midweek Module posted weekly on Populi.
4. Midterm and Final Exam: (10% each)
Each student will take a Midterm and Final Exam on the assigned date via Populi. The
Midterm will reflect all information covered during the first four weeks in reading
assignments, handouts, Populi, and lectures. The Final Exam is comprehensive over material
covered during the term via reading assignments, handouts, Populi, and lectures.
Affective Domain of Learning
5. 2 Bible Teaching Evaluations:1 (5% each)
Each student will observe and evaluate two Bible teaching sessions. One should be in a
church, in-person environment, not via technology. The other should be viewed via
technology, internet, television, or some other medium. During the observation and
evaluation of the teaching session, students should use Robert Stakes Model for Evaluation
of Educational Programs and Teaching Sessions. Students will submit a (minimum 3-paged,
12pt. font, double-spaced) written evaluation of the two teaching sessions.
6. Personal Teaching Philosophy: (10%)
Each Student will write a personal teaching philosophy. Instruction will be given in class
followed by class discussion.
Psychomotor Domain of Learning
7. Oral Presentations: (20%)
The two Projects will be taught to the class on the assigned dates. Half the class will teach
the exegetical passage first, the other half of the class will teach the thematic project first.
Afterward, each group will switch and teach the other on the assigned date. The teaching
schedule and those who write either the exegetical or thematic project will be assigned by the
professor. The main methodology utilized during each teaching project will be the Hook,
Book, Look, and Took technique studied in class. Each student will supply the professor with
his/her outline using the Hook, Book, Look, and Took methodology before beginning the
teaching session. (Teaching outlines will vary depending on passage and theme/word. 3
page minimum).
8. Class Participation/Attendance: (5%)
Each student is expected to participate fully in small group discussions and class session
activities to foster skill development, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and enrich the

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assimilation of the class content. Students should come to class prepared to discuss and
interact with the material assigned for each class session.

Course Policies
Assignment Submission
All assignments should be uploaded to Populi. Assignments may be e-mailed to the professor
with prior permission.
Assignment Format
All assignments are to be typed, double-spaced with 12-point font (Times New Roman preferred)
and 1-inch margins unless otherwise indicated. Assignment pages should be uploaded to Populi
with a Turabian format cover page that includes name, date of submission and assignment title. A
Turabian style guide is available online.
Academic Integrity
Each student is responsible for the academic integrity of his/her work. The following are
examples of violations of academic integrity: plagiarism, turning in work done by someone else,
submitting a paper which has been submitted for another course, and cheating on a quiz or exam.
These and other violations of academic integrity may result in a failure of the course.
Populi
Populi will be used extensively in this course. The student is responsible to check Populi for
grades, assignments, course documents and announcements. The student is responsible for
maintaining current information regarding e-mail address on the system. If you need assistance
with Populi contact (Tim Payne, tpayne@legacyu.net)
Attendance
Regularity and punctuality in class attendance is expected of all students at LCU in order to
receive maximum benefit from the instructional program. Because class attendance very
positively impacts the learning process, the following attendance policies will be enforced:
Each student is allowed one (1) absences per class with no penalty.
No student may take a final exam or receive credit if he or she exceeds this limit. In cases of
extenuating circumstances beyond the students control, appeal for credit must be made to the
Academic committee. This appeal must be in writing, stating the reasons for the absences and
must be presented to the Academic Dean before final exams begin for the semester in question.
The Academic Dean will consider a request for excused absence because of emergency
conditions. If approved, the student will communicate with the professor and complete make up
work as assigned. The responsibility for initiating the request to make up class work missed is
vested in the student.
Grading Scale
A+ = 97100 A=93-96 A-=90-92 B+ = 8789
CED721 Effective Bible Teaching

B=83=86 B-=80-82
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C+ = 7779

C=73-76 C-=70-72 D+ = 6769

D=63-66 D-=60-62

F = 064
Disability Assistance
Students with a documented disability may contact WHBCs Office of Disability Academic
Support (ODAS) at (tpayne@legacy.net) to make arrangements for academic accommodations.
Course Evaluation: The professor will prescribe a grade based upon the students satisfactorily
completion of the following:
Textbook Readings/Class Participation
Exegetical Project/Oral Presentation
Thematic Project/Oral Presentation
2 Bible Teaching Evaluations
Personal Teaching Philosophy
Midweek Module
Mid-Term Exam
Final Exam

10% (includes attendance)

20%
20%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
100%

Course Schedule
Textbook Readings
Effective Bible Teaching: (EBT)
Creative Bible Teaching: (CBT)
Class Sessions
March 10

Topic
Term Begins

Assignments Due
Read: EBT: Ch 1
CBT: Ch 1-5 (Midweek Module)

March 14

Writing Your Personal Teaching

Philosophy (Class Discussion on
Teaching Philosophy)
Scripture Exegesis, Hermeneutics and
Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Models
of Instruction.
Teaching Methods,
Hook, Book, Look, and Took

Read: EBT: Ch 2-3

CBT: Ch 6-8 (Midweek Module) Projects
1 and 2 Topics Due.2
Read: EBT: Ch 4-9
CBT: Ch 9-12 (Teaching Philosophy
Due) (Midweek Module)
Read: EBT: Ch 10-14
CBT: Ch 13-18 First Teaching
Observation Due, (Midweek Module)
Read: CBT: Ch 19-20
Second Teaching Observation Due,
(Midweek Module)
Project/Oral Presentation 1 Due,
(Midweek Module)

March 21
March 28
April 4
April 11

Whats the Difference Between a

Good Teacher and a Great Teacher!
Mid Term Exam
Project and Oral Presentation 1

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April 18
April 25
May 2
*The Professor

Project and Oral Presentation 1 (Cont.)

Project and Oral Presentation 2
Project and Oral Presentation 2

(Midweek Module)
Project/Oral Presentation 2 Due,
(Midweek Module)

Project and Oral Presentation 2 (Cont.)

Conclusion, Final Exam Due
(Midweek Module)
reserves the right to make changes to the schedule as needed.

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Selected Bibliography
3Anthony, Michael J. (ed.) Introducing Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first
Century. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.
Armstrong, Thomas. Seven Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Multiple
Intelligences. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1999.
Blair, Christine Eaton. The Art of Teaching the Bible: A Practical Guide for Adults. Louisville,
KY: Geneva Press, 2001.
Bracke, John M, and Karen B. Tye. Teaching the Bible in the Church. St. Louis, MO: Chalice
Press, 2003.
Brookfield, Stephen D. The Skillful Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1990.
Duvall, J. Scott and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping Gods Word: A Hands-on Approach to Reading,
Interpreting, and Applying the Bible, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.
Edge, Findley B. Teaching for Results, rev. ed. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1995.
Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 3rd ed. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
Freeman, Craig S. So You Have Been Called to Teach in the Sunday School. Baltimore: Publish
America, 2005.
Galindo, Israel. The Craft of Christian Teaching: Essentials for Becoming a Very Good Teacher.
Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1998.
Gangel, Kenneth O., and Howard Hendricks. The Christian Educators Handbook on Teaching.
Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
Habermas, Ronald T. Teaching for Reconciliation: Foundations and Practice of Christian
Educational Ministry, rev. ed. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2001.
Hendricks, Howard. Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching
Come Alive. Portland, OR: Multnomah Books, 1987.
Hestenes, Roberta, Howard Hendricks, and Earl Palmer. Mastering Teaching. Portland, OR:
Multnomah, 1991.
Johnston, Jay, and Ronald K. Brown. Teaching the Jesus Way: Building a Transformational
Teaching Ministry. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press, 2000.
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Knight, George R. Philosophy & Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective, 3rd ed.
Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1998.
Lambert, Dan. Teaching That Makes a Difference: How to Teach for Holistic Impact. Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.
LeFever, Marlene D. Creative Teaching Methods: Be Effective Christian Teacher. Colorado
Springs, CO: Nexgen, 2004.
Mitchell, Michael R. Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples: World-Class Christian
Education in the Church, School, and Home. Bloomington, IN: CrossBooks, 2010.
Moehlenpah, Arlo and Jane. Teaching with Variety. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press, 1990.
Palmer, Earl, Roberta Hestenes, and Howard Hendricks. Mastering Teaching. Portland, OR:
Multnomah Press, 1984.
Pazmio, Robert W. God Our Teacher: Theological Basics in Christian Education. Grand
Rapids, Baker, 2001.
Poling, Wayne. How-To Sunday School Guide. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press, 2004.
Richards, Lawrence O, and Gary J. Bredfeldt. Creative Bible Teaching. Chicago: Moody
Publishers, 1998.
Robinson, Haddon W. Biblical Preaching; the Development and Delivery of Expository
Messages, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2001.
Roehlekepartain, Eugene C. The Teaching Church: Moving Christian Education to Center Stage.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1993.
Schultz, Thom, and Joani Schultz. The Dirt on Learning: Groundbreaking Tools to Grow Faith
in Your Church. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 1999.
_______. Why Nobody Learns Much of Anything at Church: And How to Fix It. Loveland, CO:
Group Publishing, 1996.
Smith, Wilbur M. Profitable Bible Study, 2ed. Natick, MA: W.A. Wilde Company, 1963.
Stein, Robert H. The Method and Message of Jesus Teachings. Louisville, KY: Westminster
John Knox Press, 1994.

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Taulman, James E. Never Tell Anybody Anything You Can Get Them to Discover for Themselves.
Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1990.
Tobias, Cynthia. The Way They Learn: How to Discover and Teach to Your Childs Strengths.
Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994.
Tolbert, La Verne. Teaching Like Jesus: A Practical Guide to Christian Education in Your
Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000.
Towns, Elmer L. What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know: 24 Secrets That Can Help
You Change Lives. Ventura, CA: Gospel Light, 2001.
Warden, Michael D. Extraordinary Results from Ordinary Teachers: Learning to Teach as Jesus
Taught. Loveland, CO: Group, 1998.
Wilhoit, Jim, and Leland Ryken. Effective Bible Teaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book, 1998.
Wilkinson, Bruce. The Seven Laws of the Learner: How to Teach Almost Anything to Practically
Anyone. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 1992.
Yount, William. Created to Learn: A Christian Teachers Introduction to Educational
Psychology, 2d ed. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2010. (ISBN: 978-0805447279)
_______. The Teaching Ministry of the Church, 2d ed. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2008.
Yount, William R., and Mike Barnett. Called to Reach: Equipping Cross-Cultural Disciplers.
Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2007.
Zuck, Roy B. Teaching as Jesus Taught. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995.

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