Slides of workshop presented at the APCE Annual Event, January 26, 2017 - "The Pastor as Educator: Re-claiming the Role of Teaching Elder"

1. The Pastor as Educator
Re-claiming the Role of Teaching Elder
APCE Annual Event
Denver, Colorado
January 26, 2017
John W. Johnson - Presenter
To download these slides, scan the QR Code located on any slide.

2. Group Activity
‣ There is a card at each seat with a verse of scripture on
it
‣ This scripture is one-half of a Proverb
‣ Someone else in the room has the other half
‣ Your task is to find the other half of your Proverb
‣ When you find your other half . . .
‣ Find out as much as you can about that person
‣ Be prepared to introduce your partner to the group!

3. Proverbs Activity
“Laziness brings poverty;
hard work makes one rich.”
- Proverbs 10:4

4. Proverbs Activity
“A wise son harvests in the summer;
a disgraceful son sleeps right through
the harvest.”
- Proverbs 10:5

5. Proverbs Activity
“Those who walk in innocence walk with
confidence,
but those on crooked paths will be
found out.”
- Proverbs 10:9

6. Proverbs Activity
“Hate stirs up conflict,
but love covers all offenses.”
- Proverbs 10:12

7. Proverbs Activity
“The wages of the righteous lead to life;
the earnings of the wicked lead to sin.”
- Proverbs 10:16

8. Proverbs Activity
“Fools enjoy vile deeds,
but those with understanding take
pleasure in wisdom.”
- Proverbs 10:23

9. Proverbs Activity
“The fear of the Lord increases ones
life,
but the years of the wicked will be cut
short.”
- Proverbs 10:27

10. Proverbs Activity
“The lips of the wise know what is
acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked
knows only what is perverse.”
- Proverbs 10:32

11. Proverbs Activity
“Integrity guides the virtuous,
but dishonesty ruins the treacherous.”
- Proverbs 11:3

12. Proverbs Activity
“Those who do right are saved by their
righteousness,
but the untrustworthy are caught by
their own desires.”
- Proverbs 11:6

13. Proverbs Activity
“When the righteous succeed, a city
rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are
shouts of joy.”
- Proverbs 11:10

14. Proverbs Activity
“A slanderer walks around revealing
secrets,
but a trustworthy person keeps a
confidence.”
- Proverbs 11:13

15. Proverbs Activity
“Kind persons benefit themselves,
but cruel people harm themselves.”
- Proverbs 11:17

16. Proverbs Activity
“Those who give generously receive
more,
but those who are stingy with what is
appropriate will grow needy.”
- Proverbs 11:24

17. Proverbs Activity
“Those who look for good find favor,
but those who seek evil - it will come to
them.”
- Proverbs 11:27

18. Proverbs Activity
“Those who love discipline love
knowledge,
and those who hate correction are
stupid.”
- Proverbs 12:1

19. Proverbs Activity
“A strong woman is a crown to her
husband,
but a disgraceful woman is like rot in his
bones.”
- Proverbs 12:4

20. Proverbs Activity
“Better to be held in low regard and
have a servant
than to be conceited and lack food.”
- Proverbs 12:9

21. Proverbs Activity
“The wicked are trapped by the
transgressions of their lips,
but the righteous escape from distress.”
- Proverbs 12:13

22. Proverbs Activity
“Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only for a
moment.”
- Proverbs 12:19

23. Activity De-briefing
‣ Could the pastor you work with (or you, if you are a
pastor), comfortably and successfully complete the
Proverbs activity we just finished? Why or why not?
‣ What are seminaries doing or not doing to train pastors
to be educators?

24. Our Best Example
‣ Jesus preached, yes, but he also taught . . . a lot!
‣ He told stories
‣ He asked questions
‣ He responded to questions
‣ He quoted scripture
‣ He acted decisively in the midst of crises
‣ He demonstrated by his actions
‣ He spoke with authority

25. The Church Teaches

26. The Church Teaches
“Jesus shows us by example that
teaching need not be limited to formal
structured settings and occasions.
Teaching is more a matter of an
opportunity and intention to be in
relationship with others and to offer
love, insight, and good news.

27. The Church Teaches
Certainly there are explicit, obvious acts
of teaching that happen in classrooms
and programs guided by leaders using
a published curriculum. However,
teaching is so much more than that.
Teaching is what the church does by
the way it lives and acts.

28. The Church Teaches
Every person who attends worship,
participates in a study group, enjoys a
fellowship dinner, or engages in a
service project is learning something
abut the church and the church’s
teaching.”

29. Table Activity
‣ Each table will be given a paragraph that is an excerpt
from Teaching Today’s Teachers to Teach.
‣ Read your paragraph
‣ Discuss the questions provided
‣ Be prepared to share your insights with the whole
group

30. Teaching Skills
‣ If you had a group of pastors in a room who have no
training in Christian Education, or education in general,
for that matter, what are some basic teaching skills that
pastors need to know?

31. The Art of Asking
Questions

32. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ What was wrong with how the teacher was asking
questions?
‣ What was happening to the students?

33. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Ask questions that are more open that closed.
‣ Questions with only one right answer or that
imply a “yes” or “no” response are more
closed. These questions are more a test of
memory than an inquiry into the subject
matter. When tempted to ask a closed
question, make a statement instead; then,
ask open, analytical questions.

34. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Ask only one question at a time.
‣ Often when we do not prepare our questions
in advance, we find ourselves asking a
series of questions, trying to come up with
the best one. More than one question at a
time is confusing to the participants.

35. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Present questions to the whole group.
‣ Instead of putting one person “on the spot” by
directing the question to that person, offer the
question to the whole group. By being aware
of the readiness of individuals to respond, you
invite responses by eye contact, a nod of the
head, or a gesture of the hand. When one
student is called by name, she or he is the
only one invited to think, the others are “off the
hook.” By asking a question of the whole
group, everyone is expected to think,
everyone is “on the spot.”

36. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Provide feedback after a participant responds
‣ The discussion leader can reinforce
participants and facilitate further discussion by
providing verbal and nonverbal feedback so
that the participant will know the leader has
heard and received his or her contribution. A
nod of the head, a smile, a “thank you,” or a
brief comment are ways to provide feedback
to someone who has responded to a question.

37. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Follow up with probing questions.
‣ Probing questions are those that follow up
after an initial question and response. They
lead to further inquiry and exploration in depth
of a subject. Probing questions also provide a
degree of reinforcement and feedback.
Probing questions can begin with, “Say a little
more about that . . .” “What are some other
examples of . . . ?” “How does that compare
with . . .?” or “Who has something else to add
to . . .?”

38. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ After asking a question, be silent.
‣ The best next step after asking a good
question is to be silent. If the question is
clearly stated and if the participants have
sufficient background with which to answer,
then they need some time to think. Ten
seconds is not too much time, but it seems like
an eternity to an anxious teacher. The burden
of the silence should be upon the participants,
not upon the leader. Practicing the art of
asking questions means practicing being silent
after asking a question.

39. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Use an inquiry style rather than an interrogation
style.
‣ Inquiry says to the participants, “I’m interested
in what you think and say.” Interrogation puts
persons on the defensive and inhibits their
ability to think and express themselves
creatively. “Why did you say that?” is a way to
put the participants on the defensive because
they feel like that are being interrogated. Often
it is more a matter of tone of voice and
nonverbal expression than the words we use.

40. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Encourage participants to ask their own
questions.
‣ Questions are not just the property of the
leader and teacher; questions can be asked
and used effectively by the participants as
well. Often the participants can be better
guided in their exploration of a subject by the
questions that they ask rather than those of
the teacher.

41. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Avoid repeating the responses of participants.
‣ There are two reasons for repeating the
responses of participants; one is to reinforce
the answer and the other is to state it loud
enough so that others can hear what might
have been missed. Many teachers have a
habit of repeating what students have said,
and it becomes annoying.

42. The Art of Asking
Questions‣ Accept responses as if they were gifts.
‣ When a participant ventures to answer a
question, there is some risk involved. This is
especially true with responses to analytical
and personalized questions. Leaders need to
accept what persons offer even though it may
not be exactly what they might have expected.
Leaders need not agree with everything that is
said in order to be accepting of the responses.

43. Table Activity
‣ Discuss these questions at your table:
‣ What are the characteristics of a good
pastor/educator?
‣ What should a good pastor/educator avoid?
‣ How can a congregation help mold a good
pastor/educator?
‣ Be prepared to share your insights with the whole
group

44. Wrapping Up
‣ Any questions?
‣ My contact info:
‣ jwj4unc@me.com
‣ pastor@bethanypreschurch.org
‣ www.facebook.com/john.w.johnson.125
‣ @jwj4unc (Twitter)
‣ www.bethanypresbyterian.org