I’m consciously developing new teachers in our ministry – how about you? Maybe you’ve got an intern or a key volunteer who you feel would do well on the stage. And believe it or not, it isn’t that difficult to help them take their skills to the next level. Here’s my simple formula to do just that:
Let them teach small
Give your inexperienced teachers a small venue for their first attempt to teach. Praise them, pray for them and prepare them. Consider bringing a couple of small groups together for one night for a smaller setting to help them get acclimated to the idea. Another great way to help them is to provide a basic outline for them to build on rather than just giving them an open topic with little or no guidance. Sometimes the freedom can be constricting!Let them teach medium
A solid next step in developing teachers is to let them have a workshop or retreat devotional. Give them a chance to test our their skills on a slightly larger group, and again help them rise to the occasion. Maybe in the middle of one of your messages you can have them come up to teach a point. Maybe there’s a way for them to teach just the guys/girls or even divide up the group by class for a night. Either way, show them the next step and if they do well, invite them to the next level, too!Let them teach big
They’ve passed the test of the small group and the workshop – now it is time to put them in front of the whole group. Once again your feedback is crucial to their success, so prepare them in advance that you’ll be talking with them at a quick debrief afterwards. If you don’t warn them, it may hurt a little bit more than you intended so make sure you give them a heads up. Give them the platform, maybe on a holiday week at first, then eventually give it to them a prime slot. Watch them shine. Praise them over and over again. Use them over and over again!
Now I realize this isn’t the most revolutionary process, but it has worked over and over again with the leaders I’ve worked with. What would you add to the list?
JG
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