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Adult Education Ministry:
AdultEd@lol-plano.org
The Adult Education Ministry exist to help Lord
of Life Lutheran Church in fulfilling the Great
Commission, which explicitly mentions teaching
as part of the process of making disciples of
Jesus Christ. While the primary emphasis of the
Adult Education Ministry is in the "Reach In" to
God's Word portion of the Lord of Life Lutheran
Church mission statement, the Ministry also
works in the "Reaching Up" and "Reaching Out" by
providing training for these activities.
What is the Scriptural Basis for
this Ministry?
The Great Commission is found in
Matthew 28: 18-20:
"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. 19Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age."
Furthermore, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we
are told to be follow in His ways (1
Corinthians 11:1,
1 Peter 2:21). As Jesus was a teacher, we
also should teach. We, as a church, should teach
one another, among other things (Colossians
3:16).
Whom
Does this Ministry Serve?
The Adult Education Ministry
serves God by providing education to adult
members and guest of Lord of Life Lutheran
Church.
What Spiritual Gifts,
Training, and Other Abilities would be of
Benefit to this Ministry?
Teachers - The spiritual gift of teacher
would be the obvious first one on the list. The
gifts of prophecy and discernment would be
helpful to distinguish truth from error in
discussion, but these should be tempered with
mercy to avoid discouraging the adult learners.
Training and experience as a teacher would also
be helpful. Furthermore, there is no substitute
for familiarity with the subject matter being
taught. Teachers are very special ministers of
the Word of God. They are willing to be held to
a higher standard (Colossians
3:16).
Curriculum writers - The curriculum
writer should have a passion for the subject and
for sharing the knowledge with others. These
ministers will work in the background if they
are not also the teachers of the course. Writing
skills are helpful. The curriculum writer should
be familiar with the subject area of the course
and be willing and able to research a topic to
bring more information to the course. Often, the
curriculum writer will learn more than the
students.
Director - The Director of Adult
Education should be passionate about the process
of discipling his or her fellow members of Lord
of Life Lutheran Church. He or she should be
organized, able to delegate, able to train and
encourage teachers and curriculum writers.
What Training is Available?
Teachers - Taking the higher level
courses on a particular subject will be helpful
in knowing the subject matter. The Director of
Adult Education, or his or her designee, will
sit in classes (if the teacher desires) to
provide confidential suggestions for
improvement.
Curriculum writers - Curriculum writers
are trained primarily in one-to-one settings.
The Director of Adult Education will arrange
assistance to those who wish to write a
curriculum that fits into the education program.
This may be by providing an experienced
coauthor, by suggesting an outline of the course
for the curriculum writer to fill in, or by just
providing editorial service after most of the
work is completed.
What are the Duties and
Responsibilities of this Ministry?
The duties and responsibilities of the Adult
Education Ministry are to arrange learning
opportunities for the adult members and guest of
Lord of Life Lutheran Church. These learning
opportunities are to be balanced between the
study of God's Word (including doctrines derived
from the Word) and training for Christian living
(including ministries that the members
undertake). There is also to be a range of
levels of courses, from ones which are not
intimidating to new Christians up to in depth
Bible study and ministry training.
What are the Time Commitments
for this Ministry?
Teachers - In addition to the scheduled
class time, teachers should plan on being in the
classroom 10-15 minutes before and after the
class. The presence before class assures
students that there will be a class and gives
the teacher time for small talk to help get to
know his or her students. Proper class
preparation from a prepared curriculum normally
takes two to three times the amount of class
time.
Curriculum writers - To write a
curriculum from scratch is a significant time
commitment, probably 15 to 20 times the number
of hours in the course. The time required will
vary depending on upon the portion of the
curriculum comes from the writers personal
knowledge versus the portion that is the result
of research and study.
Director - The position of Director of
Adult Education requires a significant time
commitment even with substantial delegation of
the teaching and curriculum writing. He or she
should be ready and able to assist those working
as teachers and/or curriculum writers. In
addition, he or she needs to spend the time
developing the overall plan for the Adult
Education Ministry.
What is the Accountability
Structure for this Ministry?
The Adult Education Ministry is one of the
ministries within Board of Education. The
Staff liaison for the Adult Education Ministry
is the Director of Worship, but this ministry
will interface significantly with other staff
due to the heavy use of Staff members as class
leaders. It is also expected that members of the
Board of Elders will often function as teachers,
since one of the requirements for Elders is to
be able to teach (1
Timothy 3:2,
2 Timothy 2:24).
This Ministry works with other ministries that
include an education component in their
activities, facilitating their ability to
provide education to the rest of the
congregation.
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