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Weekly Lesson Format

Teach them God's decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. – Exodus 18:20

 

There are no cookie cutter solutions to how your school conducts its weekly lessons.  There are too many variables to consider.  Instead, we will provide a general overview with which you can hopefully assemble a workable format.  

 

First of all, the size of the group and overall makeup will direct the weekly lessons.  If your Bible club consists of ten students who regularly attend church, and are committed to growing as Christians, then the lessons can literally be a sit down Bible study – it’s that simple! Presumably, these types of students are somewhat educated on the fundamentals of the major players in the Bible.  If this core group grows, then the lesson can stay the same while the group breaks into smaller, more manageable groups.  With that said, there should still be a group of “leaders” in charge of the club meetings.  The leaders have to decide in advance which books of the Bible to read, and what focus to take.    

 

If you have a mixture of students on various levels of their Christian walk, or students that are coming to Bible club because they are merely curious, yet have no real knowledge of the Bible, then your lessons need to be simple and broad.  However, that does not mean in any way that they need to be so elementary that it isolates your more matured Christian students.  

 

It is recommended that you have a format in which you follow; we provide an example format below.  You can start your meeting with announcements, i.e. youth events in the area, church events, and information about club events.  Next have a “verse of the week”.  The concept is simple; one of your student leaders can choose a Biblical verse each week and simply read the verse aloud.  Open your meeting in prayer, and then hold a lesson. At the end of the lesson have some quiet time for reflection, and hold a group prayer.  Your club does not need to follow a scripted order of events each week; try a fun activity, an object lesson, or a video.  Another staple for your club meetings should be music – either live or Christian music played by MP3 or CD.   Keep your meetings fresh and do not fall into a dull routine.  Additionally, if possible, the student facilitating the lesson for the week should not participate in the announcements, verse of the week, or opening prayer; that is why you have other leaders.  A lesson is more effective if the person facilitating isn’t “on” until it comes time for the lesson.

 

One last thing to note, if required by your school policies, your faculty advisor must be in attendance at your meetings. However, under the Equal Access Act, the faculty advisor must remain in a “nonparticipatory” role. This means that he or she is only there to supervise, and should not lead the meeting, pray or be involved with the lesson at all.  The fact that the teacher or coach is only there to supervise should be made clear by school officials, so students will not misunderstand or think that the school in any way endorses the religious club’s mission because of the presence of the teacher or coach.

 

 

For Small Group

If your club consists of a small group of Christian students, you can literally open the Bible and choose a book to read.  Each week you can read a couple chapters, and then go around the room and talk about the passages.  It can be that simple.  It does not have to be complicated to be effective.  It is recommended to start with books of the Bible that could easily be discussed until you assess where everyone is with their knowledge base and/or walk with God.  The books of James, Romans, Corinthians, and the Gospels are easier to tackle and create fantastic conversation.   This is not to discredit the rest of the Bible, but you should probably save Deuteronomy for a time when you can really dig deep into Biblical history.  You will find yourself getting frustrated if you choose a book filled with characters no one knows or history that no one is familiar.

Small groups can still be an effective Bible club.  You can still have the ice breaker activities, object lessons, fun videos, and games that a large group would use.  The format becomes less of a performance, however.  In order to be effective, you will need each student to have a Bible available.  Do not count on students bringing their own; see if you can keep a drawer of Bibles in the room you are meeting.  Or, if that isn’t possible, task the leaders with transporting Bibles to the meeting to distribute for that session’s study.
 

As the numbers get bigger, it becomes more of an event.  You want to create experiences to worship God in spirit and truth for students no matter their level of Biblical knowledge.

 

 

For Large Groups

​ As the group becomes larger, and more diverse, the goal of Bible club is to create an experience that not only teaches, but keeps the interest of those in attendance.  Remember, you are a club, not a church; your organization’s existence is due to a common purpose: the Bible.

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Redbank Valley Bible Club began with 30 students; lessons were done in front of the group and were largely in discussion format.   We chose a topic, read from the Bible, and discussed.  As the club grew, the students had to be broken into smaller groups; Bible Club leaders were in charge of specific grade levels.  Each grouping was given the same lesson and had the same discussion questions.  Once our group reached 200; however, breaking into small groups was no longer realistic.  That is when the student leaders began signing up for lessons and crafting a 40 minute message to be done in front of the crowd.  ​I have witnessed students only 13 years of age on stage in front of over 300 peers giving a lesson -- don't be afraid to stand up for your faith in front of any sized crowd.

 

 

To visit the next page, "Sample Lesson Plan", click here.