Sunday School Teachers And Bible Study Leaders

Let me begin this post with how not to be a Sunday school class leader with a true story taken from one of my personal experiences. A Sunday school leader was gone one Sunday because he had car problems and could not attend. The following week they made it to their class where they simply took turns reading preprinted materials out loud and answered questions where indicated in the materials.

 

When the Sunday school leader came in the excited group said “All right our teacher is back so we can get started.” To this the leader said “I was gone last week and didn’t have time to study the materials so one of you can run the class today.”

 

Then one of the older class members began reading and with each section a new reader would began reading and the class completed without further ado. It was not until some time afterwards that resentment and a slight anger began to rear its ugly head. One class member said to another “Why did they say that they didn’t have time to study the materials when they carry the magazine home each week?” Another mentioned “All we do is take turns reading the magazine what is there to study?” and the reply was “So and so did as good a job as they do and they didn’t ‘study’ either”. Then finally a newer member of the class said “That is not much of a Sunday school teacher. Either you know the materials or you don’t so I am going to start attending so and so’s class next week.”

 

Sunday school leaders with attitudes like this can do more harm than good in a group setting and in the case of this individual they should not be in that position. Things like this show the leader’s lack of commitment to being a true teacher. It also reflects their attitude towards the other members of the class and shows that they are not as caring or as knowledgeable about the word of God as they were expected to be.

 

A Sunday school leader should be respected not criticized or thought of in a poor light. As a Sunday school leader or teacher it is you who makes or breaks the class group. It is not the materials whether they are preprinted magazines such as the fine materials from LifeWay or a book such as those found in Christian book stores. The materials in a bible study are Gods word from the bible and that is why it is called a bible study.

 

There are of course some who have been teaching the word of God for a good many years and seem to have a marvelous grasp and understanding of the Bible. Those people are to be respected if not just for their persistence in bring the word of God to others though Bible study over the years. Still there are others who loved the Lord and have been blessed by God so that they can take a chapter or even a single verse from the bible and present it to the class in clear and easy to understand terms.

 

If you have a desire to be a Sunday school teacher or Bible study leader pray about it and when the time is right ask your pastor how to become involved. When you do become involved at the beginning you may just assist or even take turns leading the class with an existing teacher or leader. This is so that you can adjust or get familiar with the role of a teacher or leader and allows you to get a feel for how to be an effective one. You will also usually have a Sunday school director to report to which should be the case. If not then the Pastor should assume that responsibility.

 

When you do get a class or group it will usually be a small group that is age appropriate to your gifts and it should be a meaningful Bible study. In your group encourage all to participate so that you can build a positive relationship with your group members. It is also a good idea to have an attendance sheet which is usually provided to you by the director. This can also be an incentive for your class members to show up.

 

As a Bible study leader you should ultimately lead the group members and teach them how to serve God through bible study, worship and fellowship. PB&J is my philosophy in this matter where the acronym is not Peanut Butter and Jelly but PB&J is easy to remember because of that. Here the acronym is for Prayer, Bible And Jesus. With this in mind open each class with Prayer then turn to the bible for your study and finally Bring our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into the study in praise and devotion.

The Married Deacon Debate

In 1 Timothy 3:12 – NIV Paul wrote that: “A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.” The word of God here means that a Deacon must be a husband and have one wife which means that he must be married to one woman. It goes on to say that he must be a father because he is to manage his children and finally it says that he must – continuing the sentence – have a home because he is to manage his household well.

 

Some argue that a Deacon don’t have to be married, have children or even have a home or household. When Paul says “Must Be” it means that he is required to be. The Dictionary states that the verb must means “Be commanded or requested to” and the noun is “An imperative need or duty: requirement”

 

The word must cannot be modified to say “Don’t have to” be. The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus says the verb must is: “To be under necessity or obligation to” and the noun must is: “Something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable” and the Thesaurus offers the following for the word must: Be obliged to, Be required to, Have got to, Have to, Should.

 

The word “should” falls into the same trap. Some say that should means can which implies they don’t have to be married etc however the Verb Should means “To be under necessity or obligation to” as in the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus and the past tense is Shall.

 

If we were to change the verse to read “A deacon don’t have to be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well” then it would mean that he don’t have to be married and if he is then he can have two or more wives and don’t have to manage his children – if he has any – or household well. What some imply is that the verse should have those references removed from it so that it reads: “A deacon” and that lists no qualifications of a Deacon in this verse and we must not change the word of God.

 

The same can be said of the Overseer or the Pastor in 1 Timothy 3:2 – NIV: Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” Here the verse would read: Now the overseer don’t have to be above reproach, don’t have to be the husband of but one wife and don’t have to be temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable or able to teach” which would mean that the pastor don’t have to be above reproach or honorable, can be married to more than one wife at the same time, can be unpleasant, don’t have to be self-controlled, don’t have to be respectable, don’t have to be hospitable and don’t have to be able to teach. Is that what you would want or should have in your pastor?

 

I was raised to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and was to be taken literally not loosely. Paul himself said in 2 Timothy 3:16 – NIV that: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” We cannot just pick some parts of the Bible as inspired and other parts as not inspired and we cannot question or change the inspired word of God.

 

John wrote in Revelation 22:18-19 – NIV: I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. Here John was writing only about the Book of Revelation however this should apply all of Gods word in the bible.

 

In the NIV the term :Must Be” is found 128 times in the Old testament and is found 42 times in the New Testament. In the NLT it is 222 and 60 respectively. So are we to change Must Be to read Can Be in each of these passages?.

 

1 Timothy 3:12 and 1 Timothy 3:2 are not the only times that Paul says “Must be”. So should we change Must be here to don’t have to be or even can be? I say No.

 

1 Timothy 2:12 – NIV

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she MUST BE silent.

 

1 Timothy 3:2 – NIV

Now the overseer MUST BE above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

 

1 Timothy 3:12 – NIV

A deacon MUST BE the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.

 

Paul’s letters to Timothy are not the only places he uses the term Must Be as in the following so should we change must be here to don’t have to be or even can or may be? Again I say No. 2 Timothy 2:24 in this case would be very troublesome for it would read: And the Lord’s servant must quarrel and he must not be kind to everyone.

 

1 Corinthians 14:26 – NIV

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these MUST BE done for the strengthening of the church.

 

1 Corinthians 14:34 – NIV

Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but MUST BE in submission, as the Law says.

 

2 Timothy 2:24 – NIV

And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he MUST BE kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

 

Titus 1:6 – NIV

An elder MUST BE blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.

 

Titus 1:7 0- NIV

Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he MUST BE blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.

 

Titus 1:8 – NIV

Rather he MUST BE hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

 

Titus 1:11 – NIV

They MUST BE silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

 

In other translations of this passage nowhere does it say don’t have to be, can or may: 

 

International Standard Version

Deacons must be husbands of one wife and must manage their children and their families well.

 

New American Standard Bible

Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households.

 

GOD’S WORD Translation

A deacon must have only one wife. Deacons must manage their children and their families well.

 

King James Bible

Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

 

American King James Version

Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

 

American Standard Version

Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

 

Bible in Basic English

Let Deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their houses well.

 

Douay-Rheims Bible

Let deacons be the husbands of one wife: who rule well their children, and their own houses.

 

Darby Bible Translation

Let the ministers be husbands of one wife, conducting their children and their own houses well:

 

English Revised Version

Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

 

Webster’s Bible Translation

Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children, and their own houses well.

 

Weymouth New Testament

A deacon must be true to his one wife, and rule his children and his own household wisely and well.

 

World English Bible

Let servants be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

 

Young’s Literal Translation

Ministrants — let them be of one wife husbands; the children leading well, and their own houses

The Responsibilities Of A Deacon

 

A deacon should attend every church function and should be in the church body whenever the doors of the church are opened. This includes Sunday morning and evening services as well as Wednesday night services, prayer meetings or study classes. A deacon is a servant or ambassador of charity to help or continue the work of the Bishop or pastor.

 

A deacon needs to know who his charges are and he needs to get to know them both spiritually and personally. In order to do so a Deacon must be in the body of Christ whenever he can to get to know not only his charges but others as well. This is particularly true in a small church congregation where the membership is small.

 

If you have a deacon who is assigned to you and your family and he only attends Sunday morning services that can be a bad influence on you especially if you are a new believer. If you are not a new believer it may allow Satan to come in and negatively affect your beliefs. For example some may say “My deacon is only here on Sunday morning so he must not like the church very well” or they may say “My Deacon only comes to church on some Sundays and I never see him when I attend evening services or go to Wednesday night bible study. So I will just start going on Sunday morning when I want to”

 

There is an old adage that goes: Those that attend Sunday morning services love the word, those that attend Sunday night services love the church and those that attend midweek services love the Lord. With this in mind it is only natural that you want a Deacon to love the Lord.

 

Deacons should show love and compassion just as Jesus Christ did and this is true not only for the living but for the dead. If a family member in a Deacons charge dies whenever possible a deacon and his wife should attend the visitation and services if they can. If the visitation or burial is in another state or too far away a personal visit, a telephone call, a letter of card of encouragement or even sending flowers is expected. It doesn’t matter if the deceased is saved or not or one spouse was saved and a member of your church in your charge and the other is not a Deacon should feel compelled to at least make an appearance and assist with the arrangements if asked to do so in the case of the elderly or those that are alone now.

 

A Deacon should also when called or asked to do so offer their services to those in their charge. If an elderly man or woman cannot do something like drive to church a deacon should at least offer to pick them up. If a widow needs to have a man do something for her such as fix something he should offer to help gladly. Deacons should be attentive and listen to those in their charge. This is true for those in his change that are timid or shy. Most people will not come right out and ask anyone for help or ask their Deacon directly to do something like replace their garbage disposal. However they may mention it in passing hoping that the Deacon will pick up on it and this is where a Deacon must be attentive to the needs of others.

 

In acts of kindness a Deacon shows that he loves others and is willing to assist others in all of their spiritual and personal needs. Brother Charles here comes to mind. One winter evening one of his charges called him because she knew that he was a plumber. She called him just to ask him a question about her parent’s hot water heater and he told her give me their address and I will stop by on my way home from work at about 5:30 tomorrow and see what I can find. When he arrived his charge was there with them and he quickly found out that the hot water heater was not working because it needed replacing. He offered to get a new one from the warehouse where he worked and deliver and install if for them the next day even though they were non active members of another church. When he was done all he asked for was the price of the hot water heater listed on his invoice and said a quick prayer and left.

 

Two weeks later he was reintroduced to her parents at the Sunday morning service and sat and spoke to them along with her and her husband. That was more than a year ago and since that day her parents are now active members of our church and are here for every service. Brother Charles here was an inspiration and a witness for God and in his actions he showed his love and kindness for his fellow man and is a great Deacon because of it.

 

A deacon and his wife must be of one accord and she should be with him whenever the need arises when performing his duties as a Deacon. A Deacons wife is also his witness and protection when it comes to instances when a deacon is administering to a woman. When a Deacon – or any man for that matter – enters a lone woman’s home by himself and after a time leaves accusations can be raised. However if a deacon has his wife with him he has his witness. The same can be said if a Deacon needs to drive a woman in his charge somewhere. If the Deacons wife cannot be with him then the woman should be in the back seat and not in the front with him to avoid any gossip or accusations. In James 3:5 we read that the “Tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts”.

 

The Deacons wife must be a believer as well and offer him support and encouragement when needed. This is particularly true in cases where a Deacon is ministering to a man and woman in his charge in matters of faith, love or commitment if they are experiencing hardships. The Deacons children must be well behaved and believers if they are older. This is particularly true in cases where a Deacon is ministering to a family in situations where children or siblings are being ministered to.

 

To be a great Deacon they must be thought of in the same light as the Bishop or pastor since Deacons are an extension of the Sheppard of the flock and function like him in a smaller group. A deacon should be all that Paul told Timothy they should be and more. They should true born again Christians and should be worthy of respect. Deacons are not better than other christens but they are compelled to serve and called by God to do so. No one wants to have a deacon who is not as spiritually sound as them because that allows them to think of their deacon in a negative light.

 

 

Paul’s Qualifications To Timothy For Deacons

 

 

According to the Pastoral Epistle from Paul to Timothy there are several qualifications that need to be met in order for someone to become and hold the office of church Deacon outlined in 1 Timothy 3:8-13

 

The Greek word “Diakonos” meaning “Servant” is translated in English language bibles as “Deacon”. In the New Testament there are both appointed servants elected by the church and unelected servants who generally serve the Lord in the church.

 

In the New Testament the first servants or deacons were seven men (Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas) selected to assist with the charitable work of the early church and appears in Acts 6:1-7. The original intent was to help with the daily distribution of food to Widows who were often overlooked.  So the disciples said “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables” so they decided to “Choose seven men“ who were “Known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” and then they would turn their “Responsibility over to them” so that they were able to devote their time to “Prayer and the ministry of the word.”

 

Qualifications for Deacons

 

1 Timothy 3:8-13 – NIV

 

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

 

Therefore Deacons must be:

 

• Dignified
• Not double-tongued  (Devious in speech)
• Not addicted to much wine
• Not greedy for dishonest gain
• Must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience
• Tested first
• Prove themselves blameless
• Must have dignified, not slanderers, sober-minded and faithful wives
• Must be married or the husband of one wife
• Manage their children and household well

 

In the King James Version verse 12 is written as: Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. Ruling here does not mean to rule over them like a cruel master does over a slave it means that he is to manage them with love and compassion in order to lead them and to protect them.

 

The qualifications for a deacon as they read in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 are not leadership qualifications like that expected of a Pastor but are character traits suited to being elected servants to the church congregation. Baptists recognize two ordained positions in the church: Elders or Pastors and Servants or Deacons and Deacons like Pastors can be ordained.

 

According to Wikipedia the free Internet encyclopedia:

 

“Most often the deacon or deacon candidate is a long-standing member of the church, being middle aged, but younger deacons are often members of a family that has had several generations in the same church. They are elected by quorum vote annually. Their roles are semi-pastoral in that they fill in for the pastor on occasion, or lead a prayer service. Their main roles are to accompany the pastor during Communion to hand out the remembrances of bread and wine (or grape juice) and to set a good example for others to follow.”