EDU-101
Christian Education & Discipleship
Teaching well in Sunday school, small groups, or a new-converts' class.
Topics: Lesson planning, Discipleship
Suggested resource: Your own bilingual workbook process as a working model.
Week 1: Lesson Planning for Different Ages
Reading: Deuteronomy 6:6–7; Proverbs 22:6; 2 Timothy 3:14–15
Moses' instruction to Israel assumes teaching happens constantly, not only in formal settings: “these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). Proverbs 22:6 adds the long view: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” — a principle about consistent, age-shaped formation over years, not a guarantee that removes a child's own future choices. Paul commends Timothy for exactly this kind of early, sustained teaching: “from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15) — scripture taught to Timothy long before he could have grasped its full weight, which still did its work over time.
Younger children generally need concrete, repeated, story-based teaching with hands-on engagement; teenagers need room for real questions and honest doubt without feeling shut down; adults generally learn best when new material connects to their existing experience and has a clear, immediate application. None of this changes the content you teach, only how you deliver it so it can actually be received.
Key terms: Deuteronomy 6:6–7's constant teaching, Proverbs 22:6's long view, 2 Timothy 3:15's early foundation, Consistent content, adapted delivery
Discussion Questions
- Think of a lesson that worked well for one age group but would completely miss another. What would you change, and what would you keep the same?
- How does 2 Timothy 3:15 encourage you about teaching content to someone, young or new to the faith, who can't yet grasp its full weight?
Challenge: Take one lesson from earlier in this institute and rewrite its delivery, not its content, for a children's class.
Week 2: Discipleship Pathways for New Converts
Reading: Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 2:41–47
The Great Commission doesn't end at baptism — “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” describes an ongoing process, not a finish line. Acts 2:41–47 shows what that looked like immediately after the first converts were added: continuing steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer, along with real, practical care for one another's needs. A clear discipleship pathway — what a new convert learns and experiences in their first week, first month, and first year — prevents new believers from being baptized and then left to figure out the rest alone, which is one of the most common and preventable reasons people drift away.
Key terms: Great Commission (teaching, not just baptizing), Acts 2:42 pattern, Discipleship pathway, Preventing early drift
Discussion Questions
- What would you want a brand-new convert to learn or experience in their first month, specifically?
- Where have you seen someone baptized and then left without a clear next step?
Challenge: Sketch a simple first-90-days discipleship pathway for a new convert in your own context.
Week 3: Curriculum Design
Reading: Practical exercise — revisit HOM-102, Week 1
Good curriculum design starts the same way a good series does: one big idea, broken into a logical sequence, with a way to know whether it worked. Beyond that, curriculum for teaching others, rather than a single lesson, needs consistent formatting so learners know what to expect each week, built-in review of previous material so it isn't lost between sessions, and some form of application or practice, not just information transfer. Since you already build bilingual workbooks commercially, this week is about applying those same principles specifically inside a discipleship or Sunday school context rather than a standalone product.
Key terms: One big idea, sequenced, Consistent formatting, Built-in review, Application over information
Discussion Questions
- What curriculum, from any subject, have you found most effective, and what specifically made it effective?
Challenge: Take your first-90-days pathway from Week 2 and turn it into a simple four-session curriculum outline, using the consistent-formatting principle.
Course Exam
Five questions for review or self-testing.
Q: What does Deuteronomy 6:6–7 assume about teaching?
Reveal Answer
That it happens in ordinary, everyday moments, not only formal settings.
Q: What does the Great Commission require beyond baptizing?
Reveal Answer
Teaching converts 'to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you' — an ongoing process.
Q: What did the early church continue steadfastly in, according to Acts 2:42?
Reveal Answer
The apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.
Q: What is one of the most common, preventable reasons new believers drift away?
Reveal Answer
Being baptized and then left without a clear next step or discipleship pathway.
Q: What should good curriculum include beyond a sequenced big idea?
Reveal Answer
Consistent formatting, built-in review of prior material, and real application, not just information.