An Adult Curriculum Plan "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."-Apostle Paul, To the Romans (12.4-8) A lot of times when Christians discuss spiritual gifts they often look to 1 Corinthians for guidance. However, Paul shares this short list with the Roman Christians. Notice that I've highlighted one particular phrase. If you take Scripture seriously, then you have to understand that the Holy Spirit gives people special gifts to serve the church family. I've never heard this taught; maybe you have. In all the churches I have been, men and women volunteer to teach a book, subject, or Biblical topic or book. I've seen the struggle both in children and adult education ministries to just fill vacancies so that the program can continue. Sometimes children education programs will have a scope and sequence, but it is hard to keep the same curriculum company over four years because not all the lessons are of equal value or quality. Rarely has an adult education ministry ever had a scope and sequence, because we like teaching what's interesting to us at the moment. That really makes it hard to have a plan, but having a plan and having the right people to work the plan is essential. If you remember, one part of the elders' vision for Northside is to be a church of spiritual knowledge. So we have to ask ourselves a few questions to understand how we are to accomplish the vision. "Who is obviously gifted to teach?" "Who might be gifted, but is either unsure or inexperienced?" "What are they supposed to teach?" "How frequently?" These are just some of the basic questions. We want to teach through the whole Bible in four to seven years. We also want to address particular needs or topics when timely. The elders have put together a basic list of classes. There are five areas of classes: Bible (Genesis, Life of Moses, Life of Christ, Acts, etc.); Theology (Christian Evidences, Basic Biblical Doctrines, End Times, Holy Spirit, etc); History (Our Religious Heritage, Early Church History, etc), Christian Living (Living as a Single Christian, Christian Parenting, God's Women, etc.), and Ministry (Basic Christian Counseling, Worship Leading, Preaching, Missions, etc.). Now we need to put together a list of people to teach those classes. Please let us know if you would be interested in teaching some of those classes, or would be interested in being trained to teach adult classes. -Shawn ~The Elders