The Value of Teaching Teams

I used to be a solo artist.  At least that was how I thought it was suppose to be.  The Youth Guy HAD to do all the teaching.  He HAD to be the “face” that everyone saw each week giving the lesson.  If I wasn’t then I wasn’t doing my job.  That is the way I felt.  Ever feel that way?

Well, that train of thought has now left the building because over the past 2 years, I have really seen the value of Teaching Teams through my work with the Children’s and Student Ministry teams.  Here is where I see the value in Teaching Teams:

1. Variety. Every teacher is different and because of that, students can learn differently.  Whereas I would present a message one way, another teacher would present it a different way.  That provides a little variety for students so they don’t have to hear the same type of speaker week in and week out.
2. Students learn.  Because every teacher presents material different, students can learn differently.  And because we know that students learn from a variety of ways (audio, visual, kinetic), students are more likely to learn something through the variety of different teaching.  They don’t have to sit each week through the same kind of teaching method.  One week they may hear through listening, the next through doing and maybe the third through visual.
3. More opportunities for people to serve.  It’s simple math.  When you are the only one teaching, only 1 person serves.  When you have a team of teachers, there present more opportunities for more to become involved and serve.
4. Breaks are good.  When you give a message every week it is very time consuming.  This gives you a break from message prepping and allows you to put that time and energy into other areas of your ministry.

So what are you?  TAKE A MINUTE right now and think through your teaching philosophy.  Are a solo artist or part of a Teaching Team?   If you are a solo speaker, why?  If you desire to be apart of a Teaching Team but not yet, what do you need to do to rise up a team with you?  As I discovered, being apart of Teaching Team was a tremendous benefit for me and the students.  And when students learn, they can hear Christ and hopefully be transformed into new creations.

Thoughts?  Experiences?  Post a comment so that we can learn from each other and benefit.