Going Off from the Teaching Material

Sunday School is still a vital ministry in the life of the church. Most classes consist of a small group, usually divided by ages, and use different materials to teach their classes. Usually there is a participants guide and a book for the teacher. Most Sunday School books are very useful in teaching the Bible, but there are times they are not. In fact, there maybe times you might to break away from the teaching material.

This happened to me not too long ago. The material we were using was teaching something I did not fully 100% agree with. I felt the lesson was very misleading and very confusing, so I went off book. I had to explain these materials are just tools in helping us grow in our walk with Christ and our knowledge of the Bible, but they can be wrong at times or they may seem a little flakey.

Is it appropriate to off a teaching material as you are teaching? Let me say this, the Bible is the final authority for faith and practice that guides the believer to holiness and obedience, not a Sunday School book. When we something, we disagree with, yes, should voice our opinion as long as we can back it with the Word of God. If it is the entire lesson, I think it would be okay to teach the lesson with the understanding that you are going to come back and say these are the issues I have with this lesson.

We must show our people what the Bible says over the opinions of a writer, no matter who he or she is. Now, it does not mean the author of the material is a heretic. It just simply means you do not agree with what he was trying to communicate in the lesson. Remember, Sunday School books are just guides, not the Bible. We are to teach the Bible and if that means going off book, the Sunday School book, then that is what we should do.

Should we just ignore that lesson altogether? Well you could, but I think it would be helpful if you teach what they say, give your opinions about it, then follow up with what the Bible says. Should you bring it up to the elders about this? That would be a wise thing to do if you study a week before the lesson, which I know sometimes that is not always the case because the only time we think of the lesson is two days or the day before we teach. If you teach Sunday School, you know the struggle is real. If you are not able to speak with a pastor or elder before that Sunday, bring it up afterward. If your elders desire to see the Bible faithfully taught, they should not have an issue with you breaking away from the lesson guide or even not teaching the lesson at.

What if you decide not to teach that lesson? If the Spirit is leading you, do it. Ask God for wisdom as to what you should teach that morning. Tell your class why you decided to not teach that particular lesson, but do not just say, "It was goofy," even though, it probably was. Give a short statement as to why you did not teach that lesson and move on with the lesson you made for your class.

As I mentioned earlier, Sunday School is still a vital ministry. Your ministry in this area is of the upmost importance and must be taken with great humility. The Bible is to be taught, not the book that is being used as your guide.