Advice to a Stressed Minister of Education

A Minister of Education recently contacted me for help with his situation: 

"We recently abandoned [WELL KNOWN BRAND OF SUNDAY SCHOOL CURRICULUM]  in favor of something far more expositional- my own stuff.  Though the change has been well received, it is a labor to produce my own lessons each week for 22 adult classes.   I am 1 week ahead right now as we go through 2 Samuel.  I plan to go through  Luke next, then Isaiah.  With Christian Life University in full swing and a host of other chores, I need some good bible curriculum or a lot of serious help. Any thoughts?"

Here is the substance of my response, which I hope will be helpful to others as well:

"I commend you for taking this big leap and pursing home-grown studies that will be effective for your congregation. What an opportunity you've created!  You never find out how much you need God's help until you're in over your head.

A few thoughts.

• I suggest scheduling some "review" weeks, where you don't go over new material, but recap key points and allow for group discussion.  This gives you several breathers in the middle of a series, which will help you stay fresh as you're preparing material.  You certainly should schedule some kind of break between series, too. 
• I assume from your note that you're writing the curriculum for the 22 classes, which are led by others.  If that's correct, then I would recruit some of your teachers/leaders to help you shape up the curriculum.  Let them help you, for example, think up key questions which will guide participants to your key points and applications.
• In general, teach less material per session, and teach it well.  Leave your class hungry for a little more!  This actually improves learning and retention, but also means you're not so overwhelmed as you develop lessons.  Focus on the key take-home messages.
• Do you have some good seminary class notes or do you have a sermon series you've heard on Luke or Isaiah?  You could leverage those to help you build out a lesson series.  It's all about tailoring material to meet the needs of your class at this particular time.
• Here's a fun "change of pace" to try one week: Have the class read the passage, then work together to produce a short devotional that would be appropriate for some people they know.  You'll be surprised at how much they can learn as they study in order to teach!
• Plan for a mini-sabbatical break from preparing lesson series.  Don't let yourself get burned out and frustrated with it.
• Assemble a prayer partner team to pray for you.  You need this. 

I hope these ideas help.  Write back and let me know what you think.  Again, I'm impressed that you're pushing yourself in this direction -- and confident the results will show your time was well invested!"

He later asked me about suggestions for coaching youth teachers.  I gave him this response:

"Youth teachers need a lot of encouragement!  In my experience, many adults underestimate how much of what they're teaching gets across.  Again, the principle of teaching less well is very important with children and youth.  You may also want to give them some coaching on class discipline -- it works differently at different churches and with different ages."