The Louisiana Conference - Lay Speaking Ministries

This is a short version of the Basic Course for Instructor's to use. You can use the teacher's material in the back of the Basic Course book, but I condensed that material into the information below to make it easier for me.

These guidelines are written for a one day (9-5) course. The time schedule has been whittled down to 8 instead of 10 hours. Though these have been done often in the past, I'd like us to move towards a consistant 10 hour course. If your course is scheduled for a Saturday, perhaps you could have one of the sessions on the Friday evening before or the Sunday after (and use the time schedule as given in the Course booklet). If we could hold more courses in each district, people wouldn't have to drive as far and we could spread the course out over 2-5 separate sessions. This would give them the chance to do the assignments after the sessions.

Things to do the day of the course:
1) Make sure you bring all necessary materials (extra Bibles, large paper/posters, markers, pens/pencils, tape, name tags, course materials, refreshments, etc.)
2) Arrive early
3) Have some sort of refreshments for breakfast (e.g. donuts, milk) and throught the day (e.g. cookies, soft drinks).
4) Make sure you informed them of the lunch arrangments if they'll be there through lunchtime. Options for lunch include: have them bring there own, order something (pizza, sandwiches, etc.) and pay for it with district funds or part of the registration fee, ask someone (e.g. UMW of the church where the course is being held) to make lunch.

9:00 AM - Session 1: Called by God (90 min)
The emphases of this first session are:
1) the nature and meaning of a call from God
2) developing an understanding of United Methodist theology

Ch 1: Called by God
1) Welcome, opening prayer, brief description of Lay Speaking ministry. (5 min)
2) Introduction and get-acquainted activity. (10 min)
     > Pair off and exchange information about each other.
     > Then, each person will introduce their partner to the group.
3) Bible Study: People of the Bible who experienced God’s call. (10 min)
     > List people in the Bible called by God
        [Moses, Mary, Saul, Martha, Sarah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Peter, James, John, Matthew, Zaccaeus, Abraham, Jacob]
     > In small groups, discuss a given character.
     > Small groups will report their findings to the whole group.
4) God’s call to people of today (relating interviews). (9 min)
     > Return to the same small groups.
     > Compare the call of people you interviewed (assigned before the course).
5) Personal experiences of God’s call (sharing, journaling). (8 min)
     > Write in your journal of your call to the ministry and to lay speaking.

Ch 2: Called to Proclaim the Gospel
6) Brief presentation: creedal/confessional (5 min)
     > Define and describe a creedal or confessional church.
        [see samples of creeds in the Hymnal on pp. 880-889]
7) Illustrating activity: What we believe (15 min)
     > In small groups, graphically represent the Christian beliefs.
         * core Christian beliefs - the authority of the Bible; the reality of God; God’s act of salvation through
                 the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus Christ; the reality of the Holy Spirit as the divine presence
                 in our lives; the role of the church as the body of Christ
         * UM beliefs - primacy of God’s grace; faith & good work must exist side by side; our UM
                 organization/church structure/polity (connectionalism)
         * Wesley quadrilateral - Scripture, tradition, experience, reason
8) Using the Discipline: Our Beliefs. (15 min)
     > Divide into pairs and look up selected topics in the Discipline.
9) Examining the Social Principles. (10 min)
     > Discuss topics in the six areas of social principles.
           [marriage, divorce, the family, rights of children, genetic technology, gambling, military service, abortion, etc.]
10) Closing of this session. (3 min)
     > Read Luke 4:14-41; Acts 2:14-42

10:30 AM - Session 2: Called to Lead Worship
The emphases of this second session are:
1) understanding the role of the lay speaker as a leader in worship
2) developing a working knowledge of the liturgical calendar and other resources for worship preparation, including The United Methodist Hymnal and The Book of Worship
3) understanding that each element of worship must be focused toward a cohesive theme, must draw the worshippers toward God in Jesus Christ, and should move them toward a response of discipleship
4) learning how to prepare a sermon, including choosing scripture, developing themes, using liturgical guides, ways to practice, and ways to evaluate.

Ch 3: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through Worship Leadership
1) Meditation and prayer. (2 min)
2) Remembering worship services. (5 min)
     > Make notes on the best & worst worship services you’ve ever attended.
     > Discuss.
3) The basic outline of a worship service. (10 min)
     > Identify the four parts of worship and discuss them.
             Entrance - the Gathering, the Greeting & Hymn, the Opening Prayers & Praise
             Proclamation - reading Scripture, the Sermon & Response - Responsive Reading, Prayer, Confession, Offering
            Thanksgiving & Communion - Prayer, Anthem, Hymn, Special Music, Communion
             Sending Forth - Hymn of Challenge & Commitment, Benediction (or Blessing)
4) Selecting hymns. (10 min)
     > Select hymns for each of the four parts of a Lenten worship service.
5) Examining the Christian year. (15 min)
     > In groups, list information about each season/day of the Christian year.
           [Advent-purple; Christmas Season-white; Christmas Day-white; Epiphany-white; Season after Epiphany-green;
            Baptism of the Lord-white; Lent-purple; Ash Wednesday-purple; Holy Thursday-purple; Easter Season-white;
            Easter Day-white; Day of Pentecost-red; Season after Pentecost-green; All Saints-white]
     > Post the sheets on the wall.
6) Reflection. (2 min)
     > Review what we’ve covered in this session.

Ch 4: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through Preaching
7) Analyzing, preaching. (6 min)
     > In groups, list characteristics of “good preaching is ...” and of “bad preaching is ...”
     > Together, compare lists and pick out common themes.
8) Reflection. (2 min)
     > Meditate on God’s call to their preaching as lay speakers.
9) Examining the Revised Common Lectionary [Book of Worship, p. 227]. (10 min)
     > Identify the 4 scriptures for next Sunday (from the Lectionary).
     > Discuss the passages and what they mean.
        What is it about? What precedes & follows the verses? What is the setting? What questions does this passage raise?
     > Come up with an idea for a sermon and how to incorporate the 4 scriptures.
10) Preparing to preach. (20 min)
     > Find the Lectionary readings for the Sunday nearest their birthday.
     > Develop a 5 minute meditation (mini-sermon) using one or more of the verses.
11) Closing of this session. (3 min)
     > Read Luke 4:18-19
     > Look over Session 3 (Ch 5 & 6)

12:30 PM - Session 3: Called to Witness and Teach
The emphases of this third session are:
1) to provide a laboratory preaching experience through preparing, presenting, and receiving feedback
2) to explore the opportunities for witnessing and teaching as a lay speaker
3) to examine effective teaching techniques and styles.

Ch 5: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through Witnessing
1) Prayer (from the Hymnal or Book of Worship). (1 min)
2) Preaching experiences. (25 min)
     > Things to look for to give feedback. Did the speaker ...
          • have something to say? and say it? stay true to the scripture? have smooth delivery? have rapport with listeners?
          • grasp and hold the attention of the listeners? maintain eye contact? show organization of ideas? use appropriate
          • gestures and expressions? keep to the allotted time? make one clear point? call listeneres to respond?
     > Give mini-sermons in groups of 3. Provide honest feedback, helpful comments.
3) Reflection. (5 min)
     > Write their reflections of their and others’ sermons in their journal.
4) Bible study. (10 min)
     > In groups, look for Biblical references on witnessing.
     > Use concordances and other Bible study aids.
     > Note characteristics of witnessing.
5) Components of a positive witness. (8 min)
     > List on the board the components of a positive witnessing experience.
     > What must it include? What might it include?
6) Roleplays. (12 min)
     > Assign each group a roleplaying scenario.
        [hospital visit, home visit to 1st time church visitor, visit to a disgruntled church member, a family awaiting
          surgery of a loved one, talking with a coworker about scriptural interpretation, etc.]
     > They will do the scenes, and the rest will evaluate (positive comments, suggestions).
7) Reflection. (3 min)
     > Write down reflections on their witness and future responses to witnessing opportunites.

Ch 6: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through Teaching
8) Recalling a memory from Sunday school. (5 min)
     > How has this affected your life?
9) Describing good teaching. (8 min)
     > In groups, list characteristics of good teaching.
10) Teaching versus preaching. (9 min)
     > In groups, discuss/list the similarities between preaching and teaching.
11) Presentation: Faith and facts. (15 min)
     > Teaching-for-facts - information giving and receiving; teacher is the source of information;
           mastery of data; ie. learning the books of the Bible, names of disciples, etc.
     > Teaching-for-faith - to transform individuals as they grow into more Christlike disciples;
           teacher is the guide; transformational teaching
     > In groups, find a Bible story and describe how it teach it for facts, and then how to teach it for faith.
12) Examination of resources. (12 min)
     > Curriculum resources - what is its theme, what age level is it for, how is the Bible used, is it
           easy to use, is it teaching-for-facts or teaching-for-faith, in what setting would it be used?
13) Reflection on how the session will affect their teaching. (5 min)
14) Assignment - write another 5 minute sermon (as time permits)

2:00 PM - Session 4: Called to Leadership and Service
The emphases of this fourth session are:
1) to provide a laboratory preaching experience through preparing, presenting, and receiving feedback
2) to reflect on the ways Christ is proclaimed through leadership and service.

Ch 7: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through Leadership
1) Prayer (1 min)
2) Preaching experiences (if a second sermon was done). (25 min)
     > Give the mini-sermons in small groups.
     > OR, give examples of good/bad sermons.
     > OR, go over Look Who’s Talking handout.
3) Reflection. (5 min)
     > Record the impression of making and giving a sermon.
     > Reflect on the suggestions given.
4) Bible study. (20 min)
     > Other than Jesus, who is your favorite leader in the Bible?
          How did he/she proclaim the gospel (NT) / God’s will (OT) as well as lead people?
          What characteristics distinguish these leaders as women/men of God?
5) Sentence stems and reflection. (14 min)
     > Divide into 2 groups.
     > One will complete and list: A leader proclaiming the gospel through his/her leadership will ...
     > One will complete and list: A leader proclaiming the gospel through his/her leadership will not ...
     > Post both lists.

Ch 8: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through Service
6) Bible study. (15 min)
     > Assign each group a biblical character who proclaimed the gospel by serving.
         [Ananias, Lydia, Martha, Joseph of Arimathea, etc.]
     > Don’t tell them where to find it ... make them find the person & references.
     > Each group will discuss how that character served and witnessed for Christ.
7) Identifying service in action. (12 min)
     > Lead them in a mental walk through their churches to identify “invisible” service
         performed by others within their congregation. Have them close their eyes and
         direct them ... [cleanliness, bulletin board, list of donors, flowers, etc.]
8) Reflection. (12 min)
     > Have them create a short 3 minute object lesson using an object in their possession.

3:30 PM - Session 5: Called to Grow in Faith
The emphases of this fifth session are:
1) to provide a laboratory preaching experience through preparing, presenting, and receiving feedback
2) to understand that being a Christian, especially a Lay Speaker in the UMC, is both grounded and propelled by a personal and growing faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
3) to recognize the importance of spiritual discipline for a growing faith.

Ch 9: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through Growing in Personal Faith
1) Reading. (4 min)
     > Psalm 5 (Hymnal p. 742)
2) Preaching experiences. (30 min)
     > Give 3 minute object lessons.
     > Feedback and encouragement.
3) Reflection. (5 min)
     > Reflect on their lesson and the feedback, and answer “What is God’s message to me?”
4) Ways to commune with God. (13 min)
     > Remind them that a growing faith requires discipline (of time and habits).
     > We are called to commune with God in every waking and sleeping moment, to make every thought and deed a prayer.
     > In groups, ask people to discuss how they would respond if a new believer asked
            them how to commune with God.
     > Each should share his/her most significant and difficult experiences of communing with God.
5) Prayer and reflection. (10 min)
     > Silently read Hymn 473.
     > Silently pray “Lead me, Lord, lead me in righteousness; make thy way plain before my face”
     > In pairs, reflect on this experience.

Ch 10: Called to Proclaim the Gospel Through a Personal Lifestyle
6) Bible study. (25 min)
     > Remind them of the phrase “walk the talk.”
     > Assign these stories to groups.
          Ananias & Sapphira - Acts 4:32-5:11
          Uriah - 2 Samuel 1:1-13
          Zaccheus - Luke 19:1-9
     > Consider these questions.
          1-What was at issue?
          2-How did the character respond?
          3-In what way did (or did not) she or he walk the talk?
     > Each group will tell their story (as a drama, interview, music, ?)
7) Identifying role models. (8 min)
     > Identify people who exemplify Christian witness, whose lifestyle clearly
             demonstrates the Christian faith.
8) Examining lifestyles. (7 min)
     > Facets of lifestyle for consideration by the Christian:
         [values, prejudices, priorities, approaches to life, social stances, etc.]
     > Define a Christian lifestyle.
9) Reflection. (8 min)
     > Personal assessment of “How well do I walk the talk? What can I do in the next
           week to better walk-the-talk for Jesus Christ?
     > Write a plan for the next week.
10) Covenant and commissioning. (12 min)
     > Read “A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition” on p.607 ... silently, and then together.
     > Speak the lyrics to “Lord, You Give the Great Commission” on p. 584.

Ch 11: In Conclusion and Covenant