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How can a pastor train new teachers without compromising quality in the pulpit?

Teaching is both a gift and a learned skill; it is an art that improves with experience. It is unrealistic to expect new teachers to exercise their gift with the same quality as those who have more experience. To some extent, it is not possible to train new teachers without sacrificing some measure of quality. There are practical steps, however, that a pastor can take to ensure accuracy and improve quality as new teachers learn the craft.

It is often effective to ask a new teacher to team up with a more experienced teacher, who can serve as a mentor, provide feedback, and perhaps even "bail them out" in a moment of difficulty.

A teaching cohort can also be an effective way to ensure quality while improving skill. In a teaching cohort, an experienced teacher works through the lesson with a team of teachers. This assumes that everyone is using the same curriculum or teaching from the same book. This method is often used in the context of small groups and provides both practical help and a ...

May/June
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