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Making Sabbath School a Bible Study

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I actually thought I was the only one concerned about how little Bible study is actually done in Sabbath School. It seems we study the quarterly more than the Bible. Then I found this quote from 1991, and found out I am not alone, and have not been for years.

“Too often I find that what passes for Bible study in many Sabbath School classes is little more than a rehash of familiar sayings, personal opinion, and Ellen White quotations. It isn’t Bible study, but simply comments about the Bible…..Our “lesson study” has the guise of Bible study but isn’t. It is more a study of the Sabbath School lesson quarterly than the Bible.” –Myron Widmer, Adventist Review, September 12, 1991.

During the quarantine I would ask people what they have been finding in their personal Bible study time, only to get answers about what they heard a television preacher say. I never got any direct answers to my question about personal Bible study time. This greatly concerned me. In Acts 17:11 they were not only listening to Paul preach, but they were searching (not just casually reading) the Scriptures (Not a quarterly or periodical) daily, not just every now and then.

Group Bible Study

This is why I enjoy Michael Fracker’s teaching plans. These plans make Sabbath school a Bible study that may casually reference the quarterly, instead of a study of the quarterly that may casually reference the Bible. Quarterlies are great as they direct us to the Bible, but we need to follow those directions and go to the Bible. By the way, after using Michael Fracker’s lesson plans for twenty years, I have also helped write his lesson plans on occasion and even edit them. In the process I have also developed a somewhat similar set of lesson plans  following Michael Fracker’s vision of making Sabbath school time Bible study time. While some use my plans and many more use Michael Fracker’s teaching plans, I talk to several Sabbath School teachers who feel more comfortable making their own teaching plans. That is really best. The suggested plans are just to get you started. What is most important is making sure Sabbath School time is Bible study time.

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Making Sabbath School a Bible Study — 22 Comments

  1. Preach pastor, Preach ! Word.

    "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedth out of the mouth of God.", our beautiful King Jesus Christ in Matthew 4:4.

    Thank you for the teaching plans as well 🤗 🙏

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    • The Sabbath School quarterly is s guide to study the Bible. Mrs White comments help to understand the Bible in a very inspired manner. The worst pastor I had in my church is one that never attended Sabbath School and casually used Mrs White help as the lesser light which guide me to the greater light: The Bible.

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  4. Perhaps the assumption is that the class has studied the Bible texts all week. If so, the questions then become: 1) What did you learn? 2) What do you do with what you learned?

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    • True but the quarterly has also been read. So why discuss what you read in the quarterly instead of what you read in the Bible? I am not against the quarterly obviously but we need to be reading and discussing the Bible.

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      • I agree. All too often I heard the phrase, "And now Monday's lesson..." The worst was a class where the teacher felt it necessary to explain the introduction to the week's lesson - every sentence.

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  5. This is why lesson quarterlies are called Bible study guides and the leads are called lesson coordinators and not teachers. Some of us do lesson reading Friday evening or Saturday morning just to have an answer to what we will be asked of our thoughts about the lesson

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    • Yes, when I lead out in the study, before I begin the Bible study, I ask if there was anything in the quarterly they found interesting or had a question about. Once everyone who wants shares their thoughts or questions on the quarterly, we begin the Bible study.

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  6. I was a Sabbath School teacher before the pandemic. I tried to spend much of my preparation time during the week in bible study to present additional scripture references for a bible study in class.
    My reasoning was that some of the class members who studied the daily lessons might become a little bored going through the lesson paragraph by paragraph. I think the class members who didn't study the lesson had a hard time finding where I was in the quarterly! Also, it might have taken a little more time on each page, but got us into the scriptures!

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  7. Happy Sabbath from Papua New Guinea. In PNG the leads are called Teachers Of The Word. Several factors made it probably difficult to do Bible Study during the allocated study times.
    1. Preliminaries of Sbbath School takes up alot of time and Study time is shortened
    2. Somehow you have to go back to quarterlies because visitors (non Adventists) are in class every week
    3. Questions asked by members are directly in reference to the lessons that it makes the Teachers Of The Word go back to the lessons to clarify or explained further

    Please help me provide some practical ways to help use the lessons as guides other than just the'study'.

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  8. Happy Sabbath from the United States.

    Here a little and there a little.

    Use a Bible with center references. Some places call the references footnotes. If during your study you do additional research that way, make notes of scripture references that pertain or add interest to the lesson or explain a verse even better. Ask several people to look up verses, then call on them to read the verse when you get to that part of the lesson. It's a Bible study method that helps the reader to glean even more from the lesson. Sometimes it might take a way from class discussion time. A lot of class members like discussions.

    If you're short on time, perhaps you could hand out a sheet to each one in class with the Bible verses that you found and list them in order for each day of the week. If the class is interested in further study, they could take the sheet home and have a Bible study later in the day.

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  9. I think that our Church suffers from a LACK OF TEACHING THE QUARTERLY AND SUPPLEMENTS TO THE QUARTERLY in our Sabbath School. Also we have turned Sabbath School into a lecture format rather than a classroom format. What binds The Remnant Church together is DOCTRINE. Teaching of THE BIBLE AND THE THEOLOGY of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church brings UNITY IN THE FAITH. One of the wonderful Blessings that I as a Seventh-Day Adventist have is to be able to join ANY english speaking Adult Sabbath School, anywhere in the world, on a any random Sabbath and be able to Study with other Members of our Church without feeling any sense of being excluded.

    Mark Marek
    San Antonio, Texas

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    • Hi Mark I totally agree that Sabbath School should not be a lecture time, but rather a Bible study discussion time. I believe having the class sit in a circle helps stimulate, study, discussion and participation, while classes in the sanctuary pews tend to be more lecture like.

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  10. I became a Seventh-day Adventist Christian in late 1988. Sabbath School (and the 3rd and 4th quarter quarterlies) were a major influence in my decision to be baptized. The quarterlies have always been a trusted guide for me. As everyone knows, while they are authored by one primary author, they are reviewed by a world-wide committee prior to publishing. I believe that process ensures both Biblical accuracy and continuity. It also keeps things like odd interpretations and personal opinions from bearing too much sway. When I taught Sabbath School, I tried to use the approach of emphasizing the principles of the lesson in a contemporary way. My goal was to get the class to think a little deeper about the Bible topics and passages we were covering. Occasionally, I would throw out a somewhat provocative question (especially if class participation seemed to wane). The teacher's commentary was a huge tool for me. Use the quarterlies as an accurate guide, yes, but don't be hesitant to let the Word, by aid of the Holy Spirit, show you where it wants you to go! You won't be sorry! God bless!

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  11. I started following you in 2011. And men have you been a blessing. Now I would like to follow Michael Fracker. Thank you elder and blessings!

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  12. Hello everyone.

    I am rostered to conduct next weeks Sabbath school class for the adults.
    I have never done this before and only became baptised in Adventist church.
    I was told to choose any topic that I wish.
    I wish to reach on Ephisians 6 that we wrestle not with flesh and blood etc...
    and putting on the full armour of God.
    please share any ideas that could be useful I truly appreciate and look forward to your replies Happy Blessiings Marlena

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