Where to Get Started?
with Mark Sheldrake
I’m New — Where Should I Start?
In February, Sharon Kaufman and I had the opportunity to work with a new set of Precept Upon Precept leaders in our three-day new-leader training workshop. I love this training workshop as it creates a safe space for new leaders to teach a Precept Upon Precept lesson from the Gospel of Mark. Prior to attending, students must complete nine weeks of homework; this is no easy task! We have seen multiple people walk through the process to become a leader but miss the training because they did not complete their homework. My hope is that as we continue to develop this training, our new potential leaders will see the value in making sure they are prepared for the commitment it takes to be a Precept leader. Seasoned leaders, I am sure you can testify to all that is involved in leading a weekly study and therefore, we have raised the bar for new leaders. If you have been leading a Precept course for a few years, did you know you can sharpen your leadership skills in training workshops that are designed for you?
One of the questions that we answer regularly is, where do I start? There are several responses to this question based on whether you are a student looking to get into a study or a leader looking to disciple others.
Let’s Start with Students
Suppose you have new people wanting to get going in Precept. In that case, you can suggest they attend one of our introductory workshops like Taste of Inductive Bible Study or Essentials of Inductive Bible Study. These workshops teach the basics of marking key people, making lists, keywords, and summary statements. We teach students to simply observe the text by asking Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.
If you are looking for studies to engage new students, here is a list of suggestions:
For Children
- Discover 4 Yourself Children’s Study — Wrong Way, Jonah
- Discover 4 Yourself Children’s Study — Boy, Have I Got Problems
For Teens
- 40-Minute — How to Make Choices You Won’t Regret
- 40-Minute — How Do You Walk the Walk You Talk?
- 40-Minute — How Do You Know God’s Your Father?
- 40-minute — Having a Real Relationship with God
- New Inductive Study Series — God’s Love Alive in You
For Adults
- 40-Minute — Ignite Your Passion for God
- 40-Minute — The Power of Knowing God
- 40-Minute — Being a Disciple: Counting the Real Cost
- New Inductive Study Series — Living with Discernment in End Times
- New Inductive Study Series — Overcoming Fear and Discouragement
- LORD Series — LORD, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days
- LORD Series — LORD, I Want to Know You
- Precept Upon Precept — Jonah
- Precept Upon Precept — Ezra/Haggai
- Precept Upon Precept — 1, 2, 3 John
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. I suggest you download the Precept Catalogue to see some of the other studies we recommend for people who are new to Precept. You can download this here.
Future Leaders — Here Is Where You Can Start Your Journey
Precept offers several leadership training workshop opportunities to get you leading a class.
40-Minute Leader Training
This 3-hour workshop will equip you to lead our 40-Minute studies. We teach you how to get the most out of your discussion time with students. You’ll have an opportunity to lead a portion of a lesson during the workshop to gain confidence in using this resource. If you want to get started with a group, you don’t need the training, but I highly recommend you attend this training.
New Inductive Study Series Leadership Training
The NISS can be one of the most challenging studies to lead as it does not have an extensive leader guide. On “Day 7” of the homework, there are questions to guide your discussion. Precept offers a 3-hour training workshop to develop your leadership skills, and we show you how to get the most out of this overview study.
LORD Series Leadership Training
Precept offers two workshops in our Lord Series materials; we offer Teach Me to Study the Bible using LORD, Teach Me To Study The Bible in 28 Days, as well as a Leadership Training using LORD, I Want To Know You. The leadership training is a 3-hour training workshop that will teach you how to have effective discussions using this tool using the questions found in the book.
Precept Upon Precept Leadership Training
This is the most extensive training workshop that we offer. The course runs over a period of three days, and students must apply to attend. We look for leader or pastor recommendations before attending. Leading Precept Upon Precept (PUP) is a commitment, and we want to ensure that students are confident to go out and lead once they have completed the training.
Are you ready for Precept Upon Precept Leadership Training?
Consider how you would answer the following:
If this describes you or someone you know, I encourage you to reach out to us at [email protected] about becoming a Precept Upon Precept leader. Plans are already underway for our next leadership training workshop in July.
If you are not ready for Precept Upon Precept leadership, I encourage you to start your leadership journey with any one of our other leadership training workshops. At the top of this article is a list of great studies you can use to engage your new class.
Did you know that our training workshops are FREE?! Thanks to our Giving Tuesday Fundraising Project, we can offer our training at no cost. The only fee you pay is the cost of the book used for the workshop. What a great deal! I mean, what else is FREE these days?! Praise the Lord for these gifts.
I hope to see you in our leadership training soon!
Blessings,
Mark Sheldrake, National Director