When you are teaching the gospel at home or at church, it is important to continually work to improve your teaching. This constant search for improvement can help you to reach out to specific class members, and to share the messages that your class or family needs to hear. We often reflect on what we could have done better when the lesson went poorly, but we should also examine our teaching when the lesson went well. Make a note of the things that seemed to make the lesson go well, and note the areas that could use improvement. The church … Continue reading →

Proper preparation is one of the keys to successfully teaching the gospel. This applies to gospel teaching at home and at church. Often when we think about preparation our minds jump to the perfect handout or goodies to go with the lesson. We may be thinking of the elaborate centerpiece, instead of the actual lesson that we are teaching. When you begin to prepare a lesson you first need to prepare yourself. You can do this through reading the scriptures, praying, and pondering. You should strive to have the Spirit with you, before you sit down to prepare, and before … Continue reading →

When it comes to teaching the gospel effectively it is important to use a variety of methods to teach your lessons. No one learns the same way, and so it is important to present more than one method in each lesson, and to mix it up each week. Additionally these methods can be applied to the teaching you do at home as well. You can find more teaching methods in the Teaching No Greater Call book offered by the church. One method that I like to use is asking questions. I believe that this allows the learner to really apply … Continue reading →

As you teach the gospel in church or at home, it is important to realize that each individual is responsible to learn the gospel on his own. As teachers we can encourage our students to want to learn the gospel, but they are the ones that must decide whether or not to study on their own, and to pray about their teachings. They will decide if they will open themselves up to the Holy Ghost, and accept the teachings as true. As teachers we can invite our students to learn the gospel. One way we can do this is to … Continue reading →

If you live in a small branch, or ward you may be asked to take on more than one calling. It can be difficult to juggle the many commitments, and still make your family the first priority. It is important to remember that your family comes first, and to find a good balance with all of your callings as you strive to be active in the church. First you need to decide whether or not you can handle the two callings or if they conflict with each other. For example you may be able to be achievement days leader and … Continue reading →

When we teach the gospel, whether it is at home or at church, it is important that we focus on teaching the doctrine. As teachers at church, it is especially important that we cover the materials outlined in the manuals. It has been written and planned on the direction of divine revelation. As teachers it may be difficult to discuss all the points in the lesson, and so it is important to pray about the topics, which are most important to cover. The answer will come as you consider the needs of your students. It is also important that we … Continue reading →

One of the areas that you may be called to serve is in a music capacity. There are several callings that involve music. They may be combined, or you may have just one depending on the size of your ward. A calling to provide or plan the music for the services is an important one because it invites in the spirit and it helps to set the moods for the meeting. The ward music director is in charge of the ward music program. He may schedule special musical numbers, choose the hymns to match the topics of the talks and … Continue reading →

When we are teaching the gospel, whether at home or at church, it is important to focus on having the spirit with you. The spirit will help to testify to others of the truthfulness of the message. Additionally the spirit can guide you to cover points in the lesson, that you may have brushed over, or help you to remember answers to questions that you may not be expecting from your class. The most important thing that you can do as a teacher is to pray and live so that you can have the spirit to be with you. You … Continue reading →

When it comes to effective gospel teaching one of the key things that a teacher can do is to love her students. This should be similar to the love the Savior has for each of us. A teacher can demonstrate this love by taking the time to get to know her students in class. A teacher can also pray for her students and pray to prepare lessons that will meet their needs. One of the most important places that each person will teach is in the home. It is important to develop a Christ like love for each member of … Continue reading →