I have the spiritual gift of teaching. Teachers have an insatiable desire to learn, but learning itself doesn’t satisfy the gifted teacher. A teacher must teach. The challenge is that a teacher needs students. The teacher needs a group who themselves want to be taught. (For what it’s worth, in the absence of a designated group to teach, the teacher will teach anyone they can get to listen – just ask my sister, who became the unwitting student to too many of my lectures. She would always politely listen to my fresh revelations and then we would move on to more pertinent topics like which duvet cover to buy and what to use as a substitute for cream of tartar.)
I was blessed with the opportunity to teach a group of senior adult women for more than 5 years. We met early on Sunday mornings. They would come eager to hear a unique perspective on what they had read during the week, and I would come equally eager to share what I uncovered. These women (who I like to refer to as “my people”) were and still are a blessing to me, and I am forever grateful to them. My gift would have no place if it hadn’t been for the submissive hearts of these women to learn.
I was fortunate to have this opportunity to exercise my gift, but I have growing concerns that other teachers have no place to use their gift at all.
I live in Franklin, TN – a smallish town south of Nashville with a population of around 70,000. There is no shortage of churches in this center of the Bible Belt. There are over 18 Protestant Denominations represented and at least 120 distinct churches. It is difficult to find an exact number since there seems to be a new church starting in a nearby school, gym, or home almost weekly. Every Sunday I pass 6 churches before getting to the one I attend.
I started asking myself, ‘Why are there so many churches?’ Especially when there is room to grow the congregation in existing ones. The new churches aren’t new denominations that aren’t already represented; and don’t even get me started on all the non-denominations (how does one even know the doctrine of these churches?! Ah, but that is a blog for another day).
How can there be so many churches and yet men and women feel led to start another one? I have a theory.
Spiritual gifts are given to all Christians and are used to serve the body of believers.
“For as we have many members in one body, but all members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…” Romans 12:4-6 (See also 1 Cor. 12:4-7, 27-28).
The Bible gives several examples of spiritual gifts including preaching, teaching, encouraging, serving, discernment, giving and mercy (to name a few). These gifts are given to believers and are to be used to build and serve the body of Christ. Effective churches are dependent on their members using their gifts. Many would agree that all believers are called to serving and giving and prayer and faith (all which are listed as spiritual gifts), but some believers are given a supernatural ability to use these gifts and are most fulfilled and can most glorify God by exercising them.
Can you imagine a church where only one or two members exercise the gift of serving for the whole body? Or only one or two use their spiritual gift of encouragement to encourage 100’s of people? They wouldn’t run well and certainly wouldn’t last. But that is what we have come to expect from our Sunday morning teachers and preachers. We rely on the teaching and preaching of one or two people for the discipleship of hundreds and sometimes thousands of Christians. I am just not sure that is what God intends, especially with the large number of teachers I personally know who struggle to find a place to serve.
With the increase in DVD’s, online videos, social media groups, and the mass-marketing of national teachers, our local church groups have been lulled to following the teaching of national teachers instead of seeking a teacher in the local body. Often we are taking our instruction from teachers we don’t personally know and aren’t able to see their walk – a clear departure from the accountability we should hold toward our teachers who lead us (1 Tim. 5:21-22, 24-25 and 6:3-5).
Admittedly, churches today are facing several obstacles. Our communities are filled with generations who have been hurt or disillusioned by the church. Anything that feels like tradition or ritual is shunned. Sunday School class is what their parents did and this generation wants no part of it. There is also a shortage of building space. Churches must ensure there is ample space in the worship center and safe spaces for children. These are a necessity. The inclusion of adult class rooms is a luxury that many new churches cannot afford. In light of these changes, Sunday School classes began to fade, home groups were emphasized, “discussion” replaced “teaching”, and without intending it, our teachers lost their place to serve.
Perhaps the increase in start-up churches is a response to the inadvertent decline in teaching opportunities in the larger churches.
Discipleship is the process of taking a new Christian and training them up to be a mature Christian that can live a life that glorifies God and influences others for the kingdom. This happened in Sunday School Classes (or often Wednesday evening classes that adults would attend while their kids attended student-only services). Christians are hungry for more of God and it is up to the gifted teachers around us to share God’s revelation to them with others.
I love to teach. It is the only time I feel that my flesh is most suppressed and Christ is most evident in my life. The days of teaching my Sunday School class have passed. I am, however, fortunate to still have a place to teach monthly (with hopes for that to grow to more often – find out more by clicking the EVENTS tab on my website). Other local teachers are not so fortunate. I author this essay and regrettably, I do not have a solution. It is up to the leaders of the churches to seek God’s direction on how to make space for HIS gifted teachers to share HIS revelation with others. Until then, I suppose I should be grateful for living in a community with a growing economy and a booming housing market, for with that comes more schools and more places for the next new church.
Until next time,
Tracey
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