Add value to teaching goals of your presenter. #storytelling #bible #teaching #small group

2 Mar 2023 · 1 min

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In this brief instructional clip, the Sabbath school director shares a practical approach for participants to add value in small‑group or Sabbath school settings. He emphasizes selecting short, on‑topic stories or parables that resonate with the lives of the listeners and that support, rather than dominate, the teacher’s message. To model this, he has set a personal rule: he will only speak beyond a single sentence when he has a story that directly fits the teacher’s point, thereby demonstrating disciplined, value‑adding participation. He encourages others to adopt the same mindset—asking themselves how they can contribute meaningfully without overtaking the discussion.

Chapters

So to add value, look for stories that fit into the life of the people that are there and tell stories in a way that doesn't overtake the whole scene. Short stories. And stay on topic. I actually have a challenge I give to myself when I run Sabbath school— or not when I run a Sabbath school class, but when I sit in on one. I'm the Sabbath school director in my conference, and so I go to a lot of Sabbath school classes, and of course they say, "What do you think?" And I've made this deal with myself: I'm not going to say anything more than just one sentence in a Sabbath school class until I have a story or a parable that fits in to what the teacher's trying to say, and I can add value to what that teacher's trying to say in the small group. So even just as a participant in a small group, you can be thinking, how can I add value to what's happened here?