Using Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School

Preparing to Teach in Sunday School

Personal and family study at home should be the center of gospel learning. This is true for you and for those you teach. As you prepare to teach, start by having your own experiences in the scriptures. Your most important preparation will occur as you live the gospel, search the scriptures, and seek the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families is an important part of both your personal study and your preparation to teach. It will help you gain a deeper understanding of the doctrinal principles found in the scriptures. It will also enable you to inspire and invite class members to use Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families to enhance their personal and family scripture study (for help doing this, see “Ideas for Encouraging Personal and Family Study” in this resource). As you do, remember to be sensitive to class members whose family circumstances may not support regular family scripture study and home evening.

During your preparation, thoughts and impressions will come to you about the people you teach. You will receive insights about how the principles in the scriptures will bless their lives. You will be guided to inspire them to discover those principles as they learn from the scriptures for themselves.

Teaching Ideas

As you prepare to teach, you might gain additional inspiration by exploring the teaching outlines in this resource. Don’t think of these ideas as step-by-step instructions but rather as suggestions to spark your own inspiration. You know your class members, and you will get to know them even better as you learn together in class. The Lord knows them too, and He will inspire you with the best ways to help class members build on their gospel learning at home.

Many other resources are available for you to use as you prepare, including ideas in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families and Church magazines. For more information about these and other resources, see the section titled “Additional Resources” in this resource.

Some Things to Keep in Mind

• Gospel learning is most effective when it is centered in the home. As a teacher, you have an important responsibility to support, encourage, and build upon class members’ gospel learning at home.

• Class members’ conversion to Jesus Christ and His gospel will deepen as they understand and apply true doctrine. Encourage them to record and act on the impressions they receive from the Holy Ghost.

• Teaching is more than lecturing, but it is also more than simply leading a discussion. Part of your role is to encourage participation that edifies and is based on the scriptures. You should also share the inspired insights you received as you studied the scriptures.

• Remember that many class members are having meaningful experiences studying at home the same scriptures that you will be discussing in class. You can support their scripture study by providing them with frequent opportunities to share what they are learning at home.

• Heavenly Father wants you to succeed as a teacher. He has provided many resources to help you, including teacher council meetings. In these meetings you can counsel with other teachers about challenges you face. You can also discuss and practice principles of Christlike teaching.

• People learn best when they have opportunities to teach. On occasion, consider allowing class members, including youth, to teach a part of the lesson. Base this decision on the needs and abilities of class members. If you do invite a class member to teach, take the time to help him or her prepare in advance by using the ideas found in this resource and in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Remember that as the called teacher, you are ultimately responsible for what is taught in class.

This resource includes teaching outlines for every week of the year. On Sundays when Sunday School is not held because of general conference, stake conference, or any other reason, class members are encouraged to continue reading the New Testament at home according to the schedule outlined in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. When Sunday School is held, you may choose to either skip or combine outlines.