Pacing Your Teaching of the New Testament

There is not enough time in a school year to discuss every verse in the New Testament. The challenge is to pace your teaching. If you move slowly and spend too much time teaching the Gospels, you will miss the messages of the Epistles and the book of Revelation. If you move too fast, your students may not understand and appreciate significant parts of the New Testament. Use this pacing guide to help you decide how much you need to cover each day and week and what chapters to assign your students to read.

Because there are many types of seminary programs throughout the world, it is not possible to organize this manual to fit every situation. You may need to adapt this 36-week guide to your program and the needs of your students. Seminary is taught five days per week, but lesson material is provided for only four days to allow time for interruptions such as school activities and assemblies, special seminary activities and presentations, scripture mastery, and tests and quizzes. You may choose to spend more than one day to teach a scripture block more effectively. This flexibility is to encourage you to seek the direction of the Spirit to meet the specific needs of your students. Note: For help teaching the Gospels as a harmony, see the charts on pages 277–78.

Teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the youth of the Church is a sacred trust and a joyous duty. May the Lord bless you and your students as you study the ministry of Jesus Christ and His Apostles in the New Testament this year.

Pacing Guide for a 36-Week School Year

Week	Suggested Scripture Block to Be Taught
1	Day 1: “An Introduction to the New Testament” and “Scripture Study Helps” Days 2–3: “Plan of Salvation Overview” Day 4: “The Time between the Old and New Testaments”
2	Day 1: Matthew 1–2 Day 2: Matthew 3 Day 3: Matthew 4 Day 4: Matthew 5
3	Days 1–2: Matthew 5–7(continued) Day 3: Matthew 8–9 Day 4: Matthew 10
4	Day 1: Matthew 11–12 Day 2: Matthew 13 Day 3: Matthew 14–15 Day 4: Matthew 16
5	Day 1: Matthew 17 Day 2: Matthew 18 Day 3: Matthew 19–20 Day 4: Matthew 21–23
6	Day 1: Matthew 24 Day 2: Matthew 25 Days 3–4: Matthew 26
7	Day 1: Matthew 27 Day 2: Matthew 28 Day 3: Mark 1 Day 4: Mark 2–3
8	Day 1: Mark 4–5 Day 2: Mark 6 Day 3: Mark 7–8 Day 4: Mark 9–10
9	Days 1–2: Mark 11–13 Days 3–4: Mark 14–16
10	Day 1: Luke 1 Day 2: Luke 2–3 Day 3: Luke 4 Day 4: Luke 5–6
11	Days 1–2: Luke 7 Day 3: Luke 8 Day 4: Luke 9
12	Day 1: Luke 10 Day 2: Luke 11–13 Day 3: Luke 14 Day 4: Luke 15
13	Day 1: Luke 16 Day 2: Luke 17–18 Day 3: Luke 19 Day 4: Luke 20–21
14	Days 1–2: Luke 22 Day 3: Luke 23 Day 4: Luke 24
15	Day 1: John 1 Day 2: John 2 Day 3: John 3 Day 4: John 4–5
16	Days 1–2: John 6 Day 3: John 7 Day 4: John 8
17	Day 1: John 9 Day 2: John 10 Day 3: John 11 Day 4: John 12
18	Day 1: John 13 Day 2: John 14 Day 3: John 15 Day 4: John 16–17
19	Day 1: John 18 Day 2: John 19 Day 3: John 20 Day 4: John 21
20	Day 1: Acts 1 Day 2: Acts 2 Day 3: Acts 3 Day 4: Acts 4–5
21	Day 1: Acts 6–7 Day 2: Acts 8–9 Day 3: Acts 10 Day 4: Acts 11–12
22	Day 1: Acts 13–14 Day 2: Acts 15 Day 3: Acts 16–18 Day 4: Acts 19–20
23	Day 1: Acts 21 Day 2: Acts 22–23 Day 3: Acts 24–26 Day 4: Acts 27–28
24	Day 1: Romans 1–3 Day 2: Romans 4–5 Day 3: Romans 6 Day 4: Romans 7–8
25	Day 1: Romans 9–10 Day 2: Romans 11 Day 3: Romans 12 Day 4: Romans 13–16
26	Day 1: 1 Corinthians 1–4 Day 2: 1 Corinthians 5–7 Day 3: 1 Corinthians 8–11 Day 4: 1 Corinthians 12–14
27	Day 1: 1 Corinthians 15–16 Day 2: 2 Corinthians 1–3 Day 3: 2 Corinthians 4–7 Day 4: 2 Corinthians 8–13
28	Day 1: Galatians 1–2 Day 2: Galatians 3–6 Day 3: Ephesians 1–3 Day 4: Ephesians 4–6
29	Day 1: Philippians 1–4 Day 2: Colossians 1–4 Day 3: 1 Thessalonians 1–5 Day 4: 2 Thessalonians 1–3
30	Day 1: 1 Timothy 1–6 Day 2: 2 Timothy 1–4 Day 3: Titus 1–3 Day 4: Philemon
31	Day 1: Hebrews 1–2 Day 2: Hebrews 3–6 Day 3: Hebrews 7–10 Day 4: Hebrews 11–13
32	Day 1: James 1–2 Day 2: James 3–5 Day 3: 1 Peter 1–2 Day 4: 1 Peter 3–5
33	Day 1: 2 Peter 1–3 Day 2: 1 John 1–5 Day 3: 2 John; 3 John Day 4: Jude
34	Day 1: Revelation 1 Day 2: Revelation 2–3 Day 3: Revelation 4–5 Day 4: Revelation 6–7
35	Day 1: Revelation 8–9 Day 2: Revelation 10–11 Day 3: Revelation 12–14 Day 4: Revelation 15–16
36	Day 1: Revelation 17–19 Day 2: Revelation 20–22 Day 3: Teacher choice Day 4: Testimony and farewell to students