I would like to see some solid statistics: how often do the pastors in WELS write their own Bible studies instead of using preexisting materials? Once per year? Once per quarter? Are there some who only write their own, and some who always use something they purchased or borrowed from others?

Certainly, there are pros and cons all around. If, as some would say, a well-crafted sermon comes from an hour of preparation for every minute in the pulpit (humanly speaking, of course), how much time and energy should it take to produce well-crafted Bible studies? Parish ministry is full of worthwhile things to do. For the busiest of pastors, NPH offers dozens of ready-made courses on a wide range of topics, handcrafted by pastors who love to teach the Word to hungry souls. But in my (limited) experience, teaching another man’s class is like preaching another man’s sermon: it never seems to deliver exactly right, and the time I spend editing or reworking the materials to fit my voice or my style might have been spent developing my own lesson. Like the canned sermon, the canned lesson lacks the specificity of a pastor who is addressing the unique congregation he serves. And wouldn’t it be valuable for the pastor’s own soul to invest as much time into preparing his teaching as he (hopefully) invests in his preaching?

In a perfect world, sure. Realistically—and, like many among us, I would imagine—I switch between canned and handmade Bible studies, using the weeks of a canned study to plan, prepare, write, and edit my next batch of handmade lessons. Let’s think about the details of planning.

Once I’ve settled on a topic and a range of dates for the course, I start by writing an APSBAT statement for every lesson in the curriculum. (APSBAT stands for “all participants shall be able to.”) These short statements serve as goals or lesson objectives. Like all good plans, they force me to envision a concrete, realistic future so I know where I’m headed in the writing process. As the saying goes, “If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”

What do you want your participants to do, or to be, by the end of your course? To articulate a doctrine more accurately? To identify hints of Christ in an Old Testament book of prophecy or narrative? To appreciate the enduring significance of the liturgy or one of the Lutheran Confessions? To invite a coworker to your upcoming outreach event? To bask in the love and grace of the Lord who chose them in Christ before the creation of the world? Notice the strong verbs in each of these examples: articulate, identify, appreciate, invite, bask. It helps me to be as specific and vivid with my choice of verbs as I can be because it sets the tone and direction for the lessons themselves. I list all of these before writing any lessons to ensure that the curriculum is well-rounded, that it aims not only for the heads of the participants (articulate, identify) but also for their hearts (appreciate, bask) and hands (identify, invite). I even keep a notecard with a list of strong verbs right next to my keyboard: define, compare, critique, design, support, etc.

There are other ways of planning a curriculum. If you serve in a congregation with a school, ask your faculty members how they develop goals for the lessons that they write. But the above has worked well for me, and maybe getting back to the very basics could be helpful for you too. Here’s an example from a course I designed as homework for a recent WLS Summer Quarter class. I had an absolute blast writing these lessons and teaching them to the congregation I serve. These turned out a little head-heavy, but we also touched hearts in lessons 4 and 5 and hands in lessons 1 and 6.

“Why Is There No Justice?”
Habakkuk: The Prophet Who Questioned God

Lesson 1: Introduction to Habakkuk
APSBAT predict interpretive and contextual features of this book.

Lesson 2: His First Question and God’s Answer
APSBAT defend the Lord’s first answer to Habakkuk.

Lesson 3: His Second Question and God’s Answer
APSBAT connect Habakkuk’s context to New Testament quotations of 2:4.

Lesson 4: Five Woes of God’s Judgment
APSBAT identify contemporary sins that match the “woe” statements.

Lesson 5: The Heroic and Awesome Lord
APSBAT interpret this theophany in view of the Exodus narratives.

Lesson 6: The Conclusion of Habakkuk
APSBAT justify the prophet’s closing remarks about “waiting” for God.

“If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” In my experience, most of the frustration in the writing process comes from a failure to identify a clear and unique goal for a lesson. And on a wider scale, much of the sameness in a series of Bible study lessons comes from a failure to include strong verbs intended for the participants’ heads, hearts, and hands across your curriculum. Christianity is more than information. Faith is about more than our brains. Your Bible studies can also shape your participants’ attitudes and equip their hands, which are so eager to serve and so often unsure of where to begin. Get after those goals in the earliest stages of your planning process. Be willing to invest the necessary time to be specific to your congregation’s needs. The Word-hungry souls you serve will be richly fed.

This article in Devote Yourself was contributed by the team that previously created and distributed the e-newsletter, Teach the Word. For nearly ten years’ worth of archived teaching-related articles, tips, and advice, visit nph.net/teach-the-word.