I spend a good deal of time in coffeeshops watching how people interact with one another and their tools. One of the better scenes tends to come from those shops nearer to colleges. Unlike other coffeeshops, it is here that you see all manners of studying, configurations of environments, and even attempts to not be distracted.

I remember how it is for me, and therefore I put the question out there to think about for you: once the sermon or bible study lesson is over, the expectation is that people will go back and study/prove the material (Acts 17:11 in practice). How many of you don’t just expect for that space to be taken, but design your lessons in such a way that investigating the answer allows someone to find their personal space to get the answer? 

• Does your sermon and it’s outline live on a website, or do you rely on people to know how to take notes?
• If they have questions, how do you (the lesson teacher, not a secretary) make yourself available to assist the search for answers?
• What kinds of resources do you point people to so that they can “check your sources?”

We often make the assumption that the answer to life’s questions are as close as Scripture’s revelation. But, what are you doing as pastor-teacher to make sure that key principles stay that way?

Or, do you rather that there remains a layer between certain aspects of your teaching, and the abilities of your community to discover their ways towards its understanding?