Spencer W. Kimball Lessons

[DrumNFeather]

I've really enjoyed the PS & RS Spencer W. Kimball lessons this year.

A few weeks ago, the lesson (6) was on Testimonies, and I thought he made an excellent point about testimony meetings. He essentially said that if you don't like the direction a testimony meeting is going, then you should get up and change it by bearing your own testimony.

I found that to be a simple, yet essential point to make because so often we find ourselves complaining about this person or that person especially in testimony meetings.

Yesterday's lesson was on service, and it was presented with the same kind of tone. Serving others is a key to happiness, so why wouldn't we do it?

Anyways, Just thought I'd mention how much I've enjoyed the lessons thus far this year. I think these manuals that the church puts out are outstanding.

[Indy Coug]

The Bruce R McConkie manual is slated for 2013.

[DrumNFeather]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

I don't care for the manuals much. They contain a lot of good information, but they are structured so rigidly that it is difficult to have a lesson where the answer to any question isn't "prayer," "Christ," or "faith."

I think it can be done, but it requires a very good teacher- something most wards are lacking.

I agree.

It is definitely all about the teacher. I've had some good teachers the last few years. Other years it has been lacking.

I think the structure of the material still gives it some flexibility for good discussions, but you have to have a teacher willing to facilitate with his teaching style.

I am not a fan of read arounds...

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

I don't care for the manuals much. They contain a lot of good information, but they are structured so rigidly that it is difficult to have a lesson where the answer to any question isn't "prayer," "Christ," or "faith."

I think it can be done, but it requires a very good teacher- something most wards are lacking.

The manuals are hodgepodgey. They are very unfocused. You can find some wonderful quotes, but very little structure.

I'd prefer a more academic approach for something such as the priesthood, with a simplified and more complex lesson contained therein.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

The manuals are hodgepodgey. They are very unfocused. You can find some wonderful quotes, but very little structure.

I'd prefer a more academic approach for something such as the priesthood, with a simplified and more complex lesson contained therein.

I think the hope was that the instructor would provide the structure and use the quotes to supplement the lesson.

[DrumNFeather]

Originally Posted by Archaea

The manuals are hodgepodgey. They are very unfocused. You can find some wonderful quotes, but very little structure.

I'd prefer a more academic approach for something such as the priesthood, with a simplified and more complex lesson contained therein.

Such as?

If given the opportunity to teach preisthood, what would your approach be?

Would you use the manual?

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by DrumNFeather

Such as?

If given the opportunity to teach preisthood, what would your approach be?

Would you use the manual?

I like Pelagius's approach to the new testament lessons.

I have found these lessons almost unteachable, but fortunately we've had instructors who could make heads or tails out of the lessons. Most of the quotes are not directed toward a structured approach but Faulkner flow of consciousness. Although one might read that type of literature for enjoyment, in terms of a structured program for personal improvement it seems much less effective. It is neither scholarly, with references, nor thematically structured. If it were thematically structured, one could reference the then current status of a policy, map its development and changes.

However, I find most of the talks, basically, "the prophet was a very good man, he set an example, this is how you should love your wife, this is how you can pray."

Fortunately, we have instructors who much more than is in the manual, but a pure thematic discussion after decades within the Church seem very routine and often not motivating.

[All-American]

Originally Posted by Archaea

I like Pelagius's approach to the new testament lessons.

I have found these lessons almost unteachable, but fortunately we've had instructors who could make heads or tails out of the lessons. Most of the quotes are not directed toward a structured approach but Faulkner flow of consciousness. Although one might read that type of literature for enjoyment, in terms of a structured program for personal improvement it seems much less effective. It is neither scholarly, with references, nor thematically structured. If it were thematically structured, one could reference the then current status of a policy, map its development and changes.

However, I find most of the talks, basically, "the prophet was a very good man, he set an example, this is how you should love your wife, this is how you can pray."

Fortunately, we have instructors who much more than is in the manual, but a pure thematic discussion after decades within the Church seem very routine and often not motivating.

I suspect that the makers of the manual do not have those who have been in the church for decades in mind. I don't know that they should be, either. The church had about 9 million members when Gordon B. Hinckley became president a little over 10 years ago, and is now at nearly 13 million members. This means about 25 percent of the church's membership have been members for less than one decade.

That said, teachers should be able to use the manual to get the most benefit to the particular groups they are teaching. A lesson in the High Priests quorum, for example, ought to be somewhat more engaging than in, say, the Elders Quorum of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, where there are only two men who have been members more than 10 years.

[MikeWaters]

I love the church manuals. They allow me to take 5 minutes to prepare lessons.

If I had to prepare lessons from scratch it would take me at least 5 minutes to come up with a topic.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

This is why it is a challenge. You have a church that wants uniformity among all wards throughout the world. As a result, they have to all teach the same lessons from the same text. In order for everyone to understand those lessons, they have to teach to the lowest common denominator (not in terms of intelligence, but in terms of experience and understanding of the gospel). If you want something beyond that, you have to rely on the talents of a really good teacher, and not many wards have people like that (since nobody in the church is a professional).

Overall, I think the church does a nice job with things, but you can get some really dull lessons in EQ with these manuals.

If all the members of the EQ actually read and study the manual ahead of time, they should be able to extract a fair amount of meaning and insight from the lesson before they ever show up on Sunday.

Then, in the normal course of discussion you can share your insights on the topic in a way that people of various backgrounds and understandings can benefit. There's no need for the instructor to have to handfeed everyone what the lesson says and means, nor require them to have to somehow keep the intellectuals stimulated while simultaneously keeping the rank novices from getting overwhelmed.