The Program
The North Texas Conference Committee on Lay Servant Ministries has developed a program for Accreditation of Teachers for the Lay Servant Ministries Courses. The program was developed to support and equip teachers of our courses, but is also appropriate training for others who teach Sunday School, Bible Studies and small group studies. You can attain accreditation by completing four requirements:
- Be a Certified Lay Servant.
- Participate in the course: Teach Adults. This course is offered by your District and uses the book "Start Here: Teaching and Learning with Adults" by Barbara Bruce. The course covers many topics specific to adult learning and faith based courses. It is a 10-hour class and is considered an advanced course for obtaining or maintaining status as a Certified Lay Servant. It is recommended that this course be taken prior to the course Prepare to Teach.
- Participate in the course: Prepare to Teach. This course was designed by our North Texas Conference Lay Servant Ministries to cover additional topics connected with a successful teaching experience — recognizing traits of master teachers, adjusting for different levels of experience in learners, managing difficult classroom situations, exploring ways to ask questions, enhancing the physical environment and coordinating with team members for training events. We especially added a section on the art of teaching to cover topics not fully developed in the course Teach Adults. This is a 7-hour course and DOES NOT count for advanced course credit for obtaining or maintaining status as a Certified Lay Servant.
- Complete and turn in to your District Director (or the Conference Director of Lay Servant Ministries) an Application for Teacher Accreditation.
- Complete a Training Facility Information Form. This is a survey that you complete about your church facility. It has two purposes. The first is to guide you in looking at your church as a training facility and to assist you in evaluating classrooms, capacity, dining capabilities, contact information and equipment availability. The second purpose is to gain information for the District Director on the various facilities available, to help them choose the best sites for District and Conference activities. KEEP A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS AS YOU MAY NEED TO UPDATE IT OR SUBMIT AGAIN AT A LATER DATE.
You will be given course completion certificates when you have finished Teach Adults and Prepare to Teach, and an Accreditation Certificate when you have completed all four requirements.