How to Teach in the Savior's Way
Teaching in the Savior's Way is the guide the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives to everyone who teaches, at church and in the home. It is built on a simple idea: the goal of gospel teaching is not to deliver information but to help people build faith in Jesus Christ and become more like Him. The current edition organizes Christlike teaching around four principles. Understanding them will change how you prepare and how you teach. LDS Sunday School can help you build a lesson around any of them.
Start With the Real Goal of Teaching
The purpose of gospel teaching is not to cover material or fill the time. It is to help those you teach build faith in Jesus Christ and grow in their conversion to Him. When that goal is clear, the smaller questions settle themselves: how much to prepare, how much to talk, what to ask, and when to be quiet.
The Savior is the pattern. He taught in homes and on hillsides, one person and thousands, and He always taught toward a change of heart, not just understanding. Teaching in His way means measuring a lesson not by how much you covered but by what happened in the hearts of those in the room.
Love Those You Teach
Everything the Savior did flowed from love, and Christlike teaching starts there too. Know the people you teach by name and by need. Pray for them individually. Look past who they are on a hard Sunday to who they can become. A class member who knows the teacher genuinely cares is far more open to the Spirit.
Love is not a warm-up before the real teaching. It is the teaching. A well-prepared lesson delivered without love rarely reaches anyone, while a simple lesson offered by someone who clearly cares can change a life.
Teach by the Spirit, Teach the Doctrine, Invite Diligent Learning
Teach by the Spirit. Only the Holy Ghost can carry truth into a heart, so your real task is to invite Him and then get out of the way. Ask learners what the Spirit taught them in their own study. Help them recognize His influence. Invite them to share and testify of what they know.
Teach the doctrine. Keep every lesson anchored in the scriptures, the words of living prophets, and the approved curriculum, and focus on the essential, saving truths rather than tangents or personal theories. The doctrine of Christ has power that our own ideas do not.
Invite diligent learning. In the gospel, learning is not just listening or reading; it is changing, repenting, and progressing. Invite class members to study daily, to ask honest questions, and to live what they learn, so the lesson keeps working long after class is over.
Key Principles
- ✓The goal of gospel teaching is to build faith in Christ and help others become like Him
- ✓Love those you teach: know them, pray for them, and see who they can become
- ✓Teach by the Spirit: the Holy Ghost is the real teacher, not you
- ✓Teach the doctrine: anchor every lesson in scripture, prophets, and approved curriculum
- ✓Invite diligent learning: real learning shows up as changed lives, not just notes
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Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What is Teaching in the Savior's Way?
It is the Church's guide for anyone who teaches at home or at church. It focuses on helping people build faith in Jesus Christ and become more like Him, and it is organized around four principles of Christlike teaching.
What are the four principles of Christlike teaching?
Love those you teach; teach by the Spirit; teach the doctrine; and invite diligent learning.
What does it mean to teach by the Spirit?
It means inviting the Holy Ghost to be the real teacher. You prepare prayerfully, help learners recognize the Spirit's influence, and invite them to share and testify, rather than relying on your own skill or personality.
How do I invite diligent learning?
Treat learning as more than listening. Invite class members to study the scriptures daily, ask questions, share what they are learning, and act on it during the week, so growth continues beyond the lesson.