Why people don’t learn at church

In too many churches we teach the facts, figures, and history in the scriptures, and never move to the more important how to. Remember, didasko or teaching is the act of causing someone to master something. If we fail to give learners the application — the how to — what are we causing them to master? Are we creating masters of trivia? Or perhaps masters of boredom? Unfortunately, in many of our churches today, people walk out week after week without any true learning. There is no life-change.

Learn: To gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery of; to acquire through experience.

The last part of the definition we have been looking at is to acquire through experience. Acquiring is the action of taking something on that is new and different making it part of our being. To acquire is to assimilate something into our very being. We absorb it into our being. It becomes part of us. ‘Through experience’ can only be one thing, action. Our actions are the means through which we display our behavior. A changed life is visible through the actions of the learner. Behavioral change is life-change.

With all of this in mind, we can draw the conclusion that true learning occurs when an alteration of the lifestyle or behavior patterns of our learner is evidenced in accordance with our teaching. There is one other factor. You and I are not the teacher. We are only the instruments used by the one and only teacher in Christian education, the Holy Spirit. True learning causes life-change. Teach for life-change!
George Yates, Teaching That Bears Fruit, n.d.