In delivering a lesson, the main goal is not to help the new believers understand more teachings but to do some carving work on them. One should pay attention to the areas that require carving; he should know what needs to be torn down and what needs to be added. These lessons should serve as tools to build up the believers and to make new persons out of them. Of course, in order to achieve the desired objective, the leading ones first must be dealt with in the area they are speaking about. Otherwise, their speaking will not be genuine. They will only speak vain words, and these words will be powerless. Everyone who is responsible for the new believers meeting should pay attention to this matter.
If a church has very few new believers or if there are not enough speakers, there is no need to divide the new believers into classes. In such cases one person should simply bear the responsibility of teaching these lessons, followed by questions, week after week. But if a church has many new believers, these believers should be divided into smaller classes and should be trained separately. Division of classes can be according to geography or level of understanding. Adjust according to the local practical need. If there is an adequate number of leaders, the classes can range from a few persons to perhaps a dozen or so. In dividing up the classes, one should pay attention to the following points:
Suppose one class has a relatively high standard of literacy. We should arrange to have stronger ones teach such a class. If another class consists of those with a lower standard of literacy, the leading one in the class should be experienced in teaching the truth in a simple way. Once we have the right kind of students for the right teachers, the leading ones will not find it difficult to teach, and the audience will be built up.
In some places only the leaders have the book. In this case everyone in the audience should carry a notebook and write down the crucial points and the subject of every portion. In some classes the new believers may be illiterate or semi-literate. In such circumstances there is no need to pass out the book. The leading one should pick out at least one crucial verse and read it to the audience again and again. He should also ask them to repeat it after him. Then he should explain the main points of the lesson to them. He should ask them if they understand the lesson and give them the opportunity to ask questions.
In places where the textbook is used, everyone should be given a copy during the meeting. The leader should help the new believers read the lesson together or take turns reading it section by section. The leading one should ask questions as he moves along, and the listeners should also feel free to ask questions as they listen. Sometimes the listeners can be asked to say something, but their speaking has to be brief and should not occupy too much time. This will make the meeting more lively. Try your best to avoid lectures or sermons. Those who can take notes should prepare a notebook and write down the important points throughout the course of the lesson.
Every meeting should be limited to one and a half hours. The meeting should not drag on.
Our voices should be loud enough for the whole class to hear. Do not stray off the subject. Examples or stories must fit the subject. It is best to speak the main points in a clear way according to the text of the lesson. Do not take advantage of the occasion to speak what you want to speak. Do not go off on a tangent. Do not sermonize, but mix your speaking with questions.