The Church has release a new way of teaching the youth entitled "Come, Follow Me." This is replacing the manuals that were used in past years for Sunday School, Aaronic Priesthood and Young Womens lessons. Details about the new Come, Follow Me program can be found on the Church's website at https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/.
I wanted to describe some of the key areas of focus for the new program. Some of these are going to be completely different than the old style of teaching but the doctrine and some of the techniques will remain the same.
Why do we have this new program?
The purpose of this new program is to better help us fulfill our callings as teachers and leaders of the youth. We are called to help the young men and young women become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The youth are smart, and they are eager to learn. This program will help them participate in the learning experience like never before. Conversion comes by doing not by hearing only.
Why is it called Come, Follow Me?
The curriculum's name is from the call often made by the Savior to the people to come, follow him and be his disciples. Not only are we inviting the youth to follow Him, but we are also striving to teach them the way that the Savior would have taught them, the way he did teach during his mortal ministry. When asked questions, Jesus often responded with questions of his own or scriptures and parables to help the inquirer learn the answer to his own question. The Savior knew the needs of and loved each person he taught, whether it was a one-on-one lesson or a multitude of thousands. As with Peter, the Savior gave opportunities for his disciples to testify, to preach, to act in faith on his teachings. That's the type of teacher we need to be in order to most effective help the youth in becoming converted. We don't do the converting, but we can play a critical role in creating an environment in which true conversion can occur.
From the lds.org website listed above:
"This, then, is your sacred calling—to teach as the Savior taught. As you do, the youth will give place in their hearts for the seed of the gospel to be planted, to swell, and to grow. This will lead to conversion—the ultimate goal of your teaching. As you help youth become converted, you help them prepare to follow the Savior throughout their lives—to worthily attend the temple, receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, serve missions, make sacred covenants, raise righteous families, and build God’s kingdom in all the world. How great will be your joy! "
Outlines are replacing Manuals
Instead of following a step-by-step lesson flow from a manual, instructors will have an outline that gives them the doctrine and some ideas for teaching it. The outlines are intentionally very open-ended so that the instructor may be led by the spirit and tailor the lessons to meet the needs of the youth. There is tremendous flexibility in teaching the lessons and one lesson may cover multiple weeks as needed.
So Now What?
These are some of the basic steps needed now for a lesson using Come, Follow Me:
(1) Prepare for the lesson
(a) Study the scriptures and other resources provided in the outline to become familiar with the topic and the doctrine.
(b) Review the activity ideas provided in the outline
(c) Invite one or more YM to help lead part of the lesson or be prepared to share something (optional but encouraged)
(d) If possible, invite all of the YM prepare in some way for the lesson (e.g., read a talk or some scriptures)
(2) Give the lesson
(a) Follow-up on last week's lesson and challenge
(b) Lead a discussion about the topic - ideally with the YM speaking more than you
(c) Invite the YM to act on what they've been taught (some kind of challenge for them)
This new teaching technique has great potential if done right. It will allow us to involve the YM to a greater extent in teaching as well as in better discussions during the lesson. This is what the YM need at this time in their lives. This is how we can help them develop their own testimonies.
