Teaching General Conference: Recent Episodes
Kurt Francom
Now that general conference has concluded, Kurt Francom covers best practices in teaching each general conference talk in elders quorum and Relief Society.
General Thoughts:
- This is a fantastic sermon! So don't fall into the trap of retelling the sermon.
- The talk includes references to Mark 2:1-12. You may want to consider finding Come Follow Me resources about these chapters to further inform your lesson preparation
- You could focus on the 4 individuals who carry the man stricken with palsy. If you do so you could invite the class to process who they would be in their life and then share it with another individual (or a group) in the class.
Warm Up:
- Who is Jesus in one word?
- Find one characteristic of Jesus in the scriptures.
- Invite 5 people to make a boy scout stretcher to illustrate how the man stricken with palsy was carried (see how to make this stretcher here). This gets a group out of their chairs and invites them to engage physically with the material and it will help people retain the lesson because of this unique visual.
Media Mixup
- Jesus Forgives Sins and Heals a Man Stricken with Palsy
- Lift: The Power of Service
- "Lift Where You Stand" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf (October 2008)
Questions:
- How have you discovered Jesus to be different than you anticipated?
- How do we assume Jesus is one way when in reality, He is just the opposite?
- Who are the 4 people who deserve the most credit in bringing you to Jesus Christ?
- How do we sometimes wonder if Christ is able to lift the burdens of others?
- How has a community shown up for you on your journey to Christ?
General Thoughts:
- Don't stay on the surface of forgiveness. Forgiveness is more complicated than a simple commandment.
- The instructor needs to take 5-10 minutes warming up the class so that they are willing to share personal stories of forgiveness during the class.
- Don't share Sister Yee's stories; share personal stories from your own life or from people in the class.
Warm Up:
- Use the prime the pump technic of asking very basic questions just to get the class talking.
- Have everyone explore "forgiveness" in the topical guide and share specific favorites with the class or small groups.
Media Mixup
- Chris Williams Video
Questions:
- Are we expected to forgive immediately?
- When is forgiveness hard to give?
- How does Christ release us from the sin and weight of a warring heart?
- What others stories from the scriptures highlight forgiveness?
General Thoughts:
- Figure out a way, to sum up the parable of the marriage feast without taking much of your lesson time
- Parables cause you to go two levels deep in order to find the doctrine.
- Don't make it about the behavior of wearing the temple garment. If you reference the temple garment, make it about the doctrines connected to the temple garment.
- Good "teaching doctrine example"
Warm Up:
- Have everyone put something on as they walk into the class (Ties, scarves, etc.)
- Or have someone wear something ridiculous
- The Royal Marriage Feast Play/Narration
- Call text people
Media Mixup
- Show the clip of quotes you share
- Share a clip of his testimony at the end
Questions:
- What is the difference between being called vs. being chosen?
- When have you felt called in your life?
- Even though you were called as a missionary, did you also choose that calling as well?
- Who is doing the calling and who is doing the choosing?
- How would putting on the temple garment be an action of wanting to be called and chosen?
- Does God have a chosen people? If so, does that mean He loves some more than others?
General Observations:
- She packs a lot into each paragraph so don't move the class to quickly through each paragraph. This is the importance of only picking one specific doctrine to consider during the class (maybe two). Create a lot of time for the class to digest the content. Warm Up:
- Upside down glasses
- Buy or ask if someone in your ward owns it
- Doesn't the world seem upside down sometimes?
- Blurry image game
- Bring 3-5 tools to display (or ask 3-5 people to bring a tool)
- Prime the pump question
Engagement Activity: Digest the paragraph
- Paragraph "In our lives..."
- Give 5 minutes to digest
- Have them read both scripture references as well
- "What principle is being taught here?"
- "What are the two 'available daily resources' we can depend on?"
- "What do these phrases look like in real life?"
- "Be a light which shineth"
- "Enlightening our eyes"
- "Quickening our understanding"
- "When have you seen things as they really are and as they really will be?"
- Give them 2 minutes
Engagement Activity: Divinely Appointed Tools
- Paragraph "As covenant children..."
- Tools
- The words and teachings of Jesus Christ
- Scripture
- Words of living prophets
- Daily prayer
- temple attendance
- sacrament
- "How have these tools help you 'restore peace and provide the necessary gift of discernment?'"
- Give 2 minutes to think and get one story of each
- "How have these tools help you 'restore peace and provide the necessary gift of discernment?'"
- The words and teachings of Jesus Christ
- Tools
Our tools
- the Savior's love for us individually
- being His covenant children
- His teachings and laws
Questions:
- What tools do we have that help us clarify, focus, and ground the world around us?
- How does Jesus Christ "[direct your] feet to meetinghouses each week to partake of His sacrament, to the house of the Lord to make covenants with Him?"
- For you, how has Christ steered you through both the calm and the turbulent waters of life? (Paragraph: As covenant children...)
- Push them past the vagueness
- What significant decision have you had to make in life that weighed on you?
- How did you reach clarity?
- What spiritual tools did you use?
- Did it work as expected?
- Is focusing on the Savior only possible through specific behaviors like prayer, scripture study, and temple attendance?
Warmup:
- Start with a basic question to get everyone talking
Engagement Activity:
- Find 3-5 paragraphs and invite them to digest the content in groups of 2-4.
Questions:
- How does sobering news impact you?
- Why is feeling love from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ vital?
- How do overwhelm and exhaustion typically show up for you?
- What does rest through Jesus Christ look like?
- Have you ever had a season where the church demands have felt too much for you?
- What does it look like in your life to overcome the world?
- How do you take charge of your own testimony of Jesus Christ?
- How do you define "false philosophies of men?"
A new podcast to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to teach a general conference talk in church.