Ideas for Using In the World in a Virtual Setting

Maybe you have been using In the World in an online setting like Zoom or Google hangouts or a video stream. Maybe you’re using it as part of a phone conference session. Or physically mailing or emailing the lesson to people to read.

Whether you use In the World to prepare your group before you meet or to extend the learning into the week, here are a couple of additional ideas for using this weekly resource to enrich your virtual class—both during your group time and throughout the week.

Using In the World While You Meet

Whether you’re meeting in small in-person groups or online, these tips will help you get the most out of In the World.

• Weekly Check-in: Before you start the lesson, allow at least a few minutes for a weekly check-in to help the group feel connected with each other.
• Discuss the Current Event: Talk together about the top paragraph, where In the World features the modern-day story. You could also invite members to offer their own discussion questions. During your meeting, give the group time to discuss the article.
• Discuss the Bible Event: Talk together about the second paragraph, which leads into the Bible lesson. Invite members to come up with some of their own discussion questions. During your meeting, give the group time to discuss the article.
• How Does the Tune Fit?: Share your screen and play one of the suggested music videos. Talk as a group about how that song fits the lesson.
• Worship Time: Have a lesson-themed time of worship during the lesson. Share your screen and play one of the suggested music videos. Give time for the group to respond in prayer.
• Breakout Rooms: If you’re using a tool like Zoom and your group is comfortable with the technology, try sending small groups to different rooms for a short discussion time. Then bring everyone back together to summarize the discussion before moving on with the next part of the lesson. For information on using Zoom Rooms go to https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/217890563-Zoom-Rooms-Admin-Management

Using In the World During the Week

These ideas can be used to prepare your students before you meet or afterward to help reinforce the lesson.

• Music Group: Create a text group or another social media group. Send out the music links throughout the week for people to use during their personal devotion times.
• Daily Bible Readings: Send out the key verse along the with home daily Bible readings for the day to encourage regular Bible study.
• Commentary Group: Create a text group or another social media group. Send out the link to one of the commentaries. Add a question at the end asking people what they learned in their reading. Encourage people to share their thoughts in the thread.
• Coffee Time: Invite people to join in an online video discussion time during the week to talk more about the lesson. Ask everyone to brew and bring their favorite hot beverage!
• Before your scheduled meeting time, send your group the text from the first paragraph of In the World, which features the modern-day story to your group. Include any of the discussion questions that match that part of the article. You could also invite members to offer their own discussion questions.
• Send the Bible event text—the second paragraph of In the World—to your group before you meet. Include any of the discussion questions that match that part of the article and invite members to come up with some of their own discussion questions.

This article, while focused on children’s ministry, offers several suggestions you might add to your own personal teaching-virtually-tool set.