The order of goal implementation followed a logical progression. Because the created curriculum is targeted at increasing Bible confidence rooted in knowledge it was unnecessary to wait on the results of the initial Bible Confidence Survey (BCS) to start the lengthy process of curriculum creation.1 Therefore, the first goal to be implemented was the second: “develop an eight-session multi-formatted course curriculum that will equip the adults attending HBC to place greater confidence rooted in knowledge in the Bible’s sufficiency and authority.”2 This four month phase started on February 2 and continued in mostly two-week increments marking the first part of goal 2 enactment.
Curriculum Creation
The theme of the first two sessions I created was some of Jesus’ testimony on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. These two sessions were created from
February 2-29, explicitly rooted in Matthew 4:1-4, and largely drawn from the content of the first Bible passage covered in chapter 2 of this project. The content of both sessions was reworked into hearer friendly formats. The first sermon (Matt 3:1-3) focused on the idea that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God and the true embodiment of believing Israel,
1See appendix 1.
2See appendix 4.
successfully models faithfulness to God during temptation by believing and obeying Scripture. The second session (Matt 4:4) focused on the fact that Jesus Christ models triumphing over temptation by knowing, believing, trusting, and obeying Scripture.
I created the next three sessions March 1- April 11 and gave them the theme of some of the testimony of two psalmists concerning the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The third and fourth sessions were plainly rooted in Psalm 19:7-11 and mostly drawn from material in the second Bible passage covered in chapter 2. The content of these two sessions was rewritten into more hearer friendly formats. The third session focused on the idea that Scripture is the written supernatural, desirable, authoritative, and sufficient revealed will of God. The fourth session focused on Scripture having many substantial desirous benefits for the one who believes and obeys it. The fifth session was rooted in Psalm 119:97-104 and primarily drawn from material on the third Bible passage covered in chapter 2. This session’s content was rewritten into a sermon friendly format.
It focused on Scripture as the written authoritative and sufficient revealed will of God that can have multiple significant desirous benefits for the one who believes and obeys it.
The sixth session’s theme was a brief survey of some historic confessions of faith and focused on the testimonies of prior generations concerning the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. This lesson was created April 12-25 and primarily examined how our predecessors in the Christian faith affirmed Scripture so as to encourage us to trust its sufficiency and authority. The session was rooted in the historic confessions covered in, and primarily drawn from, the material of the second section of this project’s chapter 3 by rewriting it into a lesson friendly format.
The theme of the next sessions was apostolic testimony concerning Scriptures’
sufficiency and authority. I created both of these sessions April 26-May 23. One session was rooted in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 and primarily drawn from material on the fourth Bible passage covered in chapter 2. The content of this session was grounded in Scripture and rewritten into a sermon friendly format. This sermon focused on the idea that the
sufficient and authoritative God-breathed Word can be believed and trusted to equip us for all that is needed for salvation and a life of good works. The final session was plainly rooted in Hebrews 4:11-13. Unlike the other sessions, I created this one without
reference to chapter 2 by focusing on the sufficient and authoritative Word working in the Christian to produce faithful endurance so that we may be unashamed at the judgment.
COVID-19 Changes
The week of July 19-25, I reworked four of the sessions. HBC could not meet in a small group setting and properly social distance, a key safety issue for our highly vulnerable attenders. Given the Office of the Governor of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky’s relevant COVID-19 restrictions, HBC’s options for meeting were now greatly limited. These limitations were ongoing and included specific state restrictions, HBC’s inability to sterilize multiple areas repeatedly (including restrooms, classrooms, and everything in between), and the general comfort of the perceived level of safety, and thus willingness to attend, of potential participants. Now lessons 2, 4, 6, and 8 were prepped for preaching in HBC’s large sanctuary as part of our safely social distanced Wednesday evening services. Having tweaked the format of the classroom lessons into sermons, I no longer had a multi-format curriculum. Nevertheless, I attempted to make the best of the difficult situation, even though the loss of the multi-formatting negated efforts to mitigate inherent limits caused by participants’ differing learning styles.3
Curriculum Evaluations
The second part of the goal implementation process was the curriculum review.
Using the approved Curriculum Evaluation Rubric, the formal evaluation process lasted two weeks—July 26 through August 15.4 This process was preceded by identifying a
3See the third limitation in chapter 1.
4See appendix 2 for the Curriculum Evaluation Rubric.
competent panel consisting of ministers and elders from other Southern Baptist churches who volunteered via email to participate. With their consent the eight-part curriculum, a curriculum outline, and the previously approved rubric was emailed to each of them. All panelists had either extensive pastoral ministry experience, graduate theological
education, or both. The six-person panel was ensured anonymity to encourage honest evaluations and were asked to mail their unsigned completed rubrics back to me in envelopes lacking return addresses.
Within two weeks of emailing the curriculum, I received all the completed rubrics in the mail. Half of the rubrics provided comments of various types and quality in the designated places on the marked rubrics. I considered the second goal successfully met, since a minimum of ninety percent of the evaluation criterion met or exceeded the sufficient level on all the applicable rubrics. I then shifted to the implementation of my second goal. Overall, 97.9 percent of the curriculum’s evaluation criterion was evaluated by the panel to be “sufficient” or “exemplary.” The sixth sermon received 93.7 percent
“sufficient” or better and was rated the lowest. The second and fifth sermons both received 100 percent “sufficient” or better and were evaluated the highest. If the initial feedback had yielded less than ninety percent, I was prepared to make revisions in accordance with the panel’s evaluations; however, revision was unnecessary. Thus, I proceeded to the next phase.