Transform your teaching from ordinary instruction to life-changing learning with the same methods Jesus used to turn fishermen into world changers.

Teach Like Jesus by veteran educators David T. Lamb and Shannon T. Lamb unpacks Christ's experiential teaching approach that created disciples who turned the world upside down.

This book examines how Jesus taught with transformative impact by asking questions, telling stories, creating tension, provoking change, and providing experiences. Through utilizing listener-centered, engaging, and provocative methods, Jesus didn't just share information, he created encounters that changed hearts and minds.

What you'll find in Teach Like Jesus:



- Discover why Jesus' experiential teaching approach was so effective and how to apply it today.

- Explore practical examples of teaching like Jesus in contexts all over the world.

- Overcome internal and external obstacles to effective Bible teaching.

- Learn teaching principles modeled in every chapter through stories, questions, and experiences.



Whether you are in a ministry context, an educational setting, or training a team, this book offers insightful guidance for anyone eager to move beyond one-way communication and foster deeper learning and life transformation in your listeners.

Through Teach Like Jesus, you'll develop a deeper conviction to teach interactively, discover inspiration for creative and memorable lessons, and learn to recognize key experiential teaching moments. The book offers practical tools ready for immediate use in any teaching context.

Teach Like Jesus equips you to follow in the footsteps of Jesus our Teacher, creating learner-focused experiences that mirror his own transformative approach. How? Come and see. And then go and do likewise.



David T. Lamb (DPhil, Oxford) is MacRae Professor of Old Testament and dean of the faculty at Kairos University. His love for teaching the Bible was developed while on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in California and Pennsylvania. His books include God Behaving Badly, Prostitutes and Polygamists, and The Emotions of God. He lives with his wife, Shannon, near Philadelphia, and they have two adult sons.



Shannon T. Lamb (DMin, Missio Seminary) is an assistant regional director in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where her primary responsibility is staff training. She also serves as a consultant for Liberia Fellowship of Evangelical Students and is an affiliate professor at Missio Seminary and Kairos University. She lives with her husband, David, near Philadelphia, and they have two adult sons.



1. Teaching Like Jesus



2. Questions More than Answers



3. Stories More than Statements



4. Provocation More than Predictability



5. Tension More than Resolution



6. Emotions More than Facts



7. Reflection More than Recommendations



8. Experiences More than Theories



9. Soul Work More than Performance



10. Go and Do Likewise!

Acknowledgments



Appendix A: Creating Creative Content



Appendix B: Embracing the Strengths of Online Teaching



Discussion Questions



For Further Reading



"I begin with an admission. I'm not as good a teacher as either David or Shannon Lamb. Some of the teaching methods they discover in the Gospels appear in my classrooms; some don't. I wish more did. If I were a young teacher, this book is the one I would want. I'm not. So I will recommend it to others. In the teaching time left for me, I will do my best to teach more like the Jesus that Shannon and Dave bring into the classroom."



"How we teach should demand our time and attention as much as what we teach—and David and Shannon Lamb make a compelling case for it. This book literally practices what it preaches, and in doing so, can transform the way you communicate. Teach Like Jesus is an accessible, valuable, and field-tested book that will make you rethink your preparation and delivery. If you teach the Bible regularly—in a classroom, with a small group, from the pulpit, or among friends—this is a wonderful addition to your shelf."



"David and Shannon Lamb have worked together and separately for years. They have worked in student contexts, seminary contexts, and church contexts, and they have worked in the United States, Africa, and Asia. They have worked with me in various ways, and I have learned from them. I know they are, between themselves, silly and reflective, as this book says (I didn't invent this assessment). They know what teaching and learning are about, and anybody involved in teaching is bound to learn from this book. It's easy and fun to read and monumentally challenging to put into practice, but it will be worth it."



"Anyone can teach and preach, but how can we facilitate transformative learning? God is a question-asking God, David and Shannon Lamb tell us. They show us from the practice of Jesus how Scripture can sink down into hearts and lives."



"If I were to recommend one book on preaching, this would be it. Rather than emphasizing persuasive techniques, this is an invitation to a more rabbinical, more conversational, more adventurous, more Jesus-like way of preaching, and is utterly compelling. The writing is engaging, practical, and enjoyable from the start. What shines through every page is their authenticity: You will come away feeling genuinely inspired not only to teach like Jesus but be like Jesus. A must-read for new and veteran preachers alike."



"There is a profound sadness today that so many people do not know the truths of Scripture. Even more concerning is that many who have been part of churches for years—even decades—still do not know Scripture well. How we teach matters. How people learn matters. This book explores not only how to teach but how to teach in the way Jesus did so that people truly learn, are transformed, and experience lasting life change."



"What if our clearest, most polished teaching is the very thing keeping people from coming alive? Jesus refused to tie things up neatly. He asked more than he answered, told stories that lodged like slow daggers, and let tension breathe. David and Shannon Lamb dare us to teach likewise. So consider this: maybe your clarity isn't freeing your people. Maybe it's putting them in a cage."