Description: The Teaching Team is responsible for the weekly Sabbath School lessons, which is the place where the members' ideas and beliefs can be given voice and challenged in order to help them grow. Here is the heart of discipleship. The team coordinates teachers for each study from a pool of about a dozen volunteers. The unique perspectives of a large group of teachers connect with a larger percentage of the population.

The approach to Sabbath morning activities has evolved over the three years of Encounter's existence, and we now find ourselves loosely following the adult quarterly. Generally the teacher prepares a written lesson with Scripture references and thought-provoking questions and/or activities. After an introduction to the lesson, prayer, and an ice breaker, the teacher divides the main group into three or four smaller groups (with usually six to ten people in a group). Each group has a leader to walk them through the lesson sheet, being careful to include everyone in reading or discussion. The lesson sheet may be the same for each group, or each group may look at a different aspect of the lesson. The teacher then calls the groups back together, gets feedback from each one, and concludes with prayer.

It is within this framework that the majority of Bible study occurs, but the teaching team is also provided with opportunities to give special vespers programs and worship thoughts at events, such as retreats.