Our Christian Purpose

Overview

This is lesson 2 of 18 in Lead, Reflect, Grow. Students connect Christian identity and discipleship with personal growth, considering how their gifts, abilities and experiences can contribute to the wellbeing of others. The lesson draws on 1 Peter 4:10 and builds on prior learning about leadership and personal responsibility.

Learning intentions

• WALT understand discipleship as using our gifts to serve others.
• WALT explore how Christian identity can shape choices and behaviour.
• WALT identify personal strengths and consider how they could benefit a community.
• WALT respond respectfully to different perspectives about purpose and service.

Success criteria

• I can explain, in my own words, what 1 Peter 4:10 teaches about gifts and service.
• I can identify at least one gift or strength I have.
• I can suggest a realistic way to use that strength to support others.
• I can explain how a Christian value could guide a choice or action.

Curriculum links

• Health and PE — Relationships / Self and others: reflecting on how role models and peer influences shape values and behaviours.
• Health and PE — Relationships / Self and others: understanding how diverse communities and respectful relationships support wellbeing.
• Health and PE — Relationships / Self and others: practising strategies that promote fairness, inclusion and collective wellbeing.
• English — Text Studies / Response to texts: using a personal response to a text to provide information about ourselves and others.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and connection. Teacher opens with the hook question and image and asks, “What makes a person’s life meaningful: achievement, identity, relationships, or service?” Students silently choose one idea, then share their reasoning with a partner. Invite two or three responses without seeking a single correct answer.

2. 4–9 min · Scripture focus. Teacher displays and reads 1 Peter 4:10 from the Scripture focus slide. Clarify the ideas of gift, stewardship and service: a gift may be an ability, quality, opportunity or experience, and stewardship means using something responsibly for the good of others. Students annotate or record one phrase that stands out and write a brief response to: “What does this verse suggest people should do with their gifts?”

3. 9–15 min · Direct teaching and discussion. Teacher explains that Christian identity includes belonging to a faith community and seeking to follow Jesus’ example of love, humility and service. Use the identity and discipleship slides to introduce examples such as encouragement, practical skill, creativity, listening, organising, courage or fairness. Students discuss in pairs: “Which example could strengthen a group or community, and how?” Take contributions from several pairs, ensuring students may discuss a fictional person rather than disclose personal beliefs.

4. 15–24 min · Individual application. Teacher distributes the gifts and service reflection worksheet and models one example, such as, “I am a careful listener; I could help a new student feel welcome.” Students complete the prompts: identify one strength, describe evidence of it, name a community need, and propose one specific act of service. They then explain how a Christian value—such as compassion, justice, humility or responsibility—could guide that action. Circulate, prompt for specific examples and support students who find personal reflection difficult.

5. 24–28 min · Pair share and respectful response. Teacher asks students to share only what they are comfortable sharing. Partners listen and respond using the sentence stems on the pair-share and response slide: “A strength I noticed is…”, “This could help others by…”, and “A value connected to this is…”. Students give one constructive response and identify one similarity or difference between their ideas.

6. 28–30 min · Plenary and exit check. Teacher revisits the hook question and asks students to complete the final section of the final reflection prompts: “One gift or strength I can develop is…” and “One way I could use it for the wellbeing of others is…”. Invite volunteers to share, then collect worksheets to inform the next lesson.

Resources

• the complete Our Christian Purpose slide deck
• the gifts and service reflection worksheet
• Bible or classroom-approved text of 1 Peter 4:10
• Board and pens
• Timer
• Optional quiet workspace for students who prefer private reflection

Assessment

• Listen during paired discussion for students’ understanding of gifts, service, identity and discipleship; address confusion between a “gift” and simply receiving a present.
• Check worksheets for a clearly identified strength, a specific service action and a relevant Christian value.
• Use the final reflection to identify students who need support developing a realistic connection between personal growth and collective wellbeing.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank with gift, strength, serve, community, identity, discipleship, compassion, justice, and responsibility, plus the sentence frames used in the worksheet.
• Allow students to select from examples rather than disclose a personal gift, or write about a fictional character, role model or community group.
• Read the verse aloud and provide a simplified paraphrase alongside the full text; check understanding privately with students who need support.
• Extend confident students by asking them to consider a situation where peer pressure or self-doubt makes service difficult, and explain how a Christian value could guide their response.
• Use mixed-ability pairs, offer speech-to-text or scribing where appropriate, and accept bullet points, drawing with labels or an oral response as alternatives to extended writing.