Welly Church Kids Lessons

Teens · 13-17 · Lesson 10

The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement

Acts 15:1-35

A major dispute was addressed through testimony, Scripture, discernment, leadership, and clear communication.

Teach the lesson

Goal: Analyse the relevant text and explain the case that a major dispute was addressed through testimony, scripture, discernment, leadership, and clear communication.

Pick how long you want to teach. The plan updates to fit.

Short · 25 minutes
  1. 3 min
    Connect

    Locate the lesson within Cycle 2 and activate prior knowledge.

  2. 8 min
    Read

    Read selected portions of Acts 15:1-35 and identify direct observations.

    Ask: What does the passage directly say?

  3. 5 min
    Understand

    Connect observations to the big idea without adding unsupported details.

    Ask: What conclusion can we support from those observations? · Where could someone overstate or misapply this passage?

  4. 6 min
    Do

    Complete the primary evidence-based activity.

    Activity: The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit

    Printable: T3-L10-P01-the-jerusalem-meeting-and-doctrinal-disagreement-claim-audit

  5. 3 min
    Respond

    Name one faithful response and pray.

    Ask: What faithful response fits the text?

Standard · 35 minutes

  1. 4 min
    Connect

    Locate the lesson within Cycle 2 and activate prior knowledge.

  2. 4 min
    Context

    Identify genre, audience, setting, and immediate context before making claims.

  3. 9 min
    Read and observe

    Read selected portions of Acts 15:1-35 and identify direct observations.

    Ask: What does the passage directly say?

  4. 7 min
    Discuss

    Test the big idea against the evidence and identify interpretive limits.

    Ask: What conclusion can we support from those observations? · Where could someone overstate or misapply this passage?

  5. 7 min
    Activity

    Complete the primary evidence-based activity.

    Activity: The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit

    Printable: T3-L10-P01-the-jerusalem-meeting-and-doctrinal-disagreement-claim-audit

  6. 4 min
    Respond

    Name one faithful response and pray.

    Ask: What faithful response fits the text?

Extended · 45 minutes
  1. 3 min
    Connect

    Locate the lesson within Cycle 2 and activate prior knowledge.

  2. 6 min
    Context

    Identify genre, audience, setting, and immediate context before making claims.

  3. 10 min
    Read closely

    Read selected portions of Acts 2:1-47 and identify direct observations.

    Ask: What does the passage directly say?

  4. 8 min
    Discuss

    Test the big idea against the evidence and identify interpretive limits.

    Ask: What conclusion can we support from those observations? · Where could someone overstate or misapply this passage?

  5. 9 min
    Activity

    Complete the primary evidence-based activity.

    Activity: The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit

    Printable: T3-L10-P01-the-jerusalem-meeting-and-doctrinal-disagreement-claim-audit

  6. 5 min
    Extension

    Compare another passage or claim classification and state what additional evidence contributes.

    Ask: What conclusion can we support from those observations? · Where could someone overstate or misapply this passage?

  7. 4 min
    Respond

    Name one faithful response and pray.

    Ask: What faithful response fits the text?

Close the class

Memory verse: Genesis 3:1-24

Prayer: Thank God for what this passage reveals and ask for wisdom to respond faithfully.

Take-home line: The Spirit's coming, apostolic proclamation, baptism, and shared life mark the church's public beginning.

More help: full script, questions, and printables

A word-for-word way to run the lesson, plus every question, activity, and printable.

Teach now

Analyse the relevant text and explain the case that a major dispute was addressed through testimony, scripture, discernment, leadership, and clear communication.

Read
Acts 15:1-35
Opening
Ask: What does this passage actually say before we explain what it means?
Say
  • Acts 15 records a dispute over whether Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses.
  • The meeting weighs testimony, recalls God's activity, cites Scripture, reaches a judgment, and communicates the decision to the churches.
  • Acts 15 models serious communal discernment but should not be treated as a simplistic constitutional blueprint for every later dispute.
Ask
  • What does the text directly say?
  • What conclusion requires synthesis or inference?
  • What should we avoid overstating?
  • What is one faithful response?
Do
Complete The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit.
Close
Restate the big idea, name one faithful response, and pray.
Materials
  • Bible
  • The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit

Discussion questions

  • What does the passage directly say?
    Simple answer: Name one concrete detail from the passage.
    Going deeper: Which observations carry the most interpretive weight?
  • What conclusion can we support from those observations?
    Simple answer: Which evidence best supports the big idea?
    Going deeper: What reasoning connects the evidence to the conclusion?
  • Where could someone overstate or misapply this passage?
    Simple answer: Name one statement that goes beyond direct quotation.
    Going deeper: Explain the interpretive hinge and what would be an overstatement.
  • What faithful response fits the text?
    Simple answer: Choose one concrete response.
    Going deeper: Explain why the response follows from the evidence.

Activities

The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit · 10 min

Materials: The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit; Bible; Pens or pencils

  1. Read or review Acts 15:1-35.
  2. Record at least two direct observations.
  3. State the supported meaning without adding details the text does not supply.
  4. Name one faithful response and one interpretive limit.

Low-resource option: Draw the categories on blank paper or complete verbally.

The Jerusalem Meeting and Doctrinal Disagreement Claim Audit Discussion · 8 min

Materials: Bible

  1. Read Acts 15:1-35 and name two observations.
  2. Test the big idea against the text.
  3. Name one interpretive limit and one faithful response.

Low-resource option: Use verbal responses.

Printables

Prepare before class (optional, about 30 minutes)

Passage context

Apostolic mission: Discernment within the Church, Worship, and Mission cycle

  • Acts 15 records a dispute over whether Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses.
  • The meeting weighs testimony, recalls God's activity, cites Scripture, reaches a judgment, and communicates the decision to the churches.
  • Start with the selected passage before moving to synthesis or application.
  • Read this as Narrative history and account for its immediate literary setting.
  • Distinguish explicit text, synthesis, inference, framework position, and prudential application.

Keep it faithful

  • Acts 15 is central evidence for apostolic-era dispute resolution, but later church governance applications require additional synthesis. Represent differing ecclesiological readings fairly.
  • Questions and disagreement may be expressed without embarrassment or coercion.
  • Do not overstate: Do not present the inference as a direct quotation or explicit universal command.

Questions children may ask

How sure are we about this conclusion?
What if Christians disagree?

Every child can join in

  • Offer verbal or written responses.
  • Preview activity sequence.
  • Allow students to pass on personal-sharing questions.
  • No sensory simulation is required.
  • Read aloud and use icons, sequence cards, oral choices, or a scribe.
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