The church school teacher has the ability to strengthen or weaken the overall effectiveness of the church school program. In many cases, loss of interest, church school dropout, and the decline of the church school result from poor teaching. A model is proposed that can address the problem of the declining church school through a teaching and learning alternative developed through active ministry in black churches. The development of leadership must begin with the pastor and the assessment of the needs of persons to be served by the church school. Once needs are recognized, teachers must be brought to understand the connection between classroom performance and transformation in the life of the learner. Church school teachers must learn to use their own God-given gifts of teaching and creativity, to be guided by guides and manuals where appropriate, but to avoid extreme dependence on these aids. It is also essential to evaluate the training church school teachers receive and their classroom performance. Specific advice is given for preparing lessons and using the Bible effectively. Four appendixes contain an assessment survey, an evaluation form for teacher training sessions, a lesson preparation guide, and a congregational survey for contextual assessment. (Contains a 112-item bibliography.) (SLD)