Back to the Basics in Sunday School Work

by David Francis

There has been a lot of experimentation with Bible Study ministries in churches in recent years. Some have changed the name from Sunday School to Bible Fellowships, LIFE Groups, or just Bible Study, hoping to be more relevant to newcomers. Others have tried larger groups for children as well as adults, striving to create more enthusiasm - and deal with a shortage of committed leaders. A few have just given up on an on-campus Bible study ministry, launching small off-campus groups instead. For most, these experiments have produced only modest or short-term results. Many are asking a "new" question, "What if we just tried to do really excellent basic Sunday School work?" What are those basics? Here are a few.

Five-step formula

Arthur Flake's Formula for Sunday School Growth still works today. A simple acrostic can help you remember it: KEEP Going. Know the possibilities. Enlarge the organization. Enlist and train the leaders. Provide space and resources. Go after the people. For more information and a wealth of free downloads, visit the 5-Step Formula resource page.

Four critical elements

There are a lot of different elements in a vibrant Sunday School ministry. At least four are critical to success.

• The ministry list or class roll includes the names of all members - active and inactive. The class commits to minister to each person on the roll.
• A prospect list includes the names and contact information for every prospective member, and such information should be obtained from every guest.
• Open enrollment allows any person of any age to enroll as a member of Sunday School without regard to the requirements of church membership. Prospects should be invited to enroll.
• Sunday School is an open group, which means that a new person can come at any time, and that every lesson will be completed during the Bible study session, although it may be part of a larger unit of study.

Three dimensions

Every successful Sunday School class operates simultaneously around three dimensions. The classic terms to describe these dimensions are Reach, Teach, and Minister. Some more contemporary words with the same idea are Invite, Discover, and Connect. Effective classes balance these three dimensions and typically have at least three leaders, one of whom takes the lead on each dimension.

I've given the first two dimensions full treatments, with free downloads and resources for every age group. Visit the resource pages for I-6 Invite and The Discover Triad.

Two marks

Release and Reproduce are the two marks of every outstanding adult Sunday School class. Such classes release members to serve in the preschool, children, and student areas of the Sunday School. They keep up with these associate members and celebrate their service. Excellent adult classes also plan to reproduce themselves. They enlist and train apprentice leaders in each of the three dimensions, with the expectation that the class will eventually become two.

One textbook

The Bible is the textbook of the Sunday School. Bible study is the most basic of all the basics of Sunday School. Curriculum materials that engage people in discovering the truths of God's Word are important. But they should never be viewed as a substitute for the Bible. Leader guides provide commentary, teaching plans, and application ideas for teachers. Learner guides help members prepare for the Bible study session, and make excellent resources for outreach to prospective members. Yet, we don't study "quarterlies" in Sunday School. We study the Bible!

Blessings as you get back to the basics!

David Francis is LifeWay's director of Sunday School. His latest book is Extreme Sunday School Challenge. David has previously served as Minister of Education at First Baptist Church, Garland, Texas, and is involved in children's ministry with his wife, Vickie.

Care Groups 

 

 

A quick survey of Acts 2–4 reveals an important priority in the early local church—meeting one another’s needs. We also learn this principle from Paul’s analogy of the church to the human body (1 Corinthians 12). Galatians 6:2 drives home the point with the simple statement, “Bear ye one another’s burdens….”

A growing church will discover the necessity of a network of people to meet needs within the congregation. At some point, the church becomes too large for the pastor or a select few to successfully meet most needs. (This was the case in Acts 6.)

Many churches like ours have turned to the Sunday school as an organized network for meeting members’ needs. There are three reasons for this: the structure already exists, the people in the classes already know one another, and those called on to help are likely in the same age group as the people they’re serving.

Care groups are smaller groups within each adult class, organized to help this network of servants. What makes up an effective care group?

Care group leaders must have a genuine interest in others, a thoughtful disposition, and a servant’s heart. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and look for these important characteristics when selecting a care group leader for your class.

A care group consists of five to seven adults or couples. This is a manageable size for a volunteer leader. In a small or new class, one care group led by the teacher is sufficient while the class grows.

As visitors are enrolled into the class, the teacher should assign them to a care group and introduce the care group leader to the new member.

Care group leaders should pray for those on their list and write them periodically. They should also initiate times of fellowship with their groups at a restaurant or in their own home.

Care group leaders help to remind their groups of upcoming class activities and church-wide events. They also may check on class members when they miss a Sunday.
You will never run out of opportunities to meet needs, whether it is making a phone call to an absentee or staying up all night with someone in the hospital. Stay committed to meeting needs in your church through the power and love of Christ.

REMEMBER:
Every Member and Every Prospect contacted Every Week!
Every Member and Every Prospect Invited to Every Fellowship Every Month!

What is an "Open Group?"

Over the past several days, I've had several conversations about the differences between "open" and "closed" groups. In prior posts I mentioned that there are three basic factors that cause groups to close: space, subject content and attitude. It might be helpful for our conversation to pause and define open and closed groups before looking at the next two "closers".

Some have defined these groups based on commitment... Those definitions might sound like this:

An open group is one in which people are allowed to come and go in the group as they desire with no commitment for regular attendance.

A closed group is one in which the people make a time commitment to attend all meeting and no additional people are allowed in the group once it is formed for a specific period of time (like 6 months) or until the group size decreases to a certain minimum number like 8.While the commitment expectations are a part, I believe that the purpose of the group is a better measure for whether a group is open or closed.

"An Open Group"

* Meets for Bible Study, fellowship, encouragement, prayer, etc... (usually weekly and on-going)
* Can be joined or visited by any prospect at any point along the way.
* Is intentional in reaching and assimilating others.
* Equips members for the ultimate aim of sending them out for service in ministry.
* Expects new people each week (that means that it is prepared for new people...not necessarily that there ARE new people every week, but the EXPECTATION and PREPARATION are there!)

"A Closed Group"

* Meets for discipleship, support, or spiritual development. (varies in frequency of meeting and is usually marked by a definitive end date)
* Cannot be joined or visited by any prospect at any point along the way.
* Is intentional in initial recruiting but is closed off to additional assimilation
* Equips members for the ultimate aim of sending them out for service in ministry.

If your purpose is to improve personal or spiritual growth prayer or bible study group or a share group, then the closed group is probably the best for most people. These groups must build trust and respect and love to the point that participants feel they can speak in the group with no reservations. In other words, trust and respect are needed for “deep” sharing and vulnerability.

If your main purpose is a study group, a book review group, a learning group, etc., then an open group may work just as well as a closed group. The trust and respect and vulnerability in such groups may not need to be at a deep level to accomplish the purpose.

If evangelism is your purpose, then open groups must be the model! Successful Sunday Schools operate on this principle. Make sure that your class is open to newcomers and that there is an expectation of guests. (We'll talk about preparing for guests in a later post)

Unfortunately, many Sunday School classes have lost sight of their purpose (fulfilling the Great Commission) and have become "Closed Groups". Closed Groups definitely have a role in spiritual development.

A closed group might look like this... Leading a group through an intense twelve- week Bible Study. Participants must sign up, attend every session, and complete assignments. There is accountability and structure.

At Longview Heights we utilize closed Groups to help our members maximize their spiritual growth. We have a track of discipleship classes called Fusion and a variety of men's and women's studies, but the backbone of our evangelism, assimilation, fellowship, and ministry is through our tried and true open groups called Sunday School!

Gimme Some Space!

Today, I want to address the first of three factors that cause a group to be "closed". Today's factor: SPACE!

Twenty Years ago, Dr. Kenneth Hemphill wrote about barriers to church growth in a book entitled, "The Bonsai Theory of Church Growth" (A twentieth anniversary edition now available).

Hemphill drew conclusions on church growth by using the analogy of various methods used to keep bonsai plants small and the artificial barriers that inhibit churches from growing.

One of the prime assertions of the bonsai theory is that there are factors that can intentionally inhibit the growth of a bonsai tree. Space is one of those factors. Cramped pot size limits the tree's growth... In the case of a bonsai tree, this is intentional.

However, the same can be said for Sunday School classes. Cramped spaces limit the growth of a class. When a class reaches a certain point (some have said 80% seating capacity) then growth stops.

When a guest walks into a room that is full...then they feel unwelcomed! Without saying a word it says to guests... we are content with those who are already here.

Interestingly... the converse is also true. If a room is set up for 30 and there are only 6 in it, then guests might have a tendency to look and say, "something's wrong here!"

Recommendations:

• Make sure that you are maximizing the space in your Sunday School classroom! Set the room to be conducive to new people. As a general rule of thumb, it is recommended that a class has 20-25% "overage" in empty seats... Simply put - a class of 10-12 should have 12-15 chairs. This lets a guest know that there is a place for them!
  
  
• Change up the arrangement of the room on occasion! Experiment with optimal room design.
  
  
• Take away the excess! If you have a smaller class that has lots of extra chairs. Take some of them up! Fold them and stack them neatly in the corner. Establish the fact that you are aware of the needs of your class and are prepared for them!

Tomorrow, we'll talk about subject content and the danger of closing your group simply by the topic of study!

Expecting New People...every week

I had the opportunity to attend a training conference this weekend at Kirby Woods Baptist Church... It was sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources. Very informative discussions about Sunday School ministry in the local church.

One of the most significant teachings that we dealt with was the two basic kinds of groups.

Bruce Raley, Director of Leadership Ministry at LifeWay, suggested that there are two basic distinctions between groups: OPEN groups and CLOSED groups.

For the next few days, I want to talk about these distinctions. I'll start out today by asking a simple question. What closes a group?

What causes a Sunday School class or a small group to be closed off to guests or new members?

1) Space

2) Subject Content

3) Attitude

I'll address each of these three individually in subsequent posts. For now, I encourage you to think about YOUR Sunday School class! Is it open to outsiders? Can someone walk in and feel welcomed? I look forward to unpacking these thoughts with you over the next couple of weeks!

A Mindset for Multiplication

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

One of the first skills a good Sunday School teacher must develop in their own heart to be effective in growing a strong class is that of giving themselves away as they multiply themselves in the lives of those in their class. Good Sunday School teachers find ways to encourage, motivate, equip, inspire, and challenge their class to see how grow to reach others to reach others. This will mean consistent discipline and discipleship on the part of the teacher and the members of the class. There are several challenges to this process.

1. Are we really trying to reach new members on a regular basis, or are we just satisfied with our class?
2. Are we challenging each member to pray for and reach their friends?
3. Are we building into the DNA of our class the reality of multiplication?
4. Do we understand we are “Commissioned” to multiply?
5. Do we welcome new members as we try to get them fully connected?

If we cannot affirmatively answer these challenges, then we are just looking to keep ourselves happy. We have either lost our Kingdom perspective or we are just satisfied with our own little kingdom. We may be like the little lady who very proudly stated to her pastor, “We do not have one unsaved member in our Sunday School class.” She was trying to say we have made sure they are all Christians, but in reality she was saying we are not consistently bringing new people into the class.

A mind-set for multiplication keeps us concentrated on building up and sending out. We want to develop and atmosphere where every member learns to reach friends, grow in the Lord, and disciple others to do the same.

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This post was written by Kiely Young who serves as Director of the Sunday School Department, Mississippi Baptist Convention.

WELCOME!

WELCOME!

Longview Heights Sunday School Teachers!

This blog is for you! My hope is to provide practical resources to sharpen your leadership skills! Articles, links, and other training materials will be added periodically. We will also add our lesson preview notes here.

In the coming weeks, there will be exciting announcements about a totally new resource that will transform online community interaction at LHBC... It's called "The Table Project". You can learn more here.