Sunday School’s Neglect of Abiding in Him, Part 2

Friday 10th July, 2009

No one ever told pastors, directors, teachers, or members to stop spending time with God. But over the years, many of them have stopped. They no longer invest the same amount of time they once did on Bible reading, study, prayer, solitude, meditation, and scripture memorization. They have become less passionate about what once was a newfound relationship with God through Jesus Christ. They are not as eager to hear from God. They have stopped making appointments with Him. They have stopped meeting Him.

Jesus talked about how essential abiding in Him was when he said:

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you (John 15:4-8, NIV).

Jesus does not mention that it “might be nice if you abide in me.” No, he is clear. There are consequences for those who do not abide in Him: “apart from me you can do nothing” and “such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” At the same time, there are significant rewards for being connected to Him: “he will bear much fruit” and “my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” Wow! The contrast is black and white. The consequences are so great: death or life, fruitlessness or fruitfulness. And does this neglect of abiding in Him impact Sunday School? Of course it does!

HOW DOES NEGLECT OF ABIDING IN HIM BEGIN? Why, then, have Sunday School leaders disconnected? How did it happen? In reality, if there had been pressure for these leaders to STOP abiding in Him, the result might have been different. There might have been enough rebelliousness in them to have stood their ground. Instead, Satan and life simply filled up their schedules with “good” things rather than the best. These good things distracted them from time previously spent with God in Bible study and prayer. Busyness drained energy from them so that they were just too tired to desire the time with God that they had previously wanted and even needed. It happened slowly over time. And the change in passion, time, and quality of an encounter with God was so gradual that it was hardly noticed until it had been practiced for so long that reversing the change was difficult.

Abiding in Him impacts everything the Sunday School does. When it is neglected, the Sunday School suffers. In fact, it is the single-most serious area of neglect facing Sunday School today. Neglect of abiding removes power. There is a lack of understanding of why Sunday School is important and for whom the work is done. When Sunday School leaders attempt to serve in their own strength, what they do has less impact. Without abiding in Him, there is a lack of God-provided vision and direction, a lack of awareness of and sensitivity to God’s leadership. As a result, Sunday School leaders are less confident and competent in their own leadership responsibilities.

Without abiding in Him, Sunday School members and leaders lack a complete basis for understanding the responsibility to care for others (in and out of the church) and how Sunday School can play a significant role. Without abiding in Him, Sunday School becomes more concerned about inward issues of growth rather than an appropriate balance of outward issues as well. Neglect of a biding imp acts planning and makes it much more short-sighted and based upon sight rather than upon faith. Neglect of abiding in Him leads to a neglect of everyone except ourselves and/or our closest friends. The focus shifts from loving God and others to loving me.

Obviously, the neglect of abiding in Him impacts lesson preparation and presentation. Both become more history lessons and lessons “about” the Bible than encounters with the living God who has a word for us. When a relationship with God in prayer and Bible study is neglected, Kingdom understanding is diminished. The need and willingness to apprentice new leaders and launch new classes is not understood. Finally, the need to continue to grow can be lost when abiding in Him is neglected. Training tends to be avoided rather than sought.

Neglect of abiding in Him has a noticeable impact upon the Sunday School. People in the church and community know the difference. They can tell when Christians are different because of a living, breathing relationship with God. They notice it in preaching, teaching, and life. Too many Christians today are faking it. They are living off of history, of past experiences with God in Bible study, prayer, and worship. They are neglecting the most important opportunity, privilege, and responsibility in the world: abiding in Him. Sunday School cannot survive, let alone thrive, when this neglect is practiced.

Check out Part 1 of this series, The Accumulation of Sunday School Neglect, Part 1. Also, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Pastors/Sunday School Directors  at 06:08:00 PM
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The Accumulation of Sunday School Neglect, Part 1

Monday 6th July, 2009

BUILD UP TO THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.  What caused the war? It could simply be termed "salutary neglect." Once the American colonies were established, the British government largely left them alone. Though each had royal governors, the colonial-elected assemblies were frequently more active in governing. During this period, Britain was preoccupied with becoming THE world power through amassing as much territory as possible. The year 1763 saw the end of the French and Indian War. That same year the British reversed paths on salutary neglect with a shift toward "protecting" the colonists. Parliament determined that Americans should start paying some of the cost. The problem was that the period of neglect had allowed Americans to create their own identity. The colonists did not mind the relationship with Britain, but they considered it to be impractical, inefficient, illogical, and bordering on immoral that they should be governed from so far away by people who had no concept of what it meant to be American.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEGLECT. Sunday School today is experiencing the same problem as those early American colonists: neglect. Sunday School has been neglected for so long that it can be painful when needed change is pursued. Bad practices have become bad habits. Comfort is more important than mission and purpose. And time and money are invested sparingly and primarily on self.

In addition to these, there are a number of significant areas where Sunday School has been neglected. First and foremost, leaders and members alike are in spiritual growth survival-mode having neglected their own personal relationship with God which gives purpose and direction to lives and Sunday School. In addition, pastors, Sunday School directors, and teachers have allowed busyness and distractions to cause a neglect in leading the Sunday School. As a result most Sunday Schools today are organized for survival rather than for care and growth.

Hundreds have neglected planning and are suffering the consequences. It has been years since they evaluated or pursued any goals. Few Sunday Schools are looking outward. They are blinded to needs all around them—most importantly the need for Jesus. On top of that, the back door is wide open; Sunday School members are dropping out without being noticed or cared for. Then when they drop out, they are no longer available to help with the harvest. Lessons are thrown together at the last minute out of necessity or responsibility rather than from a deep encounter with a living God. And lessons are taught in the same old way without passion, involvement, or life-change.

With Sunday School in such a neglected state, it is no wonder that growth and multiplication of the Sunday School has also been neglected. Why would anyone want to launch new leaders and groups when the ones they already have are so poor. Multiplication of leaders is impacted by yet another area of Sunday School neglect: training. Expectations are so low that no training is offered for fear of losing one more needed worker.

In this multi-part series, I will tackle these issues of neglect one at a time. In the meantime, evaluate your Sunday School. What signs of neglect do you see? What can you do to turn area those areas? Tackle one at a time until your Sunday School has moved from neglected to revolutionary. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about moving toward revolutionary Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Outreach  at 02:30:00 PM
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Favorite Post: Top Ten Actions to Increase Sunday School Attendance

Thursday 2nd July, 2009
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Over the few days, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. Over the last month, I have shared favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). In counting down the top ten, here at last is the number one favorite! Enjoy!

The ten actions that I list below are intended for revolutionary Sunday Schools. If a Sunday School does not want to be revolutionary, the actions below will simply create stress, resistance, and division. But in a revolutionary Sunday School, the listed actions will release power and energy, create excitement and momentum, and lead to maturational and numerical growth. WARNING: Work is required!

Consider the following if you want to increase your Sunday School attendance:

  • PRAY. Don't overlook this action! Power, direction, and blessing will be missed without prayer. Pray for the following actions. Pray for leaders, members, and guests.
  • START NEW CLASSES. New classes add leaders, reachers, focus, energy, and excitement. On average, new classes grow faster than existing classes. A new class will often grow to 20 in enrollment and 10 in attendance in 12-18 months.
  • MAKE MORE CONTACTS. Increasing contacts with members and guests by 7-10 contacts above your usual number of contacts will result in 1 additional person in attendance. Want 10 more persons in attendance? Make 70-100 more contacts.
  • INVITE MEMBERS AND GUESTS TO YOUR MONTHLY FELLOWSHIPS. Fellowships are great tools for developing relationships with each other. Why not invite guests? As guests get to know the people in the class, they will be more likely to attend the class. Don't wait for them to attend. Invite guests to your fellowship now!
  • ENLIST A CLASS LEADERSHIP TEAM. David Francis of LifeWay says in an article entitled, Sunday School is a Team Effort, if you are missing members of your team, you become that leader. If you want to increase attendance, you need everyone to do their job. It takes a team to invite, lead participants to discover God and His Word, and connect with each other and God (3D Sunday School).
  • SET ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE GOALS. Ask every class to set God-sized goals. Privately and publicly affirm classes who reach/exceed their goals. Make total Sunday School progress visual.
  • ORGANIZE TO REACH OUT AND MEET NEEDS. Care groups in adult and youth classes increase assimilation of attenders and new members when care group leaders care for 3 members and 3 guests. Contact is made weekly to listen, pray together, invite to fellowship activities, and mobilize the class to meet discovered needs. (Many Sunday Schools would increase in attendance if they could keep people from dropping out. Care groups can help!)
  • SEEK MORE PARTICIPATION IN THE LESSON. From the youngest to the oldest, people today want to involve more of their senses. They learn more when they do more than hear. When they say and do something, retention is at 90%. And when more people are involved in the lesson, they are more likely to invite someone to class.
  • TEACH MEMBERS TO SHARE A SUNDAY SCHOOL TESTIMONY. Help members assess the benefits they have received from being in Sunday School and practice sharing those benefits with each other in two minutes or less. Then challenge them to share their Sunday School testimony this week. Call for reports next Sunday. We must mobilize the laborers in our classes to be in the harvest.
  • START BIBLE STUDY GROUPS AWAY FROM THE CHURCH. Some will never come to the church building. Surveys have shown that many who live in apartments are unchurched. Why not take Bible study to them? Research has shown that as many as 40% cannot attend on Sunday. Why not offer Bible study on weekdays at times and places when people can attend. Bible study groups can be an effective part of your Sunday School ministry.
Where do you need to start? Choose one and begin work now. Prioritize the list and work through them until all ten are in action. How will you be revolutionary in your efforts to increase Sunday School enrollment and attendance this year? Do you have additional actions to suggest? Press the comments button below to share your ideas with others. Be revolutionary!

For additional information, check out these three blog entries:

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Posted in:  Outreach  Pastors/Sunday School Directors  Starting New Classes  at 12:53:00 PM
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Favorite Post: Free Training Materials for Sunday School Teachers

Wednesday 1st July, 2009

Over the few days, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. During that time, I will be sharing favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). We are counting down the top ten. Here is the number two favorite! Enjoy!

I could spend days and lots of blog posts highlighting great materials you can purchase and conferences you can attend. But we live in a great day of technology. So much information is available to us for free. Some of it is very helpful and comes with a variety of tools for utilizing it.

Such is the case with The Discover Triad: Three Facets of a Dynamic Sunday School Class, by David Francis, Sunday School Director for LifeWay Christian Resources. On page 5, David says, "There are three important and interrelated aspects of Sunday School work that contribute to a consistently excellent Bible study experience: Scripture, stories, and shepherding." That is the triad of the resource. There are lots of great training materials that go along with this resource:

In additional to all of this helpful teaching material to go along with The Discover Triad, here are some other helpful LifeWay Sunday School links:

This list could go on and on. I want to include one mo re resource that those using LifeWay's literature, Bible Studies for Life, may find helpful. It is a set of support materials developed by Dr. Steve Armstrong who is a professor at LaTourneau University and a senior adult teacher at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, Texas.

Need to provide teacher training? Don't have much money? Now you don't have an excuse. You can train your teachers with these high-quality, free materials for months and years to come. Start planning now. Raise your expectations. Increase your training. Release workers into the harvest. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about training, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Pastors/Sunday School Directors  at 02:21:00 PM
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Favorite Post: Plan Your Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day

Sunday 28th June, 2009

Over the next week, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. During that time, I will be sharing favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). We are counting down the top ten. Here is the number three favorite! Enjoy!

When is the right time to express our appreciation to Sunday School teachers and workers? Last April I wrote a blog post entitled Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Month: Is It May or October?. Those two months are the most typical times to recognize and appreciate those who invest so much time and effort in teaching and leading our classes. But the answer to my question is not May or October. The answer to the question is every month! These men and women deserve our praise and thanks more than one day or month each year (check out Sunday School Leader Appreciation Is a Must!).

On the other hand, it is appropriate to plan a churchwide emphasis for a day, week, or month in order to lead class attenders (and parents) to express their appreciation. In my blog post, Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Month: Is It May or October?, I list a dozen ways to do so (one per month): from thank you card Sunday to a teacher commissioning service and from mug a teacher Sunday to pray for your teacher week and more.

I ran across a great article this week that I just had to share. It is on a website entitled Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, and the article is entitled Ideas for Honoring Your Sunday School Teacher. The article mentions that Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day is the third Sunday in October. But many want to say thanks to teachers before the Sunday School year ends, and May is often a natural time to do so.

The article mentions five major ways to honor and appreciate Sunday School teachers and leaders: awards, publicize the day, give special gifts, have a special service, and thank-you cards. Make sure you read all of the article for some great suggestions. Allow me to share a shortened version of the ideas from the article:

  • AWARDS. Nominate your favorite Sunday School teachers for a Teacher of the Year Award. Encourage the church family to submit their nominations. Put together a nomination form that asks for the name and reasons why the teacher should be considered. Make the forms readily available to your congregation. You might share about last year's winner from the pulpit in order to inspire them to complete and return the forms. Give all your teachers an appreciation certificate. (The article mentioned above contains a sample certificate.)
  • PUBLICIZE THIS SPECIAL DAY. Announce the day from the pulpit, in your bulletin or church newsletter, by letters, and/or by announcement in every class. Remind everyone of the vital role Sunday School and teachers play in the life of the church. For some quotes, an article called Reproducible Bulletin Sunday Inserts has several from which you may choose. Put together a PowerPoint slide show of teacher pictures, quotes, and music as a reminder.
  • HAVE A SPECIAL SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY SERVICE. Tailor the music, scripture, prayers, testimonies, and sermon around the topic of servanthood , teachers, and the importance of Sunday School. The article suggested passages like Deuteronomy 6:5-7, Proverbs 22:6, Matthew 19:14, and Luke 2:52. Also consider presenting appreciation certificates, doing live or video teacher interviews (sample questions in t he article), using special teacher name tags and bulletin covers, and listing the teacher/worker names in the bulletin. Offer a special time of food and fellowship at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert with a short program, speaker, and music.
  • GIVE SPECIAL GIFTS. Express your appreciation in a tangible way. As the article says, explain that the gift cannot adequately express appreciation but is "a symbol or token of gratitude for faithful, excellent service." Use your imagination to consider gifts. The article suggests items like flowers or plants, personalized mugs or other items, books, gift certificates, class pictures, and food items. Express your appreciation in a tangible way. As the article says, explain that the gift cannot adequately express appreciation but is "a symbol or token of gratitude for faithful, excellent service." Use your imagination to consider gifts. The article suggests items like flowers or plants, personalized mugs or other items, books, gift certificates, class pictures, and food items.
  • THANK-YOU NOTES. Don't underestimate how much a handwritten note or card will be appreciated. Some will be read again and again! Pass out similar stationary and bind them into a book with a special cover. Allow children to write notes on a posterboard. Blow up a picture of the class and use a marker to write notes on the picture. Consider sending e-cards. The article offers many more suggestions.
The key to all these ideas is leadership and planning. Some cost money; some do not. You may want to add teacher/worker appreciation into your budget. Start early adding appreciation to your church calendar. Make it special. Encourage these church workers! Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about expressing appreciation, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Pastors/Sunday School Directors  at 05:08:00 PM
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Favorite Post: Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Month: Is It May or October?

Sunday 28th June, 2009
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Over the next week, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. During that time, I will be sharing favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). We are counting down the top ten. Here is the number four favorite! Enjoy!

Depending on who you ask, teacher appreciation month is either May or October. In some ways, October is too early for school teachers or for Sunday School and other church teachers. May sounds right in some other ways for school teachers except that May is such a busy month as school ends for the year. For Sunday School and other church teachers, only three months of most Sunday School years remain: June, July, and August.

So which is it: May or October? You won't like my answer, but it is both and the other ten months as well. Pastors, staff, and other church leaders should find regular ways to recognize and thank teachers throughout the year. Yes, I think it is especially appropriate to focus that appreciation in one or two months. But why not develop a monthly calendar of ways to express appreciation to those who shepherd God's flock in Sunday School?

Consider these twelve ways to express appreciation:
1.        Teacher Thank You Card Sunday
2.        Give an Apple to Your Teacher Sunday
3.        Teacher Commissioning Sunday
4.        Take a Teacher Out to Eat Week
5.        Mug a Teacher Sunday
6.        Take a class photo, enlarge it, and have class members sign and frame it
7.        Pray for Your Teacher Week
8.        Christmas Class Fellowship (with teacher appreciation)
9.        Teacher Appreciation Poetry Sunday
10.        Teacher Pounding (give pounds of various food, etc) Sunday
11.        Teacher Gift Certificate Sunday
12.        Teacher Appreciation Banquet.

Do you have other ways you, your class, or your church has expressed appreciation to your teachers? Share them by pressing the Comments button below and leaving your ideas. You may help teachers in another church receive affirmation they might have otherwise missed!

Recognize teachers every time they do something noteworthy. Give them prayer, encouragement, help, and support. Revolutionary Sunday School will do nothing less! Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about appreciation, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Pastors/Sunday School Directors  Teaching  at 11:41:00 PM
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Favorite Post: Invitation to Sunday School

Friday 26th June, 2009

Over the next week, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. During that time, I will be sharing favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). We have reached the top ten. Here is the number five favorite! Enjoy!

How have you found Sunday School beneficial? Have you learned more about the Bible? Have you learned how to study your Bible and how to pray? Have you learned more about God, His will, His ways, and His purpose for your life? Have you learned how to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and under self-control?

Have you found Sunday School beneficial because of helpful relationships? Have friends come to your aid in time of need--a birth, a death, a job loss, or a crisis? Have you seen class prayers for you answered? Have you found friends in Sunday School with whom you socialize and just have fun? Has your class become family?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you have a Sunday School testimony. And that means you have a great tool to help you invite unchurched persons to Sunday School. Are you eating at a restaurant? When your waitress brings your appetizers or food, tell her you are going to pray for the food in just a minute and ask if there is any way you could pray for her. Listen well to her request, and then pray for her with your meal blessing. When she returns, you may be able to share how Sunday School helped you with a similar situation. Consider going door-to-door asking how you can pray for your neighbors. Some doors will close, but many relationships will begin because you cared enough to ask.

Personal, face-to-face invitations tend to have the most impact, but don't give up on handwritten cards and letters or phone calls. The formula for the number of times to invite someone is the number of times they say "no" plus one. Don't pester, but be lovingly persistent. Invite the individual to a class fellowship or ministry project. Invite the individual to come to a church activity. Invite the individual to have a meal in your home.

Your invitation to Sunday School will be even more meaningful to those with whom you have a longer, deeper relationship. When you share your Sunday School testimony and invite them to attend with you, they will be more likely to have confidence in you and your invitation. David Francis, Sunday School Director for LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, has several suggestions about your efforts to invite FRANs: friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors on pages 10-15 of his booklet (available for a free download), The 3D Sunday School: A Three Dimensional Strategy to Help Members and Leaders Fulfill the Great Commission (see the picture above).

Invite someone to Sunday School. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about inviting people to Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Outreach  at 05:59:00 PM
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Favorite Post: Benefits of High Attendance Sunday

Thursday 25th June, 2009
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Over the next week, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. During that time, I will be sharing favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). We have reached the top ten. Here is the number six favorite! Enjoy!

What are the ways you have seen high attendance days help your Sunday School?  Share your thoughts with those who will read this entry by pressing the comments button below.

I have seen lots of benefits from the efforts leading up to high attendance days. I'll never forget my first one at Eastwood in Bowling Green, KY.  I had been at the church only a few months. Sunday School leaders and I decided to set high attendance day on Easter Sunday (that is not always a day you will have great attendance, especially when it falls during one of the spring break weekends). We set up a prayer plan, including home prayer meetings. We challenged them to have a fun fellowship time during the week before the day. We planned out a strategy for challenging people to make contacts. We mapped out our communication and publicity plan. We met with Sunday School leaders.

We asked each class to pray and set a God-sized goal for the day. Wow, the goal blew me away. It was about 60% more than we had attending in Sunday School on an average Sunday. The classes did everything we asked them to do during that six-week period. They invited. They prayed. They made contacts with members and absentees. They believed. On high attendance Sunday with God's blessing, we exceeded the goal with an all-time record attendance (about 200 more than had ever attended on one Sunday before). Wow!

As we evaluated the day and our records, we noticed we had made over 2000 contacts above our usual weekly number. Now, I had read in Andy Anderson's Growth Spiral materials that 7-10 contacts above your usual average will result in one additional person in attendance. As I did the math, I found this to be true. We also noticed a significant increase in guests by a factor of about six times the normal number (we were not as prepared to follow up as I would have liked for us to be). In addition, we had class members attend that had not been in class in months. Several were enrolled that day and in the weeks that followed.

So what are some of the benefits you can expect from your efforts of working toward a high attendance Sunday?  Consider these revolutionary benefits:

  • increased prayer and expectancy of God's blessing and help,
  • increased understanding of the need for the whole class to be involved in the work of the Sunday School,
  • increased opportunity to teach about the purpose and benefits of Sunday School,
  • increased contacts and ministry with members and absentees (re-engages those relationships),
  • increased vision for prospects to invite,
  • increased excitement from pursuing a common goal together as a class and as a Sunday School,
  • increased sharing of testimonies about the benefits of Sunday School with friends and family,
  • increased understanding of the value of fellowship and relationships,
  • increased ownership of the pursuit of people in their age group,
  • increased value of good Sunday School records,
  • increased Sunday School attendance and enrollment,
  • increased worship attendance (and sometimes offerings),
  • increased opportunity for lives to be changed through Bible study, and
  • many more benefits.
One of my peers at the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, offers some suggestions about high attendance days, called High Attendance Days Made Simple.  Check it out. I also like Elmer Towns' Friend Day materials. His The Second Friend Day and F.R.A.N.tastic Days materials are available online and are full of many suggestions for building involvement of your Sunday School classes. Steve Mills offers some additional ideas for having a Friend Day. John Thomason shares some Disadvantages of Big Days that might be good reading. Pray. Seek God's leadership. Plan a high attendance Sunday this fall or in the spring. Expect God to do revolutionary things through the experience!

For more ideas about high attendance days and making contacts, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Assimilation  Outreach  Pastors/Sunday School Directors  at 10:02:00 AM
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Favorite Post: Sunday School Growth Spiral

Wednesday 24th June, 2009

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. During that time, I will be sharing favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). We have reached the top ten. Here is the number eight favorite! Enjoy!

In Genesis 19, we see God sending two angels to save Lot and his family. When judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah can no longer be postponed, the two angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hands to lead them out.  In verse 19 (NIV),one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" (1) Lot and family needed to flee from the evil influences. (2) They needed to avoid longing for the past and their possessions, or else like Lot's wife risk getting stuck there. (3) They needed to pursue a goal (the mountains) in order to be successful.

Revolutionary Sunday School needs to understand the angel's instructions. (1) We must look and avoid unproductive activities and practices. (2) The enemy of the best is the good. We need to not get satisfied or stuck in the old thinking. (3) We must pursue goals in order to accomplish everything God wants. Revolutionary Sunday School seeks God and His leadership. Revolutionary Sunday School evaluates what has been done and works toward even greater effectiveness. But revolutionary Sunday School also must be purposeful and balanced in pursuit of healthy Sunday School growth.

Following thirty years pastoring growing churches, Andy Anderson served for seventeen years as church growth consultant for the Baptist Sunday School Board (now called LifeWay Christian Resources). During that time, he put together a system that has helped pastors and church leaders to evaluate, predict, and prepare for church growth through effective, balanced, intentional Sunday School work. That proven step-by-step method is called The Growth Spiral. Consider the following elements of this system:

  • Spiral.  What if you set goals for your Sunday School, and then you divided those goals into quarters for your whole Sunday School, for each age group, and for each class? The goals could then be bite-sized rather than elephant-sized.
  • Enrollment.  Set a God-sized enrollment goal. What if your goal was an increase of 40. That would be 10 per quarter.  If you had 10 classes, that would be a goal for each class to increase by 1 person in enrollment.
  • Prospects.  Through research, Andy realized that a growing Sunday School needs to work toward developing a list of prospects that is the same size as the enrollment list.
  • Teaching Units.  Through research, Andy discovered that the best size class enrollment for growth was between 12 and 18. New units are needed in order to assimilate growth.
  • Workers.  Again through research, Andy realized that the entire Sunday School needed a ratio of 1 worker for every 5 in attendance to be in a growing stance. Workers include teachers, outreach leaders, department/division directors, pastor, educational staff, Sunday School director and secretary, and adult care group leaders.
  • Workers Meeting Attendance.  Andy believed in accountability through a weekly workers meeting at which 75% or higher attendance of workers was expected in order for growth.
  • Training.  He believed every worker needed training every year, and each year there shoul d be an increase in numbers trained.
  • Space.  New classes need to be started for every 20 enrolled. This means new space must be sought, prepared, and provided annually. We must plan ahead or risk slowing growth.
  • Contacts.  For growth, contacts by visit, card/letter, or call need to equal or exceed half of total enrollment each week. These contacts should be with members and prospects.
  • Outreachers.  For growth, at least one person from each class should make home visits to prospects each week.
  • Attendance.  Attendance ranges between 40 and 60% of enrollment. Attendance below or above that range signifies the need to deal with problems. Enrolling 40 new people will most likely result in an attendance increase of around 20.
  • Worship Attendance.  Numbers in excess of 10% more in worship than Sunday School meant that Sunday School needed to do a better job of caring for and reaching out to people, especially new people.
  • Offerings.  Usually when attendance increases, so does giving. There is often a per capita increase that can be tracked.
  • Baptisms.  He discovered that only 1 out of 342 lost persons accepted Jesus in 12 months if they were only in worship while 1 out of 3 did if they were in Sunday School.
Pray. Evaluate. Set goals. Provide the support system for the goals to be effective. Watch what God does through you. Join Him in leading your Sunday School to be revolutionary!

For more ideas about Sunday School growth, check out these blog posts:

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Posted in:  Outreach  Pastors/Sunday School Directors  at 08:55:00 AM
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Favorite Post: Using Icebreakers Purposefully in Sunday School/Small Groups

Sunday 21st June, 2009
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Over the next couple of weeks, I will be completing the writing of a book about Sunday School. During that time, I will be sharing favorite blog posts--those which have received the most hits (pageviews). We have reached the top ten. Here is the number nine favorite! Enjoy!

If your group is new, it is important to be intentional in your relationship development. In order for the group to go deeper in studying God's Word, they need to trust one another. Otherwise, the study will be superficial. It will be "about" God's Word and not about the application of God's Word in lives. Without relationship development and trust, there will be little personal sharing, no confession, and resistance to accountability.

In fact, this can be the case in classes that are no longer new, but they never developed a sense of what Steve Lizzio of Adult Bible Fellowship Resources calls community. Community is built before, during, after, and between classes. It must be addressed purposefully, but you will know it is off to a great start when it is done spontaneously by attenders choosing to spend time together on their own.

One way to increase community in groups (whether they are Sunday School classes, adult Bible fellowships, or small group Bible studies in home), is by using icebreakers. This is especially helpful in the early weeks of a new class, and it is also helpful when new people have entered a group. Even long-term relationships can benefit from using icebreakers effectively.

Now, what are icebreakers. I like the how the Life Changing Truth website defined icebreakers: "Question or activity designed to provide a positive atmosphere and orientate the student to the lesson." Key values of icebreakers include the following:

  • frequently used as hooks, to launch the lesson, to capture interest/attention of individuals in the lesson/truth/passage
  • fun, interesting, lighter direction
  • break down any tension; help participants to relax
  • make participants comfortable with each other
  • help participants get to know and trust each other; build connections that last; affirm affinities
  • get to know new people and allow them to get to know us
  • make participants comfortable in talking/sharing
  • designed to create conversation between individuals
  • best when they are connected to the lesson rather than free-standing.

Even group fellowship times can benefit from icebreaker questions or activities. I asked permission of Don Bromley, Associate Pastor of Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor, for permission to share the following resource on their website with you. It contains thirty icebreakers: http://www.annarborvineyard.org/smallgroups/media/getting_to_know.pdf.

Use them in fellowship times. Use them as examples of icebreakers that could be designed to be used during group Bible study times. Develop relationships purposefully. Break the ice. Go deeper in studying His Word. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about using icebreakers, check out these blog posts:

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