David Bond :: Sunday School Leaders

Jan

Basic Home Group Space Principles

By David Bond · Comments (0)

My family has relocated several times over the past fifteen years. While numerous tasks accompany this experience, one of the most important is finding a new home. Factors such as location, cost, proximity to school, work, and church, neighborhood, must all be considered. Deciding on the best home is the result of careful evaluation, establishing priorities, and wise management of resources.

What about finding a home for your small group family? For many churches, accelerated growth and limited space may require new groups to meet away from the church building. When churches seek to find off-campus locations for groups, many factors must also be considered.

The Purpose of the Group

For this post, assume the home group is an extension of the Sunday School and is designed to function as an open group. Assist the group members in identifying their target people group whether it is families in the neighborhood or already identified acquaintances from the social circles of group members. Some groups may not choose to meet in a home at all but rather a more neutral location such as a coffee shop in order to engage those who are completely unreached. Home groups should be able to clearly identify their people group.

The Environment of the Home

The host home should be warm and welcoming. While every host wants to be ready for guests, the message should be that real people still live in the house. No one wants to have a small group meeting in a museum. Furnishings, décor, and overall atmosphere should invite group participants to feel at home and in the company of others to whom they can relate. Space should be sufficient for a seating arrangement that allows group members to view each other’s faces. Other considerations such as ease of locating, access, and parking should also be kept in mind.

Participants in the Group

Who will attend the group meeting? Ten single people will arrive in a different number of vehicles than five married couples. If children will be present at the meeting, teenagers will require different space than preschoolers. If the group has children of all ages, the variety of space needs increases again. Access for disabled group members may also need to be considered.

Proximity to the Church

In some cases, groups may meet in a home while their children participate in a program at church. This solution may work, but travel time between the host home and church must be factored into the overall time allotted. Also, consider the strategy you will use to eventually connect small group members to worship and service in and through your church.

Elements of the Meeting

If a meal is a part of the meeting, preparation and serving space should be considered. If the Bible study content is video driven, quality picture and sound is a must. Should the group desire to break off into smaller groups for prayer/accountability, this also may need to be thought through.

Be thorough when selecting a home for your small group family.

Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Growing your Group, Mission, New Groups, Small Groups, Space and Facilities, Sunday School

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Jan

Know Your Church

By David Bond · Comments (0)

Flake’s Formula for Sunday School growth is all about proven principles that have stood the test of time. But knowing the right principles is only the first step. The next and perhaps even more important step is taking the time to understand how to implement these principles in your unique church context. Consider how the following ten aspects of your church can provide helpful information for designing an effective Sunday School strategy.

1. Worship Attendees: Who is attending Sunday morning worship but not Sunday School? Is there a certain age group, family make-up, or other characteristic that stands out? A new group or two may be identified from this population.

2. Sunday School Rolls: Careful examination of your rolls can reveal what people groups are attending and not attending, where “groups within the group” may be hiding, and what classes have matured beyond the listed description.

3. Class Structure: Take a fresh look at what groups are available at your church. Are there noticeable gaps in the line-up? Are there people groups who would have trouble easily understanding what group to attend if they visited your church?

4. Leadership Roster: How long have your current leaders been serving in their respective positions? When was the last time that new leaders were placed into service and what training have any of them received in the last year?

5. Longtime Leaders: Great insight can be obtained by talking with those who have proven their love for Sunday School through years of dedicated service. What would they say is the mission of the Sunday School in your church? What do they see as its strengths and needs?

6. Church Calendar and Attendance Patterns: What are some of the historic “big days” in your church? What do the typical attendance patterns look like? Are there unique local factors that contribute? This information will help you plan emphases and training opportunities.

7. Current Church Schedule: How many hours per week does your church hold services or other functions at which everyone is expected to attend? What freedom exists within your current schedule to allow for leader training and possibly alternative class meeting times?

8. Current Church Ministries: Does your church have ministries organized for prayer, outreach, member care, or ministry service? Consider how these may be incorporated into the Sunday School in order to maximize involvement and use of time.

9. Church Member Work Schedules: Is there a portion of your congregation who is required to work on Sunday morning? They might attend a group offered at another time. Are Sunday School leaders also working in other ministries on Sunday or Wednesday nights? This will affect their availability for training.

10. Pastor: What is the pastor’s view on the use of Sunday School as the disciple-making strategy for the church? His understanding of the work of the Sunday School and his public support is essential to its success.

Know your church so that your Sunday School can reach its fullest potential.

Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Leadership, Ministry, Organization, Sunday School, Training

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Nov

Simple Strategies for Building Community

By David Bond · Comments (0)

At a recent meeting, I ran into a friend that I had not seen in quite some time. I almost didn’t recognize him, because he had lost almost one hundred pounds since our paths last crossed. After complimenting him on this great change in his life, I inquired about the method he had used to get rid of the weight. I expected him to credit a new diet plan, tell me he joined a gym, or rave about the latest set of workout videos. Instead, he said very simply, “I just started watching what I eat and exercising at home every day”. His response reminded me of this principle: Simple efforts can bring about significant effects.

Most things still come back to the basics and enjoying great group life is no different. While many want to look for the next big trick, your group’s community can improve significantly just by making some simple intentional efforts.

Get to Know Each Other. Let class members fill out a family profile sheet with information about work, hobbies/interests, favorites, places you’ve lived, etc. Highlight a family each week in a class email, post it on a Facebook page, or print it in a class directory. Pray especially for them during that week. Recruit people to share their testimonies over a period of several weeks. Take a few moments to not only pray specifically for each other but also to brag on the good stuff.

Provide Time for Interaction in Class. Plan your lessons with intentional times for people to get into smaller groups and answer questions, look at passages of Scripture, or complete a learning activity. Community is hard to build when everyone always faces the front and never in front of a face.

Name Tags. Wear them. Love them.

Contact Each Other During the Week. Sure, you should contact absentees and guests. But the regulars want to stay connected, too. With so many ways to communicate today, it has never been easier or taken less time to stay in touch.

Come Up Big During Crisis. Organize and implement a ministry care strategy for your group so that when these moments regrettably occur, people are ready to act. Times of need are when friendships are forged.

Get Together Outside of Class. Have a formal fellowship, serve on a work project together, grab a burger together after church, sit at a concert together, watch the big game on TV together, attend a community event together, . . . it doesn’t matter what you do, just do it together.

Utilize Groups Within the Group. Depending on the size of your class, much of the above can only be handled effectively when done by smaller segments of the group. Smaller groups within the group allow large classes to have the best of both worlds.

There are few shortcuts or secrets to building community, just simple strategies that make a difference.

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David Bond serves as Adult Sunday School Strategist for the Evangelism and Church Growth Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

Categories : Leadership, Ministry, Sunday School, Teaching

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Nov

Maximizing Ministry Through Team Leadership

By David Bond · Comments (0)

This is post three of three.

Sunday School classes can thrive when more people are involved in leading the charge. In this brief series, we have examined the following “T’s” of Team Leadership.

1. Testimony – Why should you bother with Team Leadership?
2. Team – What positions should make up your team?
3. Task – What do you want the members of your team to do?

In this post, we will suggest the final three components of an effective team leadership strategy.

4. Title: Who Will Be in Charge of this Ministry Area?

Few things are more discouraging then to be given a responsibility but not the freedom to fulfill it. The following keys provide ways to ensure that those who are recruited can really take the lead in their area.

First, clearly Designate them as the leader. Include listings of ministry leaders just as you would the teacher of the class.

Direct all aspects of their ministry area to them. When someone asks a question, direct them to contact the appropriate person. This is especially important in the early implementationof a team leadership structure.

Defer to the leader’s creativity and unique spin on their ministry. Once you have all agreed to the procedures and parameters of the task, back off and let them lead and learn. If the leader goes outside of the agreed upon boundaries, that is an appropriate time to make corrections.

5. Time: When Will This Ministry Take Place?

One obvious by-product of a shared leadership system in Sunday School is that there will need to be time designated for each of the ministries to do their job. The following ideas will help in this regard.

Start on time and maximize the hour. Every minute is precious and needed for ministry.
Learn who needs class time every week and who does not. Obviously, teachers will take a good portion of the time for Bible study. Prayer, Ministry Care, and Outreach leaders will also likely need a consistent time slot. Leaders in other areas such as missions, ministry/service projects, and fellowship may not have new contributions every week. Communication and planning will be the key to maximizing the Sunday School hour.
Encourage creativity and the use of multiple delivery methods. No one enjoys a class that becomes a parade of announcement-makers. Social media provides another way for leaders to communicate with class members.

6. Tools: What Do Leaders Need in Order to Do Their Job?

Finally, leaders must be given the resources necessary in order for them to carry out their work. An annual meeting of all Sunday School leadership may be necessary in order to share the vision for team leadership. After this, ministry area leaders should meet together periodically for specific training, reporting, and evaluation. Outside of formal meeting times, leaders can share articles, websites, blogs, print materials and other sources of helpful information.

Team leadership is effective and results in classes that stay on mission and leaders who are confident and excited about their role.

____________________

David Bond serves as Adult Sunday School Strategist for the Evangelism and Church Growth Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

Categories : Leadership, Sunday School, Teaching

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Nov

Maximizing Ministry Through Team Leadership

By David Bond · Comments (0)

This is post two of three.

In the first post, we introduced the picture of a Sunday School class that was led by one person who attempted to take on the responsibilities of leadership by himself. The first “T” of team leadership was simply a Testimony for why this approach is effective. In this post, we’ll look at the next two which begin to describe the leadership team itself.

2. Team: What Positions Make Up Your Team?

How many people should be on your class leadership team and what should they do? One guiding principle that may provide answers to these questions is this: Your purposes define your positions. Your class needs a leader for every part of its ministry that it expects to carry out effectively. Some additional questions may be helpful in knowing what positions to fill on your team:

What is our church counting on Sunday School to accomplish that is not duplicated in any other area of the church?
What parts of our class ministry are not the strengths of the current teacher?
What parts of our class ministry are not as strong as we would like for them to be?

Some classes may begin with three basic areas of ministry: Leaders for Teaching, Reaching, and Caring. Other classes may expand leadership to include positions for prayer, record keeping, fellowship, missions/outreach, ministry care/inreach, and social media. There are even classes with “class coordinators” who have the responsibility of coordinating the work of the ministry team! The principle is, if something is going to happen effectively through the Sunday School then someone has to lead it. Your purposes define your positions.

3. Task: What Do You Want the Team Members to Do?

Once positions are identified and leaders recruited, a clear description of their responsibility is needed. Work with them to expand following components of a clear task:

Explanation: What has this position been created to do? What need is being met through this position? Why have we determined that this position is needed on our leadership team?

Execution: What system or process will we use in order to accomplish this ministry? What are the parameters and procedures that we must respect?

Evaluation: How will we know that the task is being done effectively? What measure will we use?

Include leaders in forming answers to these questions so that everyone will have the opportunity to start from the same understanding of how the shared leadership structure of the Sunday School will work.

_____________________

David Bond serves as Adult Sunday School Strategist for the Evangelism and Church Growth Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

Categories : Leadership, Ministry, Organization, Sunday School

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