Author Archive for Mark Miller

Teacher’s New Year Prayer

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Sunday, February 27th, 2022

My Mother went to her heavenly home on February 27, 2016. She taught an Adult Sunday School Class at First Baptist Church Lexington, Tennessee for fifty-two years. Here is a poem that she wrote entitled “A Teacher’s New Year Prayer.”

Give Us, dear Lord, throughout the New Year
A sense of your presence each day
May we trust that you are here with us
And will be each step of the way.


Help us, dear Lord, to be patient and kind
When things seem to go the wrong way
May we seek your wisdom in each circumstance
And trust you to guide what we say.


Bless us, dear Lord, with your Spirit of Love
Give us love for each student we teach
And may in our lives they see Jesus
And in us see His love and His peace.


Thank you, dear Lord, for the privilege we have
Of knowledge and truth to impart
May we make a difference in lives this year
As we teach from our head and our heart.


Nell Miller

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Ministering Through Class Leaders

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Monday, July 19th, 2021

By Brad Delaughter, Lead Pastor, FBC De Soto, De Soto, MO

During our church’s last quarterly teacher training I was reminded again of the blessing Sunday School teachers are to the church. Teachers get an opportunity to participate in an Ephesians 4:12 ministry week after week as they, “equip the saints for the work of the ministry [and] build up the body of Christ.” There are at least three ways class leaders can minister to those they teach.

  1. Go to the Lord

Class leaders can regularly intercede for the class as a whole and individually by name. Praying for class members’ needs, spiritual formation, and their understanding of God’s word is a critical part of effectively ministering to the class.

  • Guide in the Word

Class leaders can minister to the class by correctly guiding the class in the word of God. Through diligent preparation, intentional facilitation, and utilizing trustworthy curriculum the teacher can help class members grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God’s word.

  • Guard the Heart

Many teachers make the classic mistake of thinking responsibility to the group ceases at the end of class. This is a crucial error. While class leaders are not in the role of senior pastor, they are, for all intents and purposes, shepherds to the group. Shepherd the heart of the class by contacting them during the week, showing up at the hospital, and cheering in the stands. Guard the heart of the class members by being there for them.

God has afforded me many opportunities to minister in his kingdom, but one of my favorite posts God has allowed me to be is Sunday School teacher.

Class leaders have such a wonderful privilege to invest in the lives of the saints and equip them for the ministry. May we continue to do so with joy and excellence.

To contact Brad DeLaughter and more information on the ministries at First Baptist Church De Soto, Missouri, visit www.fbcdesoto.com.

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It ALL Began with Flake!

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Friday, April 3rd, 2020
Arthur Flake

The church has been praying for years…so it didn’t all began with Arthur Flake.  But for Southern Baptists Sunday School work, it all began with Flake.  Arthur Flake wrote several books in the early 20th century that formed the foundations of a Sunday School movement in churches that resulted in people being saved, baptized and taught the Word of God. 

Imagine the impact if every Christian in North America—starting with your church—had one person they prayed for regularly and were sharing the gospel with.  That is the aim of the Who’s Your One emphasis launch by Southern Baptists Churches in 2019. Have you identified your one! 

I am thankful for this movement of evangelism and prayer in our churches!  But identifying your one, interceding for your one, and being intentional with your one didn’t begin with our current SBC president, J. D. Grear.  Dwayne McCrary, author of the book It Begins with Prayer, shared that when he looked at Flake’s Journal, “Flake specified that “Every teacher should have a prayer list of all lost for whom his class is responsible.”  It ALL began with Flake!

If Flake were alive today, he would be exhorting every Sunday School teacher, every group leader, and every member of a group, to identify their one.  To have a prayer list that is dominated by the names of people who have yet to become followers of Christ.  It ALL Began with Flake!

I am thankful for movements like Who’s Your One because it is calling us back to the understanding that every one of us need to have a prayer list that is dominated by the names of people who are lost. 

In the midst of the crisis that our world is facing, I can’t imagine not having the peace that passes all understanding and the hope that comes from my faith and trust in Jesus. 

McCrary goes on to say that in his journal notes, Flake “also called for each teacher to share his or her prayer list with other teachers.”  And I believe we should ask the members of our group to carry a list and to share their lists with the group.  Together we pray for our one! 

Reaching begins with prayer and it all began with Flake!

By Mark Miller, Baptism-Discipleship Team Leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board

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A DIALOGUE ABOUT GROUPS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Tuesday, March 24th, 2020

March 20, 2020 by Fran Trascritti 

A conversation between Ken Braddy (Director of Sunday School for LIfeWay), Tim Roberts (Adult Minister, Green Acres Baptist, Tyler, TX), and Dwayne McCrary (team leader of Adult Explore the Bible) about the importance of groups during this time and some nuts and bolts issues we are seeing at this stage.

A Dialogue About Groups and Social Distancing

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Categories : Sunday School

When my small group can’t meet!

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Thursday, March 19th, 2020

by Brian Upshaw  /  Disciple-Making  /  Baptist State Convention of North Carolina

“How do I disciple our small group when we can’t meet?”

That was the question that went through my mind when I received yesterday’s news that our church was putting our groups on “hiatus” due to COVID-19. This is the right call since our government leaders have asked us to keep our distance.
Many are saying this is new territory for the church. But is it?

We are not the first generation to have to disciple over a distance. After all, the New Testament epistles were written to churches or church leaders for the purpose of discipling them even over a long distance.
Just because we cannot be in the same room does not mean our group has to stop. Here are some tips to help you keep leading while your group is on hiatus.

1. Keep caring.
Group leader, you are on the front line of pastoral care in your church. Check in with group members frequently during the crisis. Ask how they are doing and how you can pray for them. Make sure they have their needs met. Personal touches, even by text message, are priceless in uncertain times.

2. Keep teaching.
People need the encouragement of the Word of God now more than anything else. Your group can still meet for Bible study virtually. Use Google Hangouts, Zoom or another meeting platform to meet at your scheduled time via video.

3. Keep reaching.
Encourage your group members to serve their neighbors. Suggest that they reach out to at-risk or elderly neighbors to see if they can run errands for them. They can also offer to help via their neighborhood’s Facebook or Nextdoor groups. Encourage them to use these times to verbally share the gospel as they are meeting needs.

4. Keep praying.
Invite your group to pray together virtually throughout the week using the platforms already mentioned. Host a virtual meetup and pray through the Psalms, interceding for the power of God. You can also pray missionally for your neighbors using an app like Bless Every Home.

5. Finally, keep your group informed.
Group messaging apps like Band or GroupMe enable you to check in, share prayer requests and give information about what’s happening. You could also start a private Facebook group.

Keeping your distance doesn’t have to keep you from discipling. You can leverage technology to stay in each other’s lives and stay in the Word!

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