Tom Belew :: Sunday School Leaders

Jan

Basic Classroom Space Principles

By Tom Belew · Comments (0)

The kind and quality of space for a class or department has a significant impact on overall success of the class. At a minimum space should be clean, attractive and large enough for the current attendance plus a few guests. Age-appropriate furniture and equipment should be in the room depending on the classes or departments using the space. The following chart provides some basic guidelines for the amount of space needed per person by groups:

Access to space is another important concern. Parents with preschoolers and older adult need the space to be convenient to parking, with ground level access.

Adult and student rooms are best painted in soft, neutral colors with a color accent wall or trim. Carpet is the preferred floor covering. The room needs a focal wall with a whiteboard or chalkboard, as well as, chairs for participants and table(s) if there is adequate space. The focal wall needs open space for posters. There should be a cabinet or open shelf for basic supplies. It is a good idea to have a few extra Bibles in the room.

Preschool and children’s rooms are best painted in soft, neutral colors with a color accent wall or trim. The furniture should be age-appropriate. There should be a focal wall or bulletin board for displays with the exception of younger preschoolers. Preschool rooms are set up by activity areas with the exception of babies and 1’s. Preschool rooms need a water source and restroom in the room or nearby. The preferred floor covering is carpet with the exception of vinyl floors for babies-1’s.

Caring for preschoolers includes providing a clean environment where the child can explore, create, learn and play. That means toys, teaching materials, equipment, walls and floors need to be clean and ready for the child. It is important to be aware of cleaning procedures and hygiene practices to ensure a safe and clean environment for the child. For recommended hygiene practices visit http://www.lifeway.com/Article/childhood-ministry-basics.

In conclusion, I want to share some common shortfalls I find when consulting with churches. Entrances and doors are not clearly marked. Today, it is highly important to have a visible registration/check-in process for preschoolers. Preschool rooms often have too many and inappropriate toys (they can produce a safety hazard or might be unrelated to teaching). It is common to find outdated displays and posters on walls and bulletin boards. I find furniture with sharp edges or broken tables and chairs still in use. Often, I find rooms filled with lots of equipment and other items unrelated to its use(s). Learn to think like a guest; look around your room to see if anything would catch a guest’s attention. When we are expecting guests at home we clean house. Why don’t we do that at church? Maybe we are not expecting guests?
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Tom Belew has served as Small Groups and Childhood Specialist for the California Southern Baptist Convention since 2002. He previously served as Minister of Education in churches in Arizona and California.

Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Organization, Space, Space and Facilities, Sunday School

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Jan

Are you having trouble relating to your neighbors?

By Tom Belew · Comments (0)

A Sunday School can easily lose its edge of effectiveness if it loses touch with the community it intends to reach. In the following paragraphs I will share a few things I have found helpful in knowing your community. They include:

Prayer Walking
Windshield Tours
Interviewing Community Leaders
Demographic Study

Prayer Walking – Today, many churches and classes have found it valuable to develop a strategy to prayer walk their community. Nothing substitutes for what leaders and members will notice in the neighborhood when they slowly move through it street by street. Over the years, I have discovered ministry opportunities in the form of poverty, children and apartments. Prayer walking provides focused prayer and surface ministry opportunities.

Windshield Tours – Early in my ministry, my wife and I did a lot of door-to-door surveying. Every effective effort began with mapping the area. The second step was to take the map and drive down all the streets counting the number of housing units. This process reveals traffic patterns, unnoticed housing, areas where children and senior’s live and opportunities for ministering. Your neighborhood will look different after a windshield tour.

Interviewing Community Leaders – Your church is not the only organization concerned about your community. To get the “under the hood” view of your community some interviews are in order. Set up interviews with school principals, the police department, the fire department, the mayor and a few other key community leaders. Ask these leaders about the major in your issues in our community, the needs of (children, youth, seniors), and where they could use some help.

Demographic Study – From my rich consulting experience, I have learned demographics can help a church get the big picture and see the potential. Here are some questions to guide your demographic study:

How many people live in the church area?
Is the population in the church area growing or declining? At what rate?
What is the ethnic diversity in the church area? Is there an ethnic group that warrants a new Sunday School, Bible study class or new work?
How much lifestyle diversity is in the church area?
What are the major generational groups in the area? Are the generational groups growing or declining?
How traditional are the family structures (two-parent families, blended families, single parent, single)?
How educated are the adults? Does this reveal ministry concerns or opportunities?
What is the blend of home owners, renters, and vacant properties? What are the ratios for housing structures (single family home, apartments, group quarters, etc.)? What does this tell you about your community?
How does the average household income and individual income affected ministry in your area?
What can be learned from information about occupations (professional, service industry, blue collar, academic)? What percent of women are in the work force?

Answering these questions can quickly surface people and places with potential for new Bible studies or Sunday School opportunities.

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Tom Belew has served as Small Groups and Childhood Specialist for the California Southern Baptist Convention since 2002. He previously served as Minister of Education in churches in Arizona and California.

Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Ministry, Outreach/Evangelism, Sunday School

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Mar

Leave It to the Sunday School?

By Tom Belew · Comments (5)

Sunday School is a great place to teach children the stories from the Bible and how the Bible can be a guide for life. But, Sunday School is not the end of the ministry to children. Sunday School helps to lay a foundation for each child, and now we have to build upon that foundation. The Bible says, “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ⁶ These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. ⁷ Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-6 HCSB).

The Bible is clear that transformation of children is not just about an hour of Sunday School each week. The passage above indicates teaching children is an every-day, every-hour, every-minute job. Transformation is the job of Sunday School, parents and other believers. If we are going to expect children to grow and mature into faithful followers of Jesus Christ, the impact of the Bible has to move beyond the Sunday School room.

Oh! This could even be true for students and adults as well. The greatest single factor affecting God’s work in our churches and communities today may well be that only a few believers in our churches actually commit to a daily devotional that includes Bible reading, prayer and listening to God.

How different Sunday School would be if every member came read-up, prayed-up and expecting to get a fresh word from the Lord.

Transformation is more than attending Sunday School!

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Categories : Bible Study, Prayer, Transformation

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Dec

Does your class have a missionary?

By Tom Belew · Comments (0)

A missional class is intentional to adopt one or more missionaries. With our international missionaries at the height of our attending during the month of December, it is a great time to strengthen our focus.

I have been blessed to have been part of several churches and classes where members surrender to international missions. I have watched close friends go to seminary, mission orientation, preparation to move to another part of the world, and finally to be serving in another country. Unlike the thousands of missionaries serving around the world, these missionaries are often the focus of my prayers. Why? Because they I personally know them and naturally have concern for them. I quickly find ways to keep in touch such as newsletters and email. When I am near where they serve, I let them know I am in the area. I know when they are on furlough and often make contact. I know about their work and the needs of their ministry. In recent years, the internet has made it easy for me to keep up with their local news and weather, adding another dimension to my prayers. Our prayers are quite different when we have a connection with someone.

Every class can know missionaries personally; it just requires a little intentional effort. To get started, identify a missionary you might like to know. The missionary might be someone from your area or it might be a country or ministry of interest. Make contact with them; the International Mission Board can help with contact information. Once you have made contact and start to get newsletters or other forms of communication, your prayers and curiosity will be heightened. The more you learn about their ministry and place of service, the more you will want to know. Soon you will find your class wanting to have them visit when they are on furlough. Soon they will be your missionary.

As we begin a new year, determine that your class will have at least on missionary as the focus of their thoughts, prayers and giving. Remember, the efforts of Paul and Barnabas where support by the church back in Jerusalem through others’ prayers, concerns, and gifts. Because the church at Jerusalem was missional we know Christ today.

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Categories : Mission, Prayer

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Dec

Praying for Missionaries

By Tom Belew · Comments (0)

A missional class makes prayer for missionaries a priority. In James 5:16 (HCSB) it says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.” During the month of December we focus our prayers on world missions and the Lottie Moon offering for world missions. I have been impressed when I see a class go beyond two or three seasons for missional prayer. Think with me about how a class can be more mission-minded with their prayers.

Have a bulletin board with pictures and names of missionaries. The board could contain the class members who have gone to serve in other church ministries (preschool, children, etc.), class members who are serving in community ministries, and class members who are helping with new church starts. Many times these members are soon forgotten; our prayers can keep them fresh in our minds and provide great strength through the Lord’s help.
Intentionally adopt a community ministry for the purpose of regular prayer support. Put it on your missionary board!
Make a point of getting to know one or more North American Mission Board missionaries and keep the class updated on their ministry. Lead the class to have an occasional video chat or conference call during class. Pray for their needs and ministries. Don’t forget to add them to your missionary board!
Adopt one or more International Mission Board missionaries. It is always great to pray for missionaries on their birthday, but how much more powerful our prayer when we know the missionary personally, their needs and their ministries. On the missionary board!

I think everyone has heard the Prudential Insurance advertisement, “Get A Piece Of The Rock”. The “rock” is the rock of Gibraltar located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. If you want to lead your class to get a piece of the missional rock that is the entrance to a great missional class, commit to pray for missions in an intentional personal way. Jesus is the “Rock” of our salvation. Pray for those spreading the Rock-solid Gospel.

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Categories : Mission, Prayer, Sunday School

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