Archive for Space and Facilities – Page 2

Understanding the Basics of Square Footage for Sunday School Classroom

squarefootageWHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? How much water can you put in a gallon bucket?  It’s not a trick question!  How much water can you put in a gallon bucket even if you stand over it for eight hours with the garden hose going full blast?  It makes no difference because the answer is the same; a gallon bucket can only hold a gallon of water.

 

The same is true of the Sunday School classrooms at your church.  No matter how hard you work that space is only designed to handle a specific number of people but it does vary from age group to age group.  There will be some that disagree on the following recommendations for each age group but it will not differ enough to make a major impact.

 

WHAT DO I DO? In the preschool classrooms the recommendation is 35 square feet per person.  In the children’s classrooms the recommendation is 25 square feet per person.  In the youth and adult classrooms, the recommendation is 18 square feet per person.  To determine the maximum capacity for your classroom you need to know the square footage of the room.  Measure the lengthen of one wall and then multiple that by the lengthen of a connecting wall.

 

For example, we have a preschool classroom 350 square feet.  We divide the recommended square footage per person; 35, into 350 and it gives us our MSSA (maximum Sunday School attendance) of 10.  To get an even better grasp on the potential of our classroom we need to discover what that space can average in attendance.  The general rule is 80% so our example classroom should be able to average 8 each week in Sunday School.

 

_______________

Dr. Smith serves as a state missionary with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and is the Groups and Faith Development Specialist.  Visit their websites at gabaptist.org/groups/ or gabaptistgroups.org for more information and other resources to aid your Sunday School or Small Group ministry.  You can also connect with Dr. Smith at facebook.com/GABaptistGroups, twitter.com/GABaptistGroups or pinterest.com/GABaptistGroups.  Dr. Smith’s email address is tsmith@gabaptist.org.

The Principle of Three

This is day 28 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School

 

Some people can easily identify patterns or trends in everyday life. David Francis identified some patterns involving three things. The following paragraph describes David Francis’ principle of three found in Missionary Sunday School:

“As a general rule, you need three leaders to start a new class. Three words often used to describe the purposes of Sunday School are teach, minister, and reach. One could also describe the purpose in terms of discover, connect, and invite. There

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is a subtle difference between these sets of descriptors. Teach, minister, and reach are usually directed by the SS organization or its leaders. Discover, connect, and invite are three things every class member can do. A group where members—not just leaders–embrace these three dimensions is more likely to be a missionary Sunday School class. The basic idea is that each class has at least three members/leaders that accept primary responsibility for one of the three dimensions, even as they share responsibility for them all.” David Francis, Missionary Sunday School (page 46)

In order for these to be principles, we should expect to see these three things repeated in effective Sunday Schools—Missionary Sunday Schools, that is. I would add a few other principles of three. Steve and I enjoy starting new classes. We have discovered that a core leadership team can only survive three generations (3 class starts) before becoming a deeply rooted class itself. The core leaders need to form at least two leadership teams which accelerates the starting of more new classes.

If someone misses three consecutive weeks of Sunday School, they are much more apt to never reconnect. That’s why missionary Sunday School classes want to and expect to contact every person every week.

Sunday School directors need to ask every Sunday School teacher three things.

  • How is your ministry with (age group) going?
  • Do you have everything you need?
  • How can I pray more specifically for you?

Strong relationships are built from these three simple questions. Most teachers will go on to tell you something about why their ministry is going (or not going) well. It gives you a chance to hear stories you may otherwise miss. You also might be surprised to find that most teachers do not ask for money. Most of their needs involve the use of shared space, better communication, etc. All teachers know you care if you find out how to pray for them and know you do so.

You can probably add other principles of three yourself. Consider using one principle of three at each leadership meeting.
___________________
Belinda Jolley serves as the Director of the Adult Ministry Office of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Belinda and her husband, Steve, enjoy starting new classes at First Baptist Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Space: A Big Growth Barrier

Winston Churchill remarked  concerning the rebuilding of England on October 23 1945, “We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.”  As Sunday School Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, one of my favorites opportunities is to consult with churches about space.  Space really does shape a church’s ministries and can determine their growth

Recently, I have consulted with two different churches. One of these churches averages 800 in worship and 500 in Sunday School and the other averages 100 in worship and 82 in Sunday School. Both of these churches have buildings that were built in the last 10 years.  When shaping their buildings, they opted for a maximum number of classrooms and built classrooms for children of approximately 200 square feet.  Their building has shaped their ministry and as families have been reached put a squeeze on the space.  Praise the Lord that both of these churches are growing and are determined to not let space determine their growth.

Some Sunday School classes get satisfied because they have a full classroom.  When every classroom isutilized, organizations can become stagnant and new classes are no longerconsidered.  Both should be unacceptable when it keeps the church from fulfilling God’s purpose of reaching their communities for Christ.  Three types of space have to be balance: Parking, Education, and Worship.

All space problems can be solved.  Yes it might mean reorganizing, rethinking, or relocating, but they can be solved. Examine your space by answering the following questions:

  1. What traditional classrooms are available?
  2. Are there rooms such as closets, kitchens,
    offices that could be adapted for use temporarily or permanently?
  3. Could you swap smaller classes in larger rooms
    with larger classes in smaller rooms?
  4. Are their adjacent community buildings, schools,
    or houses?
  5. Have you considered utilizing the existing space
    twice by starting a second or third Sunday School hour?
  6. Is it time to build additional space for
    growth?
  7. Would starting off campus or weekdays groups provide
    a legitimate alternative to Sunday morning
    Sunday School and worship?

Remember the building simply houses the programs that allow the people to accomplish the purpose of God.   Don’t let space keep your church from fulfilling God’s purpose.

_________________________

Dr. Mark Miller, Sunday School Specialist, Tennessee Baptist Convention. Mark also has his own blog at http://drmarkmiller.wordpress.com/

How to Effectively Group People in Sunday School/Small Groups

There are several primary considerations for effectively organizing groups for Sunday School/Small Groups. Before developing your structure, account for the total active church membership. Second, determine whether the groups will be offered on-campus, off-campus, or both. Finally, evaluate community and church demographics. Once the primary considerations are determined, you can begin grouping people for effective community.

Grouping people effectively requires intentionality. Whether using on-campus or off-campus groups, focus should be given to creating genuine community. This is accomplished by modeling the biblical principles of Acts 2:42; “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.” (HCSB). When a group focuses on studying God’s Word, praying for one another, spending quality time getting to know one another, and meeting together consistently, an environment is cultivated for community. Once community is created, there is a natural attraction for persons to connect with the group. The genuine community which exists is a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Simple group dynamics state persons connect with others persons of affinity. Effective grouping, therefore, works best through these considerations. There are several options to group persons.

Age-grade

This category groups persons who are at the same age. Smaller churches typically have larger age-spans in these groups which creates part of the challenge in dynamics to grow a particular group. Twenties typically do not have much in common with forties, yet the smaller the congregation, a young adult class may span the ages of 20-49 year old. Whereas critical mass is important, a healthier balance may need to be considered with emphasis given to the group-size:age-graded ratio., (ratio is philosophical, most off-campus groups will be below 15, on-campus groups will vary in size based on leadership abilities).

Life-Stage

This category groups persons who are at a similar life-stage. This may be determined by age of the children, grandchildren, retirement, the fact of being a boomer, etc. An example is a group may be for parents of elementary age children. The effectiveness of this model is most persons are going through similar experiences whether professionally in the marketplace or personally in home life.

Note:  when using the age of the children to group parents, you may have older 40s in the class as persons who married and had children later in life compared to couples in their 20s or early thirties with the same age children. Using the age of children may disregard couples without children which are an ever-increasing portion of the population.

Interest

This category groups persons around interest. Categories may include men only, women only, sportsmen, outdoors men, marketplace women, etc. The effectiveness of this model is inherent in the “interest” itself. The challenge of this model is using the “interest” group to connect while keeping the study focused on God’s Word.

Proximity

There are two options in using off-campus groups. You may choose a similar structure as the on-campus for creating community groups centered around age, life-stages, and/or interest. The other option is proximity groups. If your demographics draw from all over the community, an off-campus group may be organized with persons who live in the same neighborhood or proximity. This option may bring together varied generations into community groups. This multi-generational approach creates inherent mentor-mentee relationship opportunities. A challenge to this approach is the participants do not have a common-bond of going through similar “life-stage” milestones together. A positive is an older person in the group has “been there, done that” and can share from his/her life experiences.

Effectiveness for either group, on-campus or off-campus, weighs on intentionality of the leadership team. Leadership development is core to either option succeeding. Leaders must be prepared and equipped to reproduce themselves as the group connects and grows. Effective groups have an outward focus. As group leaders insure all persons are connecting, caring environments are created and ministry occurs.

More information regarding this topic can be found in Missionary Sunday School by David Francis.

Basic Home Group Space Principles

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.