Archive for countdown 31

Sunday School And Vibrant Leadership

By Dwayne Lee · Comments (0)
Wednesday, August 19th, 2015

MirrorWhen you think about vibrant leadership what image comes to mind? A military figure, sports personality, Hollywood star, government official? How about a hero of the faith, lead pastor or worship leader? Here’s a question…What about you? Do you consider yourself a leader? A vibrant leader? Let’s be clear, I am not talking about charisma, but I am talking about someone who knows where they are going and has the ability to persuade others to come along.

As the book “Countdown” alludes to the seven elements of Transformational Church, Vibrant Leadership is one of those qualities that rose to the top of all the churches surveyed. Each leader saw themselves as someone who knew where they were going but had the capacity to lead from a servant hood perspective. These were leaders who loved sharing Jesus, equipping disciples, getting the church to model Christ and ministering to the community.

So, what does that look like for a Sunday School Leader? To be quite honest…it should look the same! You lead from a humble spirit and yet at the same time you are confident in what you are doing. The class you have been given stewardship over is your class, to lead, serve, care for, minister too, disciple, and send out.

The only way you are going to have an effective Sunday School is if you are an effective leader…a vibrant leader. Remember this, models and administrative structure may change but there are two key principles that should never change under your leadership:

  1. Open groups practice open enrollment.
  2. Open groups expect NEW people every week.

I can hear it now…you are saying to yourself, “We are an open group”. Here is a quick test. Ask yourself and your class, “When was the last time you invited someone to your class?” Remember, not to your church, but to your class. Then ask, “when was the last time we actually expected a guest?”

I cannot stress enough that the class will take on the personality of its leader! Remember you have heard it said, “everything rises and falls on leadership.” The same is true for your class, they are going to follow your lead.

A vibrant leader is not afraid to make mistakes.  They are not afraid to lead. Work hard at keeping your class an open group. Make it an exciting place for newcomers and regulars members. Be willing to share and send out members from your class to help in other areas. Find an apprentice to invest time and energy into.  Always keep this idea of starting new groups in front of your group, and let your class be the first to do it!

Be a vibrant leader!

 

Dwayne Lee is the associate team leadership to the Bible Teaching/Leadership Resource Group of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio.

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Where Everyone Knows My Name…

By Ken Kessler · Comments (0)
Tuesday, August 18th, 2015

cutout-peopleTransformational Church process has reminded our churches about the importance of relational intentionality. Churches that practice this element follow through on a basic need of humanity – relationship.

God made us as relational beings. In fact, most of us believe being made in the “image of God” has a relational component. God made us to relate to Him and to relate to each other.

And look at the life of Jesus! He is constantly building relationships with people – his chosen disciples, his friends like Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, strangers like Zacchaeus and the Samaritan woman, and the list goes on.

Despite the reality of the Fall, our relational need remains. John Donne, the poet, even reminded us that no person is an island unto themselves. We need each other. We long for a place to belong.

The old television show, Cheers, theme song echoed the need for people to know us by name and know the importance of our personal journeys. If a bar in Boston can have that theme song, surely we in our Bible study groups can catch the significance of helping people belong also.

Relational intentionality reminds us that a sense of belonging does not just happen. Our Bible study groups must be intentional in connecting to people in our regular routines and in out of the way places just like Jesus. Relationships don’t just happen; they take work!

So as we think about our Bible study groups, here is an acrostic to help us think about our intentional plans to help people belong to our groups:

  • Bonding with someone creates a gateway into positive relationships. Take the time to find out what are the interests, hobbies, strengths, work settings, hometown, family setting, and other personal things to create a bond with them. Connect them to people who have similar backgrounds. Don’t take for granted that people know each other.
  • Elevate the importance of care groups in your Bible study group in order to show that you care about a person whether they are a guest or a regular member! Make sure everyone is assigned to someone for follow-up contact.
  • Learn the language of social media. While social media will not take the place of face to face encounters, it does give us an opportunity to make immediate contacts and be relational.
  • Open chair principle from Lyman Coleman is a great one to practice. Have an open chair you pray for each week and think about with whom you can build a relationship and bring to your Bible study group.
  • Name tags make a difference. Help guests know everyone in the group. Regulars may know everyone by name, but think how challenging it is for a guest.
  • Guest language is more appealing than visitor language. We treat guests with much greater value than an unexpected visitor. Treat all people as guests rather than visitors and watch the difference!

Relationships make a difference in introducing someone to Jesus. Be intentional and watch the difference it makes!

Prayer – Lord, open our eyes to people as you see them. Help us to treat them with the love and respect that they deserve. Make our Bible Study group a place to belong and where people come to know you in new and fresh ways. Amen!

 

Ken Kessler is the Team Leader for the Empowering Leaders Team of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.

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What To Do With The Kids…

By Jenni Carter · Comments (0)
Sunday, August 16th, 2015

youth_smlOne of the advantages to Sunday morning groups that meet at the church building is that Preschool and Children’s age-graded Sunday School are offered at the same time.  For churches that choose to have groups in homes there are many options to consider for “what to do with the kids.”

Option 1 – Classes for children can be offered at the church building.  Parents drop off their kids at the building and then go to the home where their small group meets.  This option works well when all the small groups meet on the same evening and are in close proximity to the church.

Option 2 – Each family arranges their own child-care at their home while they go to small group.  Many churches reimburse families for this expense.  One of the advantages for this option is that families can choose their own “sitter” and the kids stay in their normal evening and bedtime routines.

Option 3 – A small group hires “sitters” to keep their children at the same home where the small group meets but in another room (think basement or playroom).

Option 4 – Members of the small group rotate and take turns taking care of the children each week.  One of the advantages to options 3 & 4 is that the children are onsite in case the parents are needed.

Option 5 – Small groups work together so that members of one group take care of kids from another small group and then they swap roles later in the week.  One of the advantages of this option is that there is no cost involved, just extra coordination between groups.

There are several other thoughts to remember when planning “what to do with the kids.”

1 – Remember that it’s not just young adult groups that may need these services as many grandparents are raising their grandchildren in their homes.  Therefore, they may need child-care.

2 – Remember to use safe and secure practices when considering children’s activities.  Whether or not children are at the church building, churches and small groups need to adhere to the two-adult rule, background checks, and other security measures the church has adopted in their Safety and Security Policies.

3 – Remember to make the children’s time an intentional part of the overall programming.  Rather than having just sitters or child-care, let it be an intentional time of Bible study or discipleship for the kids as well as the adults.  There are several different Children’s Bible Study plans that could be used.  For older children there are great bible skills activities the kids would enjoy.  At the very least families can download Bible study apps on their electronic devices so that the children can learn or build on what they have already learned.  When churches are intentional to meet the needs of the children through quality Bible study while the parents are meeting more families will be attracted to the small group.

One final thought – look around your community to find unchurched families.  It may be an ethnic group, a subdivision, an apartment complex, or mobile home area.  Why not start a Backyard Kids Club that meets once a week?  As you attract the children you may find the nucleus for a new Adult Small Group.

Whatever choice you make for the kids – be sure you are intentional in making sure their needs are met and that you are reaching out to your community.

Jenni Carter is a state Sunday School/Small Group missionary for the Georgia Baptist Convention, specializing in children’s ministry. www.gabaptistgroups.org

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A Hybrid Approach

By Steve McNeil · Comments (1)
Saturday, August 15th, 2015

hybrid_diagAs we have seen in previous posts, defining the purpose of your group ministry and your individual group is critical to a healthy group environment.  One of the primary goals of any group (Sunday School or Small Group) is to get people into a group.

Life change can better take place if a person is in a group rather than not in a group.  Which is better? Sunday School or Small Groups?  How about they are both a great way to engage people in a process of life change and a process of helping the person learn and experience what it means to love God and love their neighbor!  God can use either and both.  Francis and Howerton present this idea very well in their book.  It is better to offer both types of groups so that people can have a choice based on their schedule, lifestyle and past experiences (preference).

There is generally a generational break between what younger people desire and older people desire. The builder generation was brought up in Sunday School classes and they have enjoyed Bible Study, fellowship, care groups and yes even reaching people for Christ through their groups.  Younger people gravitate toward a group that meets in an informal environment, a home, coffee shop etc.  Why? That is for another day.

I have watched as church leaders move their church from a Sunday School model to a Small Group model.  Often this is done based on perceptions and the belief that this is “the direction of the future.” Many who attend church have a personal preference in these 2 models because of their past experiences.  To move in a direction where you only offer one model you could be eliminating some people from participating who desire to be in a group, but now their preferred style is not available.  It is usually the Sunday School model that is eliminated. Why? That too is for another day.

Often churches have an existing Sunday School ministry and the people who attend benefit from it.  They have grown up in that model and they actually like it.  To remove that ministry from the life of the church then creates a void in the life of those who appreciate it.  Removing Sunday School potentially alienates a group of people in the life of the church who are probably not going to participate in the “new focus of home groups.”

Some churches struggle with space issues.  They simply have too many people for the space provided in the Sunday School model.  Starting home groups is a great way to continue to get people into groups when you are out of space but you can’t do that unless you are offering both models.

Sunday School has strengths, Home Groups have strengths and they both have weaknesses as well (again another day).  As leaders in the church we need to take advantage of any means we have to get people into a group where they can grow, learn, relate, be challenged, minister together and be on mission with Christ and His church.

Use what space you have to build a Sunday School ministry and then find the pioneers in your church who have a desire to take the Gospel to their homes, schools and work place.  Start groups in church and out, but start groups and get people to participate in them in both places. “Go Hybrid.”

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Do You Really Care About The Environment?

By Dr. Tim S. Smith · Comments (0)
Friday, August 14th, 2015

One of my many “pet peeves” is littering.  It really gets under my skin when I see someone throwing trash out of their car.  The reason is that I value our environment; I value God’s creation.  I feel the same way when I see a church or a Sunday School classroom that doesn’t value their environment.download

When I see a church building and/or a Sunday School classroom that is not well cared for it screams, “these people don’t care!”  It doesn’t take money to clean up a classroom.  It doesn’t require much to simply freshen up the place.  The condition of your classroom says a lot about the members and it also preaches a loud message to guests.  Schedule a clean up day and throw away the junk.

Think about how you set up the classroom.  The first step is to determine what will be the focal wall in the classroom.  I usually use the wall opposite of the entrance doorway.  By using this as the focal wall it does not draw attention to others as they enter the room.  By using the back wall as the focal wall it puts everyone’s back to the door and also limits the number of distractions for the group.

The way you set up also says a lot about the group and the methods used in teaching.  My preference is smaller half circles of 3to4 per group.  I like to use this method because in encourages group discussion and its not so large that it overwhelms the participants.  I’m presently using this approach with a class that is meeting in the fellowship hall and I’ve set up the chairs in 9 groups with no more than 8 chairs in each group.  If you use this method you can either use tables for the groups or not.  We just simply don’t have the space to make this happen.

If you are more accustom to lecture then more than likely your classroom will be set up with the chairs in rows.  In my opinion it is not ideal and you need to understand that this set up does not lend itself to group discussion and interaction.  Don’t frustrate your self and your class expecting more discussion in classroom set up in rows.

Another classroom set up is having the chairs set up in a semi-circle or a complete circle.  The complete circle makes the group experience bout the group but it can be difficult to break into that type of group.  The semi-circle usually has chair in the large opening for the teacher and this again makes the focus of the group on the teacher.  Both of these set ups do encourage dialogue, interaction and discussion.

Whatever method you use in setting up the chairs in the classroom I would only encourage you not to get too confortable with it.  I’ve alsways tried to vary the room set up to aid in the goal of the Bible study.  I’ve even hid the chairs from one Sunday School class and they had to stand for the entire time during Sunday School.  That was over 15 years ago and they still remember the lesson.

 

Dr. Smith serves as a state missionary with the Georgia Baptist Convention and is the Sunday School/Small Groups Specialist.  Visit their website at gabaptist.org/groups for more information and other resources to aid your Sunday School or small group ministry.  You can also connect with Dr. Smith at gabaptistgroups.org, facebook.com/GABaptistGroups or twitter.com/GABaptistGroups.

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