Author Archive for Bob Wood

Essential #2: Leaders

By Bob Wood · Comments (0)
Wednesday, August 14th, 2013

The second essential for starting new groups is developing new leaders.  The most common objection I hear to starting new groups is, “We don’t have enough leaders.”  So how do we develop new leaders?  In the book Ten Best Practices to Make Your Sunday School Work , Ken Hemphill and Bill Taylor have some great ideas about developing leaders.  Here are three of those ideas.

1.    Teach every believer to be in service and on mission and to multiply themselves

Teachers are key persons in multiplying leaders. Believers need to know what the Bible teaches about spiritual gifts and about serving God and others.  Teach what the Bible says about spiritual gifts.  Help believers understand how they are gifted.  Help each one discover his or her gifts.  Teach what the Bible says about our stewardship of service.  Help members see that God expects us to use all the resources He has given us, including spiritual gifts, to serve Him and to serve others.  Teach what the Bible says about the rewards of service.  True satisfaction comes to believers when they discover the purpose for which God has created them and serve Him in that way.  Teach every believer to be in service and on mission and to multiply themselves.

2.    Make leader enlistment an ongoing process rather than an annual action

Too often our leader enlistment is a frantic once-a-year action to fill empty slots and then is forgotten until the next year rolls around.  My experience is that a growing church must be identifying and enlisting new leaders continuously.  Let’s think specifically about adult and student groups.  One of the best ways we develop new leaders is to give adults and students an opportunity to serve in their group.  Enlist persons to serve as apprentices, care group leaders, fellowship leaders, prayer leaders, ministry leaders, outreach leaders, or any other ministry your group might need.  I’ve found you have more success in enlisting these in-group leaders if you give them permission to resign at any time and try another ministry that fits them better.  This means ongoing enlistment.  It’s more work, but you’ll multiply leaders more rapidly.  Make leader enlistment an ongoing process rather than an annual action.

3.    Identify prospective leaders and guide them toward service for Christ and His church

While this speaks generally to all church leaders, it speaks specifically to leaders of adult groups.  Where do new leaders come from?  Most come from adult groups.  Who knows best which people have potential to be leaders?  Adult group leaders should know their group members best, because they have the most interaction with those members.  Let’s pray that God will raise up leaders in our groups.

How do you identify prospective leaders in your group?  You give persons an opportunity to serve.

  • Organize your group to create opportunities for service such as care group leaders and other group leaders mentioned above.
  • Take persons with you as you engage in ministry and outreach.  Give them an opportunity to see you minister and to minister themselves with support from you.
  • Enlist an apprentice.  This may be the most effective means of developing a new leader.  Enlist someone to walk alongside you in ministry, to learn how to minister step-by-step, and to ultimately be prepared to take your place.

Identify prospective leaders and guide them toward service for Christ and His church.

Effective leaders develop new leaders. They help persons discover their giftedness, grow in Christ, and find a place of service.  What are you doing to develop new leaders who can start new groups?

­­­­­­­__________

Bob Wood is the State Church Strengthening Missionary for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan.  He seeks to help churches be their best at making disciples of Jesus.

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Categories : 31 Days of Extreme Sunday School

Essential #1: Catalysts

By Bob Wood · Comments (0)
Tuesday, August 13th, 2013

What are the essentials for starting new groups; what does it take? The first essential for starting a new group is a catalyst. In the book, Extreme Sunday School Challenge, Bruce Raley and David Francis look back on new groups they have seen started, “not one of those groups started on its own.” They needed a catalyst.

Do you remember your high school chemistry class? A catalyst is a compound that facilitates a chemical reaction. It may speed up the reaction. It may allow the reaction to occur with less energy input. In some cases, the catalyst is necessary for the reaction to occur. To start new groups we need people who will serve as catalysts. They will speed up the starting of new groups. They will help new groups start easier, with less energy input. They will be the factor that allows new groups to start.

Who are the catalysts for starting new groups? A catalyst for new groups can be anyone. It can be a pastor who champions new groups in the church because he knows new groups will help the church reach new people. It can be a staff member, a Sunday School director or a small group coordinator who plans for, coordinates and implements the starting of new groups. It can be a group leader who encourages those in his or her group to step out and help start new groups. It can be group members who are willing to leave behind the comfort and friendships of their current group to step out in faith to help start a new group.

What can catalysts do to start new groups?

How can you be a catalyst for starting new groups?

­­­­­­­­__________

Bob Wood is the State Church Strengthening Missionary for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. He seeks to help churches be their best at making disciples of Jesus.

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Categories : 31 Days of Extreme Sunday School

Multiply Leaders

By Bob Wood · Comments (2)
Monday, November 5th, 2012

We know we need to multiply groups if we’re going to reach new people.  The most common objection I hear to creating new groups is, “We don’t have enough leaders.”  So how do we multiply leaders?

The book Ten Best Practices to Make Your Sunday School Work (Ken Hemphill and Bill Taylor) contains some great ideas about developing an intentional process to continually multiply leaders.  Here are three of those ideas:

  • Teach every believer to be in service and on mission and to multiply themselves.
  • Make leader enlistment an ongoing process rather than an annual action.
  • Identify prospective leaders and to guide them toward service for Christ and His church.

Teach every believer to be in service and on mission and to multiply themselves

Teachers are key persons in multiplying leaders. Believers need to know what the Bible teaches about spiritual gifts and about serving God and others.  Teach what the Bible says about spiritual gifts.  Help believers understand how they are gifted.  Help each one discover his or her gifts.  Teach what the Bible says about our stewardship of service.  Help members see that God expects us to use all the resources He has given us, including spiritual gifts, to serve Him and to serve others.  Teach what the Bible says about the rewards of service.  True satisfaction comes to believers when they discover the purpose for which God has created them and serve Him in that way.  Teach every believer to be in service and on mission and to multiply themselves.

Make leader enlistment an ongoing process rather than an annual action

Too often our leader enlistment is a frantic once-a-year action to fill empty slots and then is forgotten until the next year rolls around.  I’ve found that a growing church must be identifying and enlisting new leaders all the time.  Let me talk particularly about adult and student groups.  One of the best ways we develop new leaders is to give adults and students an opportunity to serve within their group.  Enlist persons to serve as apprentices, care group leaders, fellowship leaders, prayer leaders, ministry leaders, outreach leaders, or any other ministry your group might need.  I’ve found you have more success in enlisting these in-group leaders if you give them permission to resign at any time and try another ministry that fits them better.  This means ongoing enlistment.  It’s more work, but you’ll multiply leaders more rapidly.  Make leader enlistment an ongoing process rather than an annual action.

Identify prospective leaders and guide them toward service for Christ and His church

While this speaks generally to all church leaders, it speaks specifically to leaders of adult groups.  Where do new leaders come from?  Most come from an adult group.  Who knows best who has potential to be a leader?  Adult group leaders should know their group members better than church leaders who have less interaction with those members.  Let’s pray that God will raise up leaders in our groups.

How do you identify prospective leaders in your group?  You give persons an opportunity to serve.

  • Organize your group to create opportunities for service such as care group leaders and other group leaders mentioned above.
  • Take persons with you as you engage in ministry and outreach.  Give them an opportunity to see you minister and to minister themselves with support from you.
  • Enlist an apprentice.  This may be the most effective means of developing a new leader.  Enlist someone to walk alongside you in ministry, to learn how to minister step-by-step, and to ultimately be prepared to take your place.

Identify prospective leaders and guide them toward service for Christ and His church.

Effective leaders multiply leaders. They help persons they are leading to discover their gifts, grow in Christ, and find a place of service.  What are doing that’s helping you multiply leaders?

______________________________________________________

Bob Wood serves the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, assisting churches to reach their potential in fulfilling the Great Commission.

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Categories : Sunday School

Enlist and Equip Leaders

By Bob Wood · Comments (0)
Saturday, August 25th, 2012

This is 25 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School

A growing church needs to continually develop new leaders.  The number one reason I hear for not starting new groups is, “We don’t have enough leaders.”  Do you have enough leaders?  How do you develop new leaders?  Do you have a process or pathway for developing new leaders?

Developing leaders is a two-pronged process: 1) disciple-making, and 2) skill development.  An intentional process for disciple-making will produce maturing believers who are experiencing the power of Spirit-filled living and are ready to serve based on their Spirit-giftedness.  Following are ideas for helping these maturing believers find a place of leadership and develop leadership skills.

 

Enlist Leaders

Personal enlistment is the key to recruiting new leaders.  Announcements are fine to create awareness, but most people won’t respond to an impersonal announcement.  And often those who do respond are not the ones you really want. The goal is not to “fill slots” but to help people find places of ministry.  Get to know people.  Discover their gifts and passions.  Prayerfully consider where God would have them serve.  Ask them personally when you can honestly say, “I think you’re the right person to serve in this place.” Be honest in your enlistment.  Give them all the information they will need about their places of service.  Challenge people.  If “there’s nothing to it,” why would they want to do it?  Challenge them with a vision for what could be done for the Lord.  And don’t put people on the spot.  Give them time to pray about their response  (There are a number of excellent previous blogs on the Enlistment Process).

Equip Leaders

Every leadership position has a set of skills which are required for the leader to be effective.  For a leader in Sunday School these include skills in reaching their people group, ministering to their people group, and teaching their people group. How do you equip your leaders?  Letting them serve as apprentices is effective.  They get on-the-job training from skilled leaders.  One-on-one training can be effective.  I’ve trained a number of leaders like this over the years, but it produces leaders in smaller numbers.  Classroom training for potential leaders works well.  As a young adult I learned a lot in a potential teacher class led by Mildred Wade.  “Turbo groups” are another approach.  You enlist a group of potential leaders for a small group with the expectation that when the group finishes, they will enlist and lead their own groups.

Empower Leaders

If you want people to do their best for the Lord, you have to turn them loose.  You have to give them freedom to serve their ways, which will not necessarily be your way.  Sure you want clear goals and guidelines for what is acceptable.  However, when you enlist maturing believers to lead, you must trust that they can follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit just as you do.  Empower leaders.  Give them freedom to lead and serve in the ways God has gifted them.

Encourage Leaders

Inexperienced leaders can easily become discouraged.  Things don’t always go well.  You need to keep in touch, ask how things are going, and encourage leaders to keep moving forward. Even experienced leaders need encouragement.  Often Satan’s attacks are strongest against the most effective leaders.  Your words of encouragement can help your leaders stand strong.

Your church cannot grow without new leaders.  What’s your next step to develop new leaders? ­­­­
______________________
Bob Wood is a State Missionary with the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, assisting churches to become more intentional and effective in making disciples

 

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Categories : 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School, Bible Study, Enlistment, Evangelism, Group Life, Growing your Group, Leadership, Learning, Ministry, Mission, New Groups, Organization, Outreach/Evangelism, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching, Training, Transformation

Getting to Know Your People Group

By Bob Wood · Comments (0)
Thursday, August 16th, 2012

This is day 16 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School.


 

A Missional Sunday School becomes an “expert” on the people group God has called him or her to reach, teach, and care for. Whether it is senior adults or preschoolers, how do you get to know your people group?

Learn About Your People Group:

You will want to learn all you can about the developmental and life stage issues of your people group. Learn about your people group by reading all you can about them. The following are free downloads (there are other resources online as well):

 

Spend Time with Your People Group:

Book knowledge is good, but it’s incomplete without experience. You learn about people when you spend time with them. You learn about your people group in general and you learn about the specific group of people to whom you are ministering. This means more than spending time with them at church on Sunday morning. When you spend time with people at work and at play, in good times and in bad times, you begin to understand more and more who they are, what they like, and what they need to become more like Jesus. David Francis points out that your people group comes from a specific “geographical and socio-economic context.” You discover what that is by spending time with them. Also pay attention to what’s of interest to your people group. Watch what they watch on TV. Listen to the music they listen to. Their experiences are shaping their lives; know what they are experiencing.

Listen to People in Your Group:

Teachers tend to talk. Learn to listen. As you teach, listen. As you spend time with people away from class, listen. As you listen, you may be surprised how much you learn about the dreams, desires, and needs of your people group. Listen to preschoolers and you’ll find out more about their families than you may want to know. Listen to teenagers without acting shocked and you’ll find out what is really happening in their lives.

Spend time with your people group and listen to what they are saying. Find out how they think. Watch what’s of interest to them. Understand how they view the world. Listening gives you insight into your people group and opens doors to teach more effectively.

How about you? What people group has God called you to reach and teach? What can you do to get to know your people group better?

­­­­­­­­__________________________
Bob Wood is a State Missionary with the Baptist State Convention of Michigan, assisting churches to become more intentional and effective in making disciples

 

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Categories : Group Life, Leadership, Learning, Ministry, Mission, Outreach/Evangelism, Sunday School, Teaching
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