Author Archive for Kiely Young – Page 2

Training Class for Missionaries?

By Kiely Young · Comments (0)
Friday, August 10th, 2012

This is day 10 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School.

Does your class have the proper DNA for growth? DNA? For a Sunday School class?

Yes, Determined Nurturing Attitude!  Think about it.  We must be intentional when we approach the topic of Sunday School growth.  Does our growth mean we want to grow “deeper” in the Word? Yes, but for more than just biblical information, facts, history, dates, etc.

God has commissioned us to be disciple makers. Yes, disciple makers. That means spiritual multiplication.  Are we joyfully sending members out of our classes because we have nurtured them in their spiritual growth and we recognize it is time for them to launch into ministry? OR, do we hoard over them and tend to keep them all to ourselves.

Let me illustrate.  Over the past several years we have had sparrows making nests in our garage. One on a shelf in the corner, and one on the top of a broom with the bristles turned up.  Both in unusual places, but done very neatly.  Each hatched three to four eggs.  The mothers were very protective of their little ones, UNTIL it was time to leave the nest. THEN it is out you go.  It is time to fly.  The parents had been diligent to feed them daily, protect them and make sure nothing happened to them. AND on the day of their first flight, both parents hovered around to make sure they made it on their own.  There was an intentional plan to spread their wings and FLY.  It was a pleasure to behold.

It is also a pleasure to behold those classes whose intention is to grow, multiply, and experience the celebration of being spiritual parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents of new classes being birthed out of classes.  It is an equal pleasure when we see God convicting members to go out of our classes to serve in other areas of ministry.  That is part of the spiritual transformation process.  We are not called to sit, soak, and sour.  We called to serve. The strategy must be taught in every class if it is to be an effective multiplying class and a missionary sending class.

We must instill this Determined Nurturing Attitude throughout our churches if we expect to see God use us to reach our communities with the Good News of Jesus. It is amazing that every part of God’s creation has the DNA for growth and multiplication. Jesus made it a part of the designed plan for the New Testament church.

Somehow we have seen the baton dropped.  It is time to pick it up again and get back on track with the right DNA for growing missionaries.
_________________________
Kiely Young
Mississippi Baptist Convention Board

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Categories : 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School, Group Life, Growing your Group, Leadership, Learning, Ministry, New Groups, Sunday School

Whatever It Takes?

By Kiely Young · Comments (0)
Monday, July 2nd, 2012

Albert Einstein was one day asked the definition of insanity from a frustrated worker.  He responded, “It is when you keep doing the same thing in the same way, yet expect to get different results.” Does that apply to Sunday School and Small Group Bible Study?

Can we have the attitude “We will do whatever it takes to grow our people, grow our Sunday School/Small Groups by growing multiplying disciples? “ This will mean some adaptations, change some of our habits, get out of our comfort zones and look beyond ourselves to the needs of others.

I have just read a manuscript by Nathan and Kari Shank, former missionaries to India, entitled “Four Fields of Kingdom Growth from Mark 4:26-29”.  It is a very refreshing approach to a biblical plan to impact any community for Christ, grow any church, and build multiplying disciples.  BUT, it will require being willing to “Do whatever it takes”.

Their approach simply begins by looking at any community, region, or people group to be reached and asks some basic questions:

  1. How many people live there?
  2. How many households?
  3. How many believers?
  4. How many Bible study groups are needed to reach them?
  5. How many leaders needed for the Bible study groups?
  6. What is the goal for the next year?
  7. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to reach that goal?

That is bold, out of the box thinking for most of our churches, but when you read what has been done by this approach, you will stand amazed.  But remember Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

We have a choice, status quo or great and mighty.  It is time to choose the latter.

A friend from high school recently posted a quote on her Facebook page from her pastor’s previous Sunday sermon.  “As long as we can be satisfied with anything less than God’s best, WE WILL.” Ouch

Let’s pray we will be bold in prayer, determined in action, and willing to do whatever it takes to grow multiplying disciples.

Kiely Young
Mississippi

 

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Categories : Growing your Group, Learning, Ministry, Sunday School

VBS… Whew or WOW?

By Kiely Young · Comments (0)
Monday, June 25th, 2012

It is that wonderful time of the year when Vacation Bible Schools are being conducted in churches all across the nation.  Children have been prayed for, played with, encouraged, challenged and inspired.  Many have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Leaders worked hard and now wonder what next.

Are they tired?  Yes, but are we equally eager to capitalize on the preparation, prayer, planning, and participation that has taken place.

Often, leaders respond with a “Whew, VBS is over. I need a break”.  But we must be careful to sure every child and every family is accounted for.  Take a look at a few suggestions.

  1. Do you have a Follow-up Chairperson?  If not, who is in charge of the Prospect File?
  2. Do you have a Prayer Coordinator? If not, pass the names to Sunday School classes.
  3. Make certain every child and every family that is NOT connected to a church is followed-up not later than one week after VBS.  This means a personal contact.
  4. Every family/child should be asked if they would like to enroll in Sunday School.
  5. Every family should be given an information piece/packet about what they can expect from the church.
  6. The names of every member of the family should be given to the proper Sunday School class or Small Group Bible study for continued follow-up.
  7. Pray, Pray, and pray.

Vacation Bible School is one of, if not on the top of the list, for ways your church can impact your community. BUT,  follow-up is critical.  If we do not follow-up those who come, it could be compared to a farmer who plants a garden, watches it grow, but never cultivates or gathers the harvest.  What a shame.

So let’s say “WOW, we just had VBS and look what God is doing!”
_________________________________
Kiely Young
Mississippi

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Categories : Outreach/Evangelism, Prayer, Vacation Bible School

Great Bible Study…Promises or Perils?

By Kiely Young · Comments (0)
Thursday, March 15th, 2012

We all want to see and experience excellence in Bible teaching in all of our Sunday School classes and small group Bible studies. Yes indeed.  I heard one Associational Missions Director in Mississippi say to a group of his leaders. “There is nothing that can empty a Sunday School faster than a dry, boring teacher.” And he was right.

But, recently I have learned a hard lesson from a great Sunday School teacher. His class is strong and large.  It is really too large for the small group dynamics of a growing Sunday School class.  AND, they have stopped growing. All the seats are full and they are happy. It is a co-ed class.

A few recent widows in the class approached me with the possibility of starting a new class for widows.  I approached the teacher with the possibility.  He said we ought to talk to the class about the idea.  They were not in favor of that idea at all. “We want to keep everyone in OUR class.”  It is a great class, but now it is a closed class, no room to grow and they want no one to leave.

The solution: Time, patience, prayer, and persistence.  We may have to plow new ground.  We may have to approach the idea from a different direction so no one will have their feelings hurt, but at the same time, the ministry need can be met.

How can we meet the needs and reach the desired end result?

  1. We have to prayerfully develop a plan.
  2. We must prayerfully enlist the needed workers.
  3. We must make sure they are properly equipped.
  4. We must make certain they have a good place and time to meet.
  5. We must assist them in accomplishing the purpose of their group, in this case, minister to widows in need through God’s Word for them.

God wants us to grow strong New Testament multiplying disciples who have a heart for reaching others and teaching them to do likewise.  We must be careful to build these principles into the DNA of every group we begin.  That takes careful, prayerful planning.  But God rejoices when we follow His directions.

______________________

Kiely Young is the Director of Sunday School for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board.

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Categories : Growing your Group, New Groups, Sunday School

Faith to Grow

By Kiely Young · Comments (1)
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

I serve as Interim Pastor for a medium size church in Northeast Mississippi. This is a rural, deep south, traditional Southern Baptist church on the outskirts of a mid-size Mississippi town of about 25,000. But within two miles of the church, demographics revealed there are more than two thousand unchurched families. There is also a concentration of single Moms with two or more children.

A couple of our ladies took it upon themselves to prayer drive the roads and streets in this two mile radius. They soon became so burdened they stopped their car in one neighborhood and began going door to door prayer walking, meeting people. They discovered several families at home with multiple needs. They also discovered a willingness of folks to open up and share needs. They were burdened for the spiritual well-being of their children, but did not know what to do for them. When the ladies from our church asked them if they would be willing for someone to have a Bible study with them and/or with their children, they responded positively.

It was not very long before these two ladies shared this with a Wednesday night Bible study/Prayer Meeting and asked permission to pick these children up for Bible Study and help enlist leaders for the new Bible study groups. Another lady got a burden for the Moms to have a Bible study as well.

Results:

  • One team picks the children up on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights for children activities and Bible Study.
  • Another group of ladies have been enlisted to teach two new classes for these children.
  • Another group of ladies have volunteered to teach the Mothers of the children at a time convenient for these working Moms.

Three new classes came as a result of a prayer burden of two

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ladies driving the streets around the church, because they had been told there were hundreds of unreached people within two miles of their church.

It is amazing what happens when we put feet to our prayers followed by steps of faith. God will always reward our faith.

Kiely Young
Mississippi

Comments (1)
Categories : Evangelism, New Groups, Outreach/Evangelism, Prayer, Sunday School
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