Archive for 100 Small Changes – Page 4

Measure and Reward What You Want to Accomplish

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Friday, October 28th, 2016

measuringWHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? What you believe about Sunday School (primary purpose; why it exists) determines how you see Sunday School (what it is or does). How you see Sunday School determines how you lead Sunday School (focus or emphasis) and how you measure it’s success.

WHAT DO I DO?  Which of these purposes is most descriptive of your group?

  1. If the primary purpose of Sunday School is teaching, then you will see Sunday School primarily as a group with members primarily as students. You will emphasize attending the study event.  The key measures of success will be how many show up and did we get through the lesson.
  2. If the primary purpose of Sunday School is friendship and fellowship, then your focus will be on community. You will lead your Sunday School to establish and build relationships.  The key measure of success will be having a good group experience.
  3. If the primary purpose of Sunday School is care and support, then you will focus on service and helping with your members as ministers. You will emphasize praying for each other and supporting each other.  The key measure of success will be meeting needs of group members.
  4. If the primary purpose of Sunday School is outreach and missions, then you will be a team of people on mission with God and your members will be missionaries. You will lead in equipping members to live on a mission field and be engaged in missions and outreach events.  The key measure of success will be lives being saved, reached, and changed.

A church can do Sunday School for many reasons. Make a decision to frefocus on the primary purpose of Sunday School:  life change. Teaching the Bible, building relationships, and caring for people are not the primary goal of Sunday School—these are done in order to bring people into a personal encounter with Jesus. He is the one who can change their lives here and for eternity and grow them to serve Him in their daily lives and relationships. Measure and reward what our Lord wants your group to accomplish!

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Helping Your Members Discover Their Spiritual Gifts

By Sandy Coelho · Comments (0)
Thursday, October 27th, 2016

spiritual_gifts_2WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? As a follower of Jesus, exploring and exercising our spiritual gifts is a vital and exciting part of our spiritual journey. Paul writes, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Corinthians 12:4 NIV).

WHAT DO I DO? Here are some ideas:

  • Teach. Small groups are a wonderful place to help members to discover, explore and put into practice their spiritual gifts.  You might consider taking time to do a study with the whole group to learn about spiritual gifts and how they really do work among the body especially in your local context.  Even if some of your participants know about the gifts they can really help to give first-hand testimony about their own gifts and how they have used them for the benefit of the local body and beyond.
  • Inventory. Once you have done some teaching on spiritual gifts, it really is important to be sure to have them do a spiritual gifts inventory.  There are many spiritual gifts inventory tools on-line for free.  Be consistent and choose one so that everyone is using the same list and definitions of spiritual gifts.  Once everyone has completed the inventory, spend some quality time debriefing the results and give time for questions and further exploration.
  • Utilize. It is now time to help participants launch and use their gifts.  It is important that, as a leader, you help facilitate opportunities for your group members to begin to utilize these precious gifts they have discovered.  Try and pair them with other believers who can walk with them in becoming a full partner in ministry as they learn to discover the joys of using their spiritual gifts.
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Praying for One Another

By Roger Byrd · Comments (0)
Wednesday, October 26th, 2016

praytogetherWHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Every believer should know that prayer is vital to the Christian life and necessary to access the mind of Christ and experience the activity of God. Without daily prayer we choose to live without being connected to God and His voice. Then the good things we do end up being done at the wrong time or the wrong reasons.

There is nothing more affirming and comforting in life than to know that friends are praying for you. Each person in your group has a private list of concerns to be lifted to God for direction, comfort and strength. Each lost person in your class needs to know Christ and the forgiveness and joy He alone can give. We need to pray for each other.

WHAT DO I DO? The most effective way to remember to pray for someone is to listen and understand their need and attach your heart to their situation.  The better you know them, the more effective your prayers can be. That’s why the group is so important to a Christian’s growth in Christ.

Help your class pray for one another by choosing to do several of these things:

  • Choose prayer partners
  • Write down prayer requests
  • Share prayer needs on your group’s Facebook page
  • Stop to pray when you remember someone’s request
  • Hand out prayer reminder cards during class
  • Spend time praying during the class session
  • As the leader, let them hear you pray for them by name.

Use your creativity to think of more ways to pray for one another.

And keep on praying.

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4 Mistakes to Avoid When Ministering to Members

By Tom Belew · Comments (0)
Tuesday, October 25th, 2016

WHY IS THIhighexpectationsS IMPORTANT? When a group takes care of those within the group, they can be a great blessing to the Lord and their church. A mother was diagnosed with cancer. She had two school-age children, and she and her husband both worked to make ends meet. Over a three-month period, their group dug in to help the family through this difficult time. First there were visits and then a call for group members to bring food every night. As the family burden increased, the group developed a plan to take the kids to school, pick them up, and drop them at the house when dad got home from work. The group even helped with the family’s house payment. The mom survived her bout with cancer, and the entire group was forever changed because of the experience.

WHAT DO I DO? Not every ministry experience tracks well. Here are a few mistakes to avoid:

  • Assuming someone else will do it – A group failed to visit a member who had lost her mother because everyone thought some knew her better and would make the contact. Ultimately no one made the contact and the woman left the group and church hurt.
  • Being unclear on expectations – Sometimes we ask for volunteers and fail to make ministry expectations clear. Or the person we are helping expresses a need and we misunderstand.
  • Not listening – Often we are too busy doing the ministry to listen. Many times the best ministry is just listening.
  • Poor communication – Sometimes we drop the ball because we do not communicate well.

 

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4 Responses When Pain Interrupts Your Group

By Tony Brooks · Comments (0)
Monday, October 24th, 2016

cryingThe Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18 NIV)

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? What do you do when pain interrupts your group? When no subject is off limits and a group shows genuine care and vulnerability (which you should), pain will come out in the middle of group time.

WHAT DO I DO? How do you handle it? Here are some thoughts:

  1. Listen to what is said and not said. This requires attentiveness. Some will tell what is going on in their lives. Take time to listen and show empathy. Empathize with persons in pain. We all experience pain in life. After listening, decide on next steps: Prayer for the person. Who else needs to know–with permission? Care in the moment and beyond. Perhaps a person is tearing up and not talking. Take time after class to talk or set up a time to talk.
  2. Use Care Group Leaders to help you care during the week. A teacher cannot do it all. I recommend care groups, much like a deacon family ministry plan.
  3. Have an active prayer chain/prayer ministry. Pain happens during the week as well. Ask Care Leaders to contact you, and have them contact people on their list to pray for those in pain.
  4. Empower people in pain to find the resources they need. Some people can develop a co-dependency to your care. Help them discover strength within themselves by referring them to professional counselors for long term recovery. Certain types of pain need therapy. Don’t try to handle them on your own. Ask your Pastor for referrals that would be helpful.

Pain happens to all of us. Be prepared to help the brokenhearted and those crushed in spirit.

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