Archive for 5 Weeks of Flake – Page 4

Continuing Education for the Group Leader

By Kenneth Priest · Comments (3)
Friday, January 13th, 2012

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 6, he states in verse 17, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (ESV; emphasis added). It seems that Paul had a type of “New Believers” course for converts. As I was discussing this idea with my Bible Fellowship group this past Sunday, I directed the conversation to discuss our personal “standards of teaching.”  The exact question was, “What are your standards of teaching you live by?” As we are looking at the New Year, this is a great time to evaluate our standards. One area where I believe we can all do better relates to our standard of personal development. I believe this falls into the category of a standard of teaching, as we are to be lifelong learners.

I like to encourage directors and teachers to develop a growth plan. I include a number of items related to working as an educational team in the life of the church; your participation on this team is important as the disciplers of the church.

  • Annually, attend a Sunday School or Church Growth Conference.  Many conferences are now being offered online via live streaming or even for download after the event.
  • Annually, attend a church-focused training event coordinated specifically for your church. Many churches provide an annual training event where the pastor and or/minister of education equips the leaders within the context of your specific church needs. This is a great way to stay in touch with what your pastoral leadership team sees as the needs of the church.
  • Monthly, meet with church Sunday School Director, pastor, and/or minister of education to discuss any issues with curriculum, inform them about needs within your small group, etc. This communication times helps the pastoral leadership team stay “in touch” with what is happening and know better how they can support and provide ministry within the church.

I also think we need to have our personal study practices challenged and in place. So here are some thoughts for 2012:

  • Read through the Bible.  You may not do this each year; but you might choose to do so. I recommend finding different methods of doing this. Zondervan has a great study, “The Bible in 90 Days.” This is a real challenge.
  • Read a doctrinal study.  Make certain you know why you believe what you believe. This can be done through a number of studies, I like Ken Hemphill’s study from Auxano Press, “Core Convictions” which essentially helps provide you a systematic theology of your doctrine.
  • Read a book on evangelism to remind yourself of the great need to keep the Gospel message in the forefront of your class and make certain you are sharing your faith through your teaching. Try “SPLASH,” also from Auxano Press.
  • Read a spiritual gifts book.  My Bible Fellowship is called Gateway.  The word “GATE” is an acronym for Gifts And Talents Exercised. We constantly remind our members to serve, and you might also. Maybe they need a little assistance. Studying up on spiritual gifts can help you answer questions as you are encouraging members to use what God has gifted them with.

There are training sites you can go to for continued education as well. Your state convention might have something.  At the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, we have launched a Leadership App.  Simply go to itunes and search SBTC.  The App name is “iLead.”  LifeWay offers online training through: www.lifeway.com/onlinetraining

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Bible Study, Sunday School, Training

The Impact of One Leader

By Belinda Jolley · Comments (0)
Thursday, January 12th, 2012

My grandson has always been amazed by heavy farm machinery. Garrett has had many toy tractors and knows the names of all the farm machinery. As a first grader he now wants to ride with his dad or grandfather on the big tractors. However, he also understands these large machines can be dangerous, as well as helpful.

A bulldozer, for example, may be used to clear out an area on which to build a home—or maybe a barn. The same machine can be used to tear down something—maybe a building that is no longer safe to dwell in or that has been severely damaged by fire or storms. The same piece of powerful machinery can either build up or tear down.

I’m convinced Sunday School leaders hold the same influence—either positively or negatively. One Sunday School leader can have tremendous impact or influence. Whether you are talking about the entire organization or one Sunday School class or group, the truth applies to both.

Imagine Sunday School teachers who are so fearful that “they will split my class” that they deliberately undermine any efforts to start new classes. Their tactics may be open and bold or they may be subtle. The subtle may be more dangerous because people may not see what is happening. You know what I

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mean. “I just can’t imagine not having any of you in my class any more. I just love our sweet fellowship. “

On the other hand, imagine Sunday School teachers that know starting new classes are effective in the church’s mission to make and grow disciples. These teachers are constantly planting seeds that promote starting new classes. They constantly make note of peoples’ gifts or abilities and may encourage them in ways such as, “I’ve noticed how well you relate to our preschoolers when we have class fellowships. Have you ever prayed about how God might use you in a ministry with preschoolers?” These teachers will love everyone, but they keep forging toward the mission. These teachers will tell stories of changed lives and remind classes they would not have met or heard these stories without the folks who once came into their class as newcomers. These teachers celebrate growing and sending out leaders. They probably have photos on the wall of the “class missionaries” who are serving in other age groups on Sunday morning—people for whom they pray often.

The choice is yours. Will you lead in a way that builds up people and, most importantly, builds up the church? Will you keep your eyes on the mission and help others do the same? Or will you choose to lead in ways that tear down people and/or tear down God’s church? Again, the choice is yours. I pray you lead out of a heart that yearns for people to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and then come to grow in their lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ.

________________________________

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.

 

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Growing your Group, Leadership, New Groups, Sunday School

Leadership Meetings That Work

By Allan Taylor · Comments (0)
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

As a former high school football coach I would never think about putting my players on the game field until we had spent adequate time on the practice field.  Yet, too often we put our Sunday School leaders in the game on Sunday morning when they have not been on the practice field preparing.  Understand that ministry, like football, is 80% preparation and 20% performance!

Corporate Leadership Meetings That Work

Plan your corporate meetings around three approaches to the meeting.

1. A Practical Approach: You need to select a day and time that is most conducive to have your leaders in attendance.  Make your meetings as convenient as possible for them to attend.  Provide refreshments and select a room that is comfortable, convenient, and equipped with appropriate light and media needs.

2. A Philosophical Approach: Your meetings should be intentionally arranged by your Sunday School philosophy.  In my case, I arrange Leadership Meetings under five headings.  Each of these headings can be addressed generally and specifically.

  • Reaching People addresses outreach, discovering prospects, visitation, contacting, follow-up, witness training, VBS, etc.
  • Teaching People addresses curriculum, lesson planning, teaching styles, doctrine, room set-up, etc.
  • Ministering to People addresses the Care Group ministry, chronic absentees, benevolence, life issues, deaths, sicknesses, etc.
  • Leadership speaks to developing your leaders, enlisting and equipping new leaders, teamwork, appreciation, etc.
  • Administration covers things like records, room assignments, logistics for high attendance days, adding another Sunday School hour, ordering curriculum, etc.

3. A Purposeful Approach: Plan several meetings in advance so that you cover various aspects of Sunday School.  Then, plan each individual meeting with the end in mind.  Be able to fill in this statement: “At the conclusion of this meeting we will have accomplished…”  Remember, it is better not to have a meeting as to have a useless one.

At the end of each meeting your Sunday School should move closer to accomplishing the purpose of her existence.

Class Leadership Meetings That Work

Sunday School needs corporate planning, but she also needs individual class planning.  I have found that many classes need a structure from which to work in order to have a productive meeting.  We provide a sheet for each class as follows.

Five Major Categories in an Effective Planning Meeting

Outreach Planning, Lesson Planning, Ministry Planning, Administrative Planning, & Prayer Time.

Instructions

  • Arrange the five categories in your preferred sequence.
  • Indicate the amount of minutes to be used for each category.
  • Indicate the person(s) responsible to lead each individual category.
  • List the items (person, place, thing, etc.) needing discussion in each category.
  • List items to pray about.

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Category Minutes Person(s) Leading Items to Discuss
#1 Outreach 15 Outreach Leader Visitation Teams
Follow-up on Visitors
#2 Lesson 15 Teacher Intentional Group Discussion
Apprentice Teacher this week
#3 Ministry 10 Care Group Leaders Death in Smith Family
Paying electric bill for Jones Family
#4 Admin. 10 Secretary Help with Name Tags
Need Greeter at the door
#5 Prayer 10 Teacher God to raise up more Care Groups
When to birth a new class

Like a train, most people need a track to run on.  This chart allows the leader to fill in items to address as things come up from week-to-week in the class.  Therefore, the class leadership meeting will be productive in making the class operate more effectively.

____________________________

Allan Taylor is the Minister of Education at First Baptist Church Woodstock, GA.

 

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Leadership, Ministry, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching

Equipping Group Members

By Kiely Young · Comments (0)
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

“And He gave…some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry for the building up of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12

The challenge has not changed since Paul first gave it to the church at Ephesus…equip the saints!  And if we want our new groups to succeed, they must not only be prayerfully and properly enlisted, but they must be carefully equipped.

My friends in ministry, Dr. Lawrence Phipps, pastor of Vaughn Forest Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama,  along with Daniel Edmonds, Director of Sunday School and Discipleship for the Alabama Baptist Convention have develop an equipping strategy that we in Mississippi adopted and adapted with their permission.  It is calls Sunday School TEAMS, an acrostic representing leaders of Sunday School classes and small group Bible studies.

Teacher
Evangelism Leader
Administrative Leader
Ministry Leader
Service Leader

They have written a great manual Growing Sunday School TEAMS to share this strategy.  There are job descriptions for each position.  That has been the key for us.  Enlist with job descriptions and equip to and with the understanding of the job description given.  Theirs is a good example.  When we let leaders know what is expected and then equip them in the how-to-do what is expected, we will get far better results.

But that is just the beginning.  There must be continued equipping.  It would be great to have follow up training monthly for problem solving, future planning, ministry to/with members, and reaching new members. Wayne Poling has written an excellent resource piece Sunday School Manual which more ideas for continued leader equipping and problem solving.

Equipping the saints never ends, it should just get better.  It should get so good that we fulfill Paul’s challenge to young Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach other also.”

Let’s be faithful equippers, who can likewise be faithful equippers, who can be faithful equippers!
______________________

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

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Ministry, Organization, Sunday School

Enlisting Group Members to Serve

By Bob Wood · Comments (0)
Monday, January 9th, 2012

Lack of leaders is the number one concern I hear as I talk with church leaders.  Adult groups (Sunday School classes) are one of the best place to develop leaders.  When you enlist your group members to serve, you are developing new leaders.  Following are some ideas to help you encourage your members to serve.   These ideas focus on adult groups, but apply also to students (youth) and kids (with adaption).

Enlist an Apprentice

Every leader should have an apprentice.  An apprentice is not a substitute.  An apprentice is someone whom you are training on the job to do ministry.   He or she watches what you do, learns from you, practices ministry while you watch, and eventually goes out to serve by himself or herself.  For example, an apprentice teacher would teach once a month until he or she felt comfortable teaching a group of his or her own.  Whatever your place of leadership, enlist an apprentice.

Provide Places to Serve

Does your group provide places for members to serve?  Some leaders try to do it all alone and leave no place for others to serve.  Sometime we communicate that the only way to serve is as a “teacher.”  Organize your group with places for others to serve.   For example, organize your group with outreach leaders, ministry/care group leaders, prayer leaders, and fellowship leaders. (You can think of other ideas for ministry leaders also.)  When you organize your group for ministry, you give others opportunities to find fulfillment through ministry and at the same time accomplish more than you could ever do by yourself.

Know Your Members’ Giftedness

How well do you know your group members?  Do you know how God has gifted them?  Have you helped them discover their gifts?  People don’t find fulfillment by filling a slot; they find fulfillment when they use their gifts to serve God and others.  Help your members discover how God has gifted them.  Then help them find a place to use that giftedness in service.

Ask Members to Serve

Most persons won’t volunteer to serve; you have to ask them.  Don’t be afraid to ask person to serve.  People will appreciate being asked (even if they say, “No”).  Sometimes when you ask someone to serve in one area, he or she will decline that offer but volunteer to serve in another.  Often it helps to ask members to try out a place of service serve for a short time or to let them know they can resign at any time.  Remember, most persons won’t serve unless they are personally enlisted.

Encourage Members to Serve

As you lead your group, continually encourage your members to serve others.  Model service for them.  Help them find opportunities to serve.  Help them deal with issues that arise as they serve.  Celebrate service.  Make service to others a clear expectation for members in your group.  Ask them to serve and encourage them to serve.

What can you do to enhance the level of service among your members?

­­­­­­­­_______________________
Bob Wood serves the Baptist State Convention of Michigan in the areas of church strengthening and leadership development.

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Enlistment, Flake's Formula, Leadership, Sunday School
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