Archive for Flake’s Formula – Page 4

Enlist and Train Leaders for Sunday School Growth

By Darryl Wilson · Comments (1)
Sunday, January 8th, 2012

This month, we are focusing upon five areas of Sunday School growth that have become known as Flake’s Formula: (1) know the possibilities, (2) enlarge the organization, (3) provide space and equipment, (4) enlist and train leaders, and (5) go after the people. It is important to “know the possibilities” in five contexts: spiritual, church body, church facility, community, and century (see Flake’s Formula for Sunday School Growth: Know the Possibilities). Prior to enlisting and training workers, we should enlarge the organization in these ways: pray and dream big, organize for the next stage, add more workers, start new classes, and reduce the span of care.

For those we enlist, we should provide appropriate space and equipment for Sunday School growth in five areas: enough rooms, enough space, adequate space, adequate equipment, and avoiding too much equipment. In this post, I will focus on ways to enlist and train leaders needed in a growing Sunday School:

  • DO PREVIOUS STEPS FIRST. Without knowing the possibilities, enlarging the organization, and providing space and equipment first, you can enlist frustrated leaders. They can be placed without prayer, without a need, in the wrong place, or without a room that is ready. The previous steps seek God’s leadership to accomplish the purpose of reaching, teaching, and caring for people in the church and community. The previous steps seek to add direction and intentionality to enlisting leaders.
  • ENLIST PROPERLY. There are many wrong reasons for enlisting leaders, such as guilt, pressure, and low expectations. There are also many wrong methods for enlistment, such as hallway, too little information, fast decision, and more. Ideal enlistment seeks God’s leadership from the beginning and seeks God-called leaders for specific areas of responsibility and need. Enlist prayerfully. Enlist leaders personally, face-to-face. Enlist with job descriptions. Communicate expectations and available resources. Commit to provide help and support.
  • PROVIDE TRAINING. Provide training for every Sunday School leader enlisted–from teacher to class leaders. Provide training prior to service (or immediately after enlistment) and during the year. Provide training resources to encourage ongoing training. Lift up essentials for effectiveness.  Training should also be provided at regularly-scheduled planning meetings.
  • COACH TO SUCCESS. The ideal person to enlist a leader is the person who will be coaching them. In a medium-sized Sunday School, the Sunday School director would enlist and coach department/age group directions who would enlist and coach teachers who would enlist and coach class leaders. For effective coaching, the coach should be responsible for no more than 3-5 leaders. When there are more persons to coach than that, then another coach should be enlisted. As an example, the adult department director will meet with his/her five teachers individually each month. When a new teacher is enlisted, the coach will meet briefly weekly with the teacher (in person or by phone) during the first six weeks and then every other week for the next six weeks and then monthly thereafter. The coach will ask what is going well and what they would like to go differently. The coach will listen, encourage, and assist. In a small Sunday School, the pastor and Sunday School director may serve as the coaches.
  • APPRENTICE TO STAY AHEAD. Every leader in a growing Sunday School (from director to teacher to class leaders) should spend time each year praying for, observing, assigning, officially enlisting, and training an apprentice. An apprentice is not a substitute. An apprentice is a person who will be released into service. A growing Sunday School will depend on having leaders ready and available at various times throughout the year.

In order to grow in the best possible way, follow the steps. Prayerfully enlist properly. Provide training and coach to success. Invest annually in apprentices. Expect, enlist for, and train for growth.

For more ideas about Sunday School enlistment, check out these blog posts:

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Darryl Wilson has served as Director of the Sunday School Department for the Kentucky Baptist Convention since 1997. He served as Minister of Education in five churches in Kentucky and South Carolina. He is the author of The Sunday School Revolutionary!, a blog about life-changing Sunday School and small groups.

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Categories : Enlistment, Flake's Formula, Training

Know Your Church

By David Bond · Comments (0)
Friday, January 6th, 2012

Flake’s Formula for Sunday School growth is all about proven principles that have stood the test of time. But knowing the right principles is only the first step. The next and perhaps even more important step is taking the time to understand how to implement these principles in your unique church context. Consider how the following ten aspects of your church can provide helpful information for designing an effective Sunday School strategy.

1. Worship Attendees: Who is attending Sunday morning worship but not Sunday School? Is there a certain age group, family make-up, or other characteristic that stands out? A new group or two may be identified from this population.

2. Sunday School Rolls: Careful examination of your rolls can reveal what people groups are attending and not attending, where “groups within the group” may be hiding, and what classes have matured beyond the listed description.

3. Class Structure: Take a fresh look at what groups are available at your church. Are there noticeable gaps in the line-up? Are there people groups who would have trouble easily understanding what group to attend if they visited your church?

4. Leadership Roster: How long have your current leaders been serving in their respective positions? When was the last time that new leaders were placed into service and what training have any of them received in the last year?

5. Longtime Leaders:

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Great insight can be obtained by talking with those who have proven their love for Sunday School through years of dedicated service. What would they say is the mission of the Sunday School in your church? What do they see as its strengths and needs?

6. Church Calendar and Attendance Patterns: What are some of the historic “big days” in your church? What do the typical attendance patterns look like? Are there unique local factors that contribute? This information will help you plan emphases and training opportunities.

7. Current Church Schedule: How many hours per week does your church hold services or other functions at which everyone is expected to attend? What freedom exists within your current schedule to allow for leader training and possibly alternative class meeting times?

8. Current Church Ministries: Does your church have ministries organized for prayer, outreach, member care, or ministry service? Consider how these may be incorporated into the Sunday School in order to maximize involvement and use of time.

9. Church Member Work Schedules: Is there a portion of your congregation who is required to work on Sunday morning? They might attend a group offered at another time. Are Sunday School leaders also working in other ministries on Sunday or Wednesday nights? This will affect their availability for training.

10. Pastor: What is the pastor’s view on the use of Sunday School as the disciple-making strategy for the church? His understanding of the work of the Sunday School and his public support is essential to its success.

Know your church so that your Sunday School can reach its fullest potential.

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

Know Your People Group

By Mark Miller · Comments (1)
Thursday, January 5th, 2012

During a recent hair cut appointment, the lady who styles my hair shared that her and her husband had found a Sunday School class.  They had just started visiting my church and I inquired what made you choose this class.  The class was a class that my wife had attended for a while. She shared that the class was made of bikers and that her husband love to ride.  Consequently, one reason my wife chose not to stay in the class is because too much time was spent talking and planning for Bike rides.  The Bikers loved the class and the non-biker didn’t.  This group was great at reaching people who loved to ride.

For years before God started opening the door for me to preach in various churches, I taught a Sunday School class.  Through the years, we had many guests to the Sunday School class.  Despite my excellent teaching (ha), not every guest chose to remain in the class.  I noticed through the years that the guests that chose to remain usually had three main characteristics: First, they had children of the same ages as my regular attenders.  Second, they enjoyed an interactive teaching style.  Third, the husband loved to hunt and fish.  As a class, we began to target guests and prospects that made up this people group.

Both of these classes took advantage of the church growth principles of homogeneity and receptivity.  Through the years, I have heard people argue against these two principles, but in reality, human beings largely associate with people that are like them.  Facebook recognizes these principles and even recommends friends based on common characteristics.  Such as this person might be a friend because they grew up in your hometown, graduated from your college, or have the same hobbies or interests.

“Targeting” is a key component of growing a Sunday School.  Classes must understand who they are seeking to reach and make a strong commitment to reach that group.   Create new classes or groups to reach unreached groups or groups that the current organization has not proven to be effective in reaching.  A Sunday School director should develop a directory that clearly identifies the people groups, age groups, or life stages that serve as the primary target for each class.

Teachers, know your people group.  Pastors and Sunday School Leaders, know the people groups that your church currently reaches, easily could reach, and those groups that might require Kingdom partnerships with other churches and ministries to effectively reach your community.  The goal is to proclaim Christ to every people group, so that every man, woman, and child may be presented perfect in Christ.

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

Are you having trouble relating to your neighbors?

By Tom Belew · Comments (0)
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

A Sunday School can easily lose its edge of effectiveness if it loses touch with the community it intends to reach. In the following paragraphs I will share a few things I have found helpful in knowing your community. They include:

  • Prayer Walking
  • Windshield Tours
  • Interviewing Community Leaders
  • Demographic Study

Prayer Walking – Today, many churches and classes have found it valuable to develop a strategy to prayer walk their community. Nothing substitutes for what leaders and members will notice in the neighborhood when they slowly move through it street by street. Over the years, I have discovered ministry opportunities in the form of poverty, children and apartments. Prayer walking provides focused prayer and surface ministry opportunities.

Windshield Tours – Early in my ministry, my wife and I did a lot of door-to-door surveying. Every effective effort began with mapping the area. The second step was to take the map and drive down all the streets counting the number of housing units. This process reveals traffic patterns, unnoticed housing, areas where children and senior’s live and opportunities for ministering. Your neighborhood will look different after a windshield tour.

Interviewing Community Leaders – Your church is not the only organization concerned about your community. To get the “under the hood” view of your community some interviews are in order. Set up interviews with school principals, the police department, the fire department, the mayor and a few other key community leaders. Ask these leaders about the major in your

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issues in our community, the needs of (children, youth, seniors), and where they could use some help.

Demographic Study – From my rich consulting experience, I have learned demographics can help a church get the big picture and see the potential. Here are some questions to guide your demographic study:

  • How many people live in the church area?
  • Is the population in the church area growing or declining? At what rate?
  • What is the ethnic diversity in the church area? Is there an ethnic group that warrants a new Sunday School, Bible study class or new work?
  • How much lifestyle diversity is in the church area?
  • What are the major generational groups in the area? Are the generational groups growing or declining?
  • How traditional are the family structures (two-parent families, blended families, single parent, single)?
  • How educated are the adults? Does this reveal ministry concerns or opportunities?
  • What is the blend of home owners, renters, and vacant properties? What are the ratios for housing structures (single family home, apartments, group quarters, etc.)? What does this tell you about your community?
  • How does the average household income and individual income affected ministry in your area?
  • What can be learned from information about occupations (professional, service industry, blue collar, academic)? What percent of women are in the work force?

Answering these questions can quickly surface people and places with potential for new Bible studies or Sunday School opportunities.

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Tom Belew has served as Small Groups and Childhood Specialist for the California Southern Baptist Convention since 2002. He previously served as Minister of Education in churches in Arizona and California.

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Ministry, Outreach/Evangelism, Sunday School

Know the Possibilities

By Dwight Moss · Comments (0)
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Exactly what Arthur Flake was getting at when he arrived at the first point of his “Formula” could be debated but the simple fact is that before we begin attempting to grow our Sunday Schools, we must understand what possibilities lie before us.  I am not talking about what we, as leaders, in our own strength, can do either.  I am referring to what God can and will do through us if we are surrendered to Him.

All five elements of Flake’s Formula stand on their own and they each provide strength to one another also.  But as we look at each element, we have to remember that there are possibilities to look for and to plan for in every area of the formula-leader enlistment, training, meeting space demands, and evangelism.

Obviously, if we live in a metro area with thousands or hundreds of thousands of people within a few miles, the opportunities to reach more people is greater than if we are located in the middle of the mountains of Montana.  So, one of the first things we have to look at is the possibilities of our prospect pool.

Secondly, whether we are in an area where the possibilities of numbers are great or small, we still always need to look at our leadership possibilities.  Do we have people who can soon be put in leadership roles?  Are they strong in their walk with the Lord?  Are they on board with the overall philosophy of our church’s leadership?  Have we looked “outside the box” for what space needs we might have as we grow?  As we look at the possibility of an increase in attenders and leaders, are we considering the increase in budgetary needs in the area of curriculum costs?  Also regarding finances, are we prepared to meet the needs of our children-toys, baby beds, snacks, craft materials, etc?   Have we allowed for the training of our leaders and the possibilities of alternative methods?

One of the key elements of knowing the possibilities of your Sunday School is vision.  What sort of vision do we, as a Sunday School leaders, have for our own Sunday School?  It will never exceed our own vision for it.  None of our leaders will see farther than we will.  Have we let God’s Spirit seize our hearts for what He wants to do?  Not every Sunday school will be a large Sunday School but every Sunday School can be a great Sunday School.

Finally, knowing the possibilities is not the end; acting upon the things God shows us is where not only the work begins but also is where the rewards begin.  We need to begin by knowing and acting on the possibilities for our own specific Sunday Schools.

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Organization, Outreach/Evangelism, Sunday School
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