Archive for Mission – Page 4

ENLARGE THE ORGANIZATION

By Dr. Tim S. Smith · Comments (1)
Friday, August 24th, 2012

This is day 24 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School

It was my privilege, 30+ years ago, to serve as the BSU president at two colleges as well as the president for Georgia.  At one of the colleges it became very clear to me that if we were going to increase the involvement of the students, we needed to revamp the leadership structure.  I did my homework and made my presentation.  We needed to create new positions of responsibility and have different levels of leadership structure.  I can still hear the campus minister saying, “But we don’t have that many kids in BSU!”  My response was, “I know and that’s why we have to enlarge the organization.”  We created the new positions, prayed for those that would take the positions and personally enlisted and trained them. Within one year the BSU had tripled in attendance.

I had learned this basic principle in Sunday School leadership.  In 1920, Arthur Flake became the first leader of the Sunday School Department of the Baptist Sunday School Board, which is now called LifeWay Christian Resources.  Flake was the author of what eventually became known as Flake’s Formula: (1) know the possibilities, (2) enlarge the organization, (3) provide space and equipment, (4) enlist the leaders, and (5) go after the people.

If your Sunday School is to be the best at outreach, ministry, fellowship and teaching, then it must be constantly enlarging the organization.  It should be noted that the organization is to be enlarged prior to the new people arriving!  Too many churches have the mentality that they will start new classes and enlist new leaders after the new people show up.  It does not work that way!  If you wait until the new people come before enlarging the organization then more than likely you will never enlarge the organization.

As we think about enlarging the organization, the first place to start is with the correct number of leaders.  You need to determine what your current leader to learner ratio is by dividing the enrollment by the number of leaders.  The leader to learner ratio varies for each age group.

Class/Department Leader-to-Learner Ratio

  • Babies – Two Year Olds: one to three
  • Three Year Olds – Kindergarten: one to five
  • Grades 1 – 6: one to six
  • Grades 7 – 12: one to eight
  • Adults: one to five

The next element of enlarging the organization is to have the correct number of classes.  Again, you need to determine your present reality by dividing the enrollment by the number of classes.  Each age group is different.

Class/Department Class-to-Member Ratio

  • Babies – Two Year Olds: one to twelve
  • Three Year Olds – Kindergarten: one to twenty
  • Grades 1 – 6: one to twenty
  • Grades 7 – 12: one to fifteen
  • Adults: one to twenty-four

In conclusion, enlarge the organization prior to new people coming, make sure you have the correct leader to learner ratio and, finally, make sure you have the correct class to membership ratio.

__________________________
Dr. Tim S. Smith serves as a state missionary with the Georgia Baptist Convention and is the Sunday School & Open Groups Specialist of the Sunday School/Open Group Ministries.  Visit their website at ssog.gabaptist.org for more information and other resources to aid your Sunday School.

 

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Categories : 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School, Bible Study, Flake's Formula, Group Life, Growing your Group, Leadership, Learning, Ministry, Mission, New Groups, Organization, Outreach/Evangelism, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching

Know Your Possibilities

By David Bond · Comments (0)
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

This is day 23 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School

 

At the first church that I served as a staff person, we enlisted a relatively new church member as our Sunday School director. He had come from a larger church in a nearby town and had success in leading a growing Sunday School. He approached his new role with confidence and enthusiasm, implementing several new ideas into the ministry. One of them was to organize and promote a high attendance day with a goal – that he came up with on his own – of having 300 people in attendance.

The big challenge was that the church had never in its history had a Sunday with 200 in attendance let alone 300. Unfazed, our Sunday School director held to his lofty goal. When the big day arrived, the actual Sunday School attendance was the highest the church had ever had . . . yet, there was disappointment at having “failed” to reach the goal. Knowing the actual possibilities would have helped our Sunday School director set a goal that was challenging yet attainable, offering him the opportunity to motivate leaders, create momentum, and celebrate a victory.

Knowing the possibilities helps Sunday School leaders set goals and chart a course for growth both in the short and long term. Here are some sources of information that will assist in this endeavor.

Community Demographics
Census data reveals raw population numbers and other descriptive pieces of information. But a demographic report can also reveal trends and changes in types of families in your area, population based on proximity to your church, and even religious affiliation of homes near your church. Your state convention may be able to not only provide this type of information, but help you interpret and apply it to your Sunday School grouping strategy.

SS Class Rolls
Conducting an annual examination of your class rolls will also help understand possibilities for growth. Knowing not only how many have fallen out of regular attendance but also who they are and what life stage or family make-up they represent will give you clues toward what new groups need to be considered in your Sunday School organization.

Unique Attenders per Month
While we regularly calculate average Sunday School attendance, one often overlooked piece of information is the number of different people that attend Sunday School in a given month. For example, a class that averages 20 in attendance likely does not have the same 20 every week. In fact, the class may have 30 different people that attend at least once a month. If half of the marginal attenders are more intentionally connected to and cared for by the class to the point that their attendance increases to 2-3 times per month, the average attendance will increase proportionately. When this happens, other fruit such as personal spiritual disciplines, service, giving, and

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witnessing are more likely to increase as well.

Prospects and Potentials
A final group that helps define the possibilities are those in the past year who have been guests

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in worship services, attended special events, had children in Vacation Bible School, had students involved in youth ministry, or were connected through a community ministry. David Francis also suggests encouraging classes to make lists of their FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors) as a way of identifying those who have a relational connection to people already in Sunday School. This list gives classes a great start in conducting intentional outreach.
____________________
David Bond
Arkansas Baptist State Convention

 

 

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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, Outreach/Evangelism, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching, Training, Vacation Bible School

The Role of Sunday School & the Impact on Family

By Chris Shirley · Comments (0)
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

In the LifeWay training guide, Missionary Sunday School, David Francis referred to a 1888 speech by Henry Clay Trumbull to emphasize that what goes around, comes around. In an address at Yale University Divinity School, Trumbull argued that “’family education’ was indeed stronger where Sunday Schools operated effectively.” To prove his point, Trumbull cited surveys indicating that “students entering university from upper-class families who did not ‘send their kids to Sunday School’ were far less biblically literate… than students from less fortunate families who attended Sunday School.” The implication is that Sunday School was an important and essential partner in family discipleship in the 19th century, and it remains so today.

The role of Sunday School and its impact on the family is much debated in the halls of church leadership today. On one end of the spectrum are those who would abolish Sunday School and placed the entire responsibility for spiritual training in the hands of the parents; on the other end are those who contend that children are better trained in a church-based program. Most leaders find themselves somewhere between the two points, trying to figure out how to leverage the best of what we do in Sunday School to support the efforts of parents to be the spiritual leaders God has called them to be.

Can I propose that one of the best strategies for training parents is adult Sunday School? If we intend to prepare the next generation of children to follow Christ faithfully and advance the Kingdom forcefully, they will need parents who are being well trained for this awesome responsibility. The effective adult Sunday School class is a place where parents can learn and respond to the word of God in a systematic and consistent process, develop a network of strong and supportive relationships to encourage them during the victories and the difficult times, and reach other parents with a gospel message that will impact their children as well.

Let’s examine each of these benefits:

Learning and Responding to the Word of God: In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the Lord issues His first command to the children of Israel; He called them to love Him completely and to teach their children to do the same. This process would entail learning and responding (obeying) to His commands and then teaching these commands to the next generation. An effective Sunday School offers adults the opportunity to come together once a week for the purpose of intentional and interactive Bible study. The disciple-making process that starts in Sunday School should extend into the home. Parents who are solidly equipped in the Word will be more confident and capable of leading their children to love the Lord and respond to His love by obeying His commands.

Developing a Network of Strong and Supportive Relationships:
The importance of the relational component of Sunday School cannot be understated. Parents are faced with a monumental task as they bring children into the world and seek to raise healthy, well-adjusted sons and daughters. The Christian parent is even more challenged: to lead their children to faith in Jesus Christ and disciple them to become devoted followers of the Lord. These tasks cannot be accomplished in isolation; parents need the help and support of other parents.

To this end, the adult Sunday School serves as a weekly connection point for parents. A Sunday School class can become a “band of brothers (and sisters)” who care for one another, minister to each other, and provide mutual support during the good times and the bad. As minister of education at Wedgwood Baptist in Fort Worth, I saw this benefit in action. A few years ago, we started a “youth parents” class that was specifically designed for parents of teenagers who needed the encouragement and support of others like themselves. Some of these parents were going through difficult situations with their teenagers, and they knew of other parents in the community who could also benefit from a class like this. This group became a “safe harbor” for parents who needed the comfort, encouragement, and friendship of those who were making the same journey.

Reaching Other Parents with the Gospel: Children can learn how to lead a missional life by watching the example of their parents. Parents who take seriously their part in the Great Commission are powerful role models for their children. If adults are consistently and naturally sharing the gospel, their children are going to be more likely to do the same. The adult Sunday School class not only serve as a center for evangelistic training, but it can also be a “sending agency” as well. When adults commit to a missionary mindset in Sunday School, they will be witnessing in the harvest field during the week and inviting other parents to be a part of their Sunday School ministry. When mothers and fathers are won to Christ, their transformation will influence their children and extended family as well.

Age-segregated Sunday School has developed a bad reputation among family ministry proponents, and rightly so if segregation is leading parents to abdicate their God-given responsibility for spiritual leadership. Adult Sunday School is not, and should not be, a place to escape parental responsibility. Rather, it should be the parent’s best resource for developing disciples in life and disciple-makers at home.

____________________
Chris Shirley serves as Assistant Professor of Adult Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served at Minister of Education at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas from 1997-2007

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

LITERATURE DISTRIBUTION DAY

By Dr. Tim S. Smith · Comments (0)
Monday, August 20th, 2012

This is day 20 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School.

TimSmithHere’s an idea that you can use with your adult classes that will aid in ministry contacts and Bible study.

Churches have been using this idea for years and I’ve always heard positive results.  It will require an investment of time on your part in order to be adequately prepared as well as some financial resources to provide all that is needed.   The idea is to conduct a Sunday School Literature Distribution Day.

You will need to order enough copies of your Bible Study Learner’s Guide for each member or at least every couple to get a copy.  Plan to conduct the literature distribution day on the Saturday morning prior to the first Sunday of a new quarter.  It will be very important to promote this at least two weeks prior to the date.  Encourage as many of your members as possible to attend and make it a fellowship time by providing a big breakfast.

The week prior to the Literature Distribution Day, it is essential that either pre-printed or hand-written labels are adhered to the front of the Learner’s Guides.  Again, every member or every couple should have their name(s), address, phone number, and if possible, driving directions attached to the Learner’s Guide.

On the Saturday morning of the Literature Distribution Day enjoy the good fellowship around the table with the big home-made breakfast.  Following the fellowship time, the first step in the process is to distribute the Learner’s Guides to those that are present that morning.  The second step is for each class to distribute the remaining materials to all those present in order for them to make home visits later that  morning and deliver the new quarter’s Bible study materials.

Instruct your members to make quick visits.  Encourage them to say, “We came by today to bring you the new Bible Study Learner’s Guide that our class will be covering this quarter and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”  If no one is at home instruct your members to leave the Learner’s Guide in a safe and dry location with a hand-written note stating the same as above.  It would also be a good idea to call and leave a message for those not at home.

If there are materials that cannot be delivered on the day of the literature distribution, encourage class members to keep trying during week, but to also bring the Learner’s Guides with them on Sunday.  Those that are missed on Saturday may show up on Sunday!

Get in the habit of doing the Literature Distribution Day every quarter.  I know that it will improve the fellowship of your class as well as the Bible study.

_________________________
Dr. Tim S. Smith serves as a state missionary with the Georgia Baptist Convention and is the Sunday School & Open Groups Specialist of the Sunday School/Open Group Ministries.  Visit their website at ssog.gabaptist.org for more information and other resources to aid your Sunday School.

 

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

The Value of Bible Study and Christian Literature

By Marie Clark · Comments (1)
Sunday, August 19th, 2012

This is day 19 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School.

Printed Christian Literature has been an important tool in the growth of both the Sunday School movement and the modern missionary movement, which gained momentum in the late 18th century. In the early days on the frontier where so few books were available to the poor and destitute, the Bible, tracts, and devotional guides were treasured.

A Sunday School with a missionary mindset will discover many values of the literature. Christian publishers today continue this ministry. The Internet, digital publishing, and other advances are changing the way literature is delivered. But the content is still being delivered.

The Bible continues to be the best seller among books, a position it has held for decades. The Bible allows people to read and hear God’s message directly for themselves, be drawn to Him for salvation, or engage in extended times of reading and study. Comparing different translations helps clarify the meaning. Many churches choose to give each child a Bible when they reach a certain milestone, such as entering 4th grade.

Christian tracts containing the plan of salvation have been used as witnessing tools for at least a century. Tracts based on other topics have been effective in initiating spiritual conversations, offering comfort, encouraging a person who is discouraged or without hope, or explaining steps of obedience to God.

Christian fiction is important among leisure reading. In addition to wholesome themes, the stories help the reader focus on godly traits and moral truths. Identifying with a strong Christian character can stretch the reader and cause him or her to evaluate their own life.  

Devotional guides come in many formats such as magazines, books, or part of the weekly Bible study curriculum. Even if a person does not have a devotional time every day, these resources remind and encourage them to work towards that goal.

Christian magazines are attractive because they are targeted to specific people groups—parents, teens, men, women, kids, sportsmen, and more.

Bible study guides and other Christian books enrich the heart of Bible teaching.  Learners can “study the lesson” before or after a session, teachers receive preparation helps, and Christian books can help enlighten and dig deeper. Here is a recent example:

Last week I met Rob, who began attending our church’s Sunday School and worship about six weeks ago. As my husband and I visited with him over a potluck dinner, Rob told his story. He had attended church sporadically as a kid and young adult. In his words, he considered himself a “half-time Christian.” Then he read a Christian book emphasizing that being a Christian means having a personal relationship with Jesus. Rob said, “Suddenly I ‘got it.’ I became a Christian this past February and began visiting churches. Here at this church I have a sense of belonging. And I love the Bible study and discussions in my class. I’m excited about being a Christian.”
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Marie Clark has served as the Bible Teaching and Discipling Team Leader for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists since 1996.

 

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Categories : 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School, Bible Study, Evangelism, Group Life, Leadership, Learning, Ministry, Mission, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching
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