Archive for Organization – Page 4

Do More Than “Check Off the Squares”

By Marie Clark · Comments (0)
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012

Has this ever happened to you? After teaching a Bible study session, you mentally review the session:

  • Read all of the Scripture passage
  • Covered all the outline points
  • Used all of the planned teaching activities

So why do you feel like it didn’t make a difference with your members – that you were only “checking off the squares”?

I am an avid list-maker, but I have learned when teaching that it’s important to do more than check off the squares. God’s Word has the power to make a difference in people’s lives. And God has called me, as a teacher, to help others discover the truths of the Bible. I want to see lives transformed.

The following statement (author unknown) has helped me focus on what I want to happen during Bible study:  We aren’t just teaching the Bible; we are teaching people the Bible.

  • We aren’t just teaching the Bible—This first part focuses on biblical content, context, historical settings and customs. It’s easy for the session to become a history or literature lesson when Bible knowledge is the primary teaching aim
  • We are teaching people the Bible—This part of the statement is a reminder to consider the group members’ situations and needs. 1) Build relationships in order to know and minister to members. 2) Use content, context, and historical setting to provide a foundation for understanding what the Scripture is saying. 3) Also use teaching methods that help learners discover biblical truths for themselves personally. An encounter with God through His Word impacts how learners think and live. It makes a difference. Their lives are transformed!

One Idea for Transformational Teaching—How can a teacher go beyond teaching information to helping people experience transformation?  One key element is using stories. Teaching the grand story of the Bible is exciting, seeing how God’s story intersected with the peoples of ancient times. In addition, help members see how their personal stories fit into God’s story. Finally, provide opportunities for members to share their stories with each other for encouragement and inspiration. (Read more about using stories in the free download of The Discover Triad: Three Facets of a Dynamic Sunday School Class.)


Explore Transformational Teaching In-Depth—Obviously there are other elements in teaching for transformation. Watch for other blogs on this site. If you are within driving distance of Kansas City on August 25 or Atlanta (Dacula) on September 22, plan to attend the one-day TRANSFORM! Through Bible Teaching event. Go to www.lifeway.com/transform for registration and information. You won’t be sorry.

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Marie Clark is Team Leader for the Bible Teaching & Discipling Team, Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. In addition to her passion for helping people teach people the Bible, she also enjoys her grandchildren and working in the yard.

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Categories : Leadership, Ministry, Organization, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching, Training, Transformation

How to Effectively Group People in Sunday School/Small Groups

By Kenneth Priest · Comments (0)
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

There are several primary considerations for effectively organizing groups for Sunday School/Small Groups. Before developing your structure, account for the total active church membership. Second, determine whether the groups will be offered on-campus, off-campus, or both. Finally, evaluate community and church demographics. Once the primary considerations are determined, you can begin grouping people for effective community.

Grouping people effectively requires intentionality. Whether using on-campus or off-campus groups, focus should be given to creating genuine community. This is accomplished by modeling the biblical principles of Acts 2:42; “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.” (HCSB). When a group focuses on studying God’s Word, praying for one another, spending quality time getting to know one another, and meeting together consistently, an environment is cultivated for community. Once community is created, there is a natural attraction for persons to connect with the group. The genuine community which exists is a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Simple group dynamics state persons connect with others persons of affinity. Effective grouping, therefore, works best through these considerations. There are several options to group persons.

Age-grade

This category groups persons who are at the same age. Smaller churches typically have larger age-spans in these groups which creates part of the challenge in dynamics to grow a particular group. Twenties typically do not have much in common with forties, yet the smaller the congregation, a young adult class may span the ages of 20-49 year old. Whereas critical mass is important, a healthier balance may need to be considered with emphasis given to the group-size:age-graded ratio., (ratio is philosophical, most off-campus groups will be below 15, on-campus groups will vary in size based on leadership abilities).

Life-Stage

This category groups persons who are at a similar life-stage. This may be determined by age of the children, grandchildren, retirement, the fact of being a boomer, etc. An example is a group may be for parents of elementary age children. The effectiveness of this model is most persons are going through similar experiences whether professionally in the marketplace or personally in home life.

Note:  when using the age of the children to group parents, you may have older 40s in the class as persons who married and had children later in life compared to couples in their 20s or early thirties with the same age children. Using the age of children may disregard couples without children which are an ever-increasing portion of the population.

Interest

This category groups persons around interest. Categories may include men only, women only, sportsmen, outdoors men, marketplace women, etc. The effectiveness of this model is inherent in the “interest” itself. The challenge of this model is using the “interest” group to connect while keeping the study focused on God’s Word.

Proximity

There are two options in using off-campus groups. You may choose a similar structure as the on-campus for creating community groups centered around age, life-stages, and/or interest. The other option is proximity groups. If your demographics draw from all over the community, an off-campus group may be organized with persons who live in the same neighborhood or proximity. This option may bring together varied generations into community groups. This multi-generational approach creates inherent mentor-mentee relationship opportunities. A challenge to this approach is the participants do not have a common-bond of going through similar “life-stage” milestones together. A positive is an older person in the group has “been there, done that” and can share from his/her life experiences.

Effectiveness for either group, on-campus or off-campus, weighs on intentionality of the leadership team. Leadership development is core to either option succeeding. Leaders must be prepared and equipped to reproduce themselves as the group connects and grows. Effective groups have an outward focus. As group leaders insure all persons are connecting, caring environments are created and ministry occurs.

More information regarding this topic can be found in Missionary Sunday School by David Francis.

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Growing your Group, Leadership, Ministry, Organization, Space and Facilities, Sunday School

Basic Classroom Space Principles

By Tom Belew · Comments (0)
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

The kind and quality of space for a class or department has a significant impact on overall success of the class. At a minimum space should be clean, attractive and large enough for the current attendance plus a few guests. Age-appropriate furniture and equipment should be in the room depending on the classes or departments using the space. The following chart provides some basic guidelines for the amount of space needed per person by groups:

Access to space is another important concern. Parents with preschoolers and older adult need the space to be convenient to parking, with ground level access.

Adult and student rooms are best painted in soft, neutral colors with a color accent wall or trim. Carpet is the preferred floor covering. The room needs a focal wall with a whiteboard or chalkboard, as well as, chairs for participants and table(s) if there is adequate space. The focal wall needs open space for posters. There should be a cabinet or open shelf for basic supplies. It is a good idea to have a few extra Bibles in the room.

Preschool and children’s rooms are best painted in soft, neutral colors with a color accent wall or trim. The furniture should be age-appropriate. There should be a focal wall or bulletin board for displays with the exception of younger preschoolers. Preschool rooms are set up by activity areas with the exception of babies and 1’s. Preschool rooms need a water source and restroom in the room or nearby. The preferred floor covering is carpet with the exception of vinyl floors for babies-1’s.

Caring for preschoolers includes providing a clean environment where the child can explore, create, learn and play. That means toys, teaching materials, equipment, walls and floors need to be clean and ready for the child. It is important to be aware of cleaning procedures and hygiene practices to ensure a safe and clean environment for the child. For recommended hygiene practices visit http://www.lifeway.com/Article/childhood-ministry-basics.

In conclusion, I want to share some common shortfalls I find when consulting with churches. Entrances and doors are not clearly marked. Today, it is highly important to have a visible registration/check-in process for preschoolers. Preschool rooms often have too many and inappropriate toys (they can produce

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a safety hazard or might be unrelated to teaching). It is common to find outdated displays and posters on walls and bulletin boards. I find furniture with sharp edges or broken tables and chairs still in use. Often, I find rooms filled with lots of equipment and other items unrelated to its use(s). Learn to think like a guest; look around your room to see if anything would catch a guest’s attention. When we are expecting guests at home we clean house. Why don’t we do that at church? Maybe we are not expecting guests?
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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, Organization, Space, Space and Facilities, Sunday School

Space for the Kids

By Richard Nations · Comments (1)
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

The most important areas in a church building are the Sunday School rooms for the preschoolers and children.  Some might want to argue that point, but it’s important that the kids ministry area be top quality.

This is the area of the church that should be well-equipped and should “shine” as you enter the area.  When young families with children come to the church for the first time, they are evaluating the preschool and children space as they drop their children off for Sunday School and for preschool care during worship times.

Unfortunately some churches allow these areas to become cluttered, outdated and are placed in less than convenient areas of the church educational facilities.  Don’t let that happen.  Lead your Sunday School ministry to make preschool and children’s space a priority instead of an add-on.

There are several reasons for doing so.  Here’s a list of a few:

  • Preschoolers and children need more space than youth and adults (it is recommended that preschool rooms have 35 square feet per child and children’s rooms have 25 square feet per child).  This may seem like a lot, but preschoolers need room crawl and toddle around.  Children are active and need some space to move and do activities during Sunday School teaching times.
  • Parents are taking note.  If it’s not clean or updated, they probably won’t feel comfortable leaving their children in that room.  Make sure the floor coverings are clean and modern.  Have bright lighting and colorful painted and decorated walls.  Check the safety of the furnishings and equipment.  In recent years there have been new federal safety guidelines issued for baby cribs so make sure the cribs meet these standards.
  • If the preschool and children’s areas are in an inconvenient place or not near the worship center, consider doing a swap with other age groups.  With the exception of the senior adult classes (which should also be on a main level near the worship center) you could possibly arrange for adults or youth to be further away or on other levels of the facility.  Parents want their children fairly close by and they like the ease of dropping off children soon after they enter the building, so try to have preschool/children rooms in convenient areas.
  • It’s about the kids!  When Sunday School ministry started in the late 1700’s in England, it was a ministry for children.  Don’t forget the kids.  When children come to Sunday School, it is often an easy step or two to also reach their parents.

If you need to review the safety and security of your kids ministry facilities, here’s a link to a document  you can download.

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Richard Nations is the Church Health Team Leader at the Baptist Convention of Iowa.  Reach him at rnations@bciowa.org.

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Flake's Formula, Organization, Space and Facilities

Add Supporting Leaders as you Grow

By Daniel Edmonds · Comments (0)
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

In starting a new adult group, one could begin with as few as one or two leaders. Numerous classes have been started through the years with a willing teacher and a list of prospects. On the other end of the spectrum, some start classes with a much larger number of leaders and members. Wherever you are on the spectrum, do not miss the opportunity to add supporting leaders as you grow.

Arthur Flake in his book, The True Functions of the Sunday School, speaks of the Sunday School as the employment agency of the church: “With proper executive leadership any Sunday school in any church can be so organized that a place of useful, joyous service may be made for every member of the church (42).” Flake even responds to those who say we should not rush people into a place of service; “It is false reasoning to say that they cannot serve until they have grown in Christian experience. Jesus used the twelve when they were yet immature (32-33).” Giving people an opportunity to discover and grow into the good work for which they have been created is not being “pushy” (Ephesians 2:10).

I co-authored a book with Dr. Lawrence Phipps, Growing Sunday School TEAMS, in which we demonstrated how to help people discover their place in the Body of Christ through “building Bible study groups in the church.” The invitation is for everyone to discover their place on one of the TEAMS. A modern picture of the Body of Christ is a team of people with a variety of gifts, talents, and abilities coming together to accomplish a mission. The five major positions are Teaching, Evangelism, Administration, Ministry, and Service. A variety of roles are available in each position to enable every member an opportunity to grow and serve. Each position should provide “entry-level tasks” so that new members can serve. I have posed the question to leaders, “If a non-believer began to attend your class, would there be an opportunity for that person to serve?” Watching people come to know Christ because they served in a mission project alongside believers who shared their faith is a true joy.

As you add supporting leaders, you are allowing people to take a “baby-step” toward a life-time of service in the Kingdom. These supporting leaders will have the opportunity to grow into the key leaders of the near future.

Arthur Flake said, “As it was in New Testament times, so it is today. In all our churches we have capable people of varied gifts and talents who, if enlisted and trained, will be able to do valiant service for Christ. Let us see how all these may be utilized in a practical way through service in our Sunday schools (34).”
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Daniel Edmonds, State Missionary, Office of Sunday School & Discipleship, Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

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