Archive for Training – Page 4

Stephen Paxson: Sunday School Missionary

By Marie Clark · Comments (0)
Sunday, August 5th, 2012

This is the second post for 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School. Chick here to view the previous article.

Today I pulled out my Nook and reread the short biography* (only 80 pages) on the life work of Stephen Paxson, Sunday school missionary.  It’s a fascinating—and amazing—story of God’s work through one individual (see the last paragraph). Stephen Paxson truly modeled principles, which he had to figure out on his own, of a missionary Sunday School.

He was born in 1808 into poverty, was lame, had a stutter, and was uneducated. On his first day of school, he was so excited he could not even state his name or age because of his stutter. The children laughed, and the stern teacher sent him home with a note to not come back until he learned to talk. He never had a chance to go to school again. Yet, he had a bright inquiring mind that drove him to ALWAYS BE LEARNING.  By looking at shop signs and asking questions, he taught himself the alphabet and how to read haltingly.

He married and began a family. He was very sociable, and he also yearned to have books, but the thought of God was not in his heart. He was fond of worldly pleasures, and especially of dancing despite being lame.

In 1830, Stephen’s oldest child Mary was sent by her mother to a Sunday school begun by the American Sunday School Union. Mary persuaded her father to attend one Sunday in response to a challenge to BRING A FRIEND. Though Stephen had never attended a Sunday school before, the superintendent asked him to substitute in a class of teenage boys! With the boys’ help, he made it through that first class. He attended for four years without missing a Sunday, was converted, and united with the church where his wife attended. HIS LIFE WAS TRANSFORMED THROUGH BIBLE TEACHING! Life took on new meaning as he began to study with diligence and success.

Because of his newfound PASSION, he soon determined to help other destitute people have the same experience. On weekends he began to visit various school-houses within reach to start or revive a school. His influence extended for miles around so that he was called on for assistance in Sunday school work all over nearby counties to TRAIN THE VOLUNTEER LEADERS.

In 1848, God provided for Stephen’s desire to give more than one day a week to planting Sunday Schools. The American Sunday School Union employed him as a Sunday School missionary in the Mississippi Valley. When he came to a neighborhood where there was no Sunday school, he made PERSONAL CONTACTS by visiting each family to INVITE them to an organizational meeting, INSTRUCT them in the best methods of conducting a school, and to PROVIDE CURRICULUM through the Sunday school libraries purchased by the community.

Stephen took advantage of any opportunity to TALK ABOUT SUNDAY SCHOOL. While passing through a town one Fourth of July, he was invited to give a patriotic speech. He explained that was not what he did, but he would give them a Sunday school speech. After a rousing speech, he asked the enthusiastic crowd for one person from each small settlement where there was no Sunday school to give him their name and the name of their school house. Then he PUT HIS PLAN INTO ACTION! Armed with the list of 30 names, in a few short weeks he had a flourishing school in each of them.

On return visits to the Sunday schools to ENCOURAGE AND ASSIST LEADERS, Stephen Paxson often found the fledgling Sunday schools had LED TO NEW CHURCHES. Despite his many personal sacrifices of being away from family for long periods, low pay, facing opposition, or difficult travel conditions, he knew his mission was resulting in TRANSFORMED LIVES. Over and over in later years, he encountered pastors and successful business men who said, “I was one of the boys you enlisted to come to that new Sunday school and it changed my life. Thank you, Mr. Paxson.”

Over a forty year period, Stephen Paxson crisscrossed the Mississippi Valley in a horse and buggy. He started 1314 Sunday schools containing 83,405 pupils and teachers, besides encouraging and aiding 1767 other Sunday schools with 131,260 pupils and teachers.

*Read the whole story and be inspired: A Fruitful Life: a Narrative of the Adventures and Missionary Labors of Stephen Paxson, by B. Paxson Drury.
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Marie Clark has served as Bible Teaching & Discipling Team Leader for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists since 1996.

 

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Categories : 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School, Learning, Ministry, Mission, New Groups, Sunday School, Teaching, Training

Principles for Transformational Small Group Bible Study

By Phil Stone · Comments (1)
Thursday, July 19th, 2012

This is article seven of a ten part series. Click here to view the previous article.

Principle Four: Introduction

When I was Sunday School Director of a large church in Cary, NC I used my regular leadership meetings to coordinate the Sunday School ministry. I always included a brief, “Ten Minutes Tops” training time for skills development. On one occasion I led a training time on “How to Make a Focal Wall”. It was very simple, and I had a sample one to show them. I used the “Unit Poster kit item” as the basis for the wall, then using the colors from this poster (if possible – LifeWay uses weird colors on their posters!) I created a placard for each of the session biblical truths and placed them around the Unit Poster. (The computer has made this simple; type the biblical truth using a large font on to 8 ½ X 11 paper and print.) I placed a movable arrow on the session of the day. As I said, it was simple, but effective. I truly do believe that “the room is the silent teacher”. The next Sunday morning I was making my rounds to visit every class room, as was my custom. As I walked down the hall, a young 30-something red-headed lawyer came out of his room and called me, ‘Phil, come here! I want you to see my focal wall’. He had created his very first focal wall and was proud of it; and he should have been. It was well done. I affirmed his efforts and was glad that my “Ten-Minutes Tops” training had paid

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to focus learners’ attention on the biblical truth of the session, but also to get the “Big Idea” of the entire unit. I use the focal wall to introduce the unit and each session to the learners. On the first session I preview the unit and each title and biblical truth. I give a brief synopsis of each session and then focus on today’s session. On all other sessions I review each of the previous and preview all future sessions with learners. As in every class, some will be at the beach this Sunday, others at the mountains or grandchildren the next week. This keeps everyone, including irregular attendees, informed about the unit. I always have learners read the biblical truths together, aloud several times during the session but especially during the Introduction. This keeps everyone on the same track; even the non-readers.
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Phil Stone is the State Sunday School Director for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

Comments (1)
Categories : Learning, Ministry, Small Groups, Sunday School, Training

Why Changing Curriculum Will Improve Your Sunday School

By David Bond · Comments (1)
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012
This post is two of a two part blog post. Chick here to read post one.

 

In my last post, I offered some thoughts concerning why changing curriculum won’t improve your Sunday School.  On the other hand, changing curriculum may be exactly what is needed to give your Sunday School a boost toward greater effectiveness.  Consider these ten reasons why a change in curriculum can be a positive move for your church.


Changing Curriculum can improve your Sunday School if:

  1. You use the change to promote a “kick-off” to the Sunday School year or, better, as a motivation toward a new strategy for Sunday School in your church.
  2. The new curriculum provides you with incentive for launching a new commitment to Sunday School as the key vehicle for reaching and assimilating those who are only attending worship services.
  3. You use the new curriculum as a means for starting new groups, to fill gaps in your current class roster, or as way of encouraging “groups within the group” to launch out on their own.
  4. You use the new curriculum to provide some type of distinction between multiple Sunday School hours or locations, thus creating much needed space.
  5. You use the new curriculum as a tool for recruiting (and training) new leaders in Sunday School.
  6. The teacher helps provided in the new curriculum are better suited for higher quality, on-going teacher training that equips leaders to plan lessons that engage learners and teach for life change.
  7. The new curriculum reflects a scope (the whole of what you want to teach) and sequence (the way the whole is broken into parts/lessons) that more successfully achieves the teaching goals for the Sunday School.
  8. The delivery methods offered in the new curriculum enable the church to be a better steward of the resources designated for Sunday School.
  9. The new curriculum provides a better complement to other aspects of the church’s ministry, such as preaching or family ministry.
  10. The new curriculum reflects an approach to studying Scripture that encourages learners to prepare for each class session by spending personal time in the word of God.

Changing for the sake of change will likely not increase the overall effectiveness of a Sunday School ministry.  However, a strategic change in curriculum can be a turning point. Understanding the reasons why a change in curriculum may be appropriate will help leaders better explain to teachers and class members how the decision was reached.  People are often more willing to embrace change when they are given adequate explanation or even invited to participate in a discussion over some of the issues raised by the suggestions above.  A strategic change in curriculum, supported by solid training, can breathe life into your Sunday School.
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David Bond serves as Adult Sunday School Strategist for the Evangelism & Church Growth Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

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Categories : Bible Study, Growing your Group, Learning, Ministry, Small Groups, Sunday School, Teaching, Training

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

Leaders: The Key for a New Group

By Daniel Edmonds · Comments (0)
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Your ability to “Enlarge the Organization,” is contingent on your capacity to expand the leadership base. Jerri Herring and Larry Garner in their book, Five Handles for Getting a Grip on Your Sunday School, state “Leadership is the crucial element. The number of leaders must advance ahead of growing membership and organization.” Leaders are the key for healthy, new groups.

A commitment to start new groups is a commitment to discover and disciple new leaders. In fact, the firm commitment to add new groups (a goal with a deadline) becomes the catalyst to developing new leaders. Too many churches start new groups when they can “find new leadership.” As a result, they do not start many new groups. Healthy churches build an ongoing strategy, à la Arthur Flake, to “enlist and train leaders” because they understand “enlarging the organization” as a biblical, kingdom imperative.

Not only is the quantity of leaders important, but so is the quality of the leader. I remember being in a conference where the leader challenged us to multiply all of our leaders. Sadly, most churches have ‘leaders’ that they don’t want or need to multiply. For example, I have been asked, “What do you do with a teacher who want attend training, tithe, attend worship, and so forth?” My response was, “if those are responsibilities/characteristics of a teacher and you have someone who will not fulfill/exemplify them, then that person is not a teacher.”

Since leaders are the key for new groups, a standard must be kept by all leaders to ensure the continual development of high-quality, new leaders. Herring and Garner in their book site one of the great Sunday School leaders of recent days, Harry Piland, as he revealed “10 Essentials for Excellence” from the Apostle Paul on leadership: The excellent leader:

  1. Makes himself/herself available to God (2 Timothy 2:15a).
  2. Is one who is excellent in example (1 Timothy 4:12).
  3. Focuses upon reaching others for Christ (2 Timothy 2:2).
  4. Majors upon quality in teaching (2 Timothy 2:15b).
  5. Will minister with a loving, caring heart (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
  6. Prays sincerely and fervently with a believing heart (1 Timothy 2:1, 8).
  7. Faithfully does the fundamentals with a flair (2 Timothy 4:1-5).
  8. Has a clear vision of God’s will and purpose (2 Timothy 1:6-12).
  9. Is willing to change – always has a degree of flexibility (2 Timothy 1:13; 3:14-17).
  10. Never gives up – perseveres no matter what (2 Timothy 4:7).

For more information on emerging class leaders visit: https://www.sundayschoolleader.com/characteristics-of-an-emerging-class/

To order Five Handles for Getting a Grip on Your Sunday School by Herring and Garner visit http://cmdpub.com
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Daniel Edmonds is a State Missionary for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

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Categories : 5 Weeks of Flake, Leadership, Sunday School, Training
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