We are launching a new Sunday School process in Oklahoma this year, called the “Five C’s of Missional Sunday School”. The fifth of our 5 C’s is “Change”. Missional Sunday School groups are focused on change, transformational change. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..”

Why do we go to all this work if not to see lives transformed and communities change as a result of the Gospel? The previous four C’s of missional community (connect, content, consecration, and cause) are all done because we want our lives to be transformed into the image of Christ, and that our neighborhoods and ultimately our world will be changed because of the Gospel.

When we see a revival occur in the Old Testament, it is not for a few days, or a week, or even a year. Old Testament revivals lasted for generations! Judges 8, “The land had rest for 40 years.” Jephthah’s revival lasted 23 years, Asa’s lasted 40 years. The revival under King Josiah lasted 31 years. Can you imagine our nation and even our world having “rest for 40 years”?

Our world needs transformation. There are currently 13 million orphans worldwide. In the past hour:

• 1,625 children were forced to live on the streets;
• 1,667 children died from starvation;
• 115 children became prostitutes;
• 257 children were orphaned because of AIDS.

The Gospel is the light that will bring relief to our world and salvation to our soul. We need to begin seeing each Sunday School class as part of the solution to our world’s need for the Gospel. I encourage churches to mobilize their groups and classes into communities who are organized and carrying the message of Jesus Christ into their communities. We can no longer hope for our communities to come to us, they aren’t! We must go to the world with the message of salvation.

Your class can’t do it all, but it can do what it can. Adopt an unreached people group. Pray for your lost friends and neighbors. Conduct class mission experiences and bring hope to the needy. Grow in your understanding of the Gospel and share it with your co-workers. LifeWay estimates that there are approximately 400,000 Sunday School classes in the Southern Baptist Convention. Surely 400,000 missional groups could have a profound impact on America and our world.

Go here more information on the Five C’s of Missional Sunday School.

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Bob Mayfield is the Sunday School/Small Group/Discipleship specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. This article was adapted from a post at Bob’s own website, www.bobmayfield.com

An invitation last month to a second grader for an after-worship Sunday School party resulted in the whole family coming to Sunday School for the first time!

The family of five first entered the church a year ago when the 1^st and 4^th grade sons, Ethan and Quentin, played in the Upward basketball league. The family came for worship about once every six weeks. In spite of regular contacts from the corresponding classes, the family stuck to their worship-only pattern.

Last June during VBS the whole family came for the snack supper each evening, and the two older boys participated in VBS. Still a worship-only attendance pattern.

Fast forward to last November and time for Upward registration again. During the three months of practices and games, the family’s Sunday morning attendance became much more regular…in the worship service. Ethan and Quentin enjoyed the Children’s worship, but the parents kept 3-year-old Aaron with them in worship.

Then two weeks ago, something happened. The children in grades 1-4 had a pizza party after morning worship. In preparation, the 1^st-2^nd grade teachers sent invitations to all Sunday School members plus guests who had been there in the last six months. During the party, the teacher invited Ethan to Sunday School. Ethan thought he had been going to Sunday School, but the teacher explained that they had a class just for his age-group that met before Children’s worship.

Here’s the good part. The next Sunday all five family members were in Sunday School! The 3-year-old was surprised when his parents told him there was a class for them, too. Sunday School wasn’t just for children.

The preschool teachers helped Aaron get to know the other children and participate in the many learning activities. After Sunday School the parents hurried to check on Aaron, fully expecting him to be ready to go with them to “listen to the music” in worship. Instead, Aaron whispered to his dad, “I want to stay here [for the extended session].”

I’m thankful for… children’s teachers who didn’t give up… for preschool teachers who were well prepared and made a little boy feel welcome and safe… for young adult leaders who have continued to build relationships and make contacts for 18 months.  Last week the family was back again for Bible study. I’ll be watching for them this Sunday.

A whole family has begun the process of transformation, all because two teachers invited a 2^nd grade boy to a Sunday School pizza party. Don’t forget the children!

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Marie Clark has served as team leader for the Bible Teaching & Discipling Team of the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists since 1996.

Here is a story about a family that was not involved in church at all. We can call them the “Smith”

family. It began with one of the children who started coming to Sunday School. A church family in their neighborhood started bringing this little girl with them every week. After two months, the younger brother started coming too.

This went on for a about two years until one day the church had a “Friend Day” campaign and Sunday School high attendance day. The little girl made a commitment to invite her parents. The dad was an alcoholic and he had come into some difficult times. The family was dealing with expected dysfunctions. He was ready to try something different, even church! That Sunday was the beginning of transformation of individual lives and a family.

After about a year, one of the pastors sat down with the father and shared the Gospel with him and he accepted Christ as his Savior. Over about 5 years, the little girl who invited her family accepted Christ, both parents accepted Christ, and the family followed Jesus in baptism. The family was transformed by Christ and a church that loved the Smiths.

Sunday School was a big part of this transformation as the children began attending Sunday School. This developed trust with the family. Once the parents came to the church on Friend Day, the Sunday School visited them and made sure that they found a place in a class. The nurture, love, acceptance, ministry and teaching of different classes over the years drew the Smiths into the life of the church.

It didn’t stop there. Transformation continued as the mom and dad became leaders in the Sunday School classes they participated in. They had servant hearts that helped with all of those behind-the-scenes opportunities in their class. The Smiths were transformed from being lost and without Jesus, to being a family who loved Jesus and served Him faithfully. Does this describe some of you?

Pray. Care. Invite. Transform!