Growing Sunday Schools Have More Visitors Who Stick

A few months back, Josh Hunt in his weekly newsletter wrote about Thom Rainer's new book, Simple Church. This is what he wrote: "The difference between growing churches and non-growing churches is not the number of visitors but whether the visitors stick around. Growing churches and non-growing churches have about the same number of visitors (calculated as a percentage of worship attendance). The difference is, in the growing churches, the visitors stick around. In the non-growing churches the visitors don't."

Those comments by Josh are just as true of Sunday School as of church and worship. I have been in so many classes that are poor stewards of the guests that took the risk to attend. Recordkeeping is poor. There is no awareness of the impact of first impressions.

Communication is poor or nonexistent. Caring does not happen. The reponsibility for follow up is not assigned.

What would happend if we actually started retaining some of our guests? What would happen if guests stayed and our classes and Sunday School grew? What would happen if guests became members who became leaders?

What do you need to do as your first step toward making your classes more aware of the need here? What is the first step you need to take? What is the first step they need to take? What would be the reward for our efforts? It is up to you to make Sunday School rock!

Leading Attenders to Meet God in Bible Study, Part 5

How does a teacher lead his/her attenders to obey God's commands? I understand that adults can take knowledge to convert it into action. But without encouragement and/or positive accountability, many adults merely learn history lessons, factual content, or moral lessons from Bible study without changing their thoughts or actions. In other words, many adults miss the step of listening which is necessary before obedience. After all, how can we obey if we don't listen?

But some do listen to God's still small voice in Bible study, whether in Sunday School, worship, or personal quiet time. And some do make commitments in those times of Bible study. In my experience, however, the problem is that promises are made to God and not kept. If we tell God we are going to do something in Sunday School, during the invitation in worship, or during private devotions and we do not do what we said, that is called a "lie."

How can we help ourselves as teachers as well as help our attenders keep their commitments? We need to ask ourselves this question: What did I do as a result of what God said? Now, that is a strange question to ask at the moment of the encounter with God in Bible study. In fact, it cannot be answered immediately since we have not had time to obey.

How can we hold ourselves and attenders accountable to keep our promises to God? I can think of at least two helpful methods: (1) spiritual journals where we write the date, scripture passage, and answer the four questions checking back on how we are doing in obedience every few days and (2) asking other believers to check on our commitments/obedience. What are some other ways to lead us to actually do what God told us to do?

Leading Attenders to Meet God in Bible Study, Part 4

In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), Jesus commanded His disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations." Then he defined how that can be done: baptizing and "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." While God desires a relationship with us that is real and personal, one of the ways His disciples can express that relationship is through obedience.

God desires even more from His disciples than Bible study (listening to Him) and prayer (talking to Him). In the effort toward the obedience He desires, commitment to God, His will, and His way is required. Thus, the third question that needs to be answered is this: Are you willing to do what He wants you to do?

If you have been listening, His personal message to you calls you not only to agree with Him (prayer) but to commit to obey. A commitment is needed in response to God's still small voice that can be heard in every passage of His Word. If God expects commitment, how can a teacher help attenders respond appropriately to God? Since His message to each attender will be unique, how can a teacher lead attenders to make the specific commitment He desires?

Leading Attenders to Meet God in Bible Study, Part 3

Leading attenders to listen is so important. But a relationship with God demands listening and talking, it is a conversation with Him. A marriage that involves only talking or only listening is in trouble; the same is true of our relationship with God.

The truth is that when God speaks, He expects a response every time. When we open His Word, He speaks and expects a reply. How can we do so? We reply in prayer and in obedience. The second question that leads us to fully encounter God (before we lead attenders to do the same) is this one: What is our response to what God has said to us in Bible study?

I find many classes on Sunday morning as well as many Christians in private devotions who separate Bible study and prayer. Bible study and prayer are two halves of the whole of a conversation with God. They need to be done together. When God speaks, we need to respond.

I know American society has led us to feel time pressures, but why is it that we rush through our relationship with God, through our conversation with Him, through Bible study and prayer? One fault I find with Sunday School is that we try to cover so much scripture that we fail to reflect on it at any depth, and more importantly we fail to complete the conversation in prayer. How could we lead our classes to personalize and not rush the experience? How could we train attenders to ask this question in class and private devotions?

Leading Attenders to Meet God in Bible Study, Part 2

With all the preliminaries stated previously, there are four questions which need to be addressed in Bible study in order for a teacher or preacher to lead attenders to meet God in Bible study. This post will focus on the first question: What did God say to me in this verse/passage?

This question assumes a lot. It assumes an understanding of the background for the verse. It is important to make sure that the verse is not taken out of context. So it is important to know what the verse said to the first hearers. This helps us to get at the truth of the verse. But I believe God speaks to individuals today through his Word as well. This means that when you open His Word, God speaks a personal message of truth to you. I may hear a different facet of the gem of truth than you do because God knows I need to hear that facet.

The trouble is that it is so hard to stop long enough to listen for His still small voice. We are often so busy. We fill our lives with constant sound. And we rush through Bible reading and devotional to check it off our lists when God is after a personal relationship and has a personal message He wants us to hear.

If we fail here, all the rest of our attempts to move toward response, commitment, and obedience will be shallow, incomplete, and selfish. How can we train ourselves to listen to Him? What do we need to do to hear what He has to say to us? And how can we lead attenders to do the same?

Leading Attenders to Meet God in Bible Study, Part 1

One of the hardest things for a teacher (or preacher) to do is to get out of the way in the teaching/preaching event. The aim is to lead hearers/attenders to experience God in Bible study. In order to do so, we must lead them to hear him, not just us. We must move from serving as teachers of the Word to facilitators of an experience.

Let me explain what I mean. As Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God points out, God desires a relationship that is real and personal. That goes beyond mere knowledge of the pages of the Bible to a daily encounter with Him. It involves Bible study (listening to God), prayer (talking to God), commitment (agreeing with God), and obedience (walking with God).

Many are good teachers about God and His Word, but fewer are able to lead learners into His presence, into a personal encounter with God that is transforming. One of the problems is that many teachers have never had that kind of Bible study experience themselves. It is difficult to lead others to do something we have never done.

How can we lead teachers to understand the difference? How can we lead teachers to move toward facilitators? Am I making too much ado about nothing? Over the next four posts, I want to share four suggestions that may help, but more importantly I'd love to hear your ideas.

The Art of Good Questions

I believe Josh Hunt is right (to read his article, press the title above). We are often more concerned with what we have to say than what others have to say. And yet, good questions can be avenues to greater participation, involvement with the truth, and learning. A good class will do what it takes to move beyond a cognitive dump.

While lecture connects learners with the teacher, questions can lead to additional connections between learners. Their answers can lead to dialogue, reflection, assessment, and even affinity. Good questions ask more than yes or no. They expect more than one word/phrase answers. They lead to thinking and to applying. Their impact often continues beyond the moment.

I am grateful for Josh's reminder that questions "help you to discover what they still need to learn." Every lesson needs to reveal additional needs of learners. I believe the perceptive teacher should learn as much from the class encounter as from preparation. But this is not an easy "skill" to teach teachers. Since most of us teach like we were taught (often lecture), how can we lead teachers to utilize and benefit from good question-asking?

Name Tags: Do You Know Me?

If I as a guest knew the name of three persons in the class at the end of the hour of Bible study, would I be more likely or less likely to return to the class? I believe most guests would be more likely. Since 60% of people today are visual learners, the best way for people to learn names is not necessarily speaking the name.

I understand there is a cost involved for name tags, but reusable ones that pin or clip on can save money in the long run. And if one guest joins, the money spent on name tags is well invested. Blank cards can be available to insert in the plastic holder for the guest. It helps the class and the guest to get to know each other and be called by name.

I recommend the class develop a method for displaying all of the name tags on a wall or board in the class. Then when attenders for the day wear their name tags, the remaining ones are a reminder to contact absentees. This can be an easy way to make assignments for contact and prayer. How have you seen name tags help in Sunday School?

Using the Bible

I have seen so many materials used in Sunday School. So many times, the materials used are commentaries or teacher books. At times, they may be discipleship studies needed and requested by the attenders. At other times, books may serve as the literature-du-jour. Each of these concern me.

The Bible is the only teaching material that has God as its author and offers the power to change lives. Too often we get further and further from the source. My fear is that God's still small voice may be distorted or may go unheard when getting away from the primary source.

In addition, teaching materials are often used as crutches for teachers who have not spent enough time with God in prayer, Bible study, and preparation. In other words, they depend on the teacher book for teaching activities or questions rather than having heard a word from God first personally and second for the class.

Finally, I have seen so many teachers teaching out of the teacher book/resource rather than the Bible. I know that adults have the ability to think abstractly. I know they are capable of understanding that teaching from the teacher book is helping them to explore God's Word. But there is just something powerful about seeing the Bible in the hand of the teacher or preacher as God's Word is taught. Put your notes in the Bible and teach from it the next time you teach. Tell me what happens.

Balancing Growth and Multiplication

The body dies when cells stop dividing, stop growing new ones. Cells require growth prior to multiplication. Then the nucleus (the brain) leads the way by multiplying prior to the cell.

There are many lessons about Sunday School classes in these facts. The body of Christ dies when classes stop growing new ones. Classes need to gain some maturity and numerical growth prior to starting new classes. The teacher leads the class to multiply by apprenticing a new leader. If the teacher is against multiplication, it is unlikely that it will occur.

What is the appropriate balance between growth and multiplication? It is more than the issue of the ideal number at which a class should multiply. A certain amount of health, of vitality, is needed in order for multiplication to be a beneficial experience, in order for both classes not only to survive but thrive. What are the class vitals necessary for this to happen?

Home or Church: Best Place to Meet?

There are advantages to meeting at church. In most cases, none of the class attenders is responsible for cleaning or setting up the classroom. No parents have to worry about a babysitter. More people generally know where the church is. Worship happens before or after Sunday School in the same building(s). Less time is invested in attending class and worship at church when they are back to back.

There are advantages to meeting in a home. Some feel more comfortable in a home than in a church. Schedule can be adjusted to allow more Bible study and fellowship time--don't have to rush in order to get to worship. Can meet any time that is convenient for attenders. Generally better for smaller groups. Can take turns playing host, getting more attenders involved in the class. A babysitter can be provided for parents.

But which is the best? Can one reach all people? Or will both be required? Again, if 40% cannot attend on Sunday morning, options must be considered in order for the church to take Bible study to the world. With whom is meeting at church best? With whom is meeting in a home best? Can both be offered without complications in a church? Again, I have lots of questions......

How Much Time Does It Take to Prepare a Lesson?

Are Bible lessons better when we study longer? And what is the best balance of study time: Bible, prayer, commentary, devotional, and other? Is it possible to study smarter, to spend time that is better invested, in order to make our lessons more effective?

In my experience studying some each day, especially early in the week is most beneficial. My suggestion is to read the scripture passage and pray on Sunday afternoon. That will help you avoid missing opportunities to experience daily life illustrations that God provides for teaching the truth to meet learner needs.

In addition to scripture study, spend part of your preparation time in prayer and reflection upon your needs and those of learners. In this pursuit, then, how much time is enough? Is 30 minutes on each of five days enough? Is more time needed on Saturday night/Sunday morning?