The Sunday School Revolutionary!

Marketing Your Sunday School Class

Darryl Wilson — Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:53:00 -0400

What are you doing to get the word out about your Sunday School class? What are you doing to remind your members about the values and benefits of the class? What are you doing to invite and encourage prospects to try it? What are you doing to connect your class with worship guests?

Before you read the list which follows, I challenge you to write down your current practices and then write a list of possible practices that fit your class and your church. Then check out this list:

teach class members to share their Sunday School testimony (check out Grow Sunday School by Sharing Your Sunday School Testimony)
consider having a Sunday School class open house (check out Sunday School Open House)
talk to your pastor about sharing about your class from the pulpit, perhaps as an interview by the pastor (check out Pulpit Sunday School Promotion)
write a brochure about your class with age group, study topic, ministry projects, etc. to share in worship or give to members to share with friends through the week (check out Barn Quilts, Sunday School, and Tourists (Guests))
have a Sunday School class sign up table before and/or after worship to talk to guests about your class, share a brochure, and/or lead them to your classroom
give printed invitations to members for your class, fellowships, or projects (check out Sunday School Invitations (Postcards), Updated)
set a goal for making prospect contacts (check out Sunday School Contacts Make a Difference!)
invite guests to class fellowship activities (check out Reach and Assimilate People into the Kingdom Through Sunday School Fellowships)
use a church bulletin board in a strategic location to share pictures and information about your class
print business card size class invitations about the class with space for the member to add name and personal contact information
add friends, prospects, and inservice teachers (who are working with preschool, children, or youth) to your prayer, fellowship, and ministry list and communicate weekly with the group through email
use the church bulletin or newsletter to promote special class studies, projects, and fellowship activities
look for community opportunities to share printed or promotional information about your class

By the way, the list above is also a great way to promote a new class start! There are also many more ways to market and promote your class. Don't keep it to yourself! Invite. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about promoting Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

Sunday School, IMAGINE, and the Gospel Project

Darryl Wilson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:47:00 -0400

Over the years on The Sunday School Revolutionary, I have focused on general and adult Sunday School. Revolutionary general Sunday School, however, also is interested in youth, children, and preschool Sunday School. When there are problems in younger age groups, it impacts the whole. When growth slows or stops for some reason in younger age groups, it tends to slow or stop total growth. Pursuing the Great Commission (Matthew 28:28-20) demands that we invest well in younger ages because of the foundations and impact on spiritual progress.

With that in mind, I want to point out a valuable event and a valuable resource. First, let me focus on the event. IMAGINE is a conference designed to raise the vision, leadership, and impact of preschool and children's ministry. IMAGINE will be at Parkway Baptist Church, 2380 Springfield Rd, Bardstown, KY on Friday-Saturday, February 10-11, 2012. The cost is $25 per person through February 6 and $35 thereafter. You can register yourself and your group at www.kybaptist.org/imagine. A list of hotels can also be found there along with details of the 28 breakout sessions from which to choose.

One of the many reasons to attend IMAGINE is that you will have opportunity to discover the newest curriculum line from LifeWay. The Gospel Project examines the whole of Scripture and reveals how Jesus is present in every story, theological concept, and missional truth. With components for adults, students, and kids, the entire church will discover what it really means to be a part of God's gospel project.

The Gospel Project features a three-year study plan with 13-week units, each designed with the appropriate voice, depth, and course of study for each age group. Resources are available in multiple formats, including print, downloadable, and e-reader and app formats. The Gospel Project is designed so that individual age groups, entire churches, small groups, and even Christian schools can use it for in-depth, Christ-centered Bible study.

Invest in great preschool, children's, and youth Sunday School. Offer great curriculum in order to lead God's people to study the Word. Make disciples. Be revolutionary! For more about younger ages, check out these blog posts:

Sunday School Growth Actions

Darryl Wilson — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:34:00 -0400

I am in the middle of a six month, multi-stop tour around Kentucky training pastors and Sunday School director teams in how to grow their Sunday Schools. Response after three stops has been great. These pastor-director teams have left confident about the knowledge they gained and the planning we did. They believed they could take steps that would lead to Sunday School growth: maturational, leadership development, numerical, organization, and more. That is exciting.

I wish I could replicate here the six hours of training and planning provided. Due to the interaction, that is just not possible. But I do want to share some of the essential elements. What does it take to grow your Sunday School? Consider the following:

Prayer. No need to ask if our Lord wants us to grow. He has commanded us to make disciples of all nations. Pray for workers. Pray for people reached. Pray for lessons to impact life-change. Pray for organization and training that leads people to minister and care for members. Pray for Sunday School.
Growth Desire. I have had leaders tell me they don't want to grow. Almost no Sunday School will grow whose leaders lack growth desire. Prayer and study of God's Word should lead to compassion for the lost and unreached.
Planning. Without planning, most Sunday Schools will produce the same results or less. This includes evaluation, need identification, prioritization, goal setting, calendaring, delegating, and reviewing/adjusting plans. This begins with an annual retreat and leads to monthly meetings were goals and plans are checked on and adjusted.
Goals. Annual goals will naturally include attendance, new members, new classes, new leaders, contacts, and prospects. The keys are enlisting and releasing new leaders in new classes and enrolling and caring for new people.
Plug the Leaks. Every Sunday School has "churn." These are people lost every year that must be replaced just to keep attendance the same. These people may die, move, or leave for any other reason. Care and ministry efforts should address as many sources of leak as possible: illness, grief, divorce, schedule, and more.
Care Group Leaders. Every adult and youth class needs care group leaders for small groups of members and prospects. They contact their care group weekly to pray and minister to discovered needs. This helps to address the leaks.
Prospect List. On whom should our care and ministry efforts focus? Without a target for our efforts, we can be less effective. Age groups should be assigned to every class. Then they should list the friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors who are not enrolled in Sunday School.
Class Outreach Leader. Every adult and youth class should have one. This person is not to make all the contact efforts himself/herself. Instead, the outreach leader's job is to assign contacts to class members (equip the saints).
Apprentice New Leaders. Sunday School cannot expand to care for more people without more leaders. The best way to train and prepare more leaders is through apprenticing. Every Sunday School leader should be apprenticing someone. Sunday School should naturally be the largest leadership development organization in the entire church, not just for Sunday School.
Start New Classes. We need more shepherds and more sheep pens in order to care for more sheep. Even if your current classes have space, new classes tend to be more evangelistic and inviting than existing classes. And it expands the care through more leaders. New classes grow faster and will tend to spill some people they reach into other classes.

There are many more growth actions, but these are the ones that come to my mind today . What would you add? Do you have a success story you would like to share related to one of these growth actions? Press Comments below and share your story. Give God your best effort. Grow. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about growing your Sunday School check out these blog posts:

Chewing on Sunday School Issues

Darryl Wilson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:27:00 -0400

Want to be stretched? What to make Sunday School even more effective? Then I want to challenge you to read a series of posts about Sunday School on the 9Marks website. Warning (as Garrett Kell's post is titled): These are "Not Your Grandma's Sunday School."

Check out the introductory editors' post: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School by Jonathan Leeman and Trevin Wax. Then the posts are divided into three categories: Reclaiming Sunday School, Reforming Sunday School, and How to Do Sunday School. Check out the posts:

Reclaiming Sunday School:

Why You Want Sunday School by Jonathan Pennington with Bobby Jamieson: Are you thinking about ditching Sunday school? Consider what you might be missing in light of this theological and pastoral argument for Sunday school. Read more >
Why Sunday School Lost its Edge by Ed Stetzer: How did Sunday school go from staple to sidelined? Read more >
How Sunday School Can Change Your Church’s Culture by Jamie Dunlop: Changing the entire culture of a church is a crucial but complex task. Here’s how Sunday school can help. Read more >
How Sunday School Can Help Your Preaching by Jamie Dunlop: Sunday School frees up time for exposition and beefs up your ability to do application. Read more >
Sunday School and Its Rivals by Trevin Wax: What are the pluses and minuses of different discipleship contexts? Read more >

Reforming Sunday School:

Not Your Grandma’s Sunday School by Garrett Kell: Here is a Sunday School model that systematically moves people through a five-year curriculum that covers different areas of life and doctrine. Read more >
How to Reform a Sunday School Program by Juan Sanchez: Here’s how one pastor both modified a traditional Sunday school program and started a new one from scratch. Read more >

How to Do Sunday School:

Whatever the Model, Don’t Be Afraid to Teach by Jonathan Leeman: No matter what approach you take to Sunday school, be sure to teach. And consider how to balance out the weaknesses of your model. Read more >
Sunday School for Dummies: How to Use and Develop New Teachers by Jamie Dunlop: Do you have more teaching slots than teachers to fill them? Here are some guidelines for using and training new teachers. Read more >
Five Things Every Group Leader Should Do by Michael Kelley: How can you grow as a Sunday school teacher? Here are five simple steps. Read more >
The Advantages of Curriculum by Bobby Jamieson: Curriculum can save time, serve new teachers, and generate interest among the congregation. So why reinvent the wheel! Read more>

Five Essentials of Sunday School Growth

Darryl Wilson — Fri, 6 Jan 2012 09:21:00 -0400

This month on the Sunday School Leader blog, my peers and I (state Sunday School directors) are sharing a month-long emphasis focusing on five areas of Sunday School growth that have become known as Flake's Formula: (1) know the possibilities, (2) enlarge the organization, (3) provide space and equipment, (4) enlist and train leaders, and (5) go after the people. There will be a different great post every day.

Check out these great posts:

I want to encourage you to sign up for the Sunday School Leader blog by subscribing with your email (on the right side of the blog page) so you won't miss a single post this month!

Here are a few of the previous posts that I have written there:

I have written here previously about Arthur Flake and Flake's Formula. Check out these blog posts:

Make a fresh commitment to giving God your best effort through Sunday School. Allow mediocre Sunday School efforts to fade into the past. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

Do You Need Sunday School Blueprints?

Darryl Wilson — Thu, 5 Jan 2012 14:28:00 -0400

If you are in or near Kentucky, I want to invite all pastor and Sunday School director teams to attend one of the Blueprints for Sunday School Growth events. They are scheduled through June of 2012. Here are the details:

WHY: Too many Sunday Schools have stopped growing. Leadership, knowledge, and a strategy are needed. Blueprints for Sunday School Growth has been designed to help Sunday School teams learn, raise expectations, calendar growth actions, set goals, and lead their Sunday Schools to realize new levels of growth and Kingdom impact.

WHO: Designed for pastor and Sunday School director teams. Can include other members of your core Sunday School planning team.

WHAT: Six hours of training and team planning to lead your Sunday School to grow. Planning times are built into the event schedule to enable team calendaring and goal setting. Here are the topics which will be covered:

Biblical purpose/mission of Sunday School
Grow Through an Annual Sunday School Growth Retreat
Pastor and Sunday School director relationships
Monthly Sunday School growth meetings
Sunday School leader enlistment and care
Sunday School growth budgeting and leader training
Add new people to the Sunday School bucket
Organize for Sunday School outreach and care
Sunday School enrollment and contacts
Promotion of Sunday School
Deepen relationships through Sunday School fellowship, projects, and meals
Add more Sunday School buckets: apprenticing
Add more Sunday School buckets: seed groups, off-site groups, and space

In addition to these General Session topics, participants will be able to choose from two Elective Conferences: "Teaching That Bears Fruit" and "101 Ways for Sunday School to Reach Out."

WHEN/WHERE: Since many do not know association names, the cities listed below are shared so you can know the area of the state. Unless an address is listed, call the number listed for an exact location for your choice. Due to meals, reservations are required. Call early to reserve your team's spot for this training.

Monday-Tuesday, February 6-7, Crosswoods Baptist Church, 4991 Harrodsburg Rd, Nicholasville, KY, 859.254.7747
Friday-Saturday, February 10-11, Logan-Todd Association, 196 W 3rd St, Russellville, KY, 270.726.2392
Friday-Saturday, February 17-18, Blood River Association, 47 Aurora Hwy, Hardin, KY, 270.437.4203
Saturday, February 25, Campton Baptist Church, 52 South Johnson St, Campton, KY, 859.398.5737
Saturday, February 25, Lynn Camp Baptist Church, Lynn Camp Church Rd, Corbin, KY, 606.549.4497
Friday-Saturday, March 2-3, Ohio River Association, 221 W Main St, Salem, KY, 270.988.2204
Saturday, April 14, Mayslick Baptist Church, 5105 Main St, Mayslick, KY, 606.763.6260
Saturday, April 21, First Baptist Church, 1570 N Danville Bypass, Danville, KY, 859.238.7624
Monday-Tuesday, April 23-24, Fort Mitchell Baptist Church, 2323 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell, KY, 859.727.6522
Monday-Tuesday, April 30-May 1, Cloverport Baptist Church, 314 W Main St, Cloverport, KY, 270.788.3241
Saturday, May 5, First Baptist Church, 560 Main St, Hazard, KY, 606.439.4339
Monday-Tuesday, May 7-8, Williamstown Baptist Church, 214 N Main St, Williamstown, KY, 859.824.7755
Saturday, May 12, First Baptist Church, 149 Lawrence St, Brandenburg, KY, 270.828.2421
Saturday, June 2, Gasper River Association, 530 Helm Ln, Morgantown, KY, 270.526.6913

SCHEDULES: The schedules vary according to the day of the week. Here are the three schedules:

Mond ay-Tuesday: 5:30 - 9:00 PM both nigh ts (sandwich meal provided both nights)
Friday-Saturday: 6:30 - 9:00 PM on Friday and 8:00 AM - Noon on Saturday (sandwich meal provided on Friday night)
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM (sandwich lunch provided)

COST: The cost ranges from $15-25 per person. The price difference is due to meals. Contact the local association for an exact price. Of the cost, $15 is for conference materials and five Sunday School resources to help as you take these growth steps:

Sunday School That Really WORKS, Steve Parr
3D Sunday School: A Three Dimensional Strategy to Help Leaders and Members Full the Great Commission, David Francis
I-6: A Six Lane Strategy Toward an Inviting Sunday School, David Francis
Discover Triad: Three Facets of a Dynamic Sunday School Class, David Francis
Connect³: The Power of One Sunday School Class, David Francis

FACILITATORS: Blueprints for Sunday School Growth will be led at each location by two of these experienced Sunday School practitioners:

Darryl Wilson, Director, Sunday School Department, Kentucky Baptist Convention and Blogger, The Sunday School Revolutionary!
George Yates, Director, SonC.A.R.E. Ministries, and Author, Teaching That Bears Fruit
Bill Ellis, Discipleship Pastor, Crestwood Baptist Church, Crestwood, KY
Todd Beasley, Minister of Education, Parkland Baptist Church, Louisville, KY
Howard Fuller, Minister of Education, First Baptist Church, Lone Oak, KY

This growth training/planning event is provided by the Sunday School Department of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and is financially supported through the generous Cooperative Program giving of Kentucky Baptist Convention churches.

Sunday School Teacher Self-Evaluation

Darryl Wilson — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:30:00 -0400

God deserves our best effort all the time. This is even more true for those who are called to be teachers. We should remember the warning given in James 3:1 (HCSB):

Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many ways.

With that in mind, we should pay special attention to the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:15 (HCSB):

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.

As we approach a new year, it is a good time to pause and evaluate your calling and efforts with the purpose of improving so you can give God your best. In that vein, I share the following self-evaluation tool. With minor additions, the tool comes from my friend, Robert Stewart, who is the former state Sunday School director for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. It comes from his personal website in an article entitled How Well Am I Doing in Fulfilling My Calling to Service? You will want to check out Robert's whole article.

Evaluate your effort as a Sunday School teacher by placing a mark on the scale which represents who well you are doing. Consider these self-evaluation statements:

Check #1 if you feel you have not really done very well at all.
Check #2 if you feel your work this year has been passable but mediocre.
Check #3 if you feel your ministry has been okay, not bad, but nothing really special either.
Check #4 if you feel your work has been fairly good, you've worked hard and are seeing results.
Check #5 if you feel you've done your very best.

Evaluation Area	-1-	-2-	-3-	-4-	-5-
Prayer: Am consistent with daily devotions. Seek a personal encounter with God. Pray for members and leaders regularly. Lead class in prayer.
Preparation: Begin preparation early and am always ready to guide interesting and life-changing study experiences with God in His Word.
Learning Styles: Am aware of members' needs and select methods to address those needs using their preferred learning styles (verbal, visual, and experiential).
Transformational Teaching: I teach and lead in ways that move learners from where they are toward their potential in Christ.
Member Care: Maintain regular ministry contact with my members. Make contacts regularly, especially on birthdays and special days.
Reaching Out: Lead the class to pray for, relate to, and invite guests to class fellowships, projects, and Bible study sessions. Focus on follow up.
Organization: Enlist and train class leaders to serve as a class leader to enable the class to be more effective in growth and ministry.
Growth/Learning: Attended a worker training event and/or read a book about teaching, caring, or reaching. I am open to new ideas and more effective ways of teaching and leading the class to grow.

Review your results. Where do you need to focus in the coming year? What actions can you take to give greater energy and effort in the area deserving focus? Write out an action plan and share it with someone. Ask him or her to encourage you to maintain your focus by asking you how you are doing every month during the year ahead. Give God your best effort. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about evaluation, check out these blog posts:

Who Is Leading Disciple-making in Your Sunday School Class?

Darryl Wilson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:01:00 -0400

Who is helping your class focus on making disciples? This is far more than teaching a lesson. This is far more than teaching and learning. Disciple-making is a process of becoming more like Christ. It is a process of obeying and practicing Jesus' commands. It is a journey of working out our salvation daily. It is denying self, taking up the cross, and following Jesus.

How does this happen? How can your class encourage this to take place? This effort will benefit from a person who leads this to happen in the class. I want to challenge classes to enlist a Discipling Leader. What might a Sunday School class Discipling Leader do? I want you to realize this is a fresh thought for me, but here are some early reflections on my part:

lead attenders to practice a daily quiet time, including prayer and Bible study;
give them spiritual growth experiences through exposure to spiritual disciplines;
enlist accountability partners or triads within the class;
spend part of class time in smaller groups, such as accountability partners/triads, small group discussion, etc.;
invest a portion of class time on leading class members to exercise (practice what they are learning about God's will and Word);
challenge attenders weekly to focus on a way to live out the Bible truth learned on Sunday and call for reports at the beginning of the next week;
study Christian living and discipleship issues further when appropriate and needed between Sundays;
ask every member where they are serving in the church and community to serve our Lord, the body, and the community;
and more.

What would you add to this beginning job description? What would you suggest that a class Discipling Leader do? How can we help attenders in our classes take steps of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ? Add your thoughts by pressing Comments below. Ask questions and start a conversation. Let's help focus on this issue. Let's grow our people. Let's grow our classes and churches. Let's impact our world for Jesus! Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about Sunday School and discipleship, check out these blog posts:

Simple Sunday School Class Efforts Produce Significant Results

Darryl Wilson — Mon, 5 Dec 2011 11:16:00 -0400

My friend, David Bond serves as Adult Sunday School Strategist for the Evangelism and Church Growth Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. David wrote a recent great post for the Sunday School Leader blog that was entitled Simple Strategies for Building Community. In the post, David offered seven simple class efforts which can make a huge difference.

Here are the seven (but you will want to read his whole blog post):

Get to know each other.
Provide time for interaction in class.
Name tags.
Contact each other during the week.
Come up big during crisis.
Get together outside of class.
Utilize groups within the group.

Deeper relationships increase trust which results in the potential for greater assimilation and disciple-making. Invest time in these seven actions. Organize to carry them out. Keep them in front of your class. Raise expectations. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about building class community, check out these blog posts:

Does God Expect Sunday School to Grow?

Darryl Wilson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:45:00 -0400

Does God expect Sunday School to grow? I have to smile just to type this question. My answer would be in the negative but with a caveat. (CAVEAT: While I don't believe God expects Sunday School to grow, I do believe our Lord expects us to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). And without hesitation I believe that Sunday School WHEN DONE RIGHT can greatly help Christ's body to carry out the Great Commission.)

What do we need to do to enable Sunday School to carry out the Great Commission? What can Sunday School do to prepare and mobilize God's people to "make disciples of all nations?" How can Sunday School help in baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded us?

Part of the answer is in setting goals. If we set the wrong goals, we will focus our people, classes, and work in the wrong directions. But if we fail to set goals and expectations, we will also not be providing the leadership God expects and His people need. If we set unrealistic goals, we can demotivate our people. On the other hand, we are about a God-sized task that can only be accomplished in His power.

My friend, Mark Miller, wrote a great blog post in September entitled, Realistic Expectations for Sunday School Growth. I want to encourage you to read the entire post, but here are Mark's closing two paragraphs:

My philosophy of Sunday School and church growth was impacted by the late Ron Lewis. In my first church as minister of education in Little Rock Arkansas, he led a Church Growth Conference and served as our church’s consultant. He stated that a church would double every 10 years if they just grew at 7.5% a year. In other words, a church averaging 100 in Sunday School would need to average adding 7-8 new members plus replace its churn. David Francis estimates that the average church loses 20% of its attendance every year to deaths, relocations, transfers, etc. So for a church averaging 100 in Sunday School, they would have to discover 20 new attendees simply to maintain plus 7-8 to begin the process of doubling every 10 years.
Let’s dream big, but set realistic timetables for growth. Unrealistic goals develop unrealistic expectations. Realistic goals and realistic expectations provide energy and motivation. I am sure that one day Tennessee will beat Alabama again and win a national championship, but realistically it probably will not happen in 2011.

Does God expect Sunday School to grow? Maybe not, but we will benefit from using effective tools to carry out His work. Let's make Sunday School a tool that works well and works right. Give your best effort. Lead. Set goals. Expect. Grow. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about growing your Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

How Should an Adult Sunday School Class Be Organized?

Darryl Wilson — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:54:00 -0400

In advance of responding to the question asked in the title of this blog post, allow me to share two assumptions. First, the work of the Sunday School is to assist the church in carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), to "make disciples of all nations." Second, the work of the teacher is "training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ..." (Ephesians 4:11-12, HCSB).

With those two assumptions, it is essential that the strategy of revolutionary Sunday School be three pronged:

reaching people beyond the walls of the church,
caring for people who join the class and church,
and helping members make spiritual progress in becoming like Christ through teaching and serving.

In order to carry out that strategy, classes will be more effective when organization exists with leaders who are enlisted for specific responsibilities. While every class member has a responsibility related to each part of the strategy, enlisted leaders help classes maintain intentional balance, focus, and energy.

By the way, every organization or structure deteriorates when it is ignored. Maintenance requires regular doses of leadership, encouragement, training, enlistment, communication, goal-setting, and more. In the adult class, the teacher is the leader or the class organization, unless another person has been enlisted and given that responsibility.

Over the years, I have seen Sunday Schools and adult classes organized in many ways. Here are a few of those many ways:

teacher, assistant or substitute teacher, secretary, outreach leader, care groups (A Simple Two-Part System for Getting Sunday School Class Ministry Done, Part 2)
all members divided into three teams: reaching, caring, and discipling/teaching
teacher, secretary, and leaders for evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and worship (Sunday School Carrying out the Purposes of the Church)
teacher, secretary/administrator, and leaders for prayer, outreach, care groups, and fellowship (Sunday School That Really Works)
leaders for teaching, evangelism, administration, ministry, and service (Sunday School Class TEAMS)
leaders of fellowship, intercession, instruction, service, and hope (Sunday School Class FISH Team Training)
leaders for service/starting new classes, ministry, assimilation, reaching, and teaching (Revolutionary Adult Classes Are S.M.A.R.T.)

So how should an adult class be organized? Is one organization more effective than others? My simple answer is that the best one is the one that works in your setting. I recommend you avoid complicated or complex. Think simple. Think purposeful. Think about your people and context. Then make it fit and work. Seek feedback and input. Strive for ownership of the vision and plan.

And enlist to the vision and plan. Keep the plan and organization flexible as you fine tune it. Allow for trial and error. Learn along the way. Dream and pray big. Raise expectations.

I do recommend striving for a consistent organization or structure within all adult classes in a Sunday School. This helps in training and communication. But some classes who are doing effective work using another organization or structure could be "grandfathered" in and allowed some flexibility as you adopt a strategy.

How are your classes organized? Press Comments at the bottom of this blog post and share your organizational ideas and successes with others. Let's give God our best effort in carrying out the Great Commission and training the saints in the work of ministry! Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about class organization, check out these blog posts:

How Much Time Should the Teacher Talk during the Sunday School Lesson?

Darryl Wilson — Mon, 7 Nov 2011 12:51:00 -0400

Over the last fourteen years, I have had the privilege to talk face-to-face with Sunday School teachers, pastors, and directors from all over the country as well as Germany, Italy, Tanzania, and England. From these thousands of interactions, I have learned many things. Some have affirmed basic Sunday School principles. Others have pointed out needs. Still others have led to considerable mental debate and paradigm shift.

One of those has to do with the amount of time a teacher spends talking on Sunday morning. In most churches, Sunday School is scheduled between 45 and 75 minutes. In many of these churches, attenders arrive late. In some of these churches, an assembly time precedes Sunday School with a brief welcome, announcement, and/or devotional time. The impact of these two issues is often a loss of 15 minutes from the Sunday School session. So in effect, we are already down to 30-60 minutes.

In many of the adult classes, someone at minimum leads the class in a time of announcements, prayer requests, and prayer--usually prior to the lesson. In other classes, there may also be a time for prospect assignments, care group gathering/reports, and other class business. The net effect is that the time for a lesson in many classes is further reduced to 20-45 minutes.

Many teachers spend hours preparing lessons, so they desire to share what they have learned and prepared. Reduced time often leads to frustration by the teacher and participants. It would be appropriate for Sunday School planning/training teams to address the issue of time management on Sunday morning. But I want to address a different issue.

QUESTIONS. Of the time available for the lesson, how much time should a teacher talk? In order to answer that question, I believe there are additional questions that should be considered first. Consider the following:

What are you trying to accomplish? Are you keeping them busy, feeding them content, or challenging them toward life change?
How large is the class? The larger the class, the more challenging it is to get everyone to participate in the lesson. On average, the more participants are involved, the greater likelihood will be retention and obedience.
What learning styles are present in the class? A learning style is how learners prefer to learn and how they learn best. Of the eight learning styles (verbal, visual, physical, natural, musical, relational, logical, and reflective), most classes will have all eight represented.
What would be the best way to encourage spiritual progress or life transformation? Think about how to help an individual attender as a result of the lesson to take one or two steps toward the goal of spiritual maturity.
What teaching method(s) will result in the greatest retention (remembering) and application (obedience)? Each age group, class, and learner is unique. Avoid teaching generic lessons. Customize the lesson to the realities of one or more participant.

DANGERS. There are dangers to avoid:

Do all the talking. Then you will miss many learning contributions from others in the room. Learning is less likely to be "owned" and applied.
Not listening. Learners will check out if you pay no attention to them.
Read parts. About 60% do not like to read; some of those cannot read. Reading without supplementary action often has low retention.
Ask for opinions. Opinions are not our goal. What does God's Word say? This may be a sign that the teacher did not spend time preparing the lesson well enough.
Common language. Hearing language and phrases often enough that teachers assume learners understand what it means. It is better to explain things thoroughly.

So what is the right balance? How much time should a teacher talk during a lesson? First, let the Spirit speak through you as much as you can. Second, talk as little as you can in order to steer the course of the learning experience toward the desired outcome. Third, in most lessons, that means most teachers should work to reduce the amount of time they talk.

In a recent series about storytelling the Bible, I mentioned the goal for the teacher/leader to talk no more than 25% of the time. If you talk 100% or 75%, I want to challenge you to begin now to make an intentional, gradual shift toward balance. Reduce your talking time by 25%. If you are already somewhat balanced, assess what you are doing and consider how you might make changes that will propel learners toward greater growth and discipleship. Pray. Prepare. Teach to change lives. Involve them. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about teaching, check out these blog posts:

Blueprints for Sunday School Growth

Darryl Wilson — Fri, 4 Nov 2011 09:03:00 -0400

WHO: Designed for pastor and Sunday School director teams. Can include other members of your core Sunday School planning team.

Biblical purpose/mission of Sunday School
Grow Through an Annual Sunday School Growth Retreat
Pastor and Sunday School director relationships
Monthly Sunday School growth meetings
Sunday School leader enlistment and care
Sunday School growth budgeting and leader training
Add new people to the Sunday School bucket
Organize for Sunday School outreach and care
Sunday School enrollment and contacts
Promotion of Sunday School
Deepen relationships through Sunday School fellowship, projects, and meals
Add more Sunday School buckets: apprenticing
Add more Sunday School buckets: seed groups, off-site groups, and space

In addition to these General Session topics, participants will be able to choose from two Elective Conferences: "Teaching That Bears Fruit" and "101 Ways for Sunday School to Reach Out."

WHEN/WHERE: If an address is not listed, call the number listed for an exact location for the training. Due to meals, reservations are required. Call early to reserve your team's spot for this training.

Monday-Tuesday, February 6-7, Crosswoods Baptist Church, 4991 Harrodsburg Rd, Nicholasville, KY, 859.254.7747
Friday-Saturday, February 10-11, Logan-Todd Association, 196 W 3rd St, Russellville, KY, 270.726.2392
Friday-Saturday, February 17-18, Blood River Association, 47 Aurora Hwy, Hardin, KY, 270.437.4203
Saturday, February 25, Campton Baptist Church, 52 South Johnson St, Campton, KY, 859.398.5737
Saturday, February 25, Lynn Camp Baptist Church, Lynn Camp Church Rd, Corbin, KY, 606.549.4497
Friday-Saturday, March 2-3, Ohio River Association, 221 W Main St, Salem, KY, 270.988.2204
Saturday, April 14, Mayslick Baptist Church, 5105 Main St, Mayslick, KY, 606.763.6260
Saturday, April 21, First Baptist Church, 1570 N Danville Bypass, Danville, KY, 859.238.7624
Monday-Tuesday, April 23-24, Fort Mitchell Baptist Church, 2323 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell, KY, 859.727.6522
Monday-Tuesday, April 30-May 1, Cloverport Baptist Church, 314 W Main St, Cloverport, KY, 270.788.3241
Saturday, May 5, First Baptist Church, 560 Main St, Hazard, KY, 606.439.4339
Monday-Tuesday, May 7-8, Williamstown Baptist Church, 214 N Main St, Williamstown, KY, 859.824.7755
Saturday, May 12, First Baptist Church, 149 Lawrence St, Brandenburg, KY, 270.828.2421
Saturday, June 2, Gasper River Association, 530 Helm Ln, Morgantown, KY, 270.526.6913

SCHEDULES: The schedules vary according to the day of the week. Here are th e three schedul es:

Monday-Tuesday: 5:30 - 9:00 PM both night s (sandwich me al provided both night s)
Friday-Saturday: 6:30 - 9:00 PM on Friday and 8:00 AM - Noon on Saturday (sandwich meal provided on Friday night)
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM (sandwich lunch provided)

Sunday School That Really WORKS, Steve Parr
3D Sunday School: A Three Dimensional Strategy to Help Leaders and Members Full the Great Commission, David Francis
I-6: A Six Lane Strategy Toward an Inviting Sunday School, David Francis
Discover Triad: Three Facets of a Dynamic Sunday School Class, David Francis
Connect³: The Power of One Sunday School Class, David Francis

FACILITATORS: Blueprints for Sunday School Growth will be led at each location by two of these experienced Sunday School practitioners:

Darryl Wilson, Director, Sunday School Department, Kentucky Baptist Convention and Blogger, The Sunday School Revolutionary!
George Yates, Director, SonC.A.R.E. Ministries, and Author, Teaching That Bears Fruit
Bill Ellis, Discipleship Pastor, Crestwood Baptist Church, Crestwood, KY
Todd Beasley, Minister of Education, Parkland Baptist Church, Louisville, KY
Howard Fuller, Minister of Education, Lone Oak First Baptist Church, Paducah, KY

The training is provided by the Sunday School Department of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and is financially supported through the generous Cooperative Program giving of Kentucky Baptist Convention churches.

Sunday School: Telling the Bible Story, Part 5 Teacher Multiplication

Darryl Wilson — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:59:00 -0400

What if a teaching method could train more teachers? What if every lesson gave attenders practice on parts of teaching? What if attenders at the conclusion of a lesson believed they could teach next week?

In Part 1 I asked, "What if I could suggest a Sunday School lesson method which will increase involvement/participation, retention (remembering), evangelism, and preparation of new teachers? Would you be interested in the method?" In Part 2, I overviewed steps of the Bible story telling method and pointed out times which increase involvement and participation. In Part 3, I shared how the method improves and increases retention (remembering) of the Bible teaching and truth. In Part 4, I shared ways this method increases the potential for reaching out and evangelism. In Part 5 (the final part of this series),

MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY. There are several times and ways in which this method of story telling the Bible trains members and potential teacher. Consider the following:

REVIEW. Ask what the scripture story was about last week. Ask what the truth or point of the story was. Then ask what they did to live out the truth. This reinforces the fact that you are expecting more than knowledge gain. Not everyone may participate, but several will. [The teacher can give this job away.]
PRAYER. Focus this prayer upon help for listening and focusing on God and His word. Ask God to help you to hear and apply scripture to your life. You may want to call on someone in the class to pray this prayer, but emphasize that the prayer is to ask God to help you listen to Him and His Word. [The teacher can give this job away.]
INTRODUCTION. Get the attention of those in the class. Help them shift toward thinking about the session, truth, and passage. This can be done by helping them understand the context for the story. It can be done by asking them to listen for an answer to a question. It can be done in many ways, but help them prepare to listen. [This will be difficult for the teacher to give away early enough.]
STORY. Tell the story. Do not read it. Do not memorize it. Tell it as accurately as possible. Practice telling it (out loud) with emphasis, gestures, and emotion where appropriate. This won't take as long as you think. Ask someone to check you as you practice. Look at everyone in the room as you share the story. Done well, storytelling will capture the imagination as well. [The teacher should give this job away after three or four weeks.]
REBUILD. As review and to reinforce the story, ask what happened first. Then what happened next. And so on through the whole story. Don't tell them; get them to tell you. If they get something out of order, ask what happened before that. Make sure the story is rebuilt sequentially with nothing left out. Done well, this can get lots involved. In fact, work to avoid the same one or two doing all the responding. [The teacher should give this job away after a couple of weeks.]
QUESTIONS. There are several key questions which should be asked here. Consider these: Who are the main characters? What do we learn about them? What do we learn about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit in the story. This one is important: To which character in the story do you most relate, and why? (Try to get everyone who is willing to share an answer to this question, even if they have to do so in small groups.) What does God want you to do as a result of the story? What will you commit to do? Again, done well, questions can get nearly everyone involved. [The teacher can give this job away by providing a set of standard questions. And the teacher can always add to the questions.]
POINT TO SCRIPTURE. When someone asks a question that you cannot answer, ask the group. Or more importantly, ask them what the passage says. Keep focused on the passage. If other scripture is appropriate, feel free to share it. But look for answers in God's Word rather than personal opinions. [The teacher can give this job away by encouraging the class to do this.]

If you give these jobs away in small installments over the weeks, eventually nearly everyone in the class will have experience and confidence. And the feedback from the class when they do these jobs will encourage them to try again. In nearly every class, new teachers will step forward.

Pray. Prepare well. Give God your best. Tell the Bible story. Use this method, and come back to this post with a report of the response of your group. Or ask questions or share your comments. Give God your best effort in leading His people to know and live out His Word! Train more teachers and release them into the harvest. Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about teaching to impact lives, check out these blog posts:

Sunday School: Telling the Bible Story, Part 4 Evangelism

Darryl Wilson — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:11:00 -0400

In Part 1 I asked, "What if I could suggest a Sunday School lesson method which will increase involvement/participation, retention (remembering), evangelism, and preparation of new teachers? Would you be interested in the method?" In Part 2, I overviewed suggested steps of the Bible story telling method and pointed out times when the method naturally increases involvement and participation. In Part 3, I focused on times when the method improves and increases retention (remembering) of the Bible teaching and truth. In Part 4, I will examine ways this method increases the potential for reaching out and evangelism.

MOMENTS OF METHOD OPPORTUNITY. There are several times and ways in which story telling the Bible makes reaching out and evangelism more likely and more natural. Consider the following:

MEMORABLE. Stories tend to be memorable for most people. While this is especially true for oral learners, a good story captivates most hearers. It pulls in their attention. They can "see" the story in their minds while listening to the story. That combination of "seeing" and hearing adds retention. That makes a well-told Bible story more likely to impact listeners, including those who are lost.
POWERFUL. We have this promise: "so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11, ESV). Since Avery Willis Jr. identified 888 stories in scripture, story telling the Bible must have been important. God is drawing people to Him through His Word.
TRANSMISSIBLE. Partly because stories are more memorable, they are also more easily transmissible for most people. We will seldom tell others what we do not remember. When we tell the story, it becomes even more alive for us. And telling means more people will hear the Bible story. Encouraging hearers on Sunday morning to share the Bible story during the week is a natural follow up and expression of the learning experience.
ASSIGNMENT. The natural result of every Bible study session should be personal application of God's Word and commitment to obey. Lessons will tend to be stronger when they allow participants time to exercise obedience in class and to consider doing so during the week. One way to encourage this is to ask learners to share the story. This could be done first with family, then with friends, and then with others who cross our path during the week.
REVIEW. One part of every lesson is to ask (at the beginning of the session) what the scripture story was about last week, what the point of the story was, and what they did to live out the truth. This allows attenders to tell their own story about sharing God's story. As learners get more comfortable telling their story, they will be even more comfortable sharing God's story with unchurched and lost people in daily interactions.
POINT TO SCRIPTURE. When someone asks a question about the story that you cannot answer, it is natural to point to the Bible. It is an open door to check out together what the passage says. If other scripture comes to mind or is appropriate, feel free to share it. But look for answers in God's Word rather than personal opinions.
NOT INTIMIDATING. Using the proposed method of story telling the Bible does not intimidate listeners. They don't feel like they have to be experts to understand. This makes those who have little exposure to God's Word more willing to listen and participate in a Bible study session. And it helps attenders feel more comfortable inviting friends.
TEACHABLE MOMENT. Since stories are so memorable, God can use these stories in conversation as you walk through life. When a conversational door opens, it will be natural to share what you remember that is appropriate to the context. This also opens up doors to talking about the class and its benefits that you have received.

How would you implement story telling the Bible in your class? You might begin by using the principles above to tell the Bible story without adding the other method elements suggested. Then you might add the rebuilding and continue as normal. Then you might add the questions. I have not yet been with a group that has a negative reaction to any part of this method. And participants have been open and honest in response to the questions. They enjoyed participating.

In Part 5 of this series, I will conclude with a look at how story telling the Bible can lead to an increase in new teachers. Pray. Prepare well. Give God your best. Tell the Bible story. Use this method, and come back to this post with a report of the response of your group. Or ask questions or share your comments. Give God your best effort in leading His people to know and live out His Word! Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about teaching to impact lives, check out these blog posts:

Sunday School: Telling the Bible Story, Part 3 Retention

Darryl Wilson — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:55:00 -0400

In Part 1 I asked, "What if I could suggest a Sunday School lesson method which will increase involvement/participation, retention (remembering), evangelism, and preparation of new teachers? Would you be interested in the method?" In Part 2, I overviewed suggested steps of the Bible story telling method and I pointed out times when the method naturally increases involvement and participation of the class. In Part 3, I will focus on times when the method improves and increases retention (remembering) of the Bible teaching and truth. If they remember, they will be better able to obey!

OVERVIEW OF METHOD. I discussed the method in Part 2. Consider the following ways the method leads to greater retention:

REVIEW. Review is reinforcement. In this case, review is asking attenders about last week's story and truth. And review time asks what they did to live it out during the week between. This magnifies the expectations for God's Word having impact in their lives. And it reminds them of what what studied, committed, and carried out as a result.
INTRODUCTION. A good introduction as described in Part 2 increases attention and focus on the Bible story. It sets attenders up to pay attention to the story for a purpose. This raises the likelihood of remembering short-term (right after the story is told) and long-term (the week following).
STORY. Telling Bible stories tends to catch more attention. Hearing a story told well is usually more memorable than reading a good story. Many listeners will be more likely to retell the story after hearing a story than they could after reading it. When reading and when hearing a story, our imagination tends to build a visual representation of the story (sense of seeing). But when listening to a Bible story, another sense is involved: hearing. By increasing number of senses involved, retention naturally increases. Seeing OR hearing alone results in 20-30% retention in 72 hours, while seeing AND hearing combined result in 50% retention. I am convinced that stories may lead to greater retention than those statistics tell.
REBUILD. This is the time after telling the story where you ask listeners what happened first and what happened next until the story has been sequentially retold. This engages listeners and helps them to have heard the story twice before considering questions, context, and application. Taking time to rebuild the story is worth the time because of the reinforcement and the retention that results.
QUESTIONS. Questions in general don't result in greater retention, but questions which keep leading attenders to examine the story do. When we help listeners examine the characters, context, and events. They grasp the historical context and are able to remember the details better and to appropriately translate and apply the details to life today. Questions that point to the story serve as a third review of the story resulting in greater remembering.
GET EVERYONE TALKING. Ideally no one person should do more than 25% of the talking, including the teacher/group leader. What that means is that there will be intentionally greater participation and involvement. That results in greater retention of the story, details, and truth. The more we lead them to interact with the passage, the more they remember.
RETELL. Ideally the session would end with an opportunity for an attender volunteer to tell the story to the class. This is one more way to review and reinforce the story, and it increases retention. But an additional way to increase retention is to give the class the assignment to tell the story to someone during the week and to return next week to share what happened.

What other ways can you see that this method of story telling the Bible could result in greater remembering of God's Word and truth? How could you implement this in your class? Why not give it a try? Pray. Prepare well. Give God your best. Tell the Bible story and watch what happens! Use this method, and come back to this post with a report of the response of your group. Or ask questions or share your comments. Give God your best effort in leading His people to know and live out His Word! Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about teaching to impact lives, check out these blog posts:

Sunday School: Telling the Bible Story, Part 2 Involvement

Darryl Wilson — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 11:23:00 -0400

In Part 1 I asked, "What if I could suggest a Sunday School lesson method which will increase involvement/participation, retention (remembering), evangelism, and preparation of new teachers? Would you be interested in the method?" In Part 2, I will overview the steps of the method for telling the Bible story that I suggest in order to accomplish increases in all four areas. And, I will point out times that method for telling the Bible story will naturally increase involvement and participation of the class.

OVERVIEW OF METHOD. There are several significant pieces of the method that I suggest beyond telling the Bible story. These pieces of the method make the increases in the four areas mentioned above possible. Consider the following and their impact on involvement and participation:

REVIEW. Ask what the scripture story was about last week. Ask what the truth or point of the story was. Then ask what they did to live out the truth. This reinforces the fact that you are expecting more than knowledge gain. Not everyone may participate, but several will.
PRAYER. Focus this prayer upon help for listening and focusing on God and His word. Ask God to help you to hear and apply scripture to your life. You may want to call on someone in the class to pray this prayer, but emphasize that the prayer is to ask God to help you listen to Him and His Word.
INTRODUCTION. Get the attention of those in the class. Help them shift toward thinking about the session, truth, and passage. This can be done by helping them understand the context for the story. It can be done by asking them to listen for an answer to a question. It can be done in many ways, but help them prepare to listen.
STORY. Tell the story. Do not read it. Do not memorize it. Tell it as accurately as possible. Practice telling it (out loud) with emphasis, gestures, and emotion where appropriate. This won't take as long as you think. Ask someone to check you as you practice. Look at everyone in the room as you share the story. Done well, storytelling will capture the imagination as well.
REBUILD. As review and to reinforce the story, ask what happened first. Then what happened next. And so on through the whole story. Don't tell them; get them to tell you. If they get something out of order, ask what happened before that. Make sure the story is rebuilt sequentially with nothing left out. Done well, this can get lots involved. In fact, work to avoid the same one or two doing all the responding.
QUESTIONS. There are several key questions which should be asked here. Consider these: Who are the main characters? What do we learn about them? What do we learn about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit in the story. This one is important: To which character in the story do you most relate, and why? (Try to get everyone who is willing to share an answer to this question, even if they have to do so in small groups.) What does God want you to do as a result of the story? What will you commit to do? Again, done well, questions can get nearly everyone involved.
LIMIT YOUR TALKING. To increase participation, make sure no one takes more than 25% of the time for talking, including the teacher/group leader. That includes setting up the story, telling the story, and asking questions. The point is to get them involved which helps with all four increases mentioned in the opening paragraph.
POINT TO SCRIPTURE. When someone asks a question that you cannot answer, ask the group. Or more importantly, ask them what the passage says. Keep focused on the passage. If other scripture is appropriate, feel free to share it. But look for answers in God's Word rather than personal opinions.

While not every passage of scripture is a story, many of these principles mentioned above would increase involvement and participation in any type of scripture passage. As I mentioned in Part 1, Avery Willis has stated that there are 888 stories in the Bible. If you taught one per week, that would take more than seventeen years.

How would you implement this in your class? You might begin by using the principles above to tell the Bible story without adding the other method elements suggested. Then you might add the rebuilding and continue as normal. Then you might add the questions. I have not yet been with a group that has a negative reaction to any part of this method. And participants have been open and honest in response to the questions. They enjoyed participating.

For more ideas about teaching to impact lives, check out these blog posts:

Sunday School: Telling the Bible Story, Part 1

Darryl Wilson — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:58:00 -0400

What if I could suggest a Sunday School lesson method which will increase involvement/participation, retention (remembering), evangelism, and preparation of new teachers? Would you be interested in the method?

I have been convinced recently that many Sunday School teachers and leaders need to make an adjustment in their thinking, planning, and lesson presentation. This is true because of orality, a tendency or preference by some people today for the spoken word rather than the written word.

I have heard the arguments. Some would proudly boast that we are an educated society. They would say that orality is only a choice when there is no written language. That is just not true. And it began all the way back to the time of Jesus. There was a lot of literacy (ability to read and write) in Jesus' day in the Jewish, Roman, and Greek cultures. And yet Jesus was an excellent and regular teller of stories and parables.

And today in the United States, researchers tell us that about 60% of our society does not like to read. A portion of that number cannot read, a portion can't read well, and a portion can read well but do not like to read. How does that piece of information impact the church? How does the fact that 60% of our attenders do not like to read impact our discipleship efforts with them? How does it impact our Sunday School classes?

Think with me about some evidence of this in our churches, Sunday Schools, and classes. Pastors and directors tell me that it is often challenging to find enough teachers for existing classes. How often do attenders prepare for class by reading pupil books? How often are attenders reading their Bibles daily. On Monday morning, how much of the lesson do our attenders remember?

Many of you would recognized the name Avery T. Willis, Jr. For many years, Avery was one of the missionaries of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board. And he was also the author of a great Discipleship resource, MasterLife. During the latter part of his life, he invested a lot of time and effort toward orality because of its importance, not just in primitive cultures. Avery identified 888 stories in the Bible.

The method which can impact involvement, retention, evangelism, and new teachers is based on telling the Bible story. Story telling the Bible is not just for children. In this five-part series, I will begin to unpack this simple method and the possibilities for its use, particularly for adults. I ask you to do two things:

keep an open mind and
look for opportunities to try out the method.

In Part 2, I will focus on the way this method leads to greater involvement and participation of attenders (and others). In the meantime, observe what is happening in class this week. And compare notes with what is coming in this series. Let's give God our best efforts. Let's impact the body of Christ and world! Be revolutionary!

For more ideas about teaching, check out these blog posts:

Review of Small Groups with Purpose

Darryl Wilson — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:21:00 -0400

Have you gotten your copy of Steve Gladen's book, Small Groups with Purpose: How to Create Healthy Communities? Steve is the Pastor of Small Group Community for Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, where he has served for the last thirteen years. Steve and Saddleback have launched many new groups in many creative ways over those years. He has learned much from success, challenge, and even failure.

In his 234-page book, Steve covers a lot of details. Especially in the book's first section, "What is a Health and Balanced Small Group?," Steve is transparent about his learning journey related to small groups and small group ministry. You will want to read carefully chapter two, "The Saddleback Difference: The Ten Foundations of Saddleback's Small Group Ministry." There Steve is clear that "too often people go to a conference and ten try to implement in their home church the strategies that succeed at another church" (p. 23). But at the same time, the ten foundations offer great challenges to thinking and planning (here are the first five foundations):

Bold Faith, Not Cautious Planning
Purpose Driven Groups, Not Special-Interest Groups
Effective, Not Perfect
Intentional Focus, Not Flavor of the Day
Leadership Potential, Not Proven Leaders

For some small group ministry leaders, the length of this book will intimidate. But Steve has covered so many important details. For instance, the book's second section, "What Does This Look Like?" contains these chapters:

"Is Your Vision Blurry? Define Success Clearly"
"It All Starts with Community: Build a Foundation for Health and Balance"
"Leading for Spiritual Formation: How to Create a Church Disciples, not Attendees"
"Don't Lead Alone: Mobilize Your Groups from Sitting to Serving"

In chapter four, "Is Your Vision Blurry? Define Success Clearly," states, "Unless you know the target, you cannot hit it" (p. 46). He suggests planning with the end in mind. In chapter five he clarifies that he and his leaders believe "meeting off campus rather than in the church building promotes deeper fellowship within the small group" (p. 57). They also value meeting weekly where "a member can miss one meeting and then jump right back in the following week" (pp. 57-58).

The book's third section, "Step-by-Step, How Can I Do This?" focuses especially on members spiritual growth and leader recruitment and training. Again, some small group ministry leaders will be intimidated by the scale of ministry at Saddleback, but Steve tries to share the growth journey they have been on. That means they have made many adjustments along the way. In chapter thirteen, Steve shares ten training tips (here are the first five of those):

Make training an expectation.
Make use of continuing education instead of giving all your training to new leaders immediately.
Encourage training that is easily transferable.
Make the training as relational as possible.
Provide high-impact training.

The book is laid out well. Each chapter concludes with a section of questions that could easily be used for gathering your small group ministry team to discuss important issues. This is a book that should be added to the reading list and library of every person who want to start or grow their small group ministry.

For more ideas about small groups, check out these blog posts:

101 Ways for Sunday School to Be Evangelistic, Part 10 Outreach Projects

Darryl Wilson — Tue, 6 Sep 2011 10:38:00 -0400

Most attenders are in Sunday School class no more than one hour out of a week. That mean there are 167 other hours to be witnesses, to be salt and light. Projects can be a great way to turn some time, talent, and resources into outreach and evangelistic opportunities for Jesus, the church, and the class.

Over the last couple of months, we have shown that Sunday School can be more inviting and evangelistic through prayer (Part 1), relationships (Part 2), fellowships (Part 3), greeting (Part 4), teaching (Part 5), application (Part 6), follow up (Part 7), contacts (Part 8), and testimonies (Part 9). In addition to these ninety ways, in Part 10 we will look at the final eleven (of 101) ways Sunday School can also be evangelistic through ministry/outreach projects:

1. PRAY TOGETHER. Seek God's leadership before planning. Praying together brings thoughts and hearts to a dependence on God before stepping out in ministry, outreach, and evangelism for Him.
2. BRAINSTORM. By asking for lots of ideas after a season of prayer, you can quickly gauge a group's support of various ideas. Look for quarterly or for ongoing opportunities, but be sensitive to needs of the moment. Give everyone the whole list and ask them to mark two or three they are most excited about and believe will have the most impact.
3. PLAN TOGETHER. Get as many involved in planning as possible. Planners will naturally want to be involved in the project. Spend time praying and planning how the project can have the desired ministry, outreach, and evangelistic results.
4. INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS. Challenge attenders to do random acts of kindness. Make it a class project to invite a friend. Challenge them to give Sunday night to Jesus by inviting an associate or neighbor for a meal. Teach them to share Sunday School or evangelistic testimonies. At an established time, call for a report of these individual project results.
5. DISCOVER RESOURCES. Do a written survey of the class. Ask about spiritual gifts, things they are passionate about, abilities, personality, and experiences. Ask where they work and if they volunteer anywhere. Ask about needs and opportunities they see in their neighborhood and beyond. Collect and study the responses. Look for a reason why God has put this group together. What does He want them to do for Him?
6. FOCUS THE FIELD. Sometimes it is difficult to get excited or see potential with ten ideas. Focus . Narrow the list. Choose one or two. Then get input. I know a church that prepared Little League ball field s before the season. It opened so many more doors than they imagined. It led to many spiritual conversations. I t allowed an ongoing witness.
7. MEET A NEED. Listen. Look around you. Ask attenders to discover ministry and outreach opportunities around them. Help them look and listen in different places every week for a month. When a need has been identified, meet it. Do it well. Do it with the love of Christ. Minister. Care. Connect. Make time to share Jesus.
8. ACTS 1:8. Why not develop quarterly projects for your Jerusalem (city), Judea (state), Samaria (country or unreached people group), and ends of the earth (beyond the country)? I have seen classes with projects at all levels of this.
9. GIVE AND GO. Collect money to meet immediate and ongoing needs and project plans. But help people to avoid thinking that giving is a substitute for going. My class is currently collecting money for landscaping and plants around a new wheelchair ramp for a man who can no longer walk. And the class is planning a work day to complete the project. The bottom line is care. Also, don't forget to share Jesus in the course of the project.
10. INVITE. When possible, invite unenrolled and lost prospects to help and get to know you during projects. I remember a church work day to which a senior men's class invited a lost friend. He got to know the men during the work. And came to Sunday School the next day. And after attending six weeks straight, he accepted Jesus as Savior. Allow people to Jesus in you during projects.
11. DEBRIEF. As with all 100 of the previous ways for Sunday School to be evangelistic, improvement comes through debriefing the experience, evaluating the process, and making adjustments. Talk about not only the impact on the class, but also talk about the impact for our Lord and the impact on lost and unconnected people. How could that impact be increased? What went well? What could be done better next time? Keep written records of debriefing sessions.

What would you add to these ideas for leading our classes to be more evangelistic through ministry/outreach projects? Choose one or two and of the ideas above to implement in your class this week! For more ideas about evangelism and outreach through the Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

101 Ways for Sunday School to Be Evangelistic, Part 9 Testimonies

Darryl Wilson — Fri, 2 Sep 2011 13:57:00 -0400

The number one fear in the United States is the fear of public speaking. So how do you lead your class to share their testimony? How do you help attenders overcome that fear and move them to talk to unenrolled and lost people? What if preparation and motivation could happen during Sunday School?

Over the last couple of months, we have shown that Sunday School can be more inviting and evangelistic through prayer (Part 1), relationships (Part 2), fellowships (Part 3), greeting (Part 4), teaching (Part 5), application (Part 6), follow up (Part 7), and contacts (Part 8). In addition to these eighty ways, in Part 9 we will look at ten ways Sunday School can also be evangelistic through te stimonies:

EXPLAIN. Share with your class what you plan to do. Explain that you will be helping them to prepare and practice sharing their testimonies over the next few months. (Don't ask for a vote.) Help them to understand why it is important. Ask them to join you in praying for what God will do. Over time explain the differences between a Sunday School and salvation testimony (see below). Help them understand the goal.
SUNDAY SCHOOL. A salvation testimony is simply a story of how God has used Sunday School in your life. It can tell about how much you have learned more about the Bible. It can tell how your best friends are in Sunday School. It can tell about how the class came to your help in time of need and more. I have written a lot about Sunday School testimonies. Check out Sunday School Testimony: Powerful Revolutionary Tool and Grow Sunday School by Sharing Your Sunday School Testimony. It should be able to be told in 2-3 minutes. I suggest helping the class start with the Sunday School testimony before moving to the salvation testimony.
SALVATION. A salvation testimony is a story of (1) what life was like before you accepted Jesus, (2) how you discovered your need for Him, and (3) what life is like now with Him. The salvation testimony will often benefit from scripture woven into the second part. Again, it should be able to be shared in 2-3 minutes.
WRITE OUT. One of the first ways to prepare either of these testimonies is to ask members to write it out. Do one of these testimonies at a time. Give them a week to work on it at home. And/o r allow a few minutes in class. Collect the written testimonies, and offer written suggestions about details that should be added or cut in order to make the testimonies more effective. (If you need help, ask your pastor or a deacon.) It is often best to div i de this process into small steps. Avoid asking them to practice in the same session in which they have written out their testimonies. Return their testimonies and ask them to revise them. Give them a fresh piece of paper. Give them a week or do so in class.
PRACTICE. Get the class into pairs to allow each person to verbally share his/her testimony. Doing so in pairs removes the fear of public speaking, and it shortens the time needed for everyone to share. Encourage the listener to use good listening skills and to avoid interrupting. Give only three to four minutes and then switch. This helps the person sharing to know he/she has to keep the testimony short. Do this in class several times over the next few weeks. Allow them to use the written testimony at first, but move them toward sharing without.
SHARE. Make a point after each practice session to ask the group to tell you who had t he best testimony. Try to get the group to name two or three people. Then ask for a volunteer among those two or three who would be willing to share with the whole class. When you hear a really good one, make sure to talk to the pastor about it. Encourage him to approach the individual about sharing the testimony from the pulpit.
CHALLENGE. Then challenge the class to share their testimony. Give them a deadline, perhaps two weeks to share it with (1) another Christian as practice and (2) with someone who is lost or unenrolled. Tell them when the report time will be. Call or send out reminders by email or mail. The teacher and class leaders can greatly encourage the class by sharing in the middle of the two weeks about what happened when they shared their testimony.
PRAY. Before sending them out, gather the class to pray. Ask them to pray for God to use the practice. Ask God to open opportunities. Ask God to give them courage, discernment, and words. Ask God to use them. Ask God for big results that show He is God.
GO. Then send them out. Tell them they can go share in pairs or alone. But give them some ideas to help them see opportunities. Help them think about times when they might share with friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors. Talk about work, school, play, and marketplace opportunities. Help them to identify and focus on one or two of these, but challenge them to be sensitive to opportunities provided by the Holy Spirit.
REPORT. Set a time for everyone to report what happened. Allow enough time for this to take place. You might even decide you want to do this at another time than Sunday morning so everyone can share. If you report on Sunday morning, you might limit each person to one or two minutes. Make sure you give God the glory He deserves in the process. If you started with the Sunday School testimony, then do the process all over again with a new focus on the salvation testimony.

What would you add to these ideas for preparing and motivating attenders to share their testimonies? Help them prepare this week! Choose one or two and of the ideas above to implement in your class this week! In Part 10, we will turn to ways ministry and outreach projects and lead a class to be more evangelistic. For more ideas about evangelism and outreach through the Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

101 Ways for Sunday School to Be Evangelistic, Part 8 Contacts

Darryl Wilson — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:38:00 -0400

Because your class cares about friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors (FRANs) who are not enrolled in the class, they do more than wish good things about them. Your attenders pray for and contact guests and prospects because they know the impact of Sunday School. They do so to develop relationships as well as to invite guests to meals, fellowships, and class sessions. Without evidence of care, these FRANs may never know of care or of the impact of Sunday School. Contacts are a natural and necessary evangelistic step for a class that cares.

Over the last couple of months, we have said that Sunday School can be more inviting and evangelistic through prayer (Part 1), relationships (Part 2), fellowships (Part 3), greeting (Part 4), teaching (Part 5), application (Part 6), and follow up (Part 7). In addition to these seventy ways, in Part 8 we will look at ten ways Sunday School can also be evangelistic through contacts:

CALLS. These allow two-way communication even though facial expressions and gestures may be missing to add greater understanding to the communication. They can be quick or take time according to the needs of both parties. Ideally, a caller will take whatever time the individual being called needs to listen and answer questions, share prayer requests, and pray together. A Sunday School or evangelistic testimony can even be shared by phone.
MAIL. Contact by mail, especially handwritten, is often appreciated today. We all get bills and junk mail, but few of us get much personal mail. Even a postcard can communicate care, appreciation, invitation, and even scripture.
TEXTS. These are easy, as-you-go contacts. They can be made while standing in line, in between meetings, and more. Contact information (phone number) is already in the phone. So when you think of the individual, it is a fast way to make contact with him/her. When they have questions, needs, or life stresses, they can likewise contact you. Invitations can be sent. Encouragement can be offered in just a few characters and spaces.
EMAILS. These are frequently longer than texts, but with the integration of email access and phones (Blackberry, iPhone, and more), it can be easy to send out mass invitations. It can be easy to remind about the meal at your house, the class fellowship, or what will be studied on Sunday. Prayer requests are easily shared as well. Without the character limits, emails can go into greater detail about salvation when the door has been opened.
HOME VISITS. Visits are the most personal form of contact. Since 93% of communication is nonverbal, a visit often understands more of the communication. A visit also requires the most time of the contact methods, and is often appreciated because of the significance of the investment. A hom e visit, even at the front door, can be a very effective way to express your care, answer questions, pray together, and sense an opportunity to share about the love of Christ and the class. A home visit can also help the person making the visit learn some things from the setting about the guest or prospect.
WORK VISITS. These are not always possible or appropriate with every person. It may not be possible to visit a school teacher, ICU nurse, or others in their work setting. On the other hand, some might welcome and prefer contact there. Be wise and sensitive in choosing. And be aware of others around the person you are visiting.
COFFEE. People are busy, but many enjoy pausing for coffee or soda. Be intentional to plan these before or after work and along the paths of guests and prospects. Look for opportunities for them to say "yes." Buy the coffee/soda. Ask questions. Listen. Get to know each other. Pray together. Answer questions and concerns. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
HOME MEALS. You and the guest or prospect is going to eat somewhere. Invite them to your home. Many will relax and share more casually over a meal than in any other setting. Two class members (or couples) could host the meal--that can make conversation even more lively. If attenders are not comfortable having people in their home, they should consider coffee (above) or restaurant meals (below).
RESTAURANT MEALS. Some do not have entertaining space. Others do not feel their home is clean or straight enough for guests. When that's the case, just ask guests and prospects to join you for a meal at your (or their) favorite restaurant. Offer to pay or suggest going dutch. Again, ask questions and listening is the main agenda. Get to know each other. Talk about the class, church, and Jesus as conversation allows. Not having to fix the meal or clean the dishes is a positive for many. Enjoy the meal along with relaxed dialogue.
WEB. Today there are many ways to have conversation, send invitations, develop relationships, and/or to share Jesus. This can be done using Skype, Facebook, AIM, and much more. Ask people if they are on Facebook, and add them as a friend. Get a group chat going dealing with specific questions. Invite guests and prospects to join you. Use the web for good. Be conscious of your witness at all times in all media.

What would you add to these ideas for making our lesson application even more evangelistic? If attenders obey God in His Word, those around them will be attracted to Jesus. Choose one or two and of the ideas above to implement in your class this week! In Part 9, we will turn to ways testimonies of attenders can be more evangelistic. For more ideas about evangelism and outreach through the Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

Register Now for Super Saturday 2011

Darryl Wilson — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:12:00 -0400

DATES AND LOCATIONS:

August 27 at Elizabethtown, Severns Valley Baptist Church (closed)
September 10 in Lexington at Porter Memorial Baptist Church
September 10 in Paducah at Lone Oak First Baptist Church
September 17 in Owensboro at Bellevue Baptist Church
September 17 in Prestonsburg at First Baptist Church

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Super Saturday, the premier training event for Kentucky Baptists. Like it has for two decades, this year’s events will provide a broad range of training for virtually every staff member and volunteer in your church. We invite you to join us as we build on 20 years of practical training, preparing for the future and celebrating what we can accomplish together.

At the conclusion of each event, we will gather together to give thanks for our time together, eat a little cake, give away a few door prizes and CELEBRATE Super Saturday’s 20th Anniversary! We hope you’ll join us!

CONFERENCE CHOICES:

This year conferences will be offered in the following areas: assimilation, Baptist men, church architecture, deacon ministry, discipleship, evangelism, finance, leadership, library, minister of education, missions/ministry, pastoral ministries, pastors/staff/DOMs, prayer, preschool/children, stewardship, Sunday School directors, Sunday School adult teachers, WMU, women's ministry, worship/music, young adult ministry, and youth. Check site-specific workshop choice listing for conferences offered near you.

Participants will choose one two-hour morning Leadership Conference to receive in-depth training in their primary area of responsibility. Participants will be able to choose two one-hour afternoon conferences based on their interests and needs.

SCHEDULE:

8:00 am	Registration Begins
9:00 am	Opening Session
9:45 am	Leadership Conferences
NOON	Lunch (provided)
12:45 pm	Ministry Area Interest Conferences
2:00 pm	Ministry Area Interest Conferences
3:00 pm	Closing Celebration
3:30 pm	Dismiss

REGISTRATION:

Press the site-specific link listed above to register your group online. Registration fee is just $35 per person -OR- $25 Early Bird Special. Register online or postmark it by the Monday before each event to receive the Early Bird discount. Due to the holiday, the Early Bird pricing deadline is extended to Tuesday before Lexington and Paducah events. This rate covers only a portion of the cost of this training. Additional funding provided by Kentucky Baptists’ giving through the Cooperative Program.

101 Ways for Sunday School to Be Evangelistic, Part 7 Follow Up

Darryl Wilson — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:59:00 -0400

Your class prays and collects prospect contact information. Then they do nothing with it. Guests attend. They complete registration information for you, but you set the information aside. Follow up is essential in order to show we care, develop relationships, discern needs and interest, and to invite prospects and guests to join the class and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Over the last couple of months, we have said that Sunday School can be more inviting and evangelistic through prayer (Part 1), relationships (Part 2), fellowships (Part 3), greeting (Part 4), teaching (Part 5), and application (Part 6). In addition to these sixty ways, in Part 7 we will look at ten ways Sunday School can also be evangelistic through follow up:

REGISTRATION. Follow up is difficult or impossible when registration is ignored. Make it simple but thorough. This can happen with Sunday School greeters at a church welcome center or strategic entrance. Or it can happen with class greeters or care group leaders. Also, guest registration information from worship should be shared with classes to add to prospect lists from which to make contacts.
RECORDS. Records begin with guest registration, prospect information, or enrollment. Guests and prospects will have two kinds of records: (a) contact making information with name, address, phone, email, and age group and (2) contact reporting information with efforts and results of contacts by phone, mail, visit, and electronic means. Records of contacts are essential so the next people can build on previous contact rather than start over every time.
ASSIGNMENT. Someone should be in charge of making sure that contacts are made with all guests and prospects. And opportunities for prayer and contact should be shared by everyone in the class. These assignments should be made (and reported) on Sunday and through the week.
TIMELY CONTACT. Guests should be contacted within 48-72 hours following their visit in Sunday School or worship. Other contacts with prospects should be made quickly following discovery of ministry needs and addition to class prospect list. Contact on birthdays, anniversaries, and special days should also be considered timely contact to show you care.
CARING CONTACT. Contact should be an expression of care rather than numbers or the function of a class job or responsibility. Contact should be the further development of a friendship. Often contact will include listening, encouraging, and prayer. This means that phone or visit are the preferred tools for follow up because they are more personal in nature.
PERSISTENT CONTACT. Expression of care is not completed after one contact. Many may need to make these multiple contacts. And a system of records and contacts should be established so no one gives up on those who don't come to class. The point is c are. Leave them on the prospect list until you know they are involved in another Su nday School class somewhere, until they have moved away, or until they have died. Or if they request to be removed--realizing that such a request is a sign of the need for prayer.
PRAYER. All contact should involve prayer before, during, and after. Pray for guests and prospects by name. Pray for their lives and requests you have discovered along the way. Be intentional in prayer. And pray with prospects as often as possible. When leaving a message, remember you can even pray for them in the message. Ask for prayer requests, and that can be a great method for discovering ministry opportunities as well as to show you care. Pray for their salvation and growth as believers and disciples.
LISTEN. One of the simplest, most powerful ways to show you care is to give the gift of listening. Ask questions, and listen. Ask for prayer requests, and listen. Don't rush through "your" presentation. In person, look them in the eye. Reword what they said to make sure you understand. Don't try to answer before you listen.
TESTIMONY. When appropriate, share about why you consider Sunday School to be valuable. How has it helped you grow? How have class members ministered to you? Share about how God has been working in your life. Share how you came to realize your need for Jesus. Pray and allow the Holy Spirit to minister in and through those times.
ASK. Follow up also means calling for the question. What I mean is that we should not say "no" for them. We should not fail to ask them for a response assuming they will decline. Ask them to join the class. Ask them to come over for a meal. Ask them to come to a fellowship. Ask them if they are ready to accept Jesus. Just ask. Care enough to ask.

What would you add to these ideas for making our lesson application even more evangelistic? If attenders obey God in His Word, those around them will be attracted to Jesus. Choose one or two and of the ideas above to implement in your class this week! In Part 8, we will turn to ways our class follow up can be more evangelistic. For more ideas about evangelism and outreach through the Sunday School, check out these blog posts:

101 Ways for Sunday School to Be Evangelistic, Part 6 Application

Darryl Wilson — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:25:00 -0400

Members of your class live differently as a result of what happens in and through your class. People around them notice. They want to know the difference. They ask and give opportunity to share about Jesus, the church, and your class. How did your members get here?

Sunday School can be more inviting and evangelistic through prayer (Part 1), through relationships (Part 2), through fellowships(Part 3), through greeting (Part 4), and through teaching (Part 5). In addition to these fifty ways, in Part 6 we will look at ten ways Sunday School can also be evangelistic through application of the lesson:
1. APPLICATION. Class attenders are led to understand how the truth of each week's lesson applies to life today. They know it is relevant to their lives at home, at school, at work, at play, and in the marketplace. They understand that they are to live lives of radical obedience. They understand people are watching, and getting this right can lead others to Jesus.
2. PERSONALIZATION. Even more specifically, your attenders are allowed enough time in class to customize a plan of action for applying the truth to their own setting. They are given time to pray and consider a strategy and steps of obedience. They consider the impact of those around them.
3. COMMITMENT. Understanding relevancy and developing a plan is not enough. Your attenders are led to make commitments to live out the truth. The commitment is primarily to God but can be strengthened by including others (see Accountability below). This adds resolve to the plan.
4. ACCOUNTABILITY. These commitments may be shared with a prayer partner, accountability partner, small group, or the class. Or they can be written in a prayer journal. But accountability means more than telling others (or your journal) that you made a commitment. There has to be a time to check on progress toward the commitment. See Mark 6:30 for a time for the disciples to report to Jesus. So a specific report time should be set.
5. ENCOURAGEMENT. When commitments are made and accountability report time comes, including others can provide encouragement. They may offer affirmation. They may offer suggestions. They may even challenge. The point of the encouragement is to help attenders to keep their commitments to live out the truth. This can be especially helpful when attenders run into difficult circumstances, but everyone will benefit from hearing the report and will be encouraged about progress and success in living like Christ. Many who are without Christ would love to have an individual or group who cheers them on like this.
6. OBEDIENCE. Bottom line, if we are going to impact and influence those in our lives and along our paths, we must live lives that reflect Jesus, obedience to His commands, and the fruit of the Spirit. They must see lives that match words. Without drawing attention to ourselves, they will know we pray and care and are different. And they will be drawn to Him.
7. LOVING EXAMPLE. Because we love Jesus, we will love others. As a result of loving others, we will show the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Each lesson will result in understanding God's Word, His love, and how to set its truth and His love into real life context. Failures here will lead to repentance, confession, apology, and forgiveness.
8. QUIET TIME. Evidence of a changed life will be stronger when an individual is spending daily time in prayer and studying God's Word. This is daily conversation with a loving God. This is seeking daily direction and help. A daily quiet time gives strength and encouragement for the journey and interactions of life. The best Sunday School classes are those which lead attenders to know how to benefit most from a daily quiet time and challenge members to do so. When attenders spend time daily with God, there will be overflow out of their lives onto the people around them.
9. CRAWL, WALK, RUN. None of us were born running. In the same way, attenders will benefit most from application of the lesson which comes in increasingly challenging steps. Radical obedience may start simply by praying for a lost friend (crawl). It may come as you take an attender with you to make a visit (walk). And it may lead the attender to mowing grass for a lost neighbor following surgery resulting in a spiritual conversation (run). Accountability may come by writing a letter of commitment to yourself (crawl), by sharing a commitment with an accountability partner (walk), and by sharing a testimony with the class about what God did through you (run).
10. REPORT. For several reasons, reports of application and obedience are helpful. It helps participants recognize and celebrate what God has been doing in their lives and those of others. It helps participants see spiritual progress. It ensures a common deadline for execution of plans and steps. Reports help attenders know they are not alone--others are working through similar circumstances. Reports even allow listeners to offer words of wisdom, sensitivity, and adjustment.

What would you add to these ideas for making our lesson application even more evangelistic? If attenders obey God in His Word, those around them will be attracted to Jesus. Choose one or two and of the ideas above to implement in your class this week! In Part 7, we will turn to ways our class follow up can be more evangelistic. For more ideas about evangelism and outreach through the Sunday School, check out these blog posts: