In my previous post, Sunday School: Event or Strategy?, I shared a baker's dozen ways to move Sunday School thinking and action from event to strategy. They included the following:

• proper enlistment, job descriptions, apprenticing, span of care, outreach, ministry, follow up, fellowship, training, affirmation/rewards, new classes, dreaming/goal setting/planning, and accountability.

I want to add three more essentials for making the move from Sunday morning event to Great Commission strategy. Upon these three, all the other depend. Add these three to previous list and make the move this year:

• PRAYER. We can do nothing without God's help. We are not working on the Great Co-mission, if we do so in our own strength. Invest in prayer. Set aside time to pray for God's leadership and help. Follow His lead. Act out of relationship and dependence on Him.
• DESIRE TO GROW. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus challenges us to pray for harvesters. He says in John 10:16 that not all of the sheep are already in the sheep pen. There is still Great Commission work to do. To follow Him is to desire to reach and make more disciples. Sunday School is a great tool to help us do so. We must desire to grow not for the sake of Sunday School, but we must desire to grow for the sake of the impact upon the church, the community, and world for Jesus.
• LEADERSHIP. Without leadership, there is seldom any forward movement. Without leadership, plans are not made and carried out. Without leadership, Sunday School will never be more than an event. Leadership begins with the pastor but cannot stop there. It must filter through Sunday School and include the director, teachers, class leaders, and members. Every person has a part to play, relationships to impact, and influence and commitment to live out.

Will you stop for a minute and assess these three essentials? Is one or more of them missing in your Sunday School? Does one or more have a weak pulse? What can you do to resuscitate that essential? Where do you need to begin? Here is a closing thought: Why not exert some leadership to invest in a time of prayer for Sunday School and see if that might not revive a desire to grow. Do you have another idea or essential, you'd like to add? If so, press Comments below and share it.

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

• Five Essentials of Sunday School Growth
• What Is the Key to Unlock Sunday School Growth?
• Plan for Your Sunday School to Grow This Year, Part 1 and Plan for Your Sunday School to Grow This Year, Part 2
• Grow Your Sunday School: Set Goals This Year
• Personal Invitation and Enrollment: Twin Key Metrics in Sunday School Progress, Part 2
• Does God Expect Sunday School to Grow?
• Sunday School Class Growth Goals
• Sunday School Priorities: Choosing Where to Start
• Set God-Sized Goals for Sunday School Growth
• Laying the Foundation for Sunday School
• It’s Time to Launch One: An Apprentice, an On-Campus Group, and an Off-Campus Group
• Grow by Enlisting God-called Sunday School Leaders