Remember when you began to learn the multiplication tables in grade school? As a 4th grader I was captivated by the concept of multiplication and very impressed by how quickly numbers grew when they were multiplied instead of added together.
Now several decades later, as a Sunday School leader, I am still convinced that “multiplication is better than addition” in your Sunday School ministry. Here’s why.
Addition—simply adding new members to existing classes—achieves limited growth because…
- Existing classes reach their maximum growth potential after 18-24 months.
- Established relationships make it harder for new people to break into the group.
- People “fall through the cracks” when a class continues to get larger.
- Some potential members may not fit in with existing classes because of age, special needs, or marital status.
- Many new members are lost through the “back door” (quit coming)—see #2, 3, & 4 above.
Multiplication—starting new Sunday School classes in any age group—is better because …
- New beginnings create excitement.
- New classes grow more quickly than existing classes.
- New classes enlarge the Sunday School without sacrificing quality teaching by allowing classes to remain small enough for personal interaction.
- New classes are easier for newcomers to penetrate because relationships are still being formed.
- New classes can focus on target groups not currently being reached in your community or by your church.
- New classes create opportunities for more people to use their spiritual gifts as they serve and lead.
Here is a final mathematical equation:
1 new class = increase of 10 in attendance.
Not all of the new members will be from that new class, but overall your Sunday School enrollment attendance will increase by approximately 10 people. For example, if a new adult class enrolls 5 new members (in addition to the starting core group), your church will probably enroll at least 8-10 others who are kids/ parents/ friends/ relatives of the new members. Multiplication IS better than addition.
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Marie Clark has served as Bible Teaching & Discipling Team Leader for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists since 1996
This is pretty antiquated thinking. Larger Sunday School classes can work and can be more effective, and sometimes multiplication for the sake of following the “script” can be disastrous fro the Kingdom. Be careful about generic thinking related to Sunday School in the 21st Century.
Thanks for your note Scott. I personally know your class is being strategic in focusing on being a missional Sunday School class. The Aug 5 blog even links to one of your class stories of the men leading a sports camp in North Dakota. However, your large class story may not be the norm across North America. I think it would be great for you to share how your class is strategically avoiding the pitfalls Marie mentioned. In addition, what do you think could happen if your class were a catalyst for several missional classes by starting several new classes that do what yours is doing now? What if people were motivated to start new classes because they wanted everyone to experience what they are experiencing? Love hearing your missional stories–keep challenging me and all other missional leaders!
I would say that most churches have been trying the way he suggests for the past several decades and we see the result. SS is not about getting a seminary education or covering content. It is about life changing Bible study in the context of a small group that ministers and reaches out. It is true that each leader is gifted differently, i.e. what Moses did in Exodus 18, so we can’t just say every SS class or group need to start a new class when they arrive at a specific number. Some leaders have the giftedness to lead a group of 100 and some can handle 5.
We can’t say that every class should be a large group, more than 50 enrolled, just like we can’t say that every class should be small. Generally, based on my experience, SS has worked best with smaller classes. An enrollment of 20-30 and an average attendance of 10-15. They tend to stop achieving the goals of outreach, ministry, missions and multiplication of leaders/new classes after 18 months and/or 40 enrolled.