Leading My Sunday School Class to Reach Out

Our Lord was concerned for lost sheep. In Luke 19:10, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” And in Matthew 28:19, He calls us as His disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” We are called to care for those who are not already in Sunday School. How can we lead our classes to reach out? Consider these steps:

1. Lead confidently. As leaders, we must be convinced before we can lead others. But when we are convinced, then we must help class members understand why reaching out is important. If class members do not follow, then we are not leading. In order for them to follow, our explanation must be logical and biblical. And we must be trustworthy and be setting an example in reaching out. Ideally, we need to lead class members to examine the issue and need personally. Jesus did that with great success by telling stories and asking questions. In fact, I would encourage you to use some of Jesus’ very own stories in your effort to lead your class to reach out. For instance, you might consider using the three stories in Luke 15.
2. Pray together. Pray together for lost and unreached people. Move from broad to specific in your prayer. Move them toward praying for people by name.
3. Keep it simple. Provide simple instructions (training) for taking the first steps. Keep things simple. Complicated kills motivation.
4. Make contact assignments. Contact together. Write cards. Make phone calls. Make visits. Make electronic contacts. Some examples could include the following. Write cards on Sunday. Meet at church to make calls on a Monday. Go make visits on a Tuesday. Challenge the class to make electronic contacts on Thursday. Never reach out alone. Together is encouraging and more fun.
5. Follow up on contact efforts. Ask how the contacts went. Share the stories.
6. Host fellowships/projects. Invite lost and unreached people to your class fellowships, projects, and meals. Have fun. Talk. Listen. Allow guests get to know you and your class. Pay attention to your guests but avoid embarrassing them. Invite them to class before they depart.
7. Share testimonies. Lead your class to write, practice, and share their testimonies. Give 5-10 minutes of class time once per month to do so in pairs. Send them out to practice on family. Then send them out to share with lost and unreached people as the Spirit leads during contacts.
8. Set goals. Set class goals for reaching out. Set a goal for contacts. Set a goal for guests at fellowship, projects, and meals. Set a goal for guests in class. Set a goal for new class members.

Take steps together. Share the work. Contact. Care. Have fun. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!