This is day 10 of 31 Days of Missionary Sunday School.
Does your class have the proper DNA for growth? DNA? For a Sunday School class?
Yes, Determined Nurturing Attitude! Think about it. We must be intentional when we approach the topic of Sunday School growth. Does our growth mean we want to grow “deeper” in the Word? Yes, but for more than just biblical information, facts, history, dates, etc.
God has commissioned us to be disciple makers. Yes, disciple makers. That means spiritual multiplication. Are we joyfully sending members out of our classes because we have nurtured them in their spiritual growth and we recognize it is time for them to launch into ministry? OR, do we hoard over them and tend to keep them all to ourselves.
Let me illustrate. Over the past several years we have had sparrows making nests in our garage. One on a shelf in the corner, and one on the top of a broom with the bristles turned up. Both in unusual places, but done very neatly. Each hatched three to four eggs. The mothers were very protective of their little ones, UNTIL it was time to leave the nest. THEN it is out you go. It is time to fly. The parents had been diligent to feed them daily, protect them and make sure nothing happened to them. AND on the day of their first flight, both parents hovered around to make sure they made it on their own. There was an intentional plan to spread their wings and FLY. It was a pleasure to behold.
It is also a pleasure to behold those classes whose intention is to grow, multiply, and experience the celebration of being spiritual parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents of new classes being birthed out of classes. It is an equal pleasure when we see God convicting members to go out of our classes to serve in other areas of ministry. That is part of the spiritual transformation process. We are not called to sit, soak, and sour. We called to serve. The strategy must be taught in every class if it is to be an effective multiplying class and a missionary sending class.
We must instill this Determined Nurturing Attitude throughout our churches if we expect to see God use us to reach our communities with the Good News of Jesus. It is amazing that every part of God’s creation has the DNA for growth and multiplication. Jesus made it a part of the designed plan for the New Testament church.
Somehow we have seen the baton dropped. It is time to pick it up again and get back on track with the right DNA for growing missionaries.
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Kiely Young
Mississippi Baptist Convention Board
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