The actions listed will require leadership and intentionality. If Sunday School leaders do not want to work, the actions will simply create stress, resistance, and division. But in a revolutionary Sunday School, the listed actions will release power and energy, create excitement and momentum, and lead to maturational along with numerical growth. CAUTION: Work is required!Consider the following if you want to grow your Sunday School:
- PRAY. Don’t overlook this action! Power, direction, and blessing will be missed without prayer. Pray for the following actions. Pray for leaders, members, and guests.
- START NEW CLASSES. New classes add leaders, reachers, focus, energy, and excitement. On average, new classes grow faster than existing classes. A new class will tend to grow to 20-25 in enrollment and 10-12 in attendance in 12-18 months.
- MAKE MORE CONTACTS. Increasing contacts with members and guests by 7-10 contacts above your usual number of contacts will result in 1 additional person in attendance. Want 10 more persons in attendance? Make 70-100 more contacts.
- INVITE MEMBERS AND GUESTS TO FELLOWSHIPS AND PROJECTS.Fellowships (social) and projects (work/ministry) are great tools for developing relationships with each other. Why not invite guests? As guests get to know the people in the class, they will be more likely to attend the class.Offer one of each every quarter. Don’t wait for them to attend class. Invite guests to your fellowship or project now!
- ENLIST A CLASS LEADERSHIP TEAM. David Francis of LifeWay says in an article entitled, Sunday School is a Team Effort, if you are missing members of your team, you become that leader. If you want to increase attendance, you need everyone to do their job. It takes a team to invite, lead participants to discover God and His Word, and connect with each other and God (3D Sunday School).
- SET NEW MEMBER, ATTENDANCE, AND CONTACT GOALS. Ask every class to set God-sized goals. Privately and publicly affirm classes who reach/exceed their goals. Make total Sunday School progress visual.
- ORGANIZE TO REACH OUT AND MEET NEEDS. Enlist an outreach leader and a member care leader for every class to involve the class in discovering needs and mobilizing care to class members. Contacts to members and prospects are assigned weekly to listen, pray together, invite to fellowships/projects, and mobilize the class to meet discovered needs. Many Sunday Schools will increase in attendance if they work to keep people from dropping out. Classes will grow when they enroll more people than drop out. But care really matters!
- LEAD MEMBERS TO SHARE A SUNDAY SCHOOL TESTIMONY. Help members assess the benefits they have received from being in Sunday School and practice sharing those benefits with each other in two minutes or less. Then challenge them to share their Sunday School testimony this week. Call for reports next Sunday. We must mobilize the laborers in our classes to be in the harvest.
- START GROUPS AWAY FROM CHURCH. Some will never come to the church building. Surveys have shown that many who live in apartments are unchurched. Why not take Bible study to them? Research has shown that as many as 40% cannot attend on Sunday. Why not offer Bible study on weekdays at times and places when people can attend. Bible study groups can be an effective part of your Sunday School ministry.
Pray. Start new classes. Contact. Invite. Enlist a team. Set goals. Organize. Share testimonies. Start off-site groups. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!
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