Consider this scenario. You are giving one of the most important jobs in the world to an individual. The job has the potential to impact individuals, families, communities, the nation, and even the world. History could be changed through carrying out the job effectively. How much should you expect of the person filling the position? How high should the expectation for training be set?
The potential for every Sunday School leader is this very scenario. (Think about teaching Billy Graham as a teen.) But there is an even greater factor: teaching can impact the eternal destination of those without Christ. Our Lord deserves our best effort. This can be achieved through a growing relationship with Him, prayerful preparation, and effective training.
Expect class leaders to train. When a class leader stops learning, he or she stops growing. Bank tellers, school teachers, and salespeople are required to receive training regularly. Sunday School is no less important. There is so much to learn about the assigned age group, teaching, learning, the Bible, biblical history, reaching, records, evangelism, fellowship, caring, ministry, serving, relationships, communication, group dynamics, and more.
Expect class leaders to train. When leaders are enlisted, share the expectation for training. Make training attendance part of the job description and/or worker covenant. These two first steps are essential.
Expect new class leaders to train. Require new leaders to complete training prior to serving. This can be delivered through one-on-one meeting, video, internet, reading assignment, or other. Cover the basics and develop the relationship. Help new leaders know where to get resources and help.
Expect experienced class leaders to train. But what if no training expectations were communicated? Gather class leaders to work on a worker covenant that includes training as one of the areas of conversation. Their expectations may exceed yours!
Expect class leaders to train. Class teachers serve as coaches for all class leaders. The job of the coach is to get to know leaders, ask questions, check on progress, listen, and offer help. With the right questions, doors for training conversation will occur naturally.
Expect class leaders to train. Move toward requiring every leader to complete training annually. Provide training delivery variety to address different learning styles and schedules. Make it interesting and relevant. Keep it brief. Hold leaders accountable to complete the requirement.
Expect class leaders to train. Watch them blossom. Watch as individuals, families, classes, the church, the community, the nation, and even the world are impacted!
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Darryl Wilson has served as Director of the Sunday School Department for the Kentucky Baptist Convention since 1997. He served as Minister of Education in churches in South Carolina and Kentucky. He is the author of The Sunday School Revolutionary!, a blog about life-changing Sunday School and small groups.
I have a question for you here. How do you train SS leaders? I’ve always heard about teacher training, but have never really seen it done. What are the resources? Who is supposed to do the training?
Great question Tommy. We are finding many churches that do not train their Sunday School leaders. For many, it’s not that they don’t want to train, it is that they don’t know how. Here are some suggestions for training:
Contact your state convention’s Sunday School director! They can walk you through a number of training options.
LifeWay’s “Great Expectations” training series. http://www.lifeway.com/greatexpectations – scroll to the bottom of the page.
OneDay Training Resources http://www.bgco.org/oneday
Sunday School Done Right – A video resource by Allan Taylor. http://www.lifeway.com/search/resultz/?o=Quick&sp=Sunday+School+Done+Right
Any other ideas from other state leaders?
Tommy, The training of Sunday School leaders is one of the most important factors in determining whether your Sunday School is going to be healthy and growing. In our study of the fastest growing churches, our number one common factor with these churches was their training of Sunday School leaders. 98% provided training for their Sunday School leaders. When we compared the fastest growing to those churches that were declining we found that only 29% of the churches were training their leaders but in the fastest gorwing, 84% of those churches were meeting at least monthly with their leaders.
There are lots of resources for training leaders. We have a resource entitled “52 Leadership Lessons for Sunday School Leaders”. There are many others as well. Visit our website at ssog.gabaptist.org and click on resources and then to the SSOG Ministries e-Store. Or just call our office at 1.800.746.4422 and ask for Sharon.
Who is suppose to do the training? Well it begins with the pastor and then if you have one it moves onto the Minister of Education and then to Sunday School director and finally to the Sunday School teacher. It is really everyones job to do the training. It is called “making disciples”. A great example is in 2 Tim 2:2. Hope all this helps.
Tommy
Again, as Bob said, great question.
I would start with the Sunday school director and ask if he or she could call the Sunday school teachers together for an hour-long meeting some Wednesday or Sunday evening. Provide some light snacks at the first of the meeting and gather everyone around in a circle of chairs. Present a small challenging devotional thought and affirm their roles as teachers and leaders of the SS. Then have the Sunday school director or an invited leader (your director of missions maybe or someone from the state convention) give a 45 minute training session on the topic of your choice (maybe “how to teach for results” or “how to prepare for a SS class” or “staying in constant contact with your sunday school class members” or something along those lines). If you think 45 minutes is too long, you could shorten it up to 30 minutes and allow 15 minutes for Q and A at the end.
That would be a good start.
Check with your association or state convention office too. THey may have regional conferences which have training for SS leaders and teachers. You may find there is one nearby.
(This is a little bit of a funny thing…but Tommy, if you are the Tommy Rucker from Dunkerton, Iowa…we have a SS conference scheduled to be at your church this fall)…If you are not the Tommy Rucker from Iowa, then the above comment doesn’t apply.
At any rate, check with your associational and state convention leaders (or if you are not from a So. Baptist church)…check with your denomination and see what is available and take along some of your SS teachers…you will be glad that you did. God bless…Richard Nations
Tommy,
In Alabama we have created age-graded (preschool thru adult) training DVD’s. A full set of four costs $5.00 and you have permission to make copies for all of your teachers. We call it the “No Excuses Approach” to basic training for all Sunday School teachers, since they can watch on their own or you can meet together. You can receive information on ordering and usage by contacting me at dedmonds@alsbom.org
At http://www.alsbom.org/ss you will find several free resources for training including Directing Sunday School with Skill. In this particular resource you will find 104 Leadership Lessons. Using these along with the 52 from Georgia will give you a rich resource for training Sunday School leaders.
Rejoice!
Daniel