Are They Following Your Leadership of the Sunday School?

Have you ever participated in a team-building activity in which participants are paired off with one member of the pair being blindfolded and told not to speak. The blindfolded group is then brought into a room that has several obstacles in place. The seeing partner attempts to verbally instruct his or her blindfolded partner how to cross the room while avoiding the obstacles. The problem is that all other seeing partners are trying to help their blindfolded partners at the same time. It becomes loud and confusing.

Successful partners learn to communicate without yelling. The blindfolded partner must focus. He or she learns to listen for his/her partner’s voice. Instructions must be simple. Directions right or left must be clear. Trust is essential. My favorite part of the activity is debriefing the exercise, talking about what was experienced and applying it to our relationship with God.

There are also some lessons to learn from the exercise that apply to leadership. In the past, I have defined leadership as “taking a person or group where they need to go.” In my definition, I include the Holy Spirit in the word, “they.” For the Christian, a better definition may be “following God to take a person or group where they need to go.” If they are not following, what is the problem? At least part of the reason they are not following may be that you are not leading.

Consider the following list of reasons people may not follow your leadership:

• They did not listen.
• You were not clear.
• They don’t understand your instructions.
• Instructions were too complicated.
• They don’t want to go.
• They don’t understand why they need to go.
• They don’t understand where you are leading them to go.
• They just can’t see it!
• They did not understand that you were talking to them.
• They believe it is impossible.
• They got distracted.
• They got busy.
• They don’t want to go.
• They don’t believe they need to go.
• They encountered obstacles.
• They needed coaching around obstacles.
• They don’t trust the leader.

What a list! Has God entrusted a person or group to you with the expectation that you lead them for Him? Are you a teacher? Are you a Sunday School director? Are you a care group leader? Are they following you? Do they follow sometimes and not at others. Could any of these reasons be at play for persons not following your leadership? Pray. Follow Him. Lead. Check if they are following. Adjust as needed. Be revolutionary!