Assessing Desire for Sunday School Class Growth

Do you want your class to grow? I have had teachers tell me “no.” They would support growth in maturity among current members, but they did not want any new people coming in “to mess up the class.” That is just sad! That class had become happily closed to new people. They were not supporting the church in making disciples of all nations. In fact, as far as the class was concerned, they were discouraging individuals from participating in making any new disciples.

Desire is important. In fact, the desire for growth is best when found in all three class groups: teachers, leadership teams, and members. It will be rare for numerical class growth to occur when desire for growth is absent from any of these groups.

I want to share some questions to assess your desire for class growth. Score yourself from 1-7 points for each question, with 1 meaning “not true for me” and 7 meaning “very true for me.”

PRAYER:

• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I praying for God to send us new people?
• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I praying God allows me to invite people?

GOALS:

• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Have I led my class to own and pursue goals for caring contacts/invitations, class guests, and new members?
• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Have I set personal goals for making contacts, inviting people, and encouraging class membership?

TRAINING:

• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I encouraging my class leadership team to learn and participate in training regularly?
• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I continuing to learn and improve from reading and training?

TEAM ENLISTMENT:

• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I ensuring all needed class leadership team roles are filled?
• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I praying for new workers to join the team?

CARING CONTACTS:

• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Have I encouraged class members to make regular contacts with members and prospects?
• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I making regular contacts with class members and prospects?

PLANNING:

• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Do I gather my class leadership team regularly to assess progress, adjust as needed, and encourage additional progress?
• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Do I spend time with my Sunday School director and pastor understanding how my class can help the church carry out her mission?

TEACHING:

• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Am I encountering God in Bible study before I prepare lessons for others?
• 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  Do I plan lessons which will lead class members to encounter God in Bible study personally rather than tell them what I learned?

How did you do? If you scored below 60, your desire for growth could benefit from some personal example and leadership. Identify some of these assessment areas on which you can work this year. Focus on one this month. Ask for help. God’s help and class help. Share these questions with your leadership team. Make disciples. Reach more. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!