Churches Cooperating to Make Sunday School Stronger

I travelled three hours yesterday to participate in a Sunday School training event in Oneida, Tennessee. Now, I don’t normally travel into Tennessee to do Sunday School training, but an association of 13 churches is on the Kentucky-Tennessee line and includes churches from both states. The interim Director of Missions, Allen Matthews, had contacted Mark Miller who serves as my peer at the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Allen asked Mark to set up a Sunday School training event. Mark then called me and asked if we wanted to participate.

There were three leaders from Kentucky and two from Tennessee. Anyway, this was the first time in our recollections that the two states had participated together on a Sunday School training project. The theme was Power Up Your Sunday School, a theme that is quite appropriate. The event began with a light meal including barbeque sandwiches, slaw, barbecue beans, potato salad, cobbler, and tea.

After 40 minutes, everyone had gone through the buffet line and eaten. The DOM welcomed the crowd of 50 people and turned it over to Mark who again welcomed the group and talked about how we were cooperating on this event. He introduced himself and the preschool leader and asked me to introduce myself and our youth and children’s leader. When Mark asked how many were from Kentucky churches, about 40% of the group raised their hands. It was a great mix and a great attendance for an association with only 13 churches!

We then disbursed into age group. I led the pastors, Sunday School directors, and other general leaders into the Sanctuary. I had one youth music leader (who I believe was there a week early for VBS training but felt staying for Sunday School training would be helpful). I had 15 in my group, and as is often the case there were more directors than pastors. We focused for the next hour and forty minutes on ten ways to Power Up Your Sunday School. These included prayer, starting more classes, making more contacts, enlisting a leadership team, setting goals, sharing a Sunday School testimony, and inviting people to a party (fellowship), organizing to reach and care, seeking more participation, and closing the back door.

On the fifth point about setting goals, the group stopped to set God-sized goals, divide them by quarter, by month, and by class to see how God could actually help them accomplish pursuit of goals. The goals I had them focus on was attendance, enrollment, contacts, and new classes. From the expressions on their faces, I could tell that some were understanding how possible these God-sized goals were. Here is a sample with God-sized goals:

Anyway, as a result of this cooperation, several churches were able to have a great Sunday School training time. We had fun together. We got to know each other better. And we looked at the work God has given us to do for Him. When we work together, we can accomplish more. Look for ways to strengthen other churches when you seek training for your church. Be revolutionary!