Do you see the life of the church through eyes of addition or multiplication? What is the difference and how can you tell what this looks like? Avery Willis once explained it this way. He asked a group of people what they saw when they looked at an apple tree. He said, “do you see a tree with apples in it, or do you see a bunch of apples with trees in them?”
The first view, seeing only apples in trees is a view of addition. When you can see the greater potential and maximized possibilities of seeing trees in an apple then you are seeing with eyes of multiplication.
How do you see your Sunday School? Do you just see people in a class, or do you see new units coming out of the people in the class. Do you see people who will become leaders in your Sunday School? Our people have potential. They need equipping and training and opportunities to be turned loose to start new units and grow new leaders for more new units.
2 Timothy 2:2 says “and the things that you have heard from me in the presence of faithful men, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Multiplication takes place when we train our leaders to train leaders who will serve alongside of them and one day take over that unit or go on to take a new unit and continue the multiplication process.
When your Sunday School begins to see through the lens of multiplication then you will begin to live in God’s plan for your Sunday School.
There is a great section in the book “Extreme Sunday School Challenge” by David Francis and Bruce Raley on God’s Plan for Multiplying Leaders. You will want to read that and see how to accomplish this vital aspect of a healthy Sunday School.
Remember! Are you seeing apples in trees, or trees in apples?
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