This eight-part series focuses on “more.” Sunday School becomes ineffective without any of these pillars and cannot grow without doing more in each of these pillars. The pillars include more purpose, more teamwork, more planning, more trained leaders, more groups, more member and prospect care, more new members, and more disciple-making. Will you commit to more of these eight pillars this year?
More Teamwork
What are the benefits of teamwork? How should the team be made up? What kind of teamwork does effective, growing Sunday School need?
Silo or solo Sunday School leads to burnout and failure. This is true for many reasons. First and foremost is the fact that we cannot do this spiritual work without God. Second, we can accomplish more because
- Gifts: God gave a variety of gifts and spread them around the body so we would need and benefit from each other;
- Synergy: together two accomplish more than each if they worked separately;
- More: together we have more ideas, relationships, and creativity; and
- Encouragement: we are able to encourage and challenge each other when we work together.
Sunday School teams come in a variety of forms due to tasks. A class team may include the teacher, apprentice teacher, secretary, outreach leader, member care leader, and greeters. A Sunday School planning team may include the pastor, director, teachers, general secretary, and age group directors. An outreach team may include all the outreach leaders in an age group or the Sunday School as a whole. An age group team may include all teachers and other workers in preschool, children, youth, or adult.
Teamwork requires leadership, vision, planning, and working together. When Sunday School employs teamwork, no one is overwhelmed by the work because everyone shares in it–even class members. While leaders invest more, everyone participates.
Effective Sunday School needs more teamwork. In too many Sunday Schools, two situations exist. First, no one does anything. Leadership is absent and therefore there is no teamwork or even work. Second, only key leaders do anything–at least until they burnout and quit. The work is too important to risk doing it solo or silo.
Gather your team. Plan and train together. Make assignments and carry out the work together. Evaluate and celebrate together. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!
Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash
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