Promote Sunday School

There are lots of reasons why Sunday School is declining in many churches:

• neglecting to connect, contact, and care for each other and minister to one another’s needs;
• not connecting with, caring for, and inviting the unreached, unenrolled, and lost sheep;
• not leading participants to meet God in Bible study personally;
• not starting new classes to provide space and workers to care for more sheep;
• not promoting Sunday School;
• and many more.

I was in a Sunday School growth retreat with a church in Ashland when one of the participants said to the group:

I know you don’t know this about me, but I joined the church and for six months did not attend Sunday School because I thought someone had to invite me.

We cannot assume today that anyone knows about the values and benefits of Sunday School. We must tell the story. We must share our testimonies. We must invite. We must promote.

With that in mind, there are many ways to promote Sunday School. Stop and make a quick list of ways you could promote Sunday School. Don’t be afraid to dream big! After you make your list, circle the one or two you could put into action in the coming month or quarter. Don’t neglect this important Sunday School growth action!

Here are a few that came to my mind when I made my list:

• send promotional invitations home with every person attending Sunday School;
• call the worship crowd to a time of prayer for Sunday School;
• talk about Sunday School on your website, in your blogs, and on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.);
• put up a promotional bulletin board in a strategic location;
• ask adults, youth, and children to invite a friend for a special day, like a Friend Day;
• develop a brochure listing your classes and information about them to share (Company’s Coming: Writing a Promotional Piece to Attract Sunday School Guests for a Second Visit);
• preach a sermon series about the importance of Sunday School–launch new groups on the Sunday following the series;
• have the pastor share his Sunday School testimony;
• for a full month, promote and call to prayer for every new class;
• at the end of every worship service, invite attenders to come to the next session of Sunday School (even if it is next week);
• host an open house with tables featuring classes, what they are studying, and fellowships/projects they have planned (check out Sunday School Open House)
• share a brief Sunday School testimony from the pulpit (check out Grow Sunday School by Sharing Your Sunday School Testimony)

The fourth Sunday in January is National Day of Prayer for New Groups (check out National Day of Prayer for New Groups, January 26). There is power in prayer. Too much Sunday School work has been done without prayer. Let’s change that now! This is a natural time to promote Sunday School. It is a natural time to stretch people toward greater discipleship through prayer. This is a great time to launch new groups or to prepare to do so!

Many of you are far more creative than I am. Look for ways to connect the message of Sunday School with each generation. Sha re your promotional ideas. Press Comments below and share.