Today, everyone is busy. How can we work smarter (and even harder when required) and ensure that we will be more likely to realize results (growth)? In Part 1 of this six-part series, I shared 37 class growth actions. In Part 2 and Part 3, I shared the first sixteen of those 37 actions along with a some brief comments about each one. In Part 4, I will share the next seven actions:
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HOLD ATTENDERS ACCOUNTABLE TO INVITE FRANs.Each person has friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors not known by others. Target one of these categories of FRANs each month or quarter. Pray for FRANs. Invite them to a class fellowship. Challenge attenders to invite FRANs to their homes. Invite FRANs to class and to worship. Help them develop their prayer and invitation list!
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PLAN A PARTY: INVITE PROSPECTS TO EVERY CLASS FELLOWSHIP. Some will never come to class until they have gotten to know you better at a class fellowship. Plan monthly class fellowships so attenders will have regular opportunities to invite prospects into your food, fun, and relationships. In fact, regular fellowships may also keep members from dropping out.
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PLAN AND CONDUCT PROSPECT-DISCOVERY, SERVICE, AND OUTREACH PROJECTS. Every class should have a goal to reach out and to meet and minister to discovered needs. Along the way, such projects also deepen relationships among attenders. In fact, sometimes men won’t slow down for social events, but they will take time for a project (in which relationships are a byproduct).
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FOLLOW UP EVERY GUEST. Greeters, care group leaders, and outreach leaders help here. Good records should be kept containing the guest’s contact information and a record of every contact attempt. Make home visits, make calls, and send cards, letters, and e-mail. This best proceeds out of a relationship that was begun on Sunday in class.
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EAT A MEAL WITH EVERY GUEST. Invite guests to your home. Invite them to a restaurant. Eat a meal. Eat dessert. Have coffee or a soft drink. There is just something about these settings that helps guests to relax and allows us to get to know them better. In advance, ask attenders if they would be willing to invite guests to eat a meal with them.
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ENLIST A CLASS LEADERSHIP TEAM. It is a mistake to do all the work yourself! Enlist a team. Share the work. Make assignments. Hold them accountable to carry out the work. Pray, evaluate, and plan together.
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ENLIST AND UTILIZE CLASS GREETERS. In preschool and children’s classes, the teachers are greeters. But in youth and adult classes, at least two attenders should be enlisted to greet members and guests. They should get a contact record, ask the guest to wear a name tag (like the rest of the class), and sit with the guest in class and worship. Then they should contact the guest within a couple of days to thank him/her for the visit, invite to a fellowship, and ask for prayer requests.
For the other parts of this series, check here:
- Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 1
- Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 2
- Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 3
- Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 5
- Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 6
Don’t let this be an overwhelming list! Print out this list and highlight the one(s) you believe would most help your class. If you highlighted more than one, which is the most important or the one that should happen first? Plan steps to carry out this priority action. In Parts 5-6, I will add a little explanation about 14 more class growth actions. Lead your class to grow. Be revolutionary!
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