Sunday School Practices Survey Results by Growth, Part 2

In Part 1, I asked if there are differences between growing, plateaued, and declining Sunday Schools? What if those differences could be identified in a survey? What if growing churches were affirmed for those practices and reminded to continue their good work? What if plateaued and declining churches were able to check through those practices to examine areas which if addressed might release the power of Sunday School growth for these churches?

In Part 1, I began sharing results from an online survey which had over 200 respondents but only 71 completed the entire survey. The results shared in this series are from complete surveys. In Part 1, I shared five practices: training, visitation, Sunday School greeters, good records, and contacts. In Part 2, I will share five more practices: new classes, name tags, high attendance day, setting goals, and praying for Sunday School. In the survey, respondents were asked to identify whether their Sunday School attendance was more than last year (growing), the same as last year (plateaued), or less than last year (declining).

THE LAST TIME I REMEMBER A NEW CLASS (FOR PRESCHOOLERS, CHILDREN, YOUTH, OR ADULTS) BEING STARTED IN MY SUNDAY SCHOOL WAS…

INSIGHTS:  Growing Sunday Schools tend to start classes more frequently. Add together the bottom two class start time responses (this year and last year), and here are the totals: growing (92%), plateaued (69.2%), and declining (60%). For ideas about starting new classes, check out these posts: Nine Actions for Starting New Sunday School Classes, Part 1, Nine Actions for Starting New Sunday School Classes, Part 2, Nine Actions for Starting New Sunday School Classes, Part 3, Kingdom Vision: Start New Churches Through the Sunday School, Balancing Class Growth and Multiplication, Which Builds the Kingdom Faster: Sunday School Addition or Multiplication?, Is It Time to Start a New Sunday School Class?, Sunday School New Birth Stories, Diagnosis Murder: How to Split a Class, Biblical Images for Starting New Classes/Groups, What to Name a New Adult Sunday School Class?, and Each One Start One: Off Campus Bible Studies.

ARE NAME TAGS USED IN YOUR SUNDAY SCHOOL?

INSIGHTS:  If all “Yes” responses are combined, growing and plateaued Sunday Schools tend to use name tags more frequently (40% and 38.5%) than declining Sunday School (5.0%). For ideas about using name tags, check out these posts: Be Revolutionary! Wear Name Tags in Sunday School and Balancing First Impression and Connection in Sunday School.

MY SUNDAY SCHOOL HAS CHALLENGED CLASSES TO INVITE MORE PEOPLE THROUGH A HIGH ATTENDANCE SUNDAY EMPHASIS…

INSIGHTS:  Growing and plateaued Sunday Schools tend to plan a high attendance emphasis more frequently (68% and 69.2% in the last two years) than declining Sunday Schools (55%). For ideas about planning effective high attendance emphases, check out these blog posts: Simple Steps for a Successful Sunday School High Attendance Day, Benefits of High Attendance Sunday, March Madness Sunday School Contest, and Sunday School: Take the Love Dare.

IN MY SUNDAY SCHOOL, CLASSES ARE CHALLENGED TO SET AND PURSUE ENROLLMENT, ATTENDANCE, AND CONTACT GOALS…

INSIGHTS:  If all the bottom two responses are combined (every year and often), growing and plateaued Sunday Schools tend to set and pursue goals more frequently (40%) than plateaued (23%) declining Sunday School (15%). Another way to view the statistics would be to notice the higher percentage of declining Sunday Schools who “never” set and pursue goals. For ideas about setting goals, check out these blog posts: Explosive Sunday School Growth, Set God-Sized Goals for Sunday School Growth, Top Priorities of a New Sunday School Director, Sunday School Contacts Result in Increased Attendance, and 5 Goals for Sunday School Growth This Year.

MY CHURCH SETS ASIDE TIME TO PRAY FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL, TEACHERS AND WORKERS, PROSPECTS, NEW CLASSES, AND OTHER SUNDAY SCHOOL NEEDS…

INSIGHTS:  There are no significant differences between the three categories of Sunday Schools in reporting prayer for Sunday School. Prayer is needed in Sunday Schools of all sizes. For more ideas about prayer, check out these blog posts: Don’t Just ASK Your Sunday School Class to Pray, TEACH Them to DO It, Part 1, Don’t Just ASK Your Sunday School Class to Pray, TEACH Them to DO It, Part 2, Should We Take Time for Prayer Requests and Prayer in Sunday School?, Is Your Class a Praying Class?, Helping Sunday School to Focus on Prayer for Outreach, and Contract Prayer as a Sunday School Class.

Where is your Sunday School? Do you have more, the same, or less in attendance this year? Evaluate your Sunday School. Which of the above practices could use some attention? What could you do to strengthen that practice? What’s the first step? Who should be responsible? Check out five other practices in Part 1. Train. Visit. Greet. Use records. Make contacts. Be revolutionary!