Today I began writing a training course for new or potential adult Sunday School teachers. All teachers need training, but it is especially important for new teachers to get started well. My content will be loosely based around Sunday School’s opportunity to carry out the purposes of the church.
My suggested methodolgy will be a variation of something I have done before, but I like what my friend, P.K. Spratt has done with the idea. He trained five “substitute” teachers for four weeks during Sunday School and then sent them into five adult classes for a month. This allowed him to train the teachers from those classes while the “substitutes” conducted the Sunday School hour and lesson in the way they had been taught.
Anyway, as I considered what should be and could be covered potentially in four 1-hour sessions, I began to ask myself what should happen as a result of revolutionary Sunday School. One way to break out of the mold of mediocre Sunday School is to consider the goal, to picture the target. Some would say that the goal is for members to learn more about the Bible, but revolutionary Sunday School is more than that. In many ways, I answered this question in my previous blog entry–class mobilization is the target.
What we want to produce in a revolutionary adult class are on-mission Christians. This happens in two major ways: (1) service and (2) starting new classes:
- SERVE. Revolutionary classes are about the Kingdom. They don’t come to class to be together. They come to class to learn how to touch lives and change the world for Jesus. They come to learn to be sent out. They grow as His disciples and disciplers. These classes expect every member to seek out opportunities to minister and serve through the class, the church, next door, in the community, and around the world. Revolutionary teachers realize that the Lord gave pastors and teachers “to prepare God’s people for works of service (Ephesians 4:11-12, NIV).
- START NEW CLASSES. Revolutionary classes realize that new wineskins hold new wine better than old wineskins. They want to reach more new people. They gladly send members out to start new classes in order to reach and care for more people. They realize multiplication is better than addition. More sheep pens are better (John 10:1-16). New wineskins are better at holding new wine (Luke 5:37).
What would happen if our adult classes were to pursue these two goals? What would they have to do differently in order to accomplish the goals? How would these expectations change what happens on Sunday morning? I value your thoughts. Pray. Expect. Point out the target. Pursue the goal. Challenge. Encourage. Don’t be mediocre. Be revolutionary!
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