When Sunday School Teams Are Most Effective, Part 1

I read an article by Dale Roach entitled, “Why Teamwork Fails.” I encourage you to read the short article.

In the article, Dale listed 15 simple reasons for team to fail. I want to turn those 15 reasons for failure into reasons for Sunday School teams to be effective. In Part 1 of this three-part series, I will share the first five reasons. Consider the following:

• COMMUNICATION. Poor communication means no teamwork. Effective plans and work demand communication among the team. Encouragement, challenge, and information flow freely. Questions are answered. Adjustments are made. Understanding and support are sought.
• NETWORKING. The church is a body. We are connected to each other. Sunday School is not a silo. When we work and network together, the body is stronger. Sunday School can support the plans of other church ministries, and those ministries can in turn encourage participation in Sunday School. We can work on projects together is so many ways, like outreach, missions , and community service.
• VISION. The Sunday School team prays together and can see the possibilities. They do more than maintain the status quo. Instead, they lead toward a vision for discipleship and numerical growth and community and world impact.
• WORKING ON GOALS AND STRATEGIES. There are many distractions along the way, but effective Sunday School teams focus on goals and strategies rather than only putting out daily fires. They meet annually for a time of spiritual preparation, evaluation, priority assessment, goal setting, and plan making. They meet monthly to check on progress of those plans and make appropriate adjustments. They hold one another accountable to work together toward those goals.
• OWNING THE WORK AND PLAN. Teamwork means that all of the Sunday School work is done together. Evaluation is done by all. Success and failure are shared by all. Goals and plans are owned and pursued together. This takes longer, but teamwork produces greater ownership and effectiveness.

Evaluate your Sunday School (or your class). Which of these five reasons for effectiveness is a strength of your group? Which is in need of help and attention? In Part 2, I will share the second set of five reasons. Be a team. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!