by Ron Moore on January 26, 2011
Most of us have been guilty of a “Saturday Night Special” Sunday School lesson. On Saturday night we throw together the Sunday School lesson for Sunday morning. We have not spent the proper time preparing for teaching on Sunday morning and now we are down to the eleventh hour and have to throw something together to teach the lesson.
Our class members deserve better and certainly God deserves our very best. Here are few suggestions on how to avoid a “Saturday Night Special”. Consider taking Sunday afternoon to read through the lesson for next week. Don’t spend much time on studying, just read through it. This will help you get the lesson in your mind and all week long you can think about the lesson and formulate ideas and applications for the lesson. On Monday pray that God will give you wisdom and insight as you prepare to teach. On Tuesday take the time to read some additional commentary on the Scripture you will be teaching. On Wednesday read through the suggested teaching procedures. Refer to some other resources like Extra that is available from Lifeway Christian Resources on line or Quicksource. Don’t be afraid to try some new or different teaching methods each week. On Thursday talk to some other teachers and see how they are planning to teach the lesson. Two heads is always better than one. On Friday develop your outline for teaching the lesson. On Saturday pray that God will use you and the lesson to minister to those in your class. Pray for each individual on your class roll and that God will use this lesson to touch his or her life in some way.
These are just some suggested ways to prepare your Sunday School lesson. Leave a comment on what you do to prepare each week.
by Ron Moore on January 13, 2011
The book of Acts gives us a good picture of what the early church looked like and what they did. Read Acts 2:42-47. Make note of the characteristics of the early church. How does your Sunday School class match up against the early church? If you had to rate your class on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being bad and 10 being good, how would your class rate?
All of the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching – Are you devoted to the teaching of God’s Word? Are your Sunday School class members devoted to studying God’s Word?
and to fellowship – When was the last time you had a class fellowship?
sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper) – When was the last time your class had a meal together? When was the last time you shared the Lord’s Supper together?
and to prayer – Do you spend some time praying for one another in your class, for other believers, for your church, for missionaries, and for your ministers? Do you pray for those who are lost (by name) and need to know Jesus as Lord?
all the believers met together in one place – Does you class meet together in one place for Sunday School and worship?
shared everything they had – Do your class members know the needs of the others in the class? What are they doing to meet those needs (physical, spiritual, and financial)?
shared the money with those in need – Does you class have a ministry/missions project? Are they helping meet the needs of those who need assistance in some way?
They worshiped together – Are your Sunday School class members attending worship together?
met in homes – Does your Sunday School class enjoy meeting at someone’s home to share a meal or fellowship?
with great joy and generosity – Is there a sense of joy among your Sunday School class members? Do they have a generous attitude?
praising God – Is there a sense of gratitude and praise among your Sunday School class members?
enjoying the goodwill of all the people – Do your Sunday School class members genuinely care for one another and help one another?
the Lord added to their fellowship – When was the last time a new person joined your Sunday School class? Does your class have an outreach mentality? Are they reaching out to prospects and absentees?
After evaluating your Sunday School class develop a plan to improve in those areas that you indicated needed some work. Please leave your comments on what you are doing to make 2011 the best year for your Sunday School class.
by Ron Moore on December 18, 2010
Each year I make a New Year Resolution to arrange my schedule so I can exercise more often. I have good intentions but before too long I am back in the old habits and I am not exercising. Every year people make New Year Resolutions. Some want to stop smoking. Some will start to exercise to lose weight, while others may make a resolution to read his or her Bible or attend church more regularly. Some of those on your Sunday School roll who never come may be thinking they need to get back involved in studying God’s Word and going to Sunday School. Take advantage of this opportunity and send every member of your Sunday School class an email, text message, or a card in the mail reminding them to make a New Year Resolution to be in Sunday School and to get into God’s Word on a daily basis. Encourage them to use a devotional book to start a regular quiet time each day. Share some ways you can use New Year Resolutions to get people involved in Sunday School and into studying God’s Word.
Make a personal New Year Resolution to spend more time in God’s Word and praying each day. Make a resolution to spend more time developing relationships with those in your Sunday School class so you will know their personal needs and you can make your Sunday School lesson more relevant. Resolve to spend more time in preparing your Sunday school lesson so you can be properly prepared and make the lesson applicable to the lives of those in your class. What areas do you need to improve so you can better serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ through your Sunday School class? Leave a comment and share some of your New Year Resolutions.
by Ron Moore on December 2, 2010
The great commission commands us to “Go and make disciples.” Most Sunday School classes are doing a pretty good job of meeting each week to study God’s Word and helping people become better disciples of Jesus Christ, but most classes are not doing a very good job of the first part of that command – “Go”. We are not intentionally going and inviting people to be a part of our small group Bible study. Often it is only when it is convenient that we will ask someone to come to church, but most of the time we are too busy with life to even stop and think about the many people we pass everyday that need to know Jesus as personal Savior. There are people on every corner and in every walk of life that need Jesus and need to be involved in a small group Bible study where they can build relationships, come to know Jesus as Savior, and grow as a disciple. When was the last time you had a lost person come to your Sunday School class? When was the last time you invited a lost person to come to your Sunday School class? Do your class members invite others to come to Sunday School? Does your class have a Reaching Leader to help your class be more intentional in reaching new people? What have you done to help your class become a class on mission?
by Ron Moore on November 23, 2010
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are natural times to communicate with people and invite them to Sunday School and church. Here are 10 ideas to get you started.
1. Send class members a Thanksgiving card and tell them how thankful you are to have them in your Sunday School class.
2. As a class put together one or more Thanksgiving baskets and deliver them to people in your Sunday School class or community.
3. Send a Christmas card to all Sunday School class members and prospects inviting them to Sunday School.
4. Send a special invitation to Sunday School class members and prospects inviting them to the Christmas music program at the church.
5. Plan a Christmas party or fellowship and invite all Sunday School class members and prospects. Ask people in the class to bring the food and refreshments.
6. Plan a fellowship around one of the football bowl games and invite class members and prospects.
7. Have an Operation Christmas Child fellowship and put together some “Christmas Boxes” for some children around the world.
8. As a class put together some “Care Packages” for some of our military.
9. As a class write Christmas cards to all of the prospects on your class list.
10. Bake some goodies and take them to some of the nursing homes in your area and visit shut-ins.
The list could go on and on and is only limited by your imagination. Take advantage of this special time of the year to minister to people and invite them to Sunday School.
by Ron Moore on November 10, 2010
An old method of outreach that still works is to personally take a new Sunday School Learner Book to everyone on the Sunday School roll, including those who are chronically absent. A “Literature Visit” is a good wood to reconnect with someone who has not been present for a while. You may discover there is a reason they have been absent. Ask if there is anything he or she would like for you to pray about and then pray for those expressed needs. Give the person a copy of the Bible study materials for the learner and show them which lesson you will be teaching on Sunday. Some may say that is a lot of expense and the person may not even come. The cost of Lifeway Christian Resources Learner materials is approximately $2.00 per person. This is a good investment. You never know how that visit may minister to someone and get them coming back to church. Even if they do not come, you have left some Bible study materials in the home. Hopefully, the person will pick it up and read it. The Plan of Salvation is always included on the inside cover of the Lifeway materials. Therefore, you have been a witness to this person through your visit and through the literature.
Another great way to use literature is to take a devotional piece life Journey, Stand Firm, Lifewalk, or Open Windows produced by Lifeway Christian Resources when you make a visit to someone who is sick. This provides the person with some daily reading material that will uplift and encourage them while he recovers from his illness.
See if some doctors and dentists you know will allow you to place some Christian literature in his office waiting area. You can place some of the devotional materials that are listed above or use some of the leisure reading magazines produced by Lifeway, such as HomeLife, ParentLife, and Mature Living. Make sure you place current magazines each month. You can place a sticker on the magazine listing your church address and phone number. Include your Sunday School and worship times if possible.
Are there creative ways you have used literature to reach people? Hit the comment button and share your ideas. We want to hear from you!
by Ron Moore on October 28, 2010
Some would say that a Sunday School High Attendance Day is a waste of time and energy. The Sunday School experiences one day of high attendance but the next Sunday the numbers are back down to the previous levels, so some would ask, “Do Sunday School Attendance Days really do any good?” I think High Attendance Days are beneficial for three reasons:
1. It motivates Sunday School class teachers and members to make contacts that they might not otherwise make.
2. Many people are contacted and feel accepted and wanted because someone cared enough to contact them and invite them to church.
3. There are many who come to church because it is High Attendance Day that might not come otherwise. Our hope is that at least some of these people will return the next week and begin to get involved in Sunday School.
High Attendance Days may seem old fashioned but they still work. Please leave your thoughts and comments on High Attendance Days. What do you do to help make Sunday School High Attendance Days a success?
by Ron Moore on October 21, 2010
Nearly every Sunday School teacher has faced that dreaded silence when you ask a question of the group and everyone sits there and gives you that deer in the headlight look. Nobody wants to say anything.
Here are two more ideas you might try to get your group to open up and talk. Give people a printed response sheet and ask them to complete the sheet with their thoughts and answers. Then ask people to share their responses to the questions with the class. This can also be done in small groups.
One other way that is less effective but usually works is to ask a question of an individual that you know does not mind sharing and is not intimidated by giving his thoughts. This puts that person on the spot, so do not ask a guest or someone who is not comfortable talking in front of the class. This method could scare some people off because they are afraid that next week you will call on them to answer a question.
Leave a comment and share some methods you have used to get your group to open up and talk.
by Ron Moore on October 14, 2010
Nearly every Sunday School teacher has faced that dreaded silence when you ask a question of the group and everyone sits there and stares at you like you just ask them to jump off the Golden Gate bridge. Nobody wants to say anything.
How does one solve this problem? Last week we talked about forming small groups and asking those small groups to discuss and then share with the larger group. Here are some additional practical ways to get people to open up and talk in class.
Another way to get people to open up and talk is to call people who are in the class in advance and give them a question to think about. The person can then do some preparation in advance and come to class prepared to give his thoughts and answer to the question.
Another effective method is to ask a question and ask people in the class to move to an “Agree” or “Disagree” sign that you have posted on the wall. The question must be phrased in such a way that you will get varied response. Once people have moved to the sign that reflects his or her opinion then ask the groups to defend their position and create a mini-debate between the two groups.
Watch the Flight 4031 blog site to get additional ideas on how to improve your Sunday School class.
by Ron Moore on October 1, 2010
Nearly every Sunday School teacher has faced that dreaded silence when you ask a question of the group and everyone sits there and stares at you like you just ask them to jump off the Golden Gate bridge. Nobody wants to say anything.
The most common reason a teacher will get that type of response is that people don’t want to look stupid in front of the group. If the person speaks up and answers incorrectly he looks stupid. If he speaks up and answers correctly then he looks like he is trying to show off and be a know-it-all. So the safest thing to do is to keep his mouth shut and don’t say anything.
Another common problem a teacher faces is that person who does think he is Albert Einstein and that he does know everything. He will dominate the conversation and answer every question, never allowing the others in the class to say a word.
How does one solve these problems? Over the next few weeks I will use this blog site to share some practical ways to overcome these problems and get people to open up and talk in class.
One practical way is to ask those in the class to get in groups of two, three, or four people and then give them a question to discuss or a project to complete. Remember to keep the groups small. You can give the same question to every group or you can assign different questions to different groups. The smaller group is less threatening and allows everyone the chance to give some input. Then call for a report from each group. The person who is reporting from each group is reporting for the group and does not feel the pressure to “give the right answer”.
Watch the Flight 4031 blog site to get additional ideas on how to improve your Sunday School class.
