Successful Steps to grow your Sunday School Class or Department
Tim Daugherty
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up braideth not; and it shall be given him. Look at each child as an individual, you might only have ONE chance to influence or not to influence that child.
If you do everything you now to do, leave the rest to God, He is faithful and will take care of the rest. Have faith and leave what you can’t do in Gods hands and I guarantee you will see your class grow and see your kids become closer to Jesus.
Some questions to ask yourself
·If I were a child in my class would I want to come each week?
·Am I excited for Sunday or do I get a dread feeling when I think about my class, do I find myself thinking about Sunday school all week long?
·Do I have fun?
·Do the kids have fun?
·Do they feel the love of God and love from me?
If they love Sunday school they will love church, and they will experience God in a true way.
God has not set you up to fail, if your class is not going like you want it -seek God for ideas and wisdom be willing to admit you may be wrong or be willing to try something different.
God’s will is for every Sunday school class to grow.
God will send the amount of kids you are willing to take care of; He will not spiritually abort kids.
You must have the attitude that there are no EXCUSES for your class not to grow.
C — Character / Connect with kids
H— How — How to grow your Sunday school
A— Act on what you now
N — Never be satisfied
G— Great Make it Great
E — Excitement
C- Character/Connect –
Character
You must pray, study, and live what you are teaching each week. When you are spiritual, you will have a spiritual class and God can direct you.
Connect —
Changing your world is building relationships, one child at a time. If you want to become friends with someone, you spend time with them you get to know things about them.
5 ways to connect with your kids
1 .Know things about them interests, hobbies,
2. Celebrate birthdays and visit to home with b-day present church kids and Non- church kids
3. Do activities other than Sunday school (trip to park, over to house for cookout, get together to help with classroom, dairy queen for cone etc…)
Easiest time is class times what are you doing outside of class time to connect with your kids.
4. Recognize them for things in class — scripture memory, bible reading, and just being there. Simple certificates, stickers, small prizes, Sunday school store
5. Invite parents and other siblings to special services or functions Promotion Sundays, special Sundays, VBS, something each quarter.
H- How—
Sunday school Directors — build a strong team — Appreciate teachers.
A Sunday school dept. is only as strong as the staff; teachers make the department appreciate each teacher for what they do. Don’t look at the negative
You should always have something going on to promote to give your kids a reason to invite friends to class or Sunday school.
Quarterly Promotions that run longer than 1 Sunday:
Special promotion each quarter
Easter — Contest
Summer- VBS/Camps/summer day camp or summer fun nights (softball, kickball, etc.)
Fall- Harvest party, fall parties not during Sunday school
Winter- Christmas program, Christmas party Not during Sunday school
A survey of 1100 children the top 2 things they would like to do are:
Eat with chopsticks, See puppy & kittens.
You do not have to spend a lot of money kids are happy with simple things. Think what you liked when you were a kid or what your kids enjoy, if you are excited about it and show enthusiasm then kids will usually get excited.
Special Sundays — try to have one per month,
Ask: What do kids like?
Mission Sundays — Dimes around the world, Chocolate covered bugs, Pig Races, How to milk a cow, cat and puppy Sunday, Eat with chopsticks Sunday, Chicken races,
Crazy hat Sunday, Slushy Sunday, Slipper Sunday, Crazy hair Sunday, Hobo Sunday, Cowboy Sunday, Fly a Kite Sunday, Mother’s day promotion, Father’s Day, Grandparents Day, What I Love Sunday, King and Queen of Sunday School, animal Sunday, TP Sunday, Glow in the Dark Sunday, Ice cream Sunday, Cotton Candy Sunday,
Kids store- each Sunday they earn tickets for bringing Bible, Visitors, attending, anything you wish to award them for, then they can purchase items with tickets.
Why Special Sundays —
1. Because they are FUN!!
2. Builds excitement — Flyers need to be handed out each week of Sunday school promoting something. Can be for your class or a whole Sunday school dept. event.
3. You have an excuse to visit absentees or visitors
One Goal is that the most fun the kids have is at church or a church activity
You are not only looking at the present but the future, if their lives are built around the church when they are young, when they get older it will be the same!
Visiting kids have the power of choice — they can choose to attend your class or they can choose NOT to attend!
You gotta give them a reason to come to your class!!
Some Resources:
CAMP Curriculum — Standard publishing
Children’s Ministry Magazine — Group publishing
Seminars
Other teachers or members in church
A — Act on what you now — don’t wait — don’t put it off
Make it happen nothings easy you can have all the excuses in the world you have a choice as a teacher to put God in a corner and say We can’t Because or you can get the job done.
Start something new Kids club after school program — kids camp during summer for 3 days — be bold believe God and be willing to put the work behind it and get the job done, nothing can match the feeling of working for God. To see the kids smile or just give you a hug. YOU are effecting the future, what else in your life are you doing that?
Name three things that you know you need to do:
1.
2.
3.
Pick one of them and start tomorrow, don’t put it off
N — Never give up
Is it worth it, think about the kids in your class. Are they worth your time, your money, and your prayers?
It is not easy
You will face failures and obstacles
Anything worth doing is never EASY!!
Name 2 obstacles you seem to face:
1.
2.
G- Great
Make it great
Don’t half do things, do them right
Get things in priority
Getting kids to events
Fun and Bible based activities
Decoration
Promotions — make sure church and kids now what is going on
Flyers, posters, send postcards (kids love getting mail) announcements in church, newspaper ads, get your churches name out there, make sure the community knows what you are doing for the kids in the community, parades, make all promotions top notch.
E- Excitement
Be excited
Never come to class without your smile
Treat each child special — You may be the only one in their lives that accepts them for who they are
Let them come to your class early
Get on their level, don’t joke or act above them, but keep their respect.
The above article, “Successful Steps to grow your Sunday School Class or Department” was written by Tim Daugherty. The article was excerpted from The Children’s Ministry Conference.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”
