Focusing on Sunday School

I am excited to bring you two different articles relating to Sunday School. The first article, “Focus on the Learners” comes from Tim Smith, my counterpart from the Georgia Baptist Convention. The second article comes from Pastor Rick Schroer, Groesbeck Baptist Church, Cincinnati Ohio.

I pray these articles are a blessing and challenge to you.

Enjoy!

Dwayne Lee

The Bible Teaching and Leadership Resource Group

Article one – Dr. Tim Smith

Too many Sunday School teachers focus on their teaching style instead of focusing on the various learning styles of their members.  If we teach with only style that we are comfortable with we will miss out on truly making disciples. 

There are many different learning styles and teachers need to know the styles of their members.  If you know the learning styles of your members and plan your teaching based on those styles, I guarantee that the content of your Bible studies will improve.

Visual

A visual learner will be best taught if your teaching is seen.  These type of learners love to take notes and fill in the blanks.  They usually sit in the front of the class or near the teacher.  Their dress and appearance is usually neat.  If they are bored they will find something to watch.  They love lessons with illustrations and language that is full of imagery.  The use of colors will also aid in the process of learning.

Auditory

Those that are auditory learners enjoy hearing and listening to lessons.  They are not concerned with what goes on in the front of the classroom.   Their clothes may not be color or style coordinated but they can thoroughly explain their choices in attire.  You will sometimes see them humming or even speaking to themselves and they often read aloud even when they are alone.  They remember and learn by verbalizing the lesson to themselves. 

Kinesthetic

These learners love to do and touch.  They are very active will need to be near the door or an open area.  They will communicate through gestures and the use of their hands.  They will remember what is done but have difficulty remembering the details of what has been said or seen.  They love to tinker and will begin to move around when they are bored.  They will rely on what they know or have experienced.  The use of meaningful learning activities will aid these learners in their growth and development as a follower of Christ.   These learners also appreciate physical encouragement like a handshake or a pat on the back or even a hug.

Did you recognize your learning style?  As you are developing your Bible study for this coming week, try to remember these styles.  Reflect  on the members of your group and seek to develop a lesson that focuses on how they learn instead of merely focusing on your style of teaching.

  Article Two – Pastor Rick Schroer

I am excited about the way in which God is blessing our Sunday School program at Groesbeck Baptist Church in Cincinnati once again.  Historically, our church has had a very strong Sunday School program. However, over the last few years it has declined significantly. In the summer of 2010, God began to impress on our hearts the need for a growing Sunday School. We had seen growth in every other area of our church except our Sunday School since June of 2008 when I became pastor. As a part of our October Revival Weekend services, Jim Agee who is our Sunday School director and I invited Dwayne Lee- Associate Group Leader of Bible Leadership and Bible Teaching to speak to our Sunday School classes about the importance of Sunday School and how to get our Sunday School to grow. 

 There are many different effective strategies for trying to increase Sunday School. At Groesbeck we have focused our attention on two priorities when it comes to Sunday School growth.

• The first one is to reach out to those who are coming to know Christ as their savior. It is our goal to help them to develop a love for the word of God that will last a lifetime.  To this end, we are reading the Bible through as a congregation this year and taking a little bit of time during the adult Sunday School classes to answer any questions.
• The second is getting our regular church members involved in Sunday School, maybe some for the first time.  We have accomplished this through a renewed focus on inviting people to Sunday School through personal invitations, bulletin reminders, and flyers being sent out.  When we started this process we had less than 50% of our congregation attending Sunday School.  In the four months that we focused on Sunday School attendance it has gone from an average of 18 in September to 26 in December. That is a 5% increase in four months. Praise the Lord for His work!

 We believe that we are just beginning to see the tip of how God is going to bless our Sunday School.

 Pastor Rick Schroer

Groesbeck Baptist Church