Why I Believe so Strongly in Sunday School and Small Group Ministry
By David Frasure
There are certain topics that create passion and inspire vision for me. When I speak on these topics the veins pop out in my neck, my face turns a little read and my voice rises in intensity. Sunday School and small group ministry in general is such a topic for me. I’ve been asked why I believe so strongly in the small group ministry of Sunday School. I’d like to share a few of those reasons here.
1. Small groups give the responsibility of ministry to the average church member. “And He (Christ) personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry…”—Eph 4:11-12 (HCSB) Clearly from this passage we see that the work of the ministry is not just the job of the pastor of the local church. Any church growth model that relies on a few well educated, super-mature, gifted people to do the ministry is not a biblical model. A well structured Sunday School ministry is simply an organized way to put this passage into practice.
If the deacon body and pastor are the only people in your church doing ministry to your local congregation, you very likely have a very tired pastor and deacon body. One church I served in had some very strong Sunday School teachers who saw Sunday School as something that met on Sundays, but ministered seven days a week. That is a very healthy mind-set. These teachers literally lightened my counseling load because they saw themselves “in the ministry.” Such teachers release the pastor’s time and giftedness to focus on his God-given assignment to lead, feed, exhort and protect. This kind of ministry focus meets needs and assures that people are not slipping through the cracks.
2. Small groups give the task of evangelism to everyone in the church. When a typical family visits most churches, their information is placed in a prospect file. The pastor or an outreach team is eventually given the assignment to make a contact. How different it could be if the sixth grade Sunday School teacher accepted the responsibility of reaching the son in the family, and the fourth grade teacher properly saw her role in reaching that daughter for Christ. Imagine the impact when the assistant teacher in the preschool department realizes he has an obligation to see that the parents of that visiting two-year-old have the gospel presented to them. As the outreach leader in the couple’s class gets involved, this visiting family begins to see that they are wanted in this community of believers. They also have a very good chance of receiving Jesus into their lives.
When classes are structured properly and the evangelistic passions are stirred, the Sunday School becomes a tremendous tool for the Holy Spirit to use to add people to the kingdom of God. In many churches, the pastor is the only person really leading people to faith in Christ. The only potential for increased baptisms lies in his ability to spend more time in witnessing and less on sermon preparation or time with his family. When the Sunday School is operating properly, such no-win scenarios can be avoided as all the membership has a part.
3. Small groups make assimilation a very normal process of the life of the church. People will not join an organization that makes them feel like outsiders. That is especially true for the church. We say we exist because we love God and we “love our neighbors as ourselves.” The hypocrisy of a church that is unwilling to warmly receive and incorporate new people into the fellowship is more than most unchurched people can bear. It also breaks the heart of God.
Once again, the small group allows the assimilation process to flow quite naturally—especially when classes are taught and equipped to sincerely accept the newcomer. The corporate worship service is obviously a vital ministry of the church; however, it does not lend it self to assimilating new people and connecting people in the vital relationships that they need for living the Christian life. That is why the worship service without the small group opportunity leads to a great imbalance and an improper dependence upon the few “up front” ministers.
The PEAK Church Growth Conferences are new to Ohio in 2006. The concept is to provide a conference that is especially designed for the average church in Ohio that is serious about the work of the ministry. The conferences are Practical, Equipping, Affirming and Kingdom-focused. The conference will inspire and equip the key leaders in your church. Pastors, Deacons, Sunday School leaders and all your key church leaders, will go home with practical ideas for successful ministry. The cost is only $ 5.00 per person which covers the cost of lunch. Please register with Wendy Hammock or Dave Frasure no later than the Monday before the conference to guarantee you have a lunch provided.
DATES AND LOCATIONS:
Saturday, September 23—NW Conference, Bluffton Baptist Church, 345 County Line Road, Bluffton, OH 45817
Saturday, October 7—NE conference, FBC Aurora, 79 East Mennonite Road, Aurora, Ohio 44202
Saturday, October 21—SW conference, Calvary Baptist Church, 1920 W US 22, Wilmington, Ohio 45177
Saturday, November 4—SE conference, FBC Logan, 399 S Norwood Avenue, Logan, Ohio 43138
SCHEDULE:
9:00 AM General Session
10:00 AM Break
10:15 AM Breakout Session One
11:15 AM Break
11:30 AM Breakout Session Two
12:30 PM Lunch Break
1:45 PM General Session
3:00 PM Dismiss
Breaking the 100 Barrier by Dan Reiland
Perhaps you pastor a small congregation and feel passionate about serving your community and growing your church. If so, please be encouraged by knowing that hundreds if not thousands of small churches have grown to become large churches that make a difference in their community. Also be encouraged by the fact that size isn't the issue, its impact that matters - how many lives are changed. Remember that God knows what is going on in His church and you are not alone. His Spirit is with you.
The following guiding principles will help you move toward and break through 100 in attendance.
· Determine if your church wants to break through 100. I'm writing to you assuming that as the pastor, (or other key church leader), that you want your church to grow. Don't assume, however, that because you want your church to grow that they do. Further, sometimes congregations think and say they want to grow, but their actions reveal that they don't. For example, the most obvious evidence is that few people invite and bring guests to church. Another example is that when guests do come, the love and acceptance offered them is only a surface level and socially polite gesture.
The best way to determine if your church wants to break through 100 is to first gather your top five leaders and ask them five key questions. When the top five leaders have answered these questions in a positive and unified way, then take the same questions to the majority of the rest of the congregation.
- Are you genuinely open to whatever change is required for our church to grow?
- Are you willing to personally pay the price for change and growth?
- What are you not willing to change or do to see our church reach more people for Christ?
- What do you believe we must do differently to reach people and serve our community?
- What do you love and appreciate most about our church?
· Conduct an informal check-up on the church's self-esteem. This is an important process to go through because many small churches genuinely want to grow but are unable due to their corporate poor self-esteem. A corporate self-esteem check-up is relatively easy to do. Write ten statements that reveal how they feel about the church and rate the questions on a scale of 1-10 each (1 = low and 10 = high) for a total of 100, or 100%. Some sample statements are:
- You are proud (versus embarrassed) to bring new people to our church.
- Our music and worship ministry is a blessing to those who experience it.
- Our church has changed your life in a positive and noticeable way.
- Our building is attractive and comfortable.
- Our budget and resources allow us to make a difference in our community.
· Change the perspective on how the pastor is perceived, from chaplain to change-agent. The chaplain perspective is one in which the church views the pastor as responsible to respond to any number of their needs. Duties include preaching, marrying, burying and attending committee meetings - but not necessarily leading them. In the chaplain scenario, a few key families run the church and the pastor is hired and directed by them to complete their picture of a church. In this scenario, and others similar to it, I can tell you that the church is not likely to grow beyond 100 people.
The pastor must step up to become the leader (change-agent) and the board or key families must give the pastor true permission to do so. This will not be an over-night process. If you are the pastor, don't walk into your next board meeting and announce that "things are going to change around here." If you do, you are likely to be the change. The slower but wiser approach is to win their followership by making small changes that benefit the church. These small changes will earn you the needed influence to begin making larger changes. Remember, you are not attempting to diminish their influence or remove them from leadership, (you can't) you are trying to increase your influence and effectiveness.
· Change the perspective on how the church is perceived, from friendly family to focused fellowship. Eight out of ten churches under a hundred (the two remaining are usually new church plants) are viewed as a "friendly family" and not a "focused fellowship." Friendly is a good thing, but not if it prevents you from reaching new people and serving your community. Friendly families are just that, very close and connected, but closed to outsiders. A focused fellowship is still warm and friendly, but with a different priority.
· Don't over-organize. Let me close with a brief point. Keep it simple. In my consulting practice, the vast majority of small churches I've worked with are over-organized and under evangelized. I urge you to go with less committees and structure and pour more heart and energy into reaching out to new people, and compassionate service to people in your community.
