Title: Sunday School Youth
1Youth Sunday School
Compiled by Ed Gilman
2Relating to Youth
Establish common ground. Go where youth are
and make contact. Invite youth to your
home. Participate in youth activities. Be a
good listener.
3Relating to Youth
Practice affirmation. Be sensitive to youth
needs. Develop trust. Be a friend, not a
buddy. Pray for youth, specifically by name.
4PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Back-to-School
- Link this huge event in students lives to
Sunday School. Since there is already a new
school year, there needs to be a renewed emphasis
on the new Sunday School year.
5PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Attendance Competitions (Fall and Spring)
- There are two times a year that are ideal to do
some kind of competition. Give points and rewards
to folks who go all out in inviting members and
prospects to come on attendance days. Be sure the
rewards are for effort and not just for results.
The event can be for one day or to build
attendance for an entire month.
6PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Summer Mania
Family vacations, sports and band camps, jobs,
and so much more begin to fill up the live of
students in the summer. This should be an
emphasis focused on reminding students to be
faithful in Bible study participation. Plan
things that you can only do during the summer.
7PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Christmas and Easter
In some churches, this is an ideal time to
challenge people to be faithful in attendance.
Some students only show up at this time of the
year. Do something extra special and remind
students that this is the kind of experience they
can have every week.
8Effective Outreach
- Record keeping is essential. Make sure you
collect complete information about prospects at
every opportunity. - Plan a calendar of ideas and activities for the
whole year. Too often outreach doesnt happen
because we never plan for it. Also make sure your
plans are not interfering with the overall Youth
Ministry or church-wide plans. - Teach key students how to make others feel
welcome. The key to outreach is your students.
They need to realize the significant role they
play in reaching unchurched people.
9Effective Outreach
- Dont be afraid of failure. Not every event or
strategy will bring untold masses of students
into your ministry. - Set your expectations reasonably. God is holding
you accountable for doing outreach, not the
results of it. - Pray before, during, and after each event. God is
the mover and shaker when it comes to His kingdom
business.
10ASSIMILATION
- Every department, class, and ministry should have
a plan, as well as scheduled activities and
events to promote assimilation. - Too many students are lost due to the fact that
we have not intentionally reached out to them and
included them. - The key to assimilation is the student. Whatever
plan you develop must revolve around the
abilities and willingness of your students.
11ASSIMILATION
- Idea One
- Enlist Student Care Group Leaders. Assign three
to six teenagers to each care group leader. Half
of that number should be regular attendees and
the other half prospects and chronic absentees. - Encourage care group leaders to make weekly
contact. The focus of the contact should not be
just to get them to attend. Instead, the student
care group leader should focus on building the
relationship. - Relationships are essential to building a sense
of community among class members.
12ASSIMILATION
- Idea Two
- Another idea is to plan monthly or quarterly
class fellowships. Make the focus of the event to
build relationships. - Structure activities so as to allow students time
to get to know each other. Play games where they
have to do things with people they dont know
very well. - Prepare a get-to-know-you sheet which requires
students to get information from other students.
13ASSIMILATION
- Idea Three
- Another idea might be to enlist a host or hostess
for your class. - His or her responsibility would be to greet
newcomers, enroll them, introduce them to others,
and sit with them in class and in worship. They
could also be responsible for making sure the
newcomer is assigned to a care group leader. - The first few moments in the class or department
time are some of the most important in
assimilating guests into our ministry. - Who is the one person who would be perfect for
this you are aware of now.?
14Youth
Sunday School Leadership Job Descriptions
15Division Director
- Coordinate the work of the Youth Sunday School
where there are two or more adult departments. -
- Discover training needs and plan training
opportunities in conjunction with the Sunday
School Director. - Participate in outreach efforts, planning
meetings, and Bible study groups.
16Department Director
- Discover and enlist other department leaders.
- Monitor the process of assimilating new members.
- Lead the large group time when planned for a
Sunday morning. - Lead the planning period for the department at
worker's meetings. - Work with youth leadership team and youth to plan
fellowship opportunities.
17Department Secretary
- Be responsible to the Department Director in all
matters related to department records. - Process and maintain visitation records and
maintain an up-to-date prospect file, and provide
records for the caring ministry. - Determine ways information from records can be
used to minister to people.
18Teacher
- Be responsible to the Department Director or
Sunday School Director for the total work of the
class. - Teach youth the Bible by guiding
discovery-learning activities. - Participate in planning sessions, outreach and
visitation activities, and other special Sunday
School functions.
19Youth Class Leader
- Be selected by the teacher to serve for a three
to six month period of time. - Assist the teacher in administering and
evaluating the activities of the class. - Participate in training opportunities.
- Be involved in Bible studies and encourage peers
to be personally involved.
20Youth Care Leader
- Be selected by the teacher to serve for a three
to six month period of time. - Assist the teacher in administering and
evaluating the activities of the class assist the
teacher in leading class members to care for
members, non-members and their families. - Participate in training opportunities.
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