Blueprint for Growing Your Sunday School

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Blueprint for Growing Your Sunday School
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Blueprints
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Blueprints
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Luke 1428 For which of you, wanting to build a
tower, doesnt first sit down and calculate the
cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
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Arthur Flake

• Committed layman and Sunday School Director at
  First Baptist Church, Winona, Mississippi.
• Salesman by vocation. Sunday School was his
  passion.
• So successful that he in 1909 he was employed as
  a field worker in Sunday School.
• 1920 he move to Nashville to head Sunday School
  work for Southern Baptists.
• His 5 step formula, Flakes Formula, have been a
  blueprint for Sunday School work ever since.

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Your table group is competing with the rest of
the table groups. Take turns at your table taking
a block from the bottom or middle of the stack
and placing on the top of the stack. Count the
blocks as you move them. Continue until the
stack falls.
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What are similarities between the game Jenga
and growing a Sunday School?
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There are principles to buildings and structure
just as there are principles to building a Sunday
School. Similarly a Sunday School must have
sufficient organization and support in order to
function effectively and be able to teach, reach,
and minister effectively with those for whom they
are responsible.
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Have you ever seen a building be imploded?
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Have you ever seen a building be imploded?
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Flakes Five Step Formula

• K now your possibilities.
• E nlarge the organization.
• E nlist and train workers.
• P rovide the space.
• GO after the people.

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your possibilities
KNOW
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What is our primary ministry area?
Broadview Missionary Baptist Church
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KNOW YOUR POSSIBILITIES

• Who does God want us to reach?
• What is our primary ministry area?
• Does our Sunday School have plans to reach the
  people there?

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KNOW YOUR POSSIBILITIES

• Where is our Sunday School currently growing?
• Are we prepared organizationally to continue
  reaching those people?
• Where is there potential to reach people that we
  are not currently reaching in our churchs
  primary ministry area?
• What are some of those groups?
• Is our Sunday School effectively assimilating our
  church members?

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Has your Sunday School accepted its possibilities?

• Does your Sunday School know its potential for
  reaching people?
• Does your Sunday School accept its responsibility
  for reaching people?
• Does your Sunday School have a heart for those it
  has the potential to reach?
• Is it clear which class/department is responsible
  for reaching the specific people?

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Seeking to discover your possibilities

1. The Church Membership Roll
2. Inactive Sunday School members
3. Worship service visitors
4. Sunday School Classes and Organization for
   saturation
5. Vacation Bible School
6. Special Events
7. New Comers
8. Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors
9. Demographics and census data
10. People search, Opinion Poll

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What do you do with the information?

• Having prayerfully determined your possibilities
  influences all of the next actions.

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the organization.
ENLARGE
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• Organization is placing ourselves in the best
  possible position to be used by the Holy Spirit.
• Max Caldwell

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Four Major Issues

1. Purpose leaders and members have a correct
   understanding of the purpose of the Sunday
   School.
2. Leader-learner ratios -- sufficient numbers of
   leaders.
3. Unit size -- classes the appropriate size growth
   and effective teaching and ministry.
4. Targeting A Sunday School that clearly defines
   the target of the ministry and outreach of
   classes.

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• The key element in enlarging the organization is
  starting new Bible study units.

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• The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.
  Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to
  send out workers into His harvest. Luke 102

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• Starting new units is a great way to involve a
  great number of classes and members in the
  harvest.

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Issue in a smaller Sunday School

• The issue in a smaller Sunday School (and in all
  Sunday Schools) is not when do the numbers
  necessitate a new unit, but when do we have the
  opportunity to begin a new unit.

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Value of Starting New Bible Study Units

• New units reach people at higher percentage than
  existing units.
• It is harder for outsiders to fit into existing
  unit because of group dynamics.

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Value of Starting New Bible Study Units

• New units grow faster when they receive help from
  an existing class.
• Usually new classes reach new people which open
  new opportunities for ministry.

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12 Proven Steps

1. Create a climate for new units.
2. Identify target group(s).
3. Win the confidence of members of existing units
   before beginning new units from them.

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12 Proven Steps

1. Seek sponsorship.
2. Enlist and train a leadership team.
3. Provide space for the new unit.
4. Create an atmosphere of success for the new unit.

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12 Proven Steps

1. Promote the starting date and location to the
   target group.
2. Invite and enroll prospects.
3. Conduct the first session.

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12 Proven Steps

1. Celebrate the beginning of the new unit.
2. Establish a mindset for open group.

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MODELS for starting new units

• Restructure existing class/department

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MODELS for starting new units

• Assign leadership team to an unchurched target
  group

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MODELS for starting new units

• Identify an unreached group and start Bible study
  when and where
• they can/will meet.

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MODELS for starting new units

• Start short term group that becomes entry point
  for ongoing group.

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MODELS for starting new units

• Blitz target group
• with publicity and
• ensure first session
• is well attended.

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• Only God can make an apple out of a seed.
• Ask Him to help you see the seed in the apple.

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ENLIST
and train workers.
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Listen to this conversation

• Narrator The next day Moses sat down to judge
  the people, and they stood around Moses from
  morning until evening.  When Moses father-in-law
  saw everything he was doing for them he asked,
• Jethro What is this thing youre doing for
  the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge,
  while all the people stand around you from
  morning until evening?
• Narrator Moses replied to his father-in-law,

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Listen to this conversation

• Moses Because the people come to me to
  inquire of God.  Whenever they have a dispute, it
  comes to me, and I make a decision between one
  man and another. I teach them Gods statutes
  and laws.
• Jethro What youre doing is not good,
• Narrator Moses father-in-law said to him.
• Jethro You will certainly wear out both
  yourself and these people who are with you,
  because the task is too heavy for you. You cant
  do it alone. Now listen to me I will give you
  some advice, and God be with you. You be the one
  to represent the people before God and bring
  their cases to Him. Instruct them about the
  statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live
  and what they must do.

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Listen to this conversation

• But you should select from all the people able
  men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating bribes.
  Place them over the people as officials of
  thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They
  should judge the people at all times. Then they
  can bring you every important case but judge
  every minor case themselves. In this way you will
  lighten your load, and they will bear it with
  you. If you do this, and God so directs you,
  you will be able to endure, and also all these
  people will be able to go home satisfied.

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Complete the puzzle
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(No Transcript)
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Enlisting and training leaders is important
because

1. God-called, gifted leaders lead members to have a
   vision for their area and engage members in
   achieving that vision.
2. The principle of multiplying leadership is
   biblical.
3. Having the proper number of effectively enlisted
   and trained leaders helps the Sunday School focus
   externally instead of internally.

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Enlisting and training leaders is important
because

1. Having the proper number of effectively enlisted
   and trained leaders helps the Sunday School teach
   for spiritual transformation.
2. Having the proper number of effectively enlisted
   and trained leaders helps the Sunday School
   minister more effectively.

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Enlisting and training leaders is important
because

• Having the proper number of effectively enlisted
  and trained leaders allows the Sunday School to
  start new classes and departments.
• Having the proper number of effectively enlisted
  and trained leaders raises the effectiveness of
  Sunday School work.

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A Process for Enlisting Sunday School Leaders

• Pray.
• Make a list of needed workers.
• Make a list of potential workers.
• Could this person serve, if willing?
• Would this person be acceptable to the church?

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Places Where You Can Identify Names of Potential
Leaders

• Adult Sunday School Class Roles
• Recommendations from adult teachers
• People presently serving as Apprentices or in
  associate or other class positions
• Church membership rolls
• Vacation Bible School leaders
• Graduating college students returning home
• Training course participants
• Former Sunday School leaders not currently
  serving
• Persons who respond to interest surveys
• Potential leader training participants.

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A Process for Enlisting Sunday School Leaders
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• Make a list of training opportunities.
• Training opportunities come from four basic
  sources
• Sunday School training events your church will
  conduct
• Sunday School training events sponsored by your
  association in the next 12 months
• Training events conducted by your state
  convention
• Training events conducted by LifeWay Christian
  Resources

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A Process for Enlisting Sunday School Leaders

• Pray again.
• Decide on one person for each position.
• Begin the process early to avoid trying to decide
  on a backup if your first choice turns you down.
• Make an appointment.
• Enlisting Sunday School leaders in the church
  hallways hinders the process. Make an
  appointment this is important work.

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A Process for Enlisting Sunday School Leaders

• Make an enlistment visit.
• Personal visits should be made by the person to
  whom an individual would be responsible.
• By following this process (without taking any
  shortcuts), you can discover all the workers God
  has provided for your Sunday School.

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Make the Enlistment Visit
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PROVIDE

• the space.

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Provide the Space
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Arthur Flake Building a Standard Sunday School,
p. 31.

• There is no such thing as building a Sunday
  School great in numbers in small, cramped
  quarters. Neither can a Sunday School of the
  highest efficiency be operated without proper
  equipment. While good equipment does not
  necessarily guarantee an efficient Sunday School,
  at the same time, it is necessary if a Sunday
  School is to do the best quality of work.

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Maximum Enrollment
Maximum Enrollment
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Think about your Sunday School and answer these
questions.

1. Where do we have classes that are too large for
   their present space?
2. Do we need new space for the above class or is
   the class too large and we need to start a new
   class?
3. Where do we have classes that have more space
   than they need and that space could be better
   used by another class?

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Equipment and Furnishings

1. Where in our Sunday School do we have the
   greatest need to improve the equipment and
   furnishings?
2. How would better equipment and furnishings
   improve our teaching?
3. Would better equipment and furnishings help us
   better reach people?

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Ways to Provide More Space

• Unused space
• Adjust the present use of space.
• Empty out storage rooms.
• Multiple use of space.
• Use the church offices, fellowship hall, gym
• Adjacent space
• Build additional space

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GO!

• after the people.

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GO after the People

• The slacker does not plow during 
• planting season at harvest time he looks,
  and there is nothing.
• Proverbs 204

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GO!

• after the people.

Without this step the others lose meaning.
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Key Outreach Essentials

1. Definite outreach organization.
2. Definite time to go out.
3. Definite prospects and prospect system.
4. Definite reporting process.
5. Face-to-face contact.
6. Other forms of contact.

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• But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
  has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses
  in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to
  the ends of the earth.
• Acts 1 8 (HCSB)