Learn More To Do More Project
(Article's content based on a pamphlet published with the same name in
April, 1996, in the Recovering Sinners™ Series by Dale Lee)
Go To Sunday School and Visitors Page
Go To Articles Written By Guest Authors and Dale Lee Index Page
SERVING GOD THROUGH THE SUNDAY SCHOOL©
GOD WORKS THROUGH SUNDAY SCHOOL WORKERS
You accepted the opportunity to serve God through your Sunday School position. This is an HONOR. No other person in the church has your assigned responsibilities. You are one of a kind. Being unique does put pressure on you. If you do not fulfill your responsibilities, they will be left undone.
The Sunday School workers are a team as they reach out to members of families. It is the combined efforts of all Sunday School workers that enables the Sunday School to influence families.
ANCESTOR OF TODAY'S SUNDAY SCHOOL
Sunday School was started by Robert Raikes, a layman, in Gloucester, England in 1780, for poor street kids and kids that worked in factories. He started Sunday School to give the kids something to do on Sundays and teach them Christian fundamentals as they learned to read and write.
In the beginning, Sunday School was an organization that was not supported by churches.
PURPOSE OF SUNDAY SCHOOL IN SBC CHURCHES
In Charles A. Tidwell's book, Educational Ministry of a Church, he lists the six tasks assigned to the Sunday School by the Southern Baptist Convention.
Your denomination may have other tasks assigned to the Sunday School. Be sure to study the tasks assigned to the Sunday School so you can better understand what Sunday School is supposed to accomplish at your church.
Go To Article Directory
RESULTS WHEN THE TASKS ARE ACHIEVED
The church will grow as individuals in the Sunday School grow in their faith in Jesus.
The growth will result in the individuals being a stronger Christian witness to their families, friends, and neighbors.
The effectiveness of a Sunday School is the combined influence of the workers and the class members.
A church's numerical growth often occurs through the Sunday School. New Sunday School classes are more effective in their outreach activities than established classes.
A worker will struggle each week to set aside the time needed to plan and perform the necessary activities. Planning to teach a lesson and performing outreach activities does require time. Each week it takes a commitment by each worker to make sure the needed time is available.
Some workers will not invest the time they need to fulfill their Sunday School responsibilities. When this happens, the lesson preparation and outreach efforts will suffer.
Each worker should set aside time for personal prayer and Bible study. The prayer and Bible study will help each person focus on fulfilling their assigned responsibilities.
BIBLE STUDY RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
The following is a list of additional resources that can be used for studying and preparing a Sunday School lesson.
BEING A MORE EFFECTIVE SUNDAY SCHOOL WORKER
The following is a list of activities that can assist a Sunday School worker to better perform his duties. Review the list. Which of the activities do you believe will help you improve your servce as a Sunday School worker?
WHAT I NEED TO DO TO BE A BETTER WORKER
On a piece of paper you will keep, write two or three of the above activities you know that will enable you to be a better Sunday School worker. Use this list to remind you of what you are to work on that will enable you to better serve God.
As you implement or complete an activity, cross off that activity in the list, add another task to the list that will help you be a better Sunday School worker. Over a period of a year, you should be able to implement several activities in the above list. The effort required to implement an activity will pay off as you become a better worker serving God through the Sunday School.
Contact Dale Lee with your comments.
(4/1996)