State Sunday School Directors Meeting May 16-18, 2018 San Antonio, TX

Sunday School as a Strategy Every church has to answer 2 questions: WHAT?

Sunday School as a Strategy Every church has to answer 2 questions: WHAT? HOW?

Sunday School as a Strategy Every church has to answer 2 questions: WHAT? = MISSION HOW?

Sunday School as a Strategy Every church has to answer 2 questions: WHAT? = MISSION HOW? = STRATEGY

Sunday School as a Strategy strat-e-gy: a careful plan or method/for achieving a particular goal/usually over a long period of time

Three Questions How can I serve you? How can LifeWay better serve your convention? How can we be more strategically aligned?

Three Questions How can I serve you? How can LifeWay better serve your convention? How can we be more strategically aligned? Critical Question: Could a collaborative effort garner a greater national Sunday School presence?

Exercise Theory of Constraints Issues with Sunday School

Current Reality SS/SG Average Attendance has declined 727,219; 18%

My Conclusion 3 Constraints LEADERSHIP VISION DOING THE BASICS

Leadership Can we do something about these Issues With Sunday School?

Leadership Can we do something about these Issues With Sunday School? Will we do something about these Issues With Sunday School? WE MUST!

SS Tweaks Won’t Transform Needed: Transformational Leaders God calls Transformational Leaders to change the status quo; to act upon inertia!

Perspective Descriptive Approach vs Prescriptive Approach 90% of our Sunday Schools are led by laymen & they need a plan!

Sunday School’s Mission Statement The purpose of Sunday School is to make disciples by reaching people, teaching people, and ministering to people. (Matthew 4:23; 9:35, 28:19-20)

Addressing the Issues with Sunday School Evangelism Enlistment Equipping Enrollment Enlargement

Addressing the Issues with Sunday School: Evangelism Fact: The Great Commission does not allow for evangelism to be optional! Fact: If evangelism is not a top priority it will become no priority! Fact: SS should be the outreach/evangelism arm of the church! Problem: The vast majority of our churches have no Intentional Outreach Strategy!

Addressing the Issues with Sunday School: Enlistment Fact: James 3:1 sets a higher standard on a teacher of the Word of God! Fact: SS will rise no higher than her leaders! Fact: Churches enlist 95% of their problems! Problem: The vast majority of our churches have no Intentional Enlistment Plan!

Addressing the Issues with Sunday School: Equipping Fact: Eph. 4:11-12 is God’s job description for ministry leaders! Fact: Steve Parr’s research shows that on-going SS training is the #1 factor in growing SS’s! Fact: Untrained soldiers ar target practice for the enemy! Problem: The vast majority of our churches are not Intentional in training their SS workers!

Addressing the Issues with Sunday School: Enrollment Fact: Every organization on earth seeks to increase the number of people involved! Fact: When enrollment goes up attendance goes up, baptisms goes up, assimilation goes up, number of groups goes up, people serving goes up, giving goes up, & the kingdom goes up! Problem: The vast majority of our churches are not Intentional in enrolling people in SS!

Addressing the Issues with Sunday School: Enlargement Fact: Based on Jesus’ teaching in the Parable of the Talents, everyone is to produce more talents! Fact: The beauty of starting more groups is it puts more people to work exercising their spiritual gifts! Problem: The vast majority of our churches have no Intentional Enlargement Strategy!

Conclusion Clare Booth Luce to President John Kennedy: “A great man can be defined in one sentence.” Peggy Noonan wrote of President Lincoln: “He preserved the Union and freed the slaves.” What one sentence will be said of us?