Small-Group Sunday School: Getting Practical about the Great Commission
By Mark Gillmore
Editor's Note: Great Commission
leadership is one of the core values of the FBFI. It is something that we must
do, not just talk about doing. One of the ways in which the Great Commission is
being accomplished effectively is through local church small-group Sunday school
ministry. The following article is meant to be a help for someone who is
considering revamping a Sunday school ministry to be more effective. It is not
necessarily the only way to do it, but it might be the most effective way of
doing it today.
One of the greatest challenges a
spiritual leader faces is the challenge of making a vision practical. The Great
Commission is the overriding purpose of the local church. Church exits are often
marked with the reminder, "You are now entering the mission field." Keynote
addresses by pastors and evangelists hold before the people the absolute
necessity of reaching out with the gospel and discipling converts into mature
followers of Christ. This is familiar territory we would all embrace . . .
in theory. But do the daily life and weekly schedule of our church and its
members reflect our ideal? Are we succeeding in the administration of our divinely
supplied resources (such as people, time, rooms, money) so that the Great
Commission is being fulfilled in our local church for real? It's time for church leaders to "get
real" about the Great Commission by seriously considering the use of small-group
Sunday school to implement God's will for a local congregation.
Biblical Convictions of Sunday School
The local church has been given
a Biblical mandate, the Great Commission.When Christ first spoke His
command in Matthew 28:18-20, He did not expect future generations to doubt and
dismiss His last command. He promised His overcoming power and all-pervading
presence to enable the accomplishment until the very end of this age. The Great
Commission is not the Great Suggestion; its accomplishment is not an option-it
is a mandate! Sunday school is not merely another church organization; it is
the entire church organized to practically fulfill its greatest purpose. When
you take the largest church organization and focus it on the greatest church
task, you have a recipe for revival, because our priorities now match God's
power and His promises. Do you really expect the Great Commission to be
literally fulfilled during your lifetime through your local church? This
expectation is the passion and power of Sunday school, an organizational plan
that truly matches a Great Commission expectation.
Sunday school rests upon the conviction that every believer is
supernaturally gifted by the Holy Spirit for ministry and must therefore be
employed in the local church. Most ministry structures expect a few to
serve while the vast majority sit and soak and sour. Ephesians 4:16
states, "the whole body [is] fitly joined together and compacted by that which
every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of
every part." A believer who is not serving is quenching the Spirit and is
inhibiting his own spiritual growth and that of his entire church. Sunday school
provides for every-member ministry, from the youngest believer to the most
mature leader.
Pastors and evangelists have
been called and enabled by God to equip and oversee the members as the members
do the work of the ministry. The Great Commission is not a one-believer
activity. The entire body of believers must work together as each member in
that body fulfills his or her Spirit-empowered role. Pastors and evangelists do
not do the entire ministry but rather have God-given insight and abilities that
they pass on to others so that all can profit and serve (Eph. 4:11, 12). Sunday
school is a commitment from pastors to fulfill their role to train and equip
the people. Unlike small-group ministries that operate largely out from under
pastoral oversight in various homes and nonchurch settings, Sunday school
equips the people to do the ministry under the close supervision of pastors.
Critical Tasks of Sunday School
"And Jesus went about all the
cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of
the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people" (Matt.
9:35). As Christ lived out
the Great Commission, He taught people the Word of God, reaching people with
the gospel (the word "preaching" is literally "evangelizing"), and ministering
to people's needs. Allan Taylor, in his video series Sunday School Done
Right,[i]
points out that these are the three critical tasks of Sunday school:
Reaching people-The gospel saves souls!
Teaching people-The Word changes lives!
Ministering to people's needs-Acts of love
demonstrate God's glory!
If we reach people, teach people,
and minister to people's needs in the name of Christ and in the power of the
Spirit, the gospel will advance in our community, and nothing can stop it. Success
in these three tasks is not optional.
The small-group Sunday school
organization assigns people as leaders to "own" one of these three tasks. In
the children and youth divisions outreach and care leaders are department-wide
or division-wide assignments, but the ideal adult class has three leaders. The Outreach Leader accomplishes the Great
Commission by making sure that reaching efforts are organized and activated
successfully. He leads by example, by identifying new prospects, by organizing
visitation teams and assigning visits, by assisting the pastor in evangelism
training, by exhortation and testimony. His goal is to see folks enrolled in
Sunday school and brought to a saving knowledge of Christ.
The Bible Study Leader
accomplishes the Great Commission by overseeing all reaching and ministering
efforts and by making sure that teaching efforts are prepared and presented successfully.
He or she leads by prayer and faithful Bible study, by focusing on nonattending
class members, by personal discipleship, by weekly phone calls and visits, by
coordinating all class ministry, and by identifying and developing new leaders.
The Shepherding Care Leader
accomplishes the Great Commission by making sure that ministering efforts are
organized and activated successfully. He or she leads by frequent contact with
all class participants through phone calls and visitation, by identifying needs
and getting the class involved in prayer and generous, sacrificial hospitality
and care, and by personal spiritual growth.[ii]
Time is another vital resource that
must also be assigned to enable reaching, teaching, and ministering. The Sunday
morning schedule provides specific time for each task.[iii] Time
should be prioritized on an individual basis throughout the week as leaders
pray, make visits and phone calls, plan ministry, meet needs, and study Bible
lessons.
To accomplish these three tasks in
an ongoing and coordinated way demands training and planning meetings. An annual series of training events
and a weekly workers' meeting provide for effective communication and personal
advancement in specific leadership roles. Division Leaders should work closely
with new leaders and guide their entire division to stay "on task" and "on
target" for the Great Commission.
Functional Dynamics of Sunday School
There are three functional dynamics
that stand behind the genius of the small-group Sunday school. They are (1)
open enrollment, (2) age-graded small groups, and (3) levels of leadership.
Enrollment is a tool that enables a
church to reach, teach, and minister to its members and to the lost and
unchurched in a community. Sunday school enrollment is the core of a comprehensive
Great Commission strategy. When enrollment is increasing, ministry
opportunities are increasing and growth is sure to follow. However, when
enrollment is decreasing (such as when names are dropped because some are not
attending), ministry is decreasing. Great Commission ministry stands in
jeopardy.
Open enrollment."Enroll
anyone, anywhere, anytime, so long as they agree." One Sunday school expert
noted in a study of growing churches that when open enrollment is practiced,
one-half of the total number enrolled will be unsaved. Of that number of
unsaved persons, one-half will be saved and baptized into the church within
twelve months.[iv] Another
Sunday school leader pointed out from historical study that fifty percent of
those enrolled in Sunday school will attend and grow.[v]
There are key differences between
open enrollment and closed enrollment both in philosophy and in effect. In
closed enrollment, enrollment is the commitment of the enrollee to attend, so
the focus of the leaders becomes attendance, and ministry "grows" only if the
person is attending. In open enrollment, enrollment is the commitment of the
leader to minister to someone who has given him permission, so the focus of the
leaders is on ministry, and ministry "grows" whether or not the enrollee is
presently attending. In closed enrollment the leader is passive about his role,
often wanting to drop from the roles anyone not attending. In open enrollment
the leader is active about increasing his enrollment, realizing that each new
name is a ministry opportunity that will bear fruit by the Spirit's power
through class involvement in that person's life. A successful class focused on
ministry will have about fifty percent of its enrollment attending with new
names being added regularly (minimally once a month).
Age-graded small groups at all
age levels. Jesus Christ was the greatest small-group leader ever as He
demonstrated the potential in the life of a select group of twelve disciples. Mark
3:14 tells that "he
ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them
forth." The key dynamic is that they were "with him." As Jesus lived with them,
involved them, taught them, responded to them, confronted them, restored them,
and filled them, He transformed them into humble, Spirit-filled, sold-out
servants of God. Do you realize that Christ impacted the world through these
twelve in the very best way it could have ever been done? Also, consider that
the family is another ingenious small group design by God. You cannot improve upon
it-small groups work when you work small groups!
There are so many benefits to
age-graded small groups: they involve more people (providing a multitude of
leadership opportunities for both men and women); they develop new leaders;
they are educationally sound through greater student-involved learning; they
direct immediate assignment of prospects; they pray specifically; they
encourage team spirit; and they simply minister to more people.[vi]
Following the small-group dynamic,
Sunday school multiplies by dividing. A single small group accomplishes the
Great Commission and grows over the space of twelve to twenty-four months. It
is divided into two small groups with several new leaders employed. This birth
of a new class is a mighty victory in the Lord's work! It is vital that
enrollment and attendance ceilings are followed so that no small group outgrows
its range of most effectiveness. These figures are available upon request.[vii]
Levels of leadership. When
Moses faced a crisis of leadership in Exodus 18, God gave the answer through
his father-in-law: identify faithful men and organize levels of leadership, or
else you will wear out yourself and the people (Exod. 18:18-21). If Moses did not work in concert with
other leaders, his own human limitations would jeopardize the spiritual unity
and accomplishments of the Israelite nation.[viii]
Leadership levels apply divine wisdom.
A well-organized Sunday school will have at least four
divisions, each with a Division Leader and Secretary: preschool, elementary,
youth, and adult. Each Division is divided into departments, which will have
within them three to six classes.[ix] A
Department Director oversees department activities and sees that each class is
on task in its leadership and output. The class is the real unit of ministry,
led by the Bible Study Leader (teacher) who works with a Shepherding Care
Leader and Outreach Leader. Charts of specific numerical breakdowns are
available.[x]
There are churches that will never
be able to cross the attendance thresholds of 125 or 300 people as long as
their pastor continues the same leadership style. Effective leadership is not
merely about a particular leader's style or capability. For the pastor,
effective leadership multiplies ministry so that the Great Commission is
accomplished and the rate at which people are reached for Christ increases. The
Great Commission demands the employment of levels of leadership.
Make a target of the Great
Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. What would be the bull's eye? You find
four rings on the target: going, discipling, baptizing, and teaching to observe
to do all things. While winning a soul to Christ is vital, we must recognize
that completing the Great Commission involves teaching and training believers so
that they are now observing all things and functioning as spiritual leaders in
the cause of Christ. That is the goal; that is the bull's eye. The power of
Sunday school is that in a single organizational structure of the local church,
a person progresses from preconversion and initial enrollment all the way to
service as a fully equipped believer in Christ, prepared to replicate this
process in another life. By the power of the Spirit of God flowing through the
people of God, Sunday school is the strategy that successfully implements Great
Commission ministry in the local church.
Mark Gillmore is associate pastor at Falls
Baptist Church,
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
[i]Sunday School Done Right by Allan
Taylor. Sampson Resources, Dallas,
TX. 2007.
[ii] This position is a perfect
"entry-level" ministry opportunity for the new and growing believer.
[iii] In our Sunday school ministry seventy-five minutes is dedicated to these three tasks with the
following breakdown: Fellowship Time-fifteen minutes (informal "meet and greet"
time with refreshments); Announcements-five minutes (led by Department
Director); Outreach Time-ten minutes (focus on reaching people with the gospel);
Care Group Time-fifteen minutes (focus on ministering to one another's needs);
Bible Study Time-thirty minutes (focus on teaching the Word of God).
[iv]Sunday School for a New Century by Bill
L. Taylor and Louis B. Hanks. Lifeway Press, Nashville, TN. 1999.
[v]Building on Basics by Leon Kilbreth,
video series; out of print.
[vi] Although under attack in recent years, age grading
can be quite effective with quality teachers and curriculum, good communication
with the family, and the clear understanding that the chief disciplers in any
child's life are the parents. It is a time-honored practice that finds it roots
in OT synagogues and even in the OT temple (Samuel's childhood is an example). Grading
by age is the perfect solution to an otherwise complex problem of forming,
supporting, dividing, and ending small groups. Grouping by age is quick, is
clear and effective, applies to everyone, is known by everyone, is ongoing,
draws people of common interests and needs together, and keeps ministry fresh.
[viii] It is noteworthy that the
numerical breakdowns of Sunday school divisions, departments, and classes is
identical to the levels established by Moses: thousands = local churches,
hundreds = divisions, fifties = departments, and tens = classes. I believe that
these levels of leadership are common across all of human experience because
they reflect the limitations of human influence woven into our makeup from
creation. These levels apply divine wisdom.
[ix] A
larger Sunday school may also have a bus division and possibly two or more
youth or adult divisions.
