Blueprintfor

growth

Mike TompkinsDirector of Missions

Comanche-Cotton Baptist AssociationLawton, Oklahoma

growyoursundayschool.com Sunday School Enlargement Campaigns;

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Contents

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................Page 3 - 5

GOAL #1 KNOW YOUR POSSIBITIES or "Target the Market"................Page 5 - 8

GOAL #2 ENLARGE THE ORGANIZATION or "The Bigger, The Better. .Page 8 - 17

GOAL #3 ENLIST AND TRAIN THE WORKERS or "Welcome to Basic Training"

....................................................................................................Page 17 - 18

GOAL #4 PROVIDE THE SPACE or "Lookin for Every Nook and Cranny" Page 19 -

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GOAL #5 GO AFTER THE PEOPLE or "Off the Couch and Out of the House". Page

21 - 25

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EPILOGUE...........................................................................................Page 22

INTRODUCTION

In my forty-four years of experience, I've found that every Pastor wants his church to

grow! But How! Now, that’s the question. Who has the answer? Who can tell me what

to do so my church can grow? I really, really, really want to know. Well…..thanks for

asking friend, cause I have some great news for you. Granted, church growth and health

are multifaceted, but there is one key component that no one can pull off but you. A

strong, healthy, growing Sunday School is where it's at, and you, my friend, are the only

person in the church who can lead your Sunday School to grow. But, first ya gotta get a

grip on some vital info.

Meet Arthur Flake! He's my hero. He's the hero of every Southern Baptist who values the

work of Sunday School. Or as my friend Bob Mayfield, Sunday School Specialist for the

Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma says, “Arthur Flake is my Homeboy!” Let me

tell ya the story. Born in Texas in 1862, Arthur Flake became a successful clothing

merchant in Mississippi. Joining the Sunday School Board in 1909, he became head of the

Sunday School Department in 1920. He outlined five laws of Sunday School growth and

challenged the convention to build churches by building the Sunday School. I can't help

but believe that these five principles or laws come directly from the world of business.

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Sanitized, Sanctified and Baptized into Southern Baptist life, these business principles

that would work anywhere, anytime, to establish any business and keep it strong. These

fantastic principles, which could be applied to Sears, Penny's or Home Depot and

probably have been, have been applied to the business and bringing people under the

influence of the Word of God through Southern Baptist Sunday Schools. Thank God for

Arthur Flake!

The original Flakes Formula is as follows.

Flake's Fivefold Formula KNOW THE POSSIBILITIES ENLARGE THE ORGANIZATION ENLIST AND TRAIN THE WORKERS PROVIDE THE SPACE GO AFTER THE PEOPLE

Some things never change, they just get better. My grandpa used a combine, but it had a

six foot header and was pulled by an old tractor with steel spike wheels. Combines still

run in the fields of America, and while the basic principles are the same, the technology

is vastly improved. Massive computer controlled headers, air-conditioned cabs, big

powerful diesel engines, stereos and on board computers are not uncommon. Flakes

Formula has not changed, but it sure has gotten better. Like the combine, the basic

principles are the same, but God has given us some incredible improvements. God has

granted us the gift of unbelievable technology to make the work of Flakes Formula a

pure delight.

Thom S. Rainer in The Book of Church Growth states "Flake's fivefold method of growth

continues to be effective." (p 292)

Andy Anderson's The Growth Spiral presents an application to what is called "The Five

Abstracts" with mathematical formula.

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This e-book, BLUEPRINT FOR GROWTH, represents a creative answer to the natural

question, BUT HOW? I understand the principles, but how do I go about applying them?

I'm happy to share my personal interpretation of Flakes Formula along with some

suggestions as to how they could be accomplished. Hope you enjoy reading and find the

information helpful in growing your Sunday School

Mike TompkinsDirector of MissionsComanche-Cotton Baptist AssociationLawton, Ok

The first principle of Flakes Formula is to discover the people God sent you to find. The city

where I currently live is experiencing a fantastic boon in business. We have new retail shops,

restaurants and Dollar Stores. Man do we have Dollar stores. You see, I live in a city adjacent

to a military installation.

While we have lots of people, they don't necessarily have lots of disposable income. Neiman

Marcus would fail here while Dollar Stores flourish. Someone knew the market. Someone

did their homework. It's important that you do your homework. It is absolutely necessary to

discover who is out there, who needs to be saved, who needs a church home and who needs

ministry, etc. I will make these suggestions as an illustration of how to find people. You

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Arthur Flake said,Goal # 1, "KNOW THE POSSIBILITIES"

“Target The Market”

cannot reach who you do not know, so the first principle is, "KNOW THE POSSIBILITES", or

"Target the Market."

PLAN A COMMUNITY PE OPLE SEARCH

1. Request from your denominational leadership a 3 to 5 mile demographics study

around your church.

a. Where are the prospects?

b. Who are the prospects?

c. What is the median age and number of children?

d. How can the prospects be reached for salvation and church membership?

e. What kind of music do they listen to?

f. What kind of T.V. programs do they enjoy?

g. What kinds of newspapers and magazines do they subscribe to?

h. What kinds of cars do they drive and homes do they live in?

i. Are they in the work force, if so where?

j. Are they retired, if so from what?

k. What skills do they possess?

2. Draw a grid which takes in all the area that you believe your church should be reaching.

3. Designate each grid with a letter of the alphabet such as A,B,C,D,E, etc. Within each grid,

identify all houses, occupied or empty, with a number such as 1,2,3,4.5.6. etc.

4. Schedule a Saturday to survey each house, going in pairs, one to take the lead, asking

questions and the other to write down the information.

5. Gather as much accurate information as possible.

1) Names

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2) Mailing Addresses

3) Birthdates of everyone living in the home,

4) Phone number or numbers, including cell phones, if possible.

5) Email address or addresses, if possible

6) Church membership or church preference, If they are, or have been a

member of another church. Be certain to get that information. If they have

been a member of another Baptist church, you may encourage them join

you on Sunday as your personal guest. If they seem open and ready,

invite them to become a member of your church.

7) During the contact, provide attractive printed information about your church, to

include the name, service times and schedule of activities and ministries as well

as a positive word about the Pastor and Staff.

8) Explain that there is a Bible Study organization for each age of every

person in the home.

9) Ask if you have their permission to enroll them in a Bible Study group or

Sunday School.

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A B C D E F

G H I J K L

M N O P Q R

S T U V W X

GO…..PLAN A CHURCH INREACH SEARCH

1. Carefully examine the existing Sunday School and Church Membership rolls for rospects

within families who have not yet enrolled in Sunday School or have not yet made a

decision to trust Christ as Savior.

While serving in the military, my wife and I found a wonderful church home. When we

arrived at church on the first Sunday morning, we were separated. She was taken to a class

of 55-60 year old ladies. I was taken to a class of 55-60 year old men. I can remember feeling

so out of place. Can you imagine how a 22 year old feels in a Sunday School Class with a

bunch of over-the-hill 55 years olds. Why, everybody knows, a 55 year old has one foot in

the grave and another on a banana peel. I found the Pastor and asked why there wasn't a

Young Married Class. He agreed that there should be one, but it would be up to me to help

get one started. PERFECT!!!! Apparently the Pastor didn't fully understand the potential of

an Army Specialist 5th Class, Huey Crewchief with a duty station in Base Hanger, strategically

located between four neighboring hangers. Everyone came through Base Hanger almost

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Arthur Flake said,Goal #2, "ENLARGE THE ORGANIZATION"

“The Bigger, The Better”

every day. What a fantastic opportunity. I would hurry around and take care of my duties,

grab a pad and pen and begin enrolling everyone I could get to in Sunday School. I enrolled

every rank and race of soldier and airman who walked through that wonderful, big old

hanger. At first, it was challenging. What would people think? How would they respond?

Man was I surprised! It was easy! Here were my brothers, my buddies, a long way from

home, many homesick and hungry for a family. I would invite them to become a member of

my family, the church family was I worshiped each Sunday. It wasn’t long until the guys I

enrolled, were enrolling others! Amway didn’t have anything on old Mike. In time, I became

the teacher in a class of military men of every rank. We even had a number of F-4C Fighter

Jet pilots. What started with my wife and me, by the end of a year and a half, turned into

over 120 men, women and children enrolled in the Sunday School of our church, with an

average of sixty-four people in attendance throughout the remainder of our time there. The

most important part of the story is that we Enlarged the Organization. What started with no

Young Married Department, grew to be two Young Married Departments and 5 new

teaching units.

Ok, nuff of that. A growing Sunday School is constantly creating new classes and

departments. After a class has been together for more than two years, they tend to look

increasingly inward and to care for their members only. In fact, studies have shown that

after a class has been together for 18 months, they generally plateau and new people find it

hard to become a part of the class. New classes provide opportunities for new entry points

for new people. Studies have shown that a new class will reach 23 new people in the first 12

months.

The following are additional reasons we need new units:

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Based on signs of a healthy church, new units help us reach people and witness to more

lost adults.

Creating new units is the process of enlarging the Bible teaching-reaching ministry to

assure that each person’s needs are met effectively and to make sure everyone has a

place.

New units provide opportunities for more adults to discover and use their gifts and

talents in Christian service.

New units also help bridge gaps in the present organizational structure.

When classes go beyond a reasonable number of persons enrolled, workers are stretched

too thin in ministering to class members.

When a class becomes too large for ministry to be done effectively the result is that

people tend to drop out or become inactive.

GO!.....DISCOVER WHERE PEOPLE FEEL LED TO LEAD

1. Design a document entitled, “EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY IN HIS BODY”, listing every

position in the Sunday School organization. The way you do this is design paper with

every possible leadership role listed on it with a blank_____ out beside them. Hand

these papers out to your people and give them a week to fill in where they would like

to be considered for leadership. You may be surprised that people right under your nose

are gifted and interested in leadership positions you never dreamed of. You don't need

to feel compelled to ask everyone to serve where they would like. Rather, using

discernment, find a place of service for everyone you possibly can. Spread the joy of

service around and when you do you will also spread the responsibility of ownership

around. Trust me, the happiest Christian there out there, is one who is working where

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he or she wants to work. Help them to that place, don't hinder them. Bless them in

their efforts and your Sunday School will benefit from their giftedness and their work.

2. Explain that the church cannot grow without leadership. You will need elect

and train the following leaders;

a. Sunday School Director

b. Sunday School Outreach Director

c. Department Directors

d. Department Outreach Directors

e. Class Teachers

f. Class Outreach Leaders

g. Care Group Leaders

GO…..DECIDE WHAT NEW TEACHING UNITS ARE NEEDED

When a class becomes too large for ministry to be done effectively, the motivation to

discover, enroll, and reach new members declines because leaders cannot adequately meet

the needs of members they already have.

GO…..DECIDE ON HOW NEW TEACHING UNITS ARE TO BE STARTED

Through the years I’ve learned many different ways to start new teaching units. At this point

a decision needs to be made as to which method of starting new Teaching Units should be

employed. Let me share a few.

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1. The paper class : a list of prospects is given to a teacher who is told to build a class.

2. Regrading / Reorganizing : An age profile chart is done, listing each person’s name,

birth date, and attendance records. Classes and departments are reorganized and new

units added according to age.

3. The divided class : the roll of a class is simply divided into two equal units –some of all

types of members in each unit.

4. The dropout class : this class is formed by giving a teacher a list of Sunday School

inactives.

5. The seed class : select people are enlisted to begin a new class. This class probably

has the greatest potential for growth and success. The best way of creating a new

class is the seed class. “Seeding” a class with a good teacher and some core members

gives the greatest probability for success. Look at the following scenarios to see why

this is so.

Scenario One – The Paper Class

If you create a paper class, the teacher seeks to enlist people who are prospects for the

class. Some of these, possibly all of them, have not visited the church. If they are invited,

some of them will attend. Commitment levels are slight to non-existent. Growth in this type

of class is extremely slow. The leader/teacher must be tenacious and not easily discouraged.

Some who come initially might be uncomfortable with a few persons in attendance. A high

dropout rate is to be expected. The class can be built, but time and tenacity are required.

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Scenario Two – The Regrading/Reorganization

Many churches find, after years of adults refusing to promote into the proper age graded

Sunday School classes, that very few are actually in the correct class. Regrading is a process

of organizing adults into the proper age group. Then, all new classes are formed according to

the age groups listed. For a while the adults will stay in the new classes, but eventually may

wander back into another class. Additionally, this may not create any new units at all. This

will only work when the majority of key Sunday School leaders agree to this method of

“starting over.”

Scenario Three – The Divided Class

If a class is split – each class receiving equal representations of each member type – an

extremely disruptive situation develops. Friends are separated. Some members, who attend

only occasionally because of relationships with other class members or the teacher, find

themselves assigned to separate classes. Some of the quarter-timers and spasmodics return

to find a new teacher in a new room. These disruptions can be enough to cause some of

these persons to drop out.

Scenario Four – The Dropout Class

If the new class is composed of dropouts, the group will grow with great difficulty – if at all.

Some dropouts can be brought back into the life of the church. Some will bring negative

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attitudes that can infect the spirit of the class making growth difficult. Patience,

determination, and a caring spirit must characterize the teacher assigned to this type of new

class.

Scenario Five – The Seed Class

This scenario has the greatest probability for success. A teacher is enlisted and then selected

persons from a class’s core group (or possibly from several classes) are enlisted to create the

core group of a new class. These persons should be committed to Christ, to Bible study, and

to reaching others for Bible study, Christ, and church membership. Because these members

are enlisted for the task, they understand their purpose as growth agents. Their consistent

attendance creates a receptive group to welcome prospective members.

Please note: When enlisting members for the new class, be careful to leave a strong core

group in the original class. The original class needs strength to maintain itself. It should not

be sacrificed to a new group. Usually, several months are required for the older class to

restore itself to the point it was prior to the beginning of the new class.

Steps to Starting New Units

1. Select a target group. Decide on who you are trying to reach and what kind of class

you want to start.

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2. Set a date to begin. Know the annual attendance patterns and select the optimum

time to begin new classes. You do not want to start a new class when the attendance

in Sunday School is generally down.

3. Build your leadership team. A good leadership team consists of a teacher, outreach

leader, care leader. Don’t forget to train this leadership team.

4. Find a place for them to meet. If you are low on space, be creative. Sanctuaries and

fellowship halls can hold multiple classes. Rooms such as the kitchen, church office

and others can be used for Sunday School classes.

5. Obtain needed curriculum. Make sure you have pupil books so you will have enough

as the class grows.

6. Discover and assign prospects. You must give the new class a pool of prospects to

begin contacting.

7. Build relationships with prospects. Remember, the number one reason people come

to Sunday School is fellowship. Help them build a fellowship atmosphere both in and

out the classroom.

8. Celebrate the new beginning. Have a commissioning service. Identify the new class

members as missionaries and don’t forget to recognize the original class for sending

out these missionaries. This will help in creating a climate for new classes and will be

a model for the other classes of what we consider to be a successful class.

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Other factors to consider when creating new units.

Move with the movers – don’t wait to win over those who are reluctant. Those with the

vision must be the ones to fulfill the vision. If left to others without the vision, confusion

at best, failure at worst, will result. This means one of two things. First, the ones with the

vision must do the work of creating the new class or department and second, the ones

with the vision must help others catch the vision. Even then, a great deal of

encouragement, coaching, and guidance is necessary.

Communication is critical. Use every means available to inform those involved in creating

the new class – both the class or classes from which the new class is created and those

involved in creating it.

In the initial stages, however, involve only those persons necessary in creating a new

class. Wait until the change is certain in the planning or in reality to inform the larger

body of a department or the church as a whole. Fewer disturbances will result if you wait

until the action is settled in the minds of those involved in the change.

Find the teacher, then form the class. Each teacher will attract a certain following initially.

Channel prospects to the new classes. Without histories, new classes are a better

environment for new persons.

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Assign inactive members from other classes to the new class. The formation of the new

class might provide just the opportunity needed to re-activate these members.

Create as many favorable circumstances for success as possible.

Pay close attention to the new classes – care for them as you would a new child. Offer

encouragement to the teacher and class leaders.

Tell the story to others. Stories shape opinions and attitudes quicker than anything else.

Facts and figures won’t do the job for most people. Putting a face with those facts and

figures make people believe and care.

Close the back door. It’s not enough to reach new people, if they just file through. Keep

those you reach.

So I told you I was in the Army, stationed at MacDill AFT. I was a Crewchief on a couple of

Huey Helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft while serving in the STRIKE COMMAND. " Now,

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Arthur Flake said,Goal #3, "ENLIST AND TRAIN THE WORKERS"

“Welcome to Basic Training”

I’m in the Army because I’m busy running from God. You see, Go had called me into

ministry. I didn’t even know any preachers I liked. Sure didn’t want to be one.

I’ve now been in ministry full-time forty-four years. So now you’ll understand God’s sense of

humor when you hear that one Sunday afternoon, while sitting on the porch swing looking

out over Tampa Bay, watching the Palmetto Bushes and Palm trees sway in the warm Florida

breeze, a middle aged man joined me on the porch swing. He greeted me warmly as I

thought to myself, go away, I want to talk to you or anyone else. He continued talking. Then

the most interesting thing happened. He began talking to me about Sunday School work.

Right out of the blue, mind you. Like it was the love of his life and he wanted it to be my

passion as well. What a coach. It was then and there that I first heard the illustration of the

pyramid. He described a dynamic relationship between the pyramid base of church

efficiency and the mass of congregational size. A church cannot grow beyond its own ability

to care for a determined number of people. Therefore, for a church to grow, it must first

expand its base of operation." My Sunday School training on that porch that day as God

knew who what He had called me to do and to love. Each day I look for more information

about Sunday School. I truly believe the work of a great Sunday School can produce

everything we long for in the local church. Through Sunday School we have a platform for

evangelism, occasions of prayer, Bible teaching, fellowship and ministry. What in the world

are we waiting for. Let’s get to growing…Great Sunday Schools.

1. Train the workers. An effective training program is vital to the success of a local

Sunday School ministry. Bob Mayfield, Sunday School Specialist for the Baptist

General Convention of Oklahoma is a genius! Bob has taken full advantage of

technology by engaging Minister of Education across the state to develop

training modules. You may want to investigate those modules for your

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personal and in-church training purpose. You can find those modules on the

bgco.org webb site under resources and Sunday School.

At Sunday School conferences, the facilities workshops are very popular and with good

reason. Flake said, "A large Sunday School cannot be built and maintained in small, cramped

quarters; and sane, sensible arrangements should be made for the expansion of the Sunday

School. The building fixes the pattern for the Sunday School, sometimes for years to come."

As a rule of thumb, a church or Sunday School will retain an average attendance equal to 80

percent maximum capacity of its facilities. You cannot grow beyond your facilities, but there

are innovative ways to grow before you build.

DO A SPACE WALK

Do a “Space Walk”, looking for every usable space in which a Sunday School Class may meet.

PREPARE NEW SPACE FOR USE

I’d never considered the room outside the baptistry of use for anything other than baptismal

candidates dressing for the big moment. But we were out of space! What’s a feller to do?

Get innovative! Look for any useable space. And this space was usable, but not as it was. The

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Arthur Flake said,Goal #4, "PROVIDE SPACE"

“Lookin for Every Nook and Cranny”

walls needed paint and the floor needed carpet and clutter needed removed. Planning

started in my head and heart. I cast my vision before the Sunday School Director. Together

we went to the Chairman of Deacons who called in the Chairman of the Building and

Grounds and Finance Committee. And Waalaa, I think that’s the word! Or in the words of

Gomer, “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise” New classrooms. Old dressing rooms…, but new class

rooms. More importantly, more room to grow.

USE INOVATIVE APPROACHES TO OVERCOME LIMITATIONS

When the cost of building additional facilities is prohibitive, Sunday Schools have addressed

this vital issue with innovative approaches.

1. Scheduling multiple services and Sunday Schools has permitted some congregations to

maintain their growing status while planning additional facilities as the membership and

financial base of the church expand.

2. Branch Sunday Schools have become an option for churches, especially in multi-ethnic

communities.

3. Extension classes in facilities away from the church property have provided the church

with the opportunity to reach specific segments of the community.

4. For example, some singles classes meet in hotel conference rooms or restaurants and

then commute to church for worship. Churches even shuttle classes to and from the off-

campus class facilities. One church has the use of a nearby school building on Sunday in

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exchange for the school’s using the church parking lot during the week for its

teacher/staff parking.

5. Long-range planning for adding space is necessary for most churches. This allows for

the purchasing of additional property or the location of sufficient acreage before

beginning the building program of the church.

6. The use of a temporary building is now standard procedure in many churches. This

provides low-cost facilities that often have good resale potential.

7. Movable partitions easily convert large multipurpose rooms to class-rooms.

Visitation does make the difference. I learned early in ministry that, if we don’t go out, they

won’t come in. Years ago our Minister of Education insisted that we all go visiting on a

certain evening and that we take the visitation assignment given us. At the time I was only

22 years old. I wanted to be compliant, so I did as told. But, my visitation efforts did not stop

there. I went visiting on Tuesday night, Prayer Meeting on Wednesday night and on

Thursday night I organized a group of young married believers to go visiting with the intent

to find other young married couples. Holy Mackerel, did it work!!!! The young married

couples came pouring in. We started with one class, re-organized into two classes. Re-

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Arthur Flake said,Goal #5, "GO AFTER THE PEOPLE"

“Off the Couch and Out of the House"

organized again into four classes and in the remainder of time I was in that church we had

re-organized into five Young Married classes. Amazing!!! I'm here to tell you man, if you

don't go out, they won't come in. But, if you do go out, you'd plan for growth, and lots of it.

I'm talking about visitation here. Let's spend a minute or two on that subject. Visitation is

related to the teaching ministry. It contributes to teaching in many ways:

1. Visitation helps the teacher understand the student. It reveals the student’s home

environment, religious background, and personal needs.

2. Visitation helps the student understand the teacher. It encourages the student to

develop confidence in the teacher as a caring friend. It provides opportunities for shared

experiences outside the classroom setting.

3. Visitation develops the church -home relationship. The church and the home are God-

ordained institutions to influence children’s lives with the power of the Word. As a

teacher visits in his students’ homes, he or she contributes to the strengthening of this

relationship.

4. Visitation helps lesson planning. Visitation lets the teacher know the students

interests and needs. This gives the teacher a unique perspective that can guide him in

the selection of teaching methodology that will more effectively minister to the

students.

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5. Visitation is effective follow-up. It expresses personal interest in the regular students. It

conveys concern for the absentee students and urges them to come back. Following up

visitors/newcomers can make them feel welcome to the class.

Hey, Hey Hey....just a minute! I want to take a minute to tell you why visitation means so

much to me. It was while my wife and I were out of church that we received a visit from two

fine business men one evening. They came by our apartment, knocked on the door. I

answered the door and invited them in as politely as I knew how. Those two men, one an

insurance man and the other, I don't know, sat down and just loved Margaret and me. I

could sense their genuine affection for two kids, far away from home and far away from the

Father. They invited us to their church. We attended, joined and became deeply rooted in

the work of the Lord through Sunday School. It's been forty-five years since that knock came

at the door.

Forty-five years have gone by since those two fine men visited and encouraged us to do the

right thing. They’re both with the Lord by now, I would imagine, but, their memory will

always live in my heart and when I get to heaven, I hope to find them there and thank them

for caring enough to come after me. Now, what about you? Don't you think you ought to get

busy going after someone?

By the way, I became a visitor, much like my friends in the story. What success!!! One

evening, along with a friend I went to the home of a Young Couple to visit. He opened the

door. HHHHEEELLLOOO, he stuttered. I soon learned that my new friend had a stuttering

problem. He was from Alabama and was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base. He was a

Crewchief on an F-4C Fighter Jet. In answer to the suggestion that he come with us to our

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church, he said, "We're of another faith." I just answered, "Great"! Come with us anyway.

Long story short...they did come with us, fell in love with our Pastor and all the other guys

and gals who made up our Young Married Class. God called him to ministry. I left the Army

to go Pastor my first Church. He was transferred to Alaska. Years later, I mean many years

later, one Christmas Season, I received a post card in the mail. It read, "If you are the Mike

Tompkins who lived in Tampa, Florida and graduated from Baptist Bible Institute, I need to

get in touch with you. It was signed with his name address and phone number. I called. It

was my old friend. Guess what God did in his life! God had called him to preach and by this

time he had served his Southern Baptist Church in Alabama for seventeen years. He said,

"Mike, I didn't know what to do when God called me to preach. I knew you went to a certain

school. If it was good enough for you, it is good enough for me. I graduated from that school

and have been at the work ever since." Oh, by the way, God took his stuttering away! What

a God! What a Work! What a joy to be a part of Sunday School!!!

Epilogue

Arthur Flake is my Hero! Sunday School is my Passion! I trust this e-book will encourage you

and equip you honor these time tested and proven principles to; growyoursundayschool !

Bob Mayfield, Sunday School Specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, leads Oklahoma churches to adopt the five following priorities for every church.

FIVE THINGS TO DO TO HAVE A GREAT SUJNDAY SCHOOL

1. BE THE CHAMPION OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL2. SOMEBODY HAS TO BE A CATYLIST TO START NEW GROUPS3. DEVELOP A CULTURE OF LEADERSHIP4. GET CONTROL OF THE LITERATURE AND HOW IT IS TAUGHT

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5. CREATE ALIGHNMENT, SUNDAY SCHOOL IS OUR PRIMARY STRATEGY.

It has been my personal joy to develop many Sunday School Enlargement Campaigns,

carefully and thoughtfully written with the Pastor's leadership in mind. I have prepared the

component parts and archived them in WORD format as well as a stable copy in PDF. These

are made available on a new webb site I and several technical experts are designing. I hope

one aspect of your Sunday School leadership will include scheduling a Sunday School

Enlargement Campaign for your church. From personal experience I can tell you the proper

use of an Enlargement Campaign will accomplish all the following.

Promotes Prospect Discovery Results In Increased Enrollments Leads to Increased Attendance Produces Increased Financial Support Leads To Effective Ministry And Evangelism Raises The Level Of Concern, Enthusiasm And Fellowship For Sundays Directs The Entire Sunday School To Think In Terms Of Growth Establishes Goals For Enrollment, Contacts, Attendance And Training Builds Confidence, Encouragement And Morale Creates Something To Celebrate Organizes The Church To Work Together Effectively Enlists Every Member Of The Sunday School Team To Work Together Unifies Sunday School Team For Maximum Results Motivates Every Department Director And Teacher To Prepare And Perform

I hope you have felt inspired and challenged to refresh your commitment to growing a great Sunday School right where you now serve. Your congregation will love it. Your community will take note of it. and those you reach will be greatly benefited by it. For more information just type into your brower growyoursundayschool.com

Go Gettim!!!

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Mike

Know the possibilities Enlarge the organization Enlist and train the workers Provide space Go Get ‘Em!

Know your church

Know your community

Know your strengths and weaknesses

Know your resources

Know your prospects

Provide sufficient units to do the workTeaching Units = Enrollment / 18

Keep units small forBetter Outreach

1 / 25 / 12 RuleBetter MinistryBetter Fellowship

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Better TeachingBetter Assimilation

A gifted person can do a lot, but no person is gifted enough to guide a ministry alone.

High-visibility leadership is still needed, but the role must be limited.

Big loads are to be borne by many, but they must be carefully selected.

When there is proper management:Leaders don’t wear outHarmony prevails

-- Chuck Swindol, 7/3/89 A gifted person can do a lot, but no

person is gifted enough to guide a ministry alone.

High-visibility leadership is still needed, but the role must be limited.

Big loads are to be borne by many, but they must be carefully selected.

When there is proper management:

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Leaders don’t wear outHarmony prevails

-- Chuck Swindol, 7/3/89Workers = Enrollment / 10

Enlist sufficient workers to do the work Use your organization! Enlist Properly

HonestlyFace to faceBasis for commitment

Develop a training calendar Adapt/adjust existing space

40 square feet per person

10 square feet for each youth and adult

25 square feet for each preschooler and child

Practical limit to 80% capacity

Multiple use of space

Building program

The church is unique in its ineffective use of space. First, 20% of church space is taken

up by large assembly areas such as the sanctuary, chapel, and fellowship hall. And

60% of the church is education space while 10% is office space.

That means that 90% of the space is used only 5% of the time and 10% of the space is

used 30% of the timeWORK! WORK! WORK!28

Plan your work and work your plan Contacts -- stay in touch! Visitation

OutreachMinistryEvangelism

“Your job as a Sunday School Teacher is no different with respect to the members of

your class than the pastor’s job with respect to the total congregation.”

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