Category Archives: Sunday School

Training Category: Shepherding Ministry

While Sunday School obviously provides a platform for Bible teaching, it also can be a good venue for Shepherding Ministry. Check out the following articles for all a shepherd has to tend to in addition to feeding:

General Responsibilities of a Shepherd
Specific Duties of a Shepherd

But, can we expect already busy Sunday School teachers to do it all?

Simply put, the teacher CAN’T do it all. To adequately prepare a lesson, get to know the students, and spend a lot of one-on-one time meeting needs is too much for today’s busy teachers.

As with any kind of shepherding ministry, Sunday School teachers need to enlist the help of others. Some possible ways of networking to share the load could include the following:

1. Develop a resource list of referrals within the church and also outside of the church to help with specific needs.
2. Recruit helpers to do some of the work such as preparing visuals, setting up the classroom, keeping records, etc. to free you up to do some relationship building and shepherding.
3. Equip members of the class to use their spiritual gifts to help serve and meet the needs of one another.
4. Encourage members of the class to live out the one another commands of Scripture among each other.
5. Pair up the more mature students with the less mature students to help with discipling and mentoring.
6. Connect those going through loss or difficult struggles with others in the class or church who have had similar experiences.
7. Build margins into your schedule so your time is not so consumed that you cannot possibly be available to your students in times of emergency or great need.
8. Pray, pray, and pray some more. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

The Shepherding Ministry Manual contains the above suggestions for Sunday School. It also contains content from the following articles, as well as some questions to guide you in thinking about improvements you might make to your church’s Sunday School ministry.

• So, what about Sunday School?
• What’s the role and qualifications of the Sunday School Teacher?
• What about Sunday School students and the teacher’s relationship with them?
• What is Sunday School’s greatest resource?

You May Also Find This Resource Helpful: Time Management for Teachers Worksheet

We want effective Sunday Schools, small groups, and other Bible learning opportunities. The overall structure of each of these programs matters but if the Bible teachers within these settings don’t teach well, it can diminish the effectiveness of the program itself. Who might best let us know how well teachers are doing than those who sit under their ministry — the students or small group members.

A Word About Evaluating Your Church’s Sunday School Teachers or Other Bible Teachers

Evaluation is an important responsibility of a Sunday School superintendent, Christian Education director, or ministry leader responsible for small groups or other kinds of Bible studies.  When doing evaluations, we need the right motivation but also a constructive process. If sharing results with teachers, we need to prepare them for both positive and negative criticism. We don’t want them getting defensive or so discouraged that they want to quit. — Help them understand that evaluation is a beneficial tool.

Having students evaluate the teachers is one way of doing it. Self-assessment can also be good. And, observation of teachers by leadership can be helpful as well. A combination of all three would be ideal, using a similar set of questions with each and then comparing all results. That way if any of the results are skewed, a look from the three perspectives could help bring a more realistic picture.

Format for Student Evaluation of Their Bible Teachers

Word the exact questions used in keeping with the age of the students … children, youth, or adults. The questions you use should also reflect what you want to measure.

You might want to use a scale for them to respond with rather than a simple yes/no format of questions to potentially get a more accurate representation of how the teacher is doing. Or you might ask them to give examples. You want to avoid students being able to simply check off responses without truly thinking it through or being able to back it up so the evaluation doesn’t become a personality check but rather is a true assessment of the teaching.

Evaluative Questions to Ask Students about Their Bible Teachers

You might ask:

• Does the teacher seem to be prepared?
• Does the teacher seem to have a good understanding of the lesson?
• Does the teacher communicate in ways you can understand (i.e., vocabulary, concepts, etc.)?
• Does the teacher encourage participation?
• Does the teacher use enough variety and creative methodology?
• Does the teacher use enough visuals in lessons?
• Does the teacher use class time wisely?
• Does the teacher seem to answer questions honestly and respectfully?
• Does the teacher explain instructions well?
• Does the teacher clearly explain expectations?
• Does the teacher seem attentive to students’ needs?

To take it to a deeper level, you can also ask questions along these lines:

• How has the teacher contributed to your spiritual growth?
• What do you see as the teacher’s greatest strength? … greatest weakness?
• What frustrates you the most about the Sunday School class? … What do you like the most?

Please note: You are permitted to copy and use these questions to measure the effectiveness of your Sunday School or other Bible teaching ministry. If using all or most of the questions verbatim, you should make attribution to the source simply by a footnote such as: “Provided by Ministry Tools Resource Center – https://MinTools.com”

Check out the TrainBibleTeachers.com site for help training teachers where needed.

Someone asked for some specific questions to get feedback from both students and teachers about Sunday School in a comment on “So, You Were Asked to be the Sunday School Superintendent“. I knew my response would be lengthy and pertinent to many Sunday School Superintendents so I made it into a post.

I’m keeping this general enough to be broadly used. Simply tailor the questions to the age you teach and your particular situation.

Assessments of Sunday School could get detailed in measuring the effectiveness of the curriculum, the classroom space or facilities, teachers, and the like. You will find some assessment tools in the Christian Education Files resource on those areas. What I’m providing in this post are questions measuring the overall effectiveness of your Sunday School ministry.

The questions about Sunday School will measure the following:

1) The purpose for your Sunday School versus people’s perceptions of its purpose

The responses to this question should help you determine if you are adequately communicating and/or fulfilling the purpose. If not, you need to determine steps you can take to: 1) make sure your purpose is what it should be, 2) better communicate why you have a Sunday School, and 3) train leaders, teachers, and other Sunday School workers to better work toward that purpose.

2) The strengths and weaknesses of your Sunday School ministry

The responses to these questions should help you know what you should keep doing and in what ways you need to improve. You might not be able to act on every idea but you should at least prayerfully consider what you can do differently as a result of what was shared. Improvements could be made immediately or turned into long-term goals. But, asking for feedback is only beneficial if you plan to change where you can.

3) The effectiveness of your Sunday School ministry

The responses to these questions should help you determine if you are utilizing this program of the church to its maximum potential. The questions provided are thus divided into four areas in which Sunday School can be beneficial: 1) spiritual growth, 2) reaching out to the unsaved, 3) fellowship, and 4) assimilation.

As in all you do, make sure to embed this whole process of evaluating your Sunday School  in prayer. Ask for wisdom in drafting the specific questions you should use. Trust God to guide students in honestly responding. Pray God shows you how you should use the results of this survey.

Questions to evaluate your program’s effectiveness:

Under each of the areas you will find questions for students and then for teachers as they will be coming at it from different perspectives so  make two separate forms. The questions are close enough that it should help you see if there is a gap between what teachers think is happening and feedback from student realities. In most cases their responses should also provide some suggestions of what you can do to bridge that gap.

1) The purpose of Sunday School

2) The strengths and weaknesses of your Sunday School ministry

3) The effectiveness of your Sunday School ministry

Please note: You may copy and use these questions to measure the effectiveness of your Sunday School ministry. If you are using all or most of the questions verbatim, you should make attribution to the source simply by a footnote such as: “Provided by Ministry Tools Resource Center – http://MinTools.com”

General Help on Doing Assessments:

Leadership Skills: Assessment

Ministry Needs Assessment

Summer Sunday School Obstacles:

People take vacations.  Attendance fluctuates.  Teachers need time off.

Sometimes it is hard to keep the momentum going over the summer.

This is especially problematic for smaller churches.

Some churches will drudge through regardless of these issues.  But, doesn’t that get discouraging for teachers?

Others will disband Sunday School for the summer.  But, aren’t the faithful few important?

Summer Season Brings Opportunities:

Does it have to be an all or nothing matter?  Why not change the way you do Sunday School over the summer months to overcome obstacles?  You could make Summer Sunday School special or unique.

It take a little planning and promoting but you could be surprised at the results, particularly if what you do is born out of prayer.

What does God want you to do over the summer?  That’s the real issue, not what is expedient or what other churches are doing.

Use it as a time to reach people you might not normally reach like people who are visiting regular attendees or the community.  (Parents especially might be glad to have something to send their children to every week now that school is out.)

Use it as a time to involve people who are not teachers.  People who will not teach during the Sunday School hour might be willing to commit to other types of serving if you offer something different over the summer.

Options for Sunday School During the Summer Months:

Combine:

• Group together classes close in age.
• Combine all classes for special events …. a movie, Puppet show, drama, magic, musical program, Bible game show, etc.

Revise:

• Use stand-alone lessons rather than a series that do not build on one another. People who miss a week or two won’t be lost when they return. You won’t feel like you must spend half of each session reviewing for those who missed the previous week.
• Use a VBS curriculum, or perhaps a camping curriculum, during the Sunday School hour.  (Some churches do this in lieu of a week long Daily Vacation Bible School.)
• Bring in guest teachers to give your teachers a break.
• If you use traditional curriculum, switch to learning centers or use the rotation model.
• Take advantage of the good outdoors.  Hold classes outside when the weather isn’t too hot or raining.  Youth or adult classes can sit under some trees, under a pavilion or tent for a good discussion of relevant topics.  Children can sit in the grass for a Bible story and enjoy some added activity outdoors.  Many traditional games can be used to teach verses, truths, etc.  Kids would especially enjoy water balloons on a hot summer day.

Integrate:

• This could be a good time to try some intergenerational learning where you bring all ages together.
• Prior to summer, have different classes plan something special to present to everyone or to other classes. Remember to have people check their calendars before assigning a responsibility.
• Develop a big brother/sister type of program wherein you pair older students with younger ones to read a book or Bible story together, do a craft together, etc.

Revamp:

• Plan field trips, outreach or service projects to sick/shut-ins, hospitals, nursing homes, tract distribution at parks, etc.  Adults could be assigned to groups of kids.  Travel time could be used to discuss things like being a Good Samaritan, etc.  Some projects could be done on church grounds such as preparing food boxes, making cards for missionaries, etc.
• Move small groups for adults and teens to the Sunday School hour and do something special for children like a movie, Puppet show, drama, etc.
• Serve breakfast each week and give a brief devotional or object lesson, some singing and break into small groups for fellowship and prayer.
• Do special outdoor activities during the normal Sunday School time with community outreach in mind like a carnival, breakfast under a tent, a car wash, etc. wherein tracts and/or information about your church can be distributed.

You may also be interested in Options for Teacher Training Over the Summer Months.

I received an e-mail from someone who was appointed to be the Sunday School Superintendent in his church.  He asked for help as he had no training.  Perhaps some of my response could be helpful to others in the same situation.  My comments reflect that he was going into an already existing program with established ways of doing things, a curriculum already chosen, etc.

6 Tips for Someone Who Has Never Been a Sunday School Superintendent

1)  Learn what expectations your church has for someone in the role of Sunday School superintendent.

Ideally, they would have a written job description to give you.  If not, perhaps you can request that one be drafted for you.  Find out to whom you are accountable (Christian Education Board, Director of Christian Education, pastor) and what the means of communicating or reporting should be.  Also, get a good idea of where your boundaries are.  For example, what kinds of decisions are you permitted to make on your own and what needs to be brought to the board or pastor (i.e., policies, model of Sunday School, curriculum choices, etc.)?

2)  Spend time talking with the past Sunday School Superintendent, the pastor, Director of Christian Education, and others who have been involved in Sunday School.

Find out what procedures are already in place and how they are accomplished, the purpose for your Sunday School and what is in place to accomplish that goal, etc.  Learn from their experience and different perspectives.

3)  Study a little about the history of Sunday School and the potential that exists within this type of ministry program for discipleship, outreach, fellowship, assimilation, etc.

You need a clear understanding of the importance of Sunday School if you are going to be instrumental in moving it forward.   —  Resource list of books and articles about Sunday School

4)  Become thoroughly acquainted with the curriculum that is used in your Sunday School.

Look at the scope and sequence charts to get a good idea of where the curriculum will take your students and how that fits into your purpose.  You need to know not only what students are learning but also what teachers have to work with so you can best serve them.

5)  Get a grasp on basic administrative and supervisory skills and specifically how they apply to overseeing the Sunday School program.

Sunday School Superintendents are heavily involved in administration and staffing to facilitate an effective Bible learning strategy each Sunday.

Organization:  This involves grouping for departments/divisions and classes based on a proper teacher to student ratio.  It is good for you to develop an organizational chart.  Know that this may need to be adjusted quarterly or yearly based on attendance, etc.

Delegation:  This involves building a team to assist you and delegating responsibilities to them.  In addition to teachers, helpers, and department heads, you could benefit by having an assistant and/or secretary to help you with some of the various details.  The smaller the church, the more you might find yourself doing many of the tasks but should still delegate as you can.  The larger the church, the more you will need to delegate.  Some of the many tasks that could be delegated are:  ordering and distributing curriculum and classroom supplies, maintaining records, facility management to keep it inviting and conducive to learning, following-up with absentees and visitors, maintaining supplies and equipment, etc.  While all these tasks could be delegated, as superintendent, you still need to supervise those to whom tasks are delegated, giving deadlines and means of reporting and accountability.

Staffing:  This involves recruitment of teachers, department leaders, etc., providing training to equip and encourage them and supervision.  Job descriptions for everyone and evaluation or feedback is most helpful.  Plan meetings with staff to get them involved in the planning process, to keep them informed, and build an atmosphere of teamwork.  The staffing ministry section on the MinTools.com site could be helpful.    The  resources at TrainBibleTeachers.com could be useful to you for teacher training.

Coordination:  This involves scheduling, facility/room usage based on group sizes and age level developmental space needs, dealing with safety/security issues, allocating and/or managing budget needs, etc.

Planning: This involves strategizing the best way to accomplish various tasks that need to be done annually, quarterly, weekly.  Developing a planning calendar for when various tasks must be accomplished could be helpful.

Promotion:  This involves publicizing your Sunday School to your church members and in your community with the hopes of keeping people aware of its importance to their spiritual growth and increasing attendance.

Communication:  This involves keeping in contact with teachers and parents, perhaps through a newsletter, e-mail, or other means.  You will be communicating changes, schedules, plans, procedures, policies, etc.  You need to be concerned about parent-church relations and keep lines of communication open between you and teachers.

Evaluation: This involves surveying teachers, leaders, and/or participants to see if the purpose is being accomplished.  Doing a needs assessment can help you determine what must be done to improve and grow.  This also involves observation as you are present each Sunday to not only be available to teachers and deal with unexpected needs or issues but also to observe problems to determine what needs improvement and to observe progress being made to extend appreciation and affirmation to others.

6)  Most important, seek after God through prayer and study of His Word.

He will give you wisdom and understanding as you look to Him.