Leaderesource Purpose Statement Sunday School is a ministry strategy that exists to assist the church in accomplishing its God-given mission of making disciples. Leaderesource is designed to help you as a church leader in developing a disciple-making culture in your church through the Sunday School ministry.

Student Sunday School Organization This one-hour teaching experience for Student Sunday School Leadership will help you identify specific ways to strengthen class organization to create an environment for students to discover for themselves the life- changing truths of the Bible..

Student Sunday School Sunday School is the foundational strategy in the local church for leading students to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and for building Great-Commission Christian through Bible Study groups that engages students in evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and worship..

T HE G REAT C OMMISSION –M ATTHEW 28: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age..

T HE G REAT C OMMISSION – A CTS 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8).

T HE G REAT C OMMANDMENT – M ATTHEW 22: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.".

T HE G REAT C OMMITMENT – A CTS 2: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

T HE G REAT C OMMITMENT – A CTS 2: Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Basic Organization Lead Teacher Outreach- Evangelism Leader Apprentice Teacher

Expanded Organization Lead Teacher Student Care Group Leader Apprentice Teacher Outreach-Evangelism Leader

Team Organization Lead Teacher Student Care Group Leader Student Fellowship Leader Student Prayer Leader Apprentice Teacher Outreach Evangelism Leader Students

Best Practices What to do with sixth Graders

Best Practices - Options Separate class for each grade, separate male and female classes Separate class for each grade level Middle School/Junior High Classes (Grades 7/8 separate male and female classes Middle School/Junior High Class (Grades 7/8)

Senior High Classes –Grades 9/10 -11/12 separate male and female classes Senior High Classes – Grades 9/10, 11/12 Separate Class for 9 th Graders – they are at an entirely different stage than a 10 th Grader – who just got his drives license, Separate Class for 12 th Grades – they are preparing for college – a great time to prepare them for moving into your college ministry

Leader/Student Ratio 1 Leader for every 8 students enrolled Maximum class enrollment of 24, with an average of 12 in attendance

Final Thought always been looking for growth – look for ways to start where you are and enlist workers so you can expand your organization as you reach more students

Team Planning 60 Minute Meeting Plan Focus on Mission (10 Minutes) Focus on Relationships (25 Minutes) Focus on Bible Study (25 Minutes)

Creating the Environment Remove clutter from the room that has nothing to do with todays lesson or current unit of study. Arrange room for involvement. Comfortable, appropriate sized –movable chairs are best. Sofas, chairs and other donated furniture from home can get it the way – gets dirty easy and is difficult to arrange. A room free of tables and miscellaneous furniture allow you to be much more creative in how you arrange the room and allows for easy movement around the room.

Create a focal wall with the theme of the study and unit session title, and Central Bible Truth. Coordinate the use of color as much as possible.

2-3 Erasable White Boards can be of great value. A designated prayer board where students can share prayer requests is also helpful.

A resource box with supplies can also be helpful. A box that copy paper came in would work great! Items to include – consider having resources for 3 Teams Pens Markers Painter Tape (to tape to walls) Construction Paper – Various Colors Card Stock Paper – White & Various Colors Foil Paper Plates Lunch Size Paper Bags (brown or white) Post It Note Type Pads Roll of Yarn Large Black Plastic Bags Scissors Single hole punch Bean Bags (6) Index Cards (3x5) Glue Sticks/Glue Clothes line & Clothes Pins Stapler and Staples

Characteristics of Care Groups 1 care group leader – 5 students – mixed active and inactive students Organize by Gender Make frequent contacts - let students know what the class is doing Share Prayer Requests – ask for additional prayer requests Partner with adult leaders to care during times of crisis and times of celebrations Random acts of kindness and encouragement Purpose is to help build relationships with class members Keep the adult leaders informed talk frequently about how to best meet the needs of students Communicate details about all student ministry opportunities Tools: Text Messaging, , Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Phone Calls, Visits, Cards

Next Steps! 1.What did you discover about the needs for improving your Sunday School Organization? 2.Evaluate your Leader-Student Ratio. Do you need to enlist more workers? 3.Consider beginning workers meetings to improve your organization. You may want to begin quarterly or monthly using the meeting outline. Include issues that surfaced during this session to guide the discussion of needs for strengthening your Student Sunday School Ministry.

A Ministry Of