Birthing a New Class

Benefits of a class staying the way it is. Reasons for birthing a new class.

The issue of “New classes” is the most difficult issue of Adult Sunday School. Being Honest

Create a positive mindset! Communicate with church leadership. Keep the vision alive. Enlist an apprentice each year. Set a start date. Enlist a core group to help start a new unit. Work with the core group to plan. Work with the church to get a roll of members and prospects. Visit and contact potential members and prospects. Birth the Class! Evaluate, encourage, celebrate. Pray! Pray! Pray! Steps toward Starting a New Unit

Create a positive mindset! Communicate with church leadership. Keep the vision alive. Enlist an apprentice each year. Set a start date. Enlist a core group to help start a new unit. Work with the core group to plan. Work with the church to get a roll of members and prospects. Visit and contact potential members and prospects. Birth the Class! Evaluate, encourage, celebrate. Pray! Pray! Pray! Steps toward Starting a New Unit

1. Create a positive mindset among your members. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

Prayerfully enlist an apprentice and begin training him or her to teach the existing class or the new class. Set a growth limit for the class based on the room size and attendance patterns. Regularly ask members to pray about starting a new class. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

In every class leadership meeting, remind leaders of the need to birth a new class. Pray for new classes that have already begun. Teach the class that birthing a new class is another measure of success for a healthy Sunday School class. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

2. Enlist an apprentice whom you can mentor. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

Important Tip: You as the leader will be the one leaving to start the new class! Steps toward Starting a New Unit

3. Recognize the need for a new class. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

The class has too wide an age span (10 or more years). There is more than 40 people enrolled in the class. Meeting space is filled with members, regardless of number enrolled. Needs are not being met consistently. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

Prospects have been found, but there is no class to which they can be assigned naturally. The number of adults in your age group suddenly has grown. New church members aren’t being enrolled in our class. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

We have more prospects for our class than we have members. More members are absent than are attending. Our members feel the class doesn’t need to grow because they don’t know everyone who is attending now. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

Active members can miss more than two weeks in a row and not be missed. People drift in and out of the class and no one in the class notices. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

4. Discuss the need with department leaders and Sunday School leaders. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

5. Identify a target group. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

Create a new class between the current class and the one below or above it. Create a new class for a group not currently being reached and for whom there is no current class. Create new classes out of need and with principle. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

6. Seek support from your own and other classes. Ask for prayer and leadership support. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

7. Enlist and equip a core leader group. Plan your work early and carefully. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

8. Promote the start date and location. Write personal notes, make phone calls, and make personal visits. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

9. Visit and enroll members. Contact prospects before the start date. If leaders enlist two couples or four individuals to attend, the class will be off to a great start on the first Sunday. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

10. Conduct a time for fellowship before the first session. (baby shower) Steps toward Starting a New Unit

11. Conduct the first session. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

12. Evaluate and work at it. Steps toward Starting a New Unit

“There are a great many people to harvest, but there are only a few workers. So pray to God, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest.” – Luke 10:2 Why Should We Do This?

It’s always nice when we add to the family!