Planning Evangelistic Events Through A Sunday School Class

My birthday is next month.  I look forward to my birthday because I know that my family will plan a party to celebrate my birthday.  They always do this but not because of me.  You’ve got to understand that my mother’s birthday is 3 days before mine and wife’s birthday is 3 day’s after mine!  I’m always going to have a party because of their birthdays.

There would be a problem if my family planned the party but failed to inform me of the celebration.  They would have the party but the reason for having the party would be absent.  The same scenario usually occurs when a Sunday School class plans a special event.  They have the event but they fail to invite the lost, unchurched or chronic absentee.  

It is true that Sunday School classes need to plan more ministry projects away from the Sunday morning experience.  One of those ministry projects can be evangelistic events.  I also need to say that any special event planned by a church or a class can be turned into an evangelistic event.

In my experience I have found that the weakness is not in the events that are planned but in the fact that we fail to invite those that need to be reached.  We have the party but we fail to invite the guest of honor.

The next challenge is that most church-people today have surrounded themselves with other church-people and they fail to identify those that are lost or unchurched.  We need to be proactive in identifying those we want to and need to reach.

Please visit our website (ssog.gabaptist.org) and search for the Power of 10.  Find the prospect discovery process.  The prospect discovery process is a month long process that will challenge all the members of the class to identify those around them that are in need of Jesus.  You can also watch a webinar that provides the many details of this process.  On our website click on webinars and then click on previously recorded webinars.  Scroll down and find the webinar on discovering prospects.

During the prospect discovery process each member will be challenged to identify those that are in need of Jesus from their family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, relatives and acquaintances.  Each week a different relationship will be explored and the members will be asked to provide the names and contact information on those that they have identified.  The first step in reaching these will be to begin praying for them by name and then to plan a special event to invite to attend.

Help your class begin to think about those that they know who need salvation.  When you plan an event for your class make sure that you invite those that you’ve identified to the party!

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Dr. Tim S. Smith serves as the Specialist of the Sunday School and Open Group Ministries of the Georgia Baptist Convention.  Visit their website at ssog.gabaptist.org for more information and other resources to aid your Sunday School.