Assessing What Happens on Sunday Morning in Adult Sunday School

Revolutionary Sunday School is a team responsibility, and all teams need leadership. In most classes the teacher is the leader of the team. In a revolutionary class, every class attender becomes a member of the team with specific, assigned responsibilities. Each team member needs to be aware of the importance of the assigned task. Attenders need to understand how they contribute to the Kingdom through their focus and effort.

How can they check on their progress? How can they assess their effectiveness? How can the team be sure they are working well together? How can they be sure they are doing it all? These are great questions.

Marie Clark is one of my peers at the KansasNebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. Today she sent me some items she uses in conferences and consultations to help Sunday School leaders assess their work in Sunday School. One of the handouts shares several questions about assessing what happens on Sunday morning in adult Sunday School:

1. Is there someone at the door to greet visitors and members?
2. Are adults in the meeting room rather than the hallway at starting time?
3. Is the environment conducive to learning–arrangement of chairs, visuals, and music?
4. Do the people relate well together, is the fellowship strong?
5. Does the teacher do something to help create learning readiness?
6. Are the learners involved in discussion rather than the teacher doing most of the talking?
7. Does the teacher see his/her role as a leader of discovery rather than dispenser of facts?
8. Does the teacher seem more oriented toward teaching people the Bible rather than just teaching the Bible?
9. Are items from the resource kit and other visuals in use?
10. Is there evidence of prior preparation?
11. Are a variety of teaching methods used?
12. Is good use made of time?
13. Is there time at the end of the lesson for application?

In addition to Marie’s questions, consider these:

1. Did the class take time to pray for God’s leadership?
2. Did someone lead the class to consider and address attender needs?
3. Were fellowship/project plans announced?
4. Were prospect names assigned for follow up?
5. Were class records examined in order to address absentees?

If everyone in class had a job or was a part of a class team that had a job, attenders would tend to be more faithful in attendance. They would tend to be more involved in class sessions, decisions, and activities. They would be more likely to become connected with other attend ers within the class. And in my experience, they would be more likely to grow as a disciple through learning and application.

What questions would you add to this list? I was not trying to be exhaustive. Leave your comments by pressing the button below. Help readers who follow to design an ass essment that produces a revolutionary class. Assess. Address. Be revolutionary!