Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 1

Today, everyone is busy. They are running from one commitment to the next. In fact, they tend to be overcommitted. And one complication in growing a Sunday School class is that is it spelled W-O-R-K! And work takes time, a commodity in short supply whose value continues to climb.

In the face of such busyness, what can we do to grow the class (spiritually and numerically) that God has entrusted to us? How can we work smarter (and even harder when required) and ensure that we will be more likely to realize results (growth)? There are hundreds of answers to that question, but in Part 1 of this six-part series, allow me to share 37 class growth actions you can take:

1. trust God and join Him where He is at work,
2. personally spend time praying for the class and those they have reached and will reach,
3. teach your class to pray for those they have reached and will reach,
4. prepare for a great lesson every week,
5. lead attenders to meet God in Bible study,
6. spend time getting to know class attenders,
7. seek participation in every lesson,
8. ask good questions,
9. use a variety of teaching methods,
10. launch every lesson with icebreakers,
11. encourage pursuit of disciple growth in other venues,
12. lead attenders to practice spiritual disciplines,
13. set God-sized goals for contact, guests, attendance, and enrollment,
14. have high expectations for spiritual and numerical growth,
15. use name tags,
16. practice the open chair,
17. hold attenders accountable to invite FRANs,
18. plan a party: invite prospects to every class fellowship,
19. plan and conduct prospect-discovery, service, and outreach projects,
20. follow up every guest,
21. eat a meal with every guest,
22. enlist a class leadership team,
23. enlist and utilize class greeters,
24. enlist and utilize care group leaders,
25. challenge every attender to discover and use their spiritual gifts and passions in ministry/service within the church or community,
26. work with the class secretary and outreach leader to ensure all absentees and prspects are contacted weekly,
27. adopt another class,
28. sponsor the start of another class,
29. pray and prepare for the birth of a new class,
30. pray and prepare for the birth of an off-site class,
31. seek training to do your job even better,
32. conduct regular planning meetings,
33. invest in new class members and new Christians,
34. lead attenders to develop and share their Sunday School testimonies,
35. enlist same gender prayer and accountability partners,
36. organize the class to respond in times of need, and
37. develop and use a class covenant.

What a list! But as I said, there are hundreds of ways to work smarter to realize class growth (spiritual and numerical) results. What would you add to this list? In Parts 2-6, I will add a little explanation about each of the 37 growth actions listed.

For the other parts of this series, check here:

• Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 2
• Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 3
• Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 4
• Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 5
• Sunday School Class Growth Is Spelled W-O-R-K, Part 6

Print out this list. Highlight the ones you believe would most help your class. Now, number them in order of priority. In other words, which are the most important ones or the ones that should happen first? Plan steps to carry out these priority actions. Lead your class to grow. Don’t fear the work required. Take it a step at a time. Be revolutionary!