I think it was in 1983 that I took a Christian Education class at what was then Boyce Bible School (now Boyce College). We were taught that the four primary purposes of Sunday school were reach - teach - win - develop. At that time, especially in Baptist churches, the Sunday school was the primary outreach tool for the church. This mindset has been largely lost in many of our churches today.
Rather than our Sunday school classes being outward focused, they are primarily inward focused. Few Sunday school classes have any kind of intentional outreach planned. They often serve more as social gatherings. The best of them offer quality Bible study, but there is little emphasis on growth or outreach in many Sunday schools.
One noted Christian educator has said that "Evangelism is the chief work of the Sunday school. In fact, Christian education cannot be Christian unless it is evangelistic. To fail here is to fail in our primary reason for existence." I think he's right so what we can do to help our Sunday school programs become more evangelistic.
In many churches the first step might be to start a new Sunday school class for adults. Studies find that most classes stop growing after about 18 months. The reason is that in that period of time the people in those classes have formed bonds with one another that make it difficult for new people to feel comfortable joining in. They know one another's children, what each person does for a living, they've shared personal histories with one another, and a new person knows none of this when he or she attends the class. Very quickly the new person can feel like an outsider and may be reluctant to return.
A church can identify a people group they want to start a class for. This might be young couples, persons with special interests or concerns or any group that your church feels called to reach. Identify two people who are willing to lead the class. Select a topic that would be of interest to the group you are wanting to reach. Begin to build a list of names of people that can be invited to the first class. This first class should be no longer than 8-12 weeks long. This way people do not feel like they are making a lifetime commitment to the class. If they wish it to continue longer, they can decide that later. Find good curriculum to use in the class. Personally invite those persons you've identified to attend.
This is where many churches make a major mistake. They might put a notice in the church bulletin or a flyer on the bulletin board and then wonder why no one shows up. Personally invite these individuals to the class.
Once the class begins ask the participants if they know of others who might benefit from the material that is being covered. Chances are they do. If they are willing to provide you with the names and contact information you can invite them to the class. Of course, since they already have a relationship with these individuals you should ask them to invite them as well.
From the beginning it's important to build relationships within the group. You want the people to feel connected to the class and those attending it. These relationships will help determine whether or not this class will continue beyond the initial period.
As the class begins to end ask the participants if they want to continue meeting. If these steps are done right it is likely that this class will continue long-term.
2023 will be a good time to begin adding classes and inviting your existing classes to become more focused on evangelism. Of course, some churches have eliminated Sunday school classes for small groups, and everything that has written here would apply to small groups as well.
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