Adult Sunday School Functions

Adult Sunday School Classes
Functions at First Evan

A Description Of The Activities

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ASSIMILATION

1. Create an inviting atmosphere within the meeting place of the class.
2. Establish a purposeful and cordial system for greeting people and introducing visitors to the class.
3. Assist new people in becoming acquainted and integrated into regular participation.
4. Follow up on church visitors who visit the class. Assist the church in providing a friendly atmosphere and a caring spirit to visitors.
5. Integrate and assist new members who join the class.

FELLOWSHIP

1. Provide practical care for individuals in the group who are experiencing hardship (funeral, critical illness, unemployment, etc.).
2. Encourage intercessory prayer on behalf of one another.
3. Strive to fulfill the “one another” passages as a class. (be devoted to, be of the same mind toward, love, building up, accept, admonish, greet, have the same care for, serve, showing tolerance for, be kind to, be subject to, bearing with, encourage, seek after that which is good for, etc.)
4. Maintain accurate records of the participation status of members of the class.
5. Assist in the integration of new church members into the life of the church.

INSTRUCTION

1. Provide Biblical teaching designed to progress individuals in fulfilling the life development objectives of the class (fulfillment of the Vision Statement as described by the Outcome Statement).
2. Realizing that not all issues can be covered in one meeting on Sunday, small groups that meet on other occasions may have to be created with designated learning or serving objectives (example: Bible study methods, parenting, marriage enrichment, etc.).
3. One person or a team of teachers may carry out instruction. The objective is to present the necessary Biblical insights to accomplish the class learning objectives. Some subjects are readily handled by means of a lecture, some by group discussion, some by a panel of chosen speakers, etc.

COUNSELING

1. Provide spiritual insights and encouragement for class participants in time of need (loss of a loved one, struggling marriage, financial hardship, etc.).
2. Draw upon church wide resources for situations more complex than the class can handle (example: Divorce Care, long term illnesses, major financial crises).
3. Provide care for new participants of First Evangelical Church not yet identified with a Sunday School but in need of counseling.

SERVING

1. Assist individuals in discovering the gifts and abilities that the Lord has entrusted to them.
2. Communicate opportunities for ministry.
3. Create opportunities for a team to serve together. It contributes to developing a team spirit and can encourage those hesitant to get started to launch out in the safety of others joining them.
4. If members of the class commit to a duration of time to serve in another phase of the church ministry (children, youth, choir, etc.) yet want to maintain their association with the class, be certain to provide a means of ongoing communication with them.

DISCIPLING

1. Obviously there is an overall level of maturation within each class. The general teaching should be designed with that in mind. As new people become a part of the group, they may not be as far along in their spiritual pilgrimage. Therefore special discipling is necessary.
2. Provide a plan for establishing new believers in the faith.
3. Have a procedure for helping a young believer take initiative in personal spiritual growth.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

1. Effective existing leaders should be constantly watching for emerging leaders in whom they will invest.
2. The leadership for carrying out the various responsibilities should be developed from within the class as much as possible.
3. In time, future elders and deacons should be developed as they demonstrate their abilities and faithfulness within the Sunday School.

OUTREACH

1. Provide routine instruction on effective personal evangelism that keeps in mind the prevailing mindset of our culture.
2. Encourage outreach by planning occasional events conducive to unbelievers participating.
3. Profile the endeavors of class members in demonstrating the love of Christ within the unbelieving community by acts of love or communication of the gospel.
4. Assist the church in outreach endeavors (musicals, VBS, etc.).

MISSIONS

1. Communicate and stimulate missions awareness.
2. Engage the class in participating in short-term mission projects that progress the mission endeavors of the church.
3. Encourage local cross-cultural ministry.
4. Include prayer for laborers for the harvest within the prayer ministry of the class.

FOR DISCUSSION

1. Of these 8 roles, which do you think you most naturally gravitate toward?
2. What do you anticipate being some of the key differences between being part of an adult Sunday School Class and being in a youth or college group?
3. What roles in the class do you see primarily being the responsibility of the younger, nearly or newly married class members and what role do you anticipate the older shepherding couples playing?
4. Right now, knowing only what you currently know, how would you seek to persuade a friend couple that visited First Evan to come check out this class?