Where Is Your Sunday School Ministry Headed?

Serving as a Sunday school teacher can be both one of the greatest opportunities and one of the greatest responsibilities for a Christian. Teaching a Sunday school class involves more than just a willingness to help out, it involves continued prayer, study, hard work and personal dedication to this very special calling. As Sunday school teachers, we need to ask ourselves a few questions to make sure that our teaching ministry is "on course" and providing the help and guidance for others that the Lord desires. Here are a few questions you might ask yourself:

1. Are my lessons people-centered?

- Am I primarily concerned with the spiritual growth of each person in my class?

- Have I asked my class members direct questions about their needs and listened carefully to their responses? (Don’t ignore interests and levels of understanding when planning your lessons.)

- Have I made sure that the wants and needs I hear are representative of the whole class?

2. What outcome do I expect from my class?

- What do I hope to accomplish through teaching this class?

- Do I have specific goals for the class?

- Do I pray about these goals regularly?

3. Do I rely on God’s Spirit to work through me?

- Have I asked God to use me?

- Have I asked the Spirit to be present at each class session?

- Do I pray for God’s will to be done within the class?

4. Have I prepared each lesson as best I can?

- Do I spend enough time studying and preparing each lesson?

- Do I take advantage of available resources?

- Do I think about ways of making the class sessions better and more interesting?

5. Do I strive to involve all class members?

- Am I sensitive to those who stay on the fringes of the group?

- Do I help class members view the class as a "small community" within a larger one?

- Do I pray for each member of the class regularly?

(This article appeared in the "Fall, 1991" issue of "The Herald.")