By Rodney L. Pry

Every Sunday school leader would probably tell you that they want to see their Sunday school attendance grow. We all know the value of Sunday school and would like to see its outreach extended to as many of the people in our communities as possible.

But, many churches have a problem with Sunday school enlargement because they either are not ready to grow or, as strange as it may sound, they don’t want to grow. Just asking people to come to Sunday school will not assure that the persons invited will be there six months from now.

Long-term attendance growth must be built on a foundation of spiritual growth combined with an improvement in the overall Sunday school program.

Before any Sunday school begins an attendance building campaign there are a number of important things that need to be considered.

Willingness to grow. Are the members of your Sunday school open to growth? We all like to see Christian friendships develop among the members of our Sunday school, but we need to be careful not to let these friendships exclude others that may come to our church and Sunday school. Remind the members of your Sunday school of their responsibility in welcoming all persons to your church. Have special "greeters" who will meet and greet all new persons as they enter your Sunday school. These "greeters" should take the new persons to the appropriate classrooms and introduce them to the teachers.

Spiritual evaluation and renewal. Jesus once told his followers that the most important commandment was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all you soul and with all your mind." The second most important commandment is like it: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39) Putting Jesus Christ first; making him the number one priority of our lives should be the most important thing to every person who calls himself a Christian. Taking the time to renew our commitment to God, His Word and His will for our lives is an important thing for each of us to do. Renewing our commitment to the spiritual and physical needs of our fellowman is also important. And, it’s not only important to see spiritual renewal within our Sunday school, it is also important to help each member of your church understand that the Sunday school is an important tool for evangelism, Christian education and outreach to the members of your church and the community.

Program evaluation and renewal. Before any church is ready to invite other people to come and be a part of their Sunday school, it is important that they take a close look at their Sunday school program and responsibly look for ways to make the program better and more relevant to the needs of the current members and new persons who might come to your Sunday school. Do you have classes for persons of all ages? Are you making the most of the time you have available? Are your classes providing the help and answers to the big questions and problems of your members? Will a new person coming to your Sunday school fee like they "fit in?" Making your overall program the best that it can be will help attract new persons from outside your church and will also help you better meet the needs of your own church members.

Teacher evaluation and improvement. Do you know the number one complaint that people have about Sunday school? Poor teachers! Far too many persons who are teaching Sunday school don’t have the proper training. Every Sunday school teacher should serve as a "helper" or as a part of a teaching team before they are thrown into a solo teaching situation. All teachers should be required to be a part of regular teacher training workshops. Teachers should be provided with books and magazines that relate to Christian education and teaching. Teachers should have adequate resources available to them. Teachers should have prayer partners and know where to go with problems or questions. Every Sunday school should hold regular teachers’ meetings as a place for teachers to discuss problems and learn new ideas. Each Sunday school teacher also needs to be encouraged in their own spiritual growth. As a teacher’s commitment to the Lord deepens, their commitment to their work as a Sunday school teacher will also grow deeper.

Positive public relations. When was the last time that you heard any of your members saying something good about your Sunday school outside your church? Surely each of your members knows the value of coming together to learn God’s Word and God’s will for their lives through the Sunday school. But, how often do these people tell others about Sunday school and what it means to them? Encourage your members to tell others the value of Sunday school and what it means to them personally.

Training in witnessing. When you say the word "witnessing," many people think about going door-to-door, telling strangers about Jesus and inviting them to church. Well, there’s nothing wrong with door-to-door visitation, but the fact is that less than 5% of all church members will ever be involved in such a program. The better way of witnessing is to learn a comfortable, friendly style of witnessing to friends, neighbors, family members, etc. Providing a class or workshop for your members to learn this type of witnessing is an important step along the road to Sunday school growth.

Planned program of enlargement and growth. Take a real, probing look at your Sunday school, its level of spiritual commitment, your overall program, your teachers and you have worked to make improvements that will make your Sunday school better and more attractive to new members. Then it’s time to begin thinking about ways to promote actual Sunday school enlargement. The Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association offers a number of prepared programs for Sunday school enlargement and renewal. I would encourage you to look at these programs or make up your own program that will help guide you and your members in promoting Sunday school attendance and to encourage your members to invite others to come and be a part of your Sunday school.

(This article appeared in the "Winter, 1994-95" issue of "The Herald.")