What is God doing through your Sunday School/Bible study experience for kids? Or maybe I should ask, “What do you expect God to do through your Bible study ministry?” It’s been my experience that you usually get what you expect.
I want to share (over the next few posts) some healthy expectations that will help us to strengthen and grow your weekly Bible Study ministry. These thoughts are based on the new release from David Francis, “Great Expectations: Planting Seeds for Sunday School Growth.”
Expect New People Every Week! The One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10.
My house get’s cleaned periodically for no other reason than it’s dirty. However, when I’m expecting company… I get busy and start working. If we expect new people for Bible study (Sunday School) we’ll get busy about preparing for them. When you expect them, you’ll prepare for them, you’ll spruce the place up, and then when they come, they sense a welcoming spirit and a “we’re so glad you came” attitude.
Jeff Land in his teaching outline for Kids leadership on David’s book shares seven terms that might help us consider the value of inviting new people and maybe even help us jump some of the hurdles that we face. He calls it the “Seedology” of Invitation:
1. Theology of Invitation: The act of believing that the Bible exhorts us to compel others to come and to treat them with honor when they do.
2. Psychology of Invitation: The act of being driven by the idea that you consistently believe that you can have new people in your class every Sunday.
3. Sociology of Invitation: The act of avoiding the natural inertia for making your group a “closed group” as opposed to maintaining an “open group” where children are always welcome.
4. Pharmacology of Invitation: The process by which some people get very nervous or anxious about asking someone to come to church with them.
5. Technology of Invitation: The use of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, e-mails, text messages, and so forth to invite people to come to church.
6. Terminology of Invitation: The act of avoiding “church talk” when inviting friends, neighbors, and even family members to come to church.
7. Meteorology of Invitation: The “perfect weather” for inviting someone to church. When it comes to inviting someone to church, it’s always sunny outside!
Bottom Line: The majority of people (including families with kids) visit your church because someone invited them. Most people do not wake up on Sunday morning and decide to random
ly attend church. It’s an intentional invitation that get’s them there.
Part of expecting is the drive that comes with the expectation. When we don’t (for whatever reason) receive what we have passionately expected, we go after it. Expecting new kids every week at our Bible study ministries will lead us to be more diligent about inviting, preparing, and enjoying new kids… every week!
