Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
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One of the most significant sociological and organizational trends in the church today is the loss of congregations able to support a pastor by themselves. In many mainline denominations, this trend has been accompanied by a return to multi-church arrangements.Sharing a pastor is an opportunity for local congregations to reaffirm that their vitality has never been about the pastor who comes in from the outside. Continued vitality is up to the congregation itself.
It’s important to remember that in some denominations, the normative expectation of a local church to have a resident pastor is relatively recent. Until the middle of the last century, for example, the whole mindset in the Methodist tradition was that clergy were not overly identified with any one congregation and everybody was itinerate. Because of this long history, the current trend is not unduly disturbing. The reemergence of multi-church pastoral arrangements is an opportunity to recapture some of the critical values associated with this legacy.
Congregations responsible for their own vitality
Sharing a pastor is an opportunity for local congregations to reaffirm that their vitality has never been about the pastor who comes in from the outside. Continued vitality is up to the congregation itself. “Do we have gifts of the Spirit? Do we have gifts of leadership?” Strong lay leadership becomes the most important factor in continued fruitfulness.
In a small church, mentoring leaders is probably the pastor’s most important role. Larger congregations have developed helpful systems for discipleship and leadership formation, but small-church settings lend themselves to a simpler, more organic approach. You can easily observe people’s gifts, come alongside them, provide one-on-one mentoring, be present as they grow into new responsibilities, and celebrate successes. This isn’t always possible in midsize or larger churches.
Opportunities for shared ministry may present themselves when a pastor serves more than one church, such as a shared youth group or a joint mission project. If one church has something really good going on, it may make sense for the other church to jump in. At the same time, it’s important to realize that sharing a pastor doesn’t necessarily mean the two churches will see themselves as a unit. The key question is, what are the opportunities for cooperation even as each church continues to develop as a local congregation?
The self-differentiated leader
Another important value is that of the pastor being a self-differentiated leader — someone whose self-identity is centered and whose sense of being isn’t wholly wrapped up with that of the congregation. Self-differentiated leaders are able to give their gifts to a particular congregation and then step back from it and still imagine a viable career in ministry. Rather than being disappointed at not serving a medium or large solo church or seeing themselves as the key factor in any church’s success or failure, pastors need to develop a mindset of wanting to see every congregation flourish within the perimeters of its own story and identity.
Serving but one Master
Scripture teaches that no one can serve two masters — that you will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. (Matt 6:24) Pastors serving more than one church can easily fall into the trap of favoring one church over the other, especially if one church is providing 75 percent of the salary, or if one provides the parsonage and the other has nothing to do with the parsonage. To address the needs of multiple congregations with integrity, it is helpful to remember that we all serve one master — the Lord our God.
Parents love each of their children as if each is the only one, and pastors with multiple churches need to do the same, affirming that they are pastor to each one equally. It may require some explanation to establish that a pastor’s care can’t be divvied up based on the percentage of salary paid by each church. At the same time, it’s equally important to establish that the pastor doesn’t “belong” equally to each church because the pastor, as a self-differentiated leader, is ultimately accountable to God.
Entering an ongoing story
Pastors should appreciate that each small church already has a great story. It’s important to take time to listen, to hear that story, and to learn from it — to learn about the community, the context, and the particular gifts of the congregation. Only after hearing that story should a pastor initiate a conversation about how together they will develop the church’s story line, fully appreciating that most small churches have been around a long, long time and are likely to be around for a long time after the tenure of a particular pastor.
Related Resources:
- Leading Ideas Talks podcast episode: “Leading in Small Church or Multi-Church Settings”
- Small Church as Surrogate Family by Lewis A. Parks
- Leadership and the Small Membership Church by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Read more.
Are you a pastor serving more than one church? Or a leader in a congregation that's part of a multi-church ministry? Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe speaks with Dr. Lew Parks, a small church vitality expert. They explore perspectives and practices that can help ministry flourish even in a church that doesn't have its own pastor -- or a pastor who doesn't serve just one church.
Listen now.
Amy Valdez Barker says that the church should be a training center in the development of trust. She names practices that leaders can employ when groups come together to create environments that foster and facilitate a high-trust culture.
The church should be one of the primary training centers in building high-trust communities and high-trust cultures. Our faith in Jesus requires trust. The church should and must be one of the primary places where people can learn to trust, exercise trust, and become trustworthy because we trust God and God trusts us as partners in relieving human suffering.If honesty, integrity, and respect were built, practiced, and strengthened in every aspect of the church’s life, we would experience the core practices needed for repairing broken trust in our world.
The Christian church has a great responsibility to take risks that reinforce our trust in God. If we live in fear from broken trust, then we miss the wholeness of God’s vision for us and God’s vision for the world. In high-trust cultures, barriers are broken and walls come crumbling down. In high-trust cultures, people step across lines of divisions and become beacons of hope and life to those who are weary of trust. And when trust is broken by neighbors, faithful people rise up again because their whole trust is in God.
Practices that create trust
As church leaders prepare meetings, conferences, and small group gatherings, and are seeking to create environments that foster and facilitate a high-trust culture, there are a few practices to keep in mind. Consider these five practices adapted from Parker Palmer’s “Circles of Trust”:
When a church is a trust training center, it allows people to be honest with their fears, their beliefs, and their questions. We must not silence people because of our judgments or judge people’s souls back into hiding because we are unwilling to hear how their beliefs, attitudes, and understandings about life might be different from our own. Broken trust often stems from fear of our own truths. If we are honest with ourselves and with the people in our churches, we can engage in a conversation about truth that allows us to wrestle with what truth means for one person over the other. By wrestling with this together, we may discover the truth that the Holy Spirit needs us to see in order to grow closer to Christ through our honest engagement with our neighbors.
If honesty, integrity, and respect were built, practiced, and strengthened in every aspect of the church’s life, we would experience the core practices needed for repairing broken trust in our world.
This article is adapted from Trust by Design: The Beautiful Behaviors of an Effective Church Culture (Abingdon Press, 2017) by Amy Valdez Barker. Used by permission. The book is available at Cokesbury and Amazon.
Related Resources:
The Right Question:
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Chip Heath and Dan Heath say the single most effective question they have found for helping to break a decision logjam is:
Worship attendance is vital to the mission of the church. The Reaching Others through Worship Video Tool Kit provides resources and strategies to help you improve hospitality and worship attendance. Topics include: The Sermon Series as Outreach Tool; How Do People See Your Church?; Putting out the Welcome Mat; The Ministry of Greeting; and Ways to Improve Summer Attendance.
Learn more and watch introductory videos now.
What practices help smaller congregation be more of what God is calling them to be? Pastor and author David Ray identifies common denominators found in smaller churches known for the quality of their faithfulness and life together.
Some years ago, I traveled across the United States, west to east and north to south, and back north, visiting twenty-one smaller faith communities that were noted for the quality and faithfulness of their life together. I asked probing questions and listened carefully, looking for the common denominators, the faithful and exceptional qualities that were present in most or all of these congregations. I identified eleven prevailing qualities that characterized most, if not all, of the faith communities I visited.
A smaller church that applies itself to realizing these common denominators is sure to be a dynamic, faithful, and effective church that has no need to apologize and will be a vital organ in the Body of Christ.
I believe the following practices can help your congregation be more what God is calling you to be. Imagine and strategize how each could be manifested even more in your congregation.
1. Prioritize worship. In each place, worship was a priority, and they were working to make their worship richer and more vital. What can you do to strengthen your worship?
2. Take advantage of your size. None were embarrassed by their smaller size; rather, they were taking advantage of their size. How could you take advantage of your size?
Kindle a family spirit. In each place, there was a strong family spirit and a close and caring community. How can your church take better care of one another and deepen the relationship among everyone?
3. Have fun. In these faith communities, the members really enjoyed one another and had great fun together. How can members be helped to enjoy one another even more and have more fun together?
4. Commit to mission. At most of the places I visited, there was a serious, passionate commitment to mission, addressing serious needs and issues beyond their church doors. What could you do to develop or expand a deeper commitment to mission and service where you are?
5. Find your distinctive niche. These congregations knew they couldn’t be all things to all people, but they had found and defined their particular niche and were filling it. What is your distinctive niche, and how can you better fulfill it?
6. Strengthen your pastor’s leadership. All those places had effective, trusted pastoral leaders (young and old, lay and ordained, part-time and full-time), and most had been in place for several years. What can you do to maximize the relationship with your pastor and, if possible, extend it?
7. Deepen the effectiveness of laity. In all these places, there was a committed core of laity. Knowing that every congregation is dependent on its membership, what can be done to take laity to a deeper level of faithfulness, purpose, and effectiveness?
8. Deploy resources wisely. I don’t believe any of these congregations were wealthy, but they all knew how to generate enough money to do what they wanted and needed to do. How might your congregation do more with what it has and generate more resources?
9. Thrive! Don’t just survive. All of these places were more concerned with being a living church than a surviving organization. What would move your congregation beyond merely a survival mentality to becoming a contagious, vibrant faith community?
10. Nurture a passionate faith. Last and most important, in each place there was real commitment to spiritual nurturing and faith development. What steps could your church take to help people, young and old, become more passionate about their faith?
A smaller church that applies itself to realizing these common denominators is sure to be a dynamic, faithful, and effective church that has no need to apologize and will be a vital organ in the Body of Christ.
This article is adapted from David Ray’s book, Smaller Churches: Real Possibilities for Hard Times © David R. Ray, 2015, available at Amazon
or directly from David at revdavidray@yahoo.com. It is used by permission.
Related Resources:
Support the Lewis Center
Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you.
Donate now.
Vital churches provide ways for people of all ages to grow in faith through learning. These 50 ways can help your congregation build a strong program of Christian education for adults.
Create a culture that supports adult study
1. Communicate that learning is intrinsic to faith development. Lift up ongoing study, including adult education, as an essential function of any Christian community.
2. Reinforce the expectation of study participation from the pulpit and with new members.
3. Make Bible study a part of other church activities such as committee meetings and mission activities.
4. Use scripture meaningfully in worship. Don’t assume your worshippers know the context of the passages read. Use sermons as an opportunity to teach the Bible.
Offer a variety of formats, schedules, and approaches
5. Experiment with a variety of times — Sunday morning classes, weeknight groups, retreats, oneday events, and breakfast-hour or noon-time classes — depending on lifestyles in your congregation.
6. Consider scheduling some classes or small groups in homes or other community locations. Christian education doesn’t happen only in church buildings.
7. Start new studies and groups often. Despite their best intentions, ongoing groups have a tendency to become cliquish. Newcomers are far more likely to feel comfortable joining something new.
8. Have as your goal a Bible study program that exposes church members to the entire biblical witness over time.
9. Recognize different learning styles among individuals and age groups. Older folks tend to be most comfortable with traditional classroom structures. Boomers are inclined to question authority and enjoy discussion. 10. Younger persons are more accustomed to media and technology and prefer a fast-paced, informal style.
Make use of a variety of different approaches, including lectionary-based studies, topical studies, character studies, etc.
11. Incorporate different learning strategies, such as role playing, dramatization, guided meditation, even memorization.
12. Churches too small for a large number of groups can vary their approach by rotating different studies and curricula with groups.
13. Don’t teach “about” the Bible in a way that doesn’t allow people to encounter the texts for themselves.Encourage individual reading or make it part of the group’s time together.
14. Encourage active, discussion-based learning. Break into small conversation groups frequently.Allow for diversity in perspectives.
15. Encourage the use of a variety of different biblical translations. Those less experienced in Bible study may find it helpful to read from a paraphrase, such as The Good News Bible or The Message.
Meet people where they are
16. Acknowledge biblical illiteracy among many adult church-goers — even the well-educated — and strive for methods that straddle this paradox.
17. Recognize that some beginners will be turned off by “homework.” Use videos, in-class readings, dramatizations, or audio tapes as alternative ways of getting everyone “on the same page” and ready for discussion, all the while encouraging the habit of daily scripture reading.
18. Provide short-term classes for those who won’t commit to a long-term study or ongoing class, but make these short-term learning experiences “stepping stones” toward greater involvement.
19. Conduct “taster” classes for those who want to try out the experience before they commit to it. Select topics that will appeal to those new to Bible study.
20. Break an ongoing class into shorter, defined segments, each with a clearly identified focus. With each new segment, take the opportunity to publicize the topic and invite newcomers.
21. Teach stewardship of time to counteract “busyness.” Just as with financial stewardship, persons need to be encouraged to make Christian education a priority. Encourage “first fruits” commitments of time.
22. Be clear about expectations with regard to attendance, participation, and preparation.
Promote participation effectively
23. Link group study topics to sermon series and encourage participation from the pulpit.
24. Emphasize study during Lent. Select a topic or curriculum for church-wide study during this period and encourage all to take part. Tie the topic into preaching and worship.
25. Lift up study leaders and participants. 26. Celebrate every time a new group starts or completes a study program. Use the newsletter, a photo board, or a dedication service in worship.
27. Ask class members to write a newsletter article or testify about the significance of their learning experiences.
28. Remember that personal invitations are usually the most effective way of getting someone involved in any activity.
29. Capitalize on the current popularity of book clubs and films by creating opportunities for those who enjoy these activities.
Foster strong leadership
30. Recruit leaders as the first step toward forming groups. Groups will often form around a gifted leader.
31. Stress the group leader’s role as facilitator, rather than teacher. Setting up one person as “the expert” creates a poor group dynamic and discourages new people from stepping into leadership. Thinking of group leaders as facilitators allows Scripture and the Holy Spirit to do the teaching.
32. Expect your pastor to model the importance of ongoing adult education by leading and participating in study, but don’t reinforce the notion that only the ordained can lead study groups.
33. Take advantage of the leader training opportunities provided in conjunction with many popular study curricula.
34. Provide orientation and ongoing support for group leaders.
35. Train leaders in group process so they can keep their groups on track, being sensitive to the need to keep more outspoken participants in check and draw out the more reserved using phrases like, “Let’s hear from some of the others,” or “You look like you have something to say.”
36. Emphasize the importance of leader preparation, especially mapping out discussion questions in advance.
37. Encourage team leadership. Experienced leaders should invite a newer person to pair with them in leading groups to develop the less experienced leader.
38. Rotate the leadership responsibility within a group so that all participants get experience leading sessions.
39. Know that Sunday School classes and small groups are one of the best places to develop lay leaders and lay relationships that strengthen the church.
Use resources effectively
40. Stay abreast of new resources, including those available from other denominations or traditions and the secular press.
41. Don’t be afraid to introduce ideas and resources from a variety of theological perspectives. Trust the discernment abilities of individuals and the group.
42. Use workbook-style studies creatively. Nothing is more boring than a lesson read straight out of a leader’s manual. Find ways to make pre-packaged lesson plans come alive.
43. Use videos to bring expert perspectives to bear and to get everyone “on the same page” for discussion. But avoid class sessions that are no more than viewing a video, or participants will soon wonder why they shouldn’t stay home and watch their own TV.
44. Create a resource center with reference materials, maps, and other items to support your leaders and participants.
45. Don’t allow your church library to become a museum. Update the collection. Offer books and resources linked to sermon topics and congregational study themes.
46. Consider a book sales kiosk and stock it with things you’d like your congregants to be reading. Many busy people would rather buy a book than worry about due dates and library fines.
Stress spiritual formation
47. Remember, the goal is formation, not information. Every class should be deliberate in helping members accept God’s grace, grow in faith, deepen their relationship to the Christian community, and answer Christ’s call to discipleship.
48. Include prayer as part of every study session and encourage group members to pray for one another daily.
Episode 15
Listen now.
The church should be one of the primary training centers in building high-trust communities and high-trust cultures. Our faith in Jesus requires trust. The church should and must be one of the primary places where people can learn to trust, exercise trust, and become trustworthy because we trust God and God trusts us as partners in relieving human suffering.If honesty, integrity, and respect were built, practiced, and strengthened in every aspect of the church’s life, we would experience the core practices needed for repairing broken trust in our world.
The Christian church has a great responsibility to take risks that reinforce our trust in God. If we live in fear from broken trust, then we miss the wholeness of God’s vision for us and God’s vision for the world. In high-trust cultures, barriers are broken and walls come crumbling down. In high-trust cultures, people step across lines of divisions and become beacons of hope and life to those who are weary of trust. And when trust is broken by neighbors, faithful people rise up again because their whole trust is in God.
Practices that create trust
As church leaders prepare meetings, conferences, and small group gatherings, and are seeking to create environments that foster and facilitate a high-trust culture, there are a few practices to keep in mind. Consider these five practices adapted from Parker Palmer’s “Circles of Trust”:
- Create a space that is open, hospitable, welcoming, and safe. People are much more trusting when you have taken time to consider their safety, security, and needs in the environment in which they will gather.
- Be willing to really listen. People will trust you and trust the group when they believe that you aren’t trying to fix, advise, correct, or “save” them. As people of faith, we have to establish God as the ultimate creator and judge.
- Ask honest, open questions. When people feel free to wrestle with questions together, there is a gift of discovering more because we trust one another to explore a multitude of ideas. Creative ideas and innovation can be messy. Let them be messy and follow God through the refining process.
- Look at ideas and stories through a theological lens. Explore the intersection of universal stories of human experience with the personal stories of our lives in relation to the scriptures and our understanding of God. Let theology be intertwined in your gathering. Looking at ideas and stories through a theological lens helps us trust God as we learn to trust our neighbors.
- Use multiple modes of exploration and reflection. Keep in mind what ways people might digest information, wrestle with questions, and understand their roles and responsibilities as they engage one another in this community.
When a church is a trust training center, it allows people to be honest with their fears, their beliefs, and their questions. We must not silence people because of our judgments or judge people’s souls back into hiding because we are unwilling to hear how their beliefs, attitudes, and understandings about life might be different from our own. Broken trust often stems from fear of our own truths. If we are honest with ourselves and with the people in our churches, we can engage in a conversation about truth that allows us to wrestle with what truth means for one person over the other. By wrestling with this together, we may discover the truth that the Holy Spirit needs us to see in order to grow closer to Christ through our honest engagement with our neighbors.
If honesty, integrity, and respect were built, practiced, and strengthened in every aspect of the church’s life, we would experience the core practices needed for repairing broken trust in our world.
This article is adapted from Trust by Design: The Beautiful Behaviors of an Effective Church Culture (Abingdon Press, 2017) by Amy Valdez Barker. Used by permission. The book is available at Cokesbury and Amazon.
Related Resources:
- Trust is Results Driven by John W. Wimberly, Jr.
- Building Trust for Effective Team Ministry by Robert C. Crosby
- Credibility Essential for Leadership by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
The Right Question:
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Chip Heath and Dan Heath say the single most effective question they have found for helping to break a decision logjam is:
- What would I tell my best friend to do in this situation?
Learn more and watch introductory videos now.
Some years ago, I traveled across the United States, west to east and north to south, and back north, visiting twenty-one smaller faith communities that were noted for the quality and faithfulness of their life together. I asked probing questions and listened carefully, looking for the common denominators, the faithful and exceptional qualities that were present in most or all of these congregations. I identified eleven prevailing qualities that characterized most, if not all, of the faith communities I visited.
A smaller church that applies itself to realizing these common denominators is sure to be a dynamic, faithful, and effective church that has no need to apologize and will be a vital organ in the Body of Christ.
I believe the following practices can help your congregation be more what God is calling you to be. Imagine and strategize how each could be manifested even more in your congregation.
1. Prioritize worship. In each place, worship was a priority, and they were working to make their worship richer and more vital. What can you do to strengthen your worship?
2. Take advantage of your size. None were embarrassed by their smaller size; rather, they were taking advantage of their size. How could you take advantage of your size?
Kindle a family spirit. In each place, there was a strong family spirit and a close and caring community. How can your church take better care of one another and deepen the relationship among everyone?
3. Have fun. In these faith communities, the members really enjoyed one another and had great fun together. How can members be helped to enjoy one another even more and have more fun together?
4. Commit to mission. At most of the places I visited, there was a serious, passionate commitment to mission, addressing serious needs and issues beyond their church doors. What could you do to develop or expand a deeper commitment to mission and service where you are?
5. Find your distinctive niche. These congregations knew they couldn’t be all things to all people, but they had found and defined their particular niche and were filling it. What is your distinctive niche, and how can you better fulfill it?
6. Strengthen your pastor’s leadership. All those places had effective, trusted pastoral leaders (young and old, lay and ordained, part-time and full-time), and most had been in place for several years. What can you do to maximize the relationship with your pastor and, if possible, extend it?
7. Deepen the effectiveness of laity. In all these places, there was a committed core of laity. Knowing that every congregation is dependent on its membership, what can be done to take laity to a deeper level of faithfulness, purpose, and effectiveness?
8. Deploy resources wisely. I don’t believe any of these congregations were wealthy, but they all knew how to generate enough money to do what they wanted and needed to do. How might your congregation do more with what it has and generate more resources?
9. Thrive! Don’t just survive. All of these places were more concerned with being a living church than a surviving organization. What would move your congregation beyond merely a survival mentality to becoming a contagious, vibrant faith community?
10. Nurture a passionate faith. Last and most important, in each place there was real commitment to spiritual nurturing and faith development. What steps could your church take to help people, young and old, become more passionate about their faith?
A smaller church that applies itself to realizing these common denominators is sure to be a dynamic, faithful, and effective church that has no need to apologize and will be a vital organ in the Body of Christ.
This article is adapted from David Ray’s book, Smaller Churches: Real Possibilities for Hard Times © David R. Ray, 2015, available at Amazon
or directly from David at revdavidray@yahoo.com. It is used by permission.Related Resources:
- A New Way to View Vitality in Smaller Congregations by Lewis A. Parks
- Intergenerational Ministry and the Small Church by Brandon J. O’Brien
- Doing Community Ministry in the Small Church by Joy F. Skjegstad
Support the Lewis Center
Leading Ideas is made possible by contributions to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership from readers like you. Thank you.
Donate now.
Create a culture that supports adult study
1. Communicate that learning is intrinsic to faith development. Lift up ongoing study, including adult education, as an essential function of any Christian community.
2. Reinforce the expectation of study participation from the pulpit and with new members.
3. Make Bible study a part of other church activities such as committee meetings and mission activities.
4. Use scripture meaningfully in worship. Don’t assume your worshippers know the context of the passages read. Use sermons as an opportunity to teach the Bible.
Offer a variety of formats, schedules, and approaches
5. Experiment with a variety of times — Sunday morning classes, weeknight groups, retreats, oneday events, and breakfast-hour or noon-time classes — depending on lifestyles in your congregation.
6. Consider scheduling some classes or small groups in homes or other community locations. Christian education doesn’t happen only in church buildings.
7. Start new studies and groups often. Despite their best intentions, ongoing groups have a tendency to become cliquish. Newcomers are far more likely to feel comfortable joining something new.
8. Have as your goal a Bible study program that exposes church members to the entire biblical witness over time.
9. Recognize different learning styles among individuals and age groups. Older folks tend to be most comfortable with traditional classroom structures. Boomers are inclined to question authority and enjoy discussion. 10. Younger persons are more accustomed to media and technology and prefer a fast-paced, informal style.
Make use of a variety of different approaches, including lectionary-based studies, topical studies, character studies, etc.
11. Incorporate different learning strategies, such as role playing, dramatization, guided meditation, even memorization.
12. Churches too small for a large number of groups can vary their approach by rotating different studies and curricula with groups.
13. Don’t teach “about” the Bible in a way that doesn’t allow people to encounter the texts for themselves.Encourage individual reading or make it part of the group’s time together.
14. Encourage active, discussion-based learning. Break into small conversation groups frequently.Allow for diversity in perspectives.
15. Encourage the use of a variety of different biblical translations. Those less experienced in Bible study may find it helpful to read from a paraphrase, such as The Good News Bible or The Message.
Meet people where they are
16. Acknowledge biblical illiteracy among many adult church-goers — even the well-educated — and strive for methods that straddle this paradox.
17. Recognize that some beginners will be turned off by “homework.” Use videos, in-class readings, dramatizations, or audio tapes as alternative ways of getting everyone “on the same page” and ready for discussion, all the while encouraging the habit of daily scripture reading.
18. Provide short-term classes for those who won’t commit to a long-term study or ongoing class, but make these short-term learning experiences “stepping stones” toward greater involvement.
19. Conduct “taster” classes for those who want to try out the experience before they commit to it. Select topics that will appeal to those new to Bible study.
20. Break an ongoing class into shorter, defined segments, each with a clearly identified focus. With each new segment, take the opportunity to publicize the topic and invite newcomers.
21. Teach stewardship of time to counteract “busyness.” Just as with financial stewardship, persons need to be encouraged to make Christian education a priority. Encourage “first fruits” commitments of time.
22. Be clear about expectations with regard to attendance, participation, and preparation.
Promote participation effectively
23. Link group study topics to sermon series and encourage participation from the pulpit.
24. Emphasize study during Lent. Select a topic or curriculum for church-wide study during this period and encourage all to take part. Tie the topic into preaching and worship.
25. Lift up study leaders and participants. 26. Celebrate every time a new group starts or completes a study program. Use the newsletter, a photo board, or a dedication service in worship.
27. Ask class members to write a newsletter article or testify about the significance of their learning experiences.
28. Remember that personal invitations are usually the most effective way of getting someone involved in any activity.
29. Capitalize on the current popularity of book clubs and films by creating opportunities for those who enjoy these activities.
Foster strong leadership
30. Recruit leaders as the first step toward forming groups. Groups will often form around a gifted leader.
31. Stress the group leader’s role as facilitator, rather than teacher. Setting up one person as “the expert” creates a poor group dynamic and discourages new people from stepping into leadership. Thinking of group leaders as facilitators allows Scripture and the Holy Spirit to do the teaching.
32. Expect your pastor to model the importance of ongoing adult education by leading and participating in study, but don’t reinforce the notion that only the ordained can lead study groups.
33. Take advantage of the leader training opportunities provided in conjunction with many popular study curricula.
34. Provide orientation and ongoing support for group leaders.
35. Train leaders in group process so they can keep their groups on track, being sensitive to the need to keep more outspoken participants in check and draw out the more reserved using phrases like, “Let’s hear from some of the others,” or “You look like you have something to say.”
36. Emphasize the importance of leader preparation, especially mapping out discussion questions in advance.
37. Encourage team leadership. Experienced leaders should invite a newer person to pair with them in leading groups to develop the less experienced leader.
38. Rotate the leadership responsibility within a group so that all participants get experience leading sessions.
39. Know that Sunday School classes and small groups are one of the best places to develop lay leaders and lay relationships that strengthen the church.
Use resources effectively
40. Stay abreast of new resources, including those available from other denominations or traditions and the secular press.
41. Don’t be afraid to introduce ideas and resources from a variety of theological perspectives. Trust the discernment abilities of individuals and the group.
42. Use workbook-style studies creatively. Nothing is more boring than a lesson read straight out of a leader’s manual. Find ways to make pre-packaged lesson plans come alive.
43. Use videos to bring expert perspectives to bear and to get everyone “on the same page” for discussion. But avoid class sessions that are no more than viewing a video, or participants will soon wonder why they shouldn’t stay home and watch their own TV.
44. Create a resource center with reference materials, maps, and other items to support your leaders and participants.
45. Don’t allow your church library to become a museum. Update the collection. Offer books and resources linked to sermon topics and congregational study themes.
46. Consider a book sales kiosk and stock it with things you’d like your congregants to be reading. Many busy people would rather buy a book than worry about due dates and library fines.
Stress spiritual formation
47. Remember, the goal is formation, not information. Every class should be deliberate in helping members accept God’s grace, grow in faith, deepen their relationship to the Christian community, and answer Christ’s call to discipleship.
48. Include prayer as part of every study session and encourage group members to pray for one another daily.
49. Encourage a covenantal relationship within study groups.
50. Nurture a sense of Christian community and connectedness within groups. A Sunday School class or small group can be a “home” for individuals within a larger church.
Download a PDF of this page to share with others.
Adult Education Studies from the Wesley Ministry Network
50. Nurture a sense of Christian community and connectedness within groups. A Sunday School class or small group can be a “home” for individuals within a larger church.
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Ecumenical studies: Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense | Journey through the Psalms | Devotion to Jesus: The Divinity of Christ in Earliest Christianity | Serious Answers to Hard Questions | Religion and Science: Pathways to Truth | In God’s Time | A Life Worthy of the Gospel | Women Speak of God
United Methodist studies: Methodist Identity — Part 1: Our Story; Part 2: Our Beliefs | Wesleyan Studies Project — Series I: Methodist History; Series II: Methodist Doctrine; Series III: Methodist Evangelism
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Quotable Leadership:
Distrust every claim for truth where you do not see truth united with love. (Paul Tillich)
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Editor: Dr. Ann A. Michel
Copyright © 2004-2018 Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
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