Working our way down Kennon Callahan's Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, we find the fourth key: significant relational groups. As applied to the whole congregation, Callahan's general point is that most people look the their congregation for more than just worship opportunities, they build relationships. The congregation can be seen as a system of overlapping groups to which people voluntarily associate themselves: a worshiping body (the 8 am service), a choir, a board or committee, or a Bible study. The more relationally connected people are to groups in the congregation, the more regularly they will participate, recommend, and invite others to join.
Relational Sunday School
In the Lutheran Church, Sunday School identifies more closely with children than in other denominations such as the Baptist churches, where Sunday School is seen primarily as a system of classess for adults. And the participation of children in Sunday School is not completely voluntary, given that they do not control their own transportation or Sunday morning schedules.
However, the degree to which children are relationally connected to their Sunday School class, both their teachers and their fellow studnets, the more likely they are to attend regularly and to invite their friends to visit or attend regularly with them. This relational dynamic is a powerful factor in effective Sunday Schools.
How do you build relationships in your Sunday School?
What role will an effective teacher play in making Sunday School a "significant, relational group"?
God's blessing as you teach His children His Word!
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