The success of the Sunday School Ministry in your local church depends on whether the leadership and teachers have a clear and defined purpose. According to Webster’s dictionary, purpose is “that which a person sets before himself as an object to be reached or accomplished; the end or aim to which the view is directed.” Many Sunday schools are not reaching their full potential because their teachers do not have a clear objective to follow.
The purpose of the Sunday School Ministry at North Valley Baptist Church was defined by Pastor Jack Trieber when he became pastor over forty-seven years ago. Since then, that purpose has been accomplished and seen fulfilled in the lives of countless men, women, boys, and girls. Because we know our goal, we regularly review, teach, and encourage our teachers to accomplish these vital items.
When I was a young boy, my dad taught me how to cut the lawn using our self-propelled lawn mower. He wanted the grass to be cut, me to be safe, and our yard to look presentable. He showed me how to cut straight rows by fixing my eyes on an object on the other side of the yard (a tree, fence post, etc.) and keeping my eye fixed on that object as I followed the lawnmower down the row. It was amazing to see how successful I was at cutting straight rows when I kept my eye focused on the goal.
Likewise, if they focus on their purpose, Sunday school teachers and leaders can see great success in teaching, training, and seeing growth in their Sunday school classes. I encourage Sunday school teachers to review their purpose weekly to ensure that every item on their cue card (the activities before class, the class preliminaries, the lesson, and the application) falls under and/or trains an area of their purpose.
As a Sunday school leader, have you defined the purpose of your Sunday school? Has it been written down and distributed to the teachers? Until this is done, one should not expect to magically appear at the finish line. Achieving the goal takes work and effort with a focus on the objective.
The following is the ten-fold purpose that North Valley Baptist Church has for our Sunday school. Attached is a free printable 3×5 card that can be given to your teachers if you would like to use this purpose for your Sunday school:
- Salvation
- Submission
- Sanctuary
- Stewardship
- Soul Winning
- Scripture Reading
- Supplication
- Separation
- Surrender
- Service
Now more than ever, we need to see Sunday schools grow in churches around the world. This is attainable if we determine, write down, share, and fulfill our purpose.
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Andrew Reimers, Sunday School Director
Having grown up in a wonderful Christian home, Brother Reimers was saved at an early age. After high school, he moved from Meriden, Connecticut, to attend Golden State Baptist College in 2009. Following graduation, he married his wife Joy and joined the church staff as Director of North Valley Publications and the Sunday School.
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