Copyright: August 2011All Rights Reserved

Our Sunday School is Dying

First Aid:1. A leader has to step forward.2. A decision and a declaration have to

be made.3. You better get to praying.4. Call in a specialist.5. Re-establish and refocus on the

correct purpose.Rehab Key: Establish Teacher Training

We Are Going Through A Slump

First Aid:1. Take the seasons into consideration.2. Focus on the things that you can control.3. Don’t complain to the faithful about the

unfaithful!4. Extend a challenge to your leaders and

members. 5. Ramp up ministry contacts.Rehab Keys: Evaluation, Evangelism, & Encouragement

Our Teachers Are Not Committed (and often arrive

late)First Aid:1. Re-communicate purpose & priority.2. Elevate & acknowledge best

practices.3. Communicate standards &

expectations.4. Back up if needed but don’t back

down!Rehab Keys: Establish standards at point of enlistment and orient leaders annually.

Our Teachers Will Not Participate in Training

First Aid:1. Evaluate your plan (schedule,

content, format, delivery, logistics, & promotion).

2. Survey your leaders for honest feedback.

3. Get a quick victory.4. Train the Trainable.Rehab Keys: Develop an enhanced, systematic plan and reward participation.

We Do Not Have (M)any Young People

First Aid:1. Open the eyes of the congregation with

congregational/community demographics.

2. Make a decision: Live or Die?3. Listen to some students and young

adults.4. Talk about the future and the legacy of

those present.5. All hands on deck!Rehab Keys: Gains may mean losses and you must focus on the fertile soil (Children – Young Adults).

We Do Not Have Enough Leaders

First Aid:1. Buy time by appealing for interim

commitments.2. Transition from public appeal to

personal enlistment.3. Meet with Adult Group Leaders to

communicate their role in raising and releasing leaders.

Rehab Keys: Year round enlistment, equipping, and apprentice teacher strategies.

A Lot Of People On Our Rolls Do Not Attend

First Aid: 1. Resist the urge to purge but conduct

an honest audit.2. Elevate the Sunday School as a

priority.3. Conduct the “contact crazy”

experiment.4. Re-establish the role of the roll.Rehab Keys: Track contacts and teach “two-pronged magnet:” (passionate teaching + relationships).

Our Worship Attendance is Much Larger Than SS

AttendanceFirst Aid:1. The Pastor must make an immediate

declaration.2. Begin to elevate Sunday School by all

means.3. Incorporate testimonies into the worship.4. Conduct an enrollment campaign in

worship.5. Utilize fellowships as a bridge.Rehab Keys: Conduct honest evaluation and implement best practices.

We Have A Teacher Who Needs To Step Down

First Aid:1. Diagnose the severity of the issue.

a. If it’s skills, proceed slowly.b. If it’s commitment proceed

deliberately with deference to church written guidelines.

c. If it’s doctrine, proceed deliberately with deference to denomination or church doctrinal statements.

d. If it’s moral failure or severe violation of Scripture, take immediate action with aim of restoration.

We Have A Teacher Who Needs To Step Down

First Aid:1. Diagnose the severity of the issue.2. Work with key leaders through the

process.3. Consider implications without

compromising convictions.4. Take caution against neglecting Scriptural

precepts.Rehab Keys: Develop written guidelines and talk through process before there is a problem.

Our Teachers Are Boring

First Aid:1. Identify the roots of the problem

(passion, skills, or preparation).2. Provide immediate tools and

instruction.3. Offer evaluations for individuals or

the group.Rehab Keys: Equip rather than assuming or neglecting.

We Are Completely Out Of Space

First Aid:1. Conduct preliminary analysis

a. Conduct walk-throughb. Identify vacant spacesc. Conduct paper analysis and determine

potential immediate alternatives and adjustments.

2. Communicate status and barriers to congregation.3. Identify two or more spaces for additional classes.Rehab Keys: Conduct a detailed space analysis and initiate an annual “Realignment Sunday.”

We Have A Class That Will Not Cooperate

First Aid: 1. Determine severity: Individual or a class?

An individual class or group of classes? What are implications?

2. Choose your battles carefully.3. Temper expectations for the short term

and set incremental goals for change.Rehab Keys: Focus on relationships with leaders and discuss scenarios in advance of issues.

They Want To Split (or change) My Class!

First Aid:1. Don’t misinterpret a compliment as

an insult.2. No one desires to “split your class.”3. See the big picture.4. Remember the concept of “follow

the leader.”Rehab Keys: Aspire to reproduce and plan to bear fruit.

We Never Have Any Guests

First Aid:1. Take a look in the mirror (lacking

purpose, passion, challenge, or boring?).

2. See the fields…3. Apply the Law of Large Numbers4. Open the side doors.Rehab Keys: Work on the total environment and lead your group to be evangelistic.

Our Guests Never Return

First Aid:1. You must take a look in the mirror.2. Make corrections to make visiting an

enjoyable experience for guests.3. Implement an intentional follow-up

strategy.Rehab Keys: Develop an inviting climate (spiritually, educationally, and relationally).

No One Wants To Help With Outreach

First Aid:1. Outreach begins with the Teacher.2. Lead your class to pray by name for

those who do not know Jesus as Savior.

3. Enlist the proper way.Rehab Keys: Elevate Outreach in your group and participate in existing church outreach activities.

I Cannot Get Anyone Involved In Discussion

First Aid:1. Invest time developing and

strengthening relationships with group members.

2. Always start with a warm-up question.

3. Don’t fear temporary silence.4. Rephrase and/or use open ended

questions.5. Subdivide the group.Rehab Key: Master multiple teaching methods.

My Class Has No Life(lacks morale)

First Aid:1. Vision is more than a buzz word.2. And when they had prayed…

Acts 4:313. You are called to lead.Rehab Keys: You must keep growing, sowing, and going.

My Class Is Not Growing

First Aid:1. Do not apologize for wanting to grow.2. Apart from Christ, you can do nothing.3. It takes a team.4. There are some numbers that matter and

must increase (enrollment, contacts, leaders, prospects, and number of groups/classes).

Rehab Keys: Become a growth expert and understand that increase may require decrease.

I Do Not Like The Curriculum

First Aid:1. Honor the convictions of your leaders.2. No preparation free curriculum exists.3. Good curriculum is not what makes the

teaching good. It is you!4. Converse with your leaders to understand

needs, issues, and reasons.Rehab Keys: Learn to make any curriculum effective : Anointing, Preparation, Creativity, and Application.

I Do Not Have Time To Lead My Class (to do all that is

needed)First Aid:1. Begin building a team.2. Begin leading instead of simply

teaching.3. Learn to enlist effectively.4. Enlist with options for depth of

commitment.Rehab Keys: Improve your time management and place all group members on a team.

I Cannot Get Anyone To Help Me

First Aid:1. Relationships are critical.2. Pray and pour your life into

others.3. Ask for simple commitments to

begin.Rehab Keys: Invest in developing your personal leadership skills and build a team.

Our Leaders Expect Too Much of the Teachers

First Aid:1. Do not fear or reject standards.2. Do not hesitate to seek help.3. Do not overextend yourself.Rehab Keys: Do not be afraid to wrestle with commitment and do not neglect to build a team.

I Want To Quit

First Aid:1. Clarify what you mean by “quit.”2. Be sure it is for the right reason.3. If you must, then quit the right way.

(Give notice, Resolve disputes, Follow procedures, Transfer to new ministry role, Debrief with leaders.)

Rehab Keys: Three things you can’t do: Drop out, stop serving, or leave without resolution.

Copyright: August 2011All Rights Reserved