ACTIVITY #6 – “How Welcoming Are You?”
(This activity involves three different parts. For Part 1, read the information below and then answer the “Questions to Think About.” In Part 2, answer the questions related to how open and welcoming your church and Sunday school are. Part 3 is a “brainstorming activity,” where we invite you to list your own ideas for things that you can do – as individuals and as a church and Sunday school – to be more open and welcoming.)
PART 1 – “Do Sunday School and Church Make a Difference?”
Several years ago, George Barna published a survey that showed very little difference in the moral actions between youth and young adults who attend church and those who don’t. “Shouldn’t the people who attend church do a lot better?” many people asked.
Yes, they certainly should! But, the fact is, much of what we are trying to teach in Sunday school and church does not translate into real changes in the lives of students. People are hearing the words and even memorizing scripture, but these messages are not really being applied in their lives and their day-to-day actions are not being changed.
In Second Corinthians 5:17, Paul tells us, “When anyone is joined to Christ, he is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.” The evidence of truly effective teaching within the Sunday school is in the changed lives of the students we are teaching. Teaching isn’t teaching until learning takes place. And what is learning? It involves a change…a change in a person’s knowledge, thinking or actions.
True, we cannot bring about these changes ourselves; that is up to the Holy Spirit, but we can make sure that our Sunday school is doing everything possible to make our teaching effective and relevant. And, we must be sure that we show our students how to apply each lesson of the classroom in their everyday life.
God does not change. The Bible does not change. But, the ways people learn have changed greatly in recent years. To really bring about Sunday school growth and renewal, we must take a close look at everything that we are doing in our Sunday school. In this workshop session, we will pay special attention to your Sunday school’s openness to growth and the welcome that you extend to visitors and new attendees. And then we will help you look at your Sunday school program and how you are organized.
Questions To Think About:
1. How did you react to the George Barna survey that says that there is very little difference in the moral actions between youth and young adults who attend church and those who don’t? Why?
2. What can or should the church and individual Christians be doing to make sure that there is a difference in the actions of those who attend church and Sunday school?
3. What things in your church are the same or are done the same as they were 20 years ago or more? Which of these things are good and should not change? Which are not so good anymore? How might you work to bring about changes related to those things that are not so good anymore?
PART 2 – “Are You A Welcoming Sunday School?”
Write an answer to each of the following questions:
1. As you look at the current members of the classes in your Sunday school, how would you rate the friendships and supportive relationships that exist between these persons? Are they very close and supportive, fairly close or not very close?
2. In general, do you think that the members of your Sunday school are open and welcoming to new members and visitors? Why?
3. If a family of an ethnic or social group different from you and most of the members of your church came to your Sunday school, do you think they would really be made to feel welcome and a part of the group? Why?
4. In what special ways do you and the other members of your Sunday school or Sunday school class make visitors feel welcome?
5. Do you think the members of your church and Sunday school are truly aware of the importance of showing a warm, friendly welcome to visitors and new attendees? How might you help to show them the importance of the welcome that they extend?
PART 3 – “How Can You Be More Open & Welcoming?”
Let’s do some “brainstorming” about your Sunday school’s openness to growth and the welcome that you extend to visitors. Make a list of things that you might do to be more open and welcoming. In a brainstorming activity, the idea is to freely express your opinion or knowledge about a topic. Write down whatever comes to mind. The aim is creativity. Listed below you will find several suggestions that you might consider. Read and think about each of these ideas and then try to come up with as many additional ideas of your own as you can.
- Be sure each visitor is welcomed as they enter your church building and that there is someone available to take visitors to the proper classroom.
- Have a map of your church in the entry area. Have the location of each classroom for each age group, etc. clearly marked.
- Urge teachers to be sure to introduce all visitors to class members. Give each visitor a few moments of personal attention. Ask them to tell about themselves, their family, etc. However, don’t over do it.
- Prepare a “visitor’s welcome packet” with a copy of the current church newsletter and other information about your church and Sunday school enclosed. Give this “visitor’s welcome packet” to all visitors who attend any service at your church.
- Plan a follow-up program to have someone visit, call or send a card to each visitor during the week after their visit.
