Today I want you to consider different “games” that people play as they slip off the Sunday School class radar.  When you believe these games are being played, it’s time to spring into action and start the reclamation process.

1.   HIDE and SEEK, “Come and Get Me”

• These members don’t say anything about being unhappy, but they are
• They wonder if anyone has noticed their absence and cares enough to contact them
• According to the rules of this game, if a class doesn’t contact them and say, “Ready or not, here we come,” the inactive member quickly makes up their mind not to return

2.  CHARADES – Can You Figure Out What My Actions Mean?

• These inactive members don’t come right out and tell us why they are hurt,  or have trouble admitting it, so they act out their emotions
• These members often feel underrated or overlooked
• They often opt for this game because they feel awkward about revealing their true feelings
• They are sending out a cry for help

3.  The MERRY   GO-ROUND “It’s Me Again”

• This inactive member often goes through periods in which they show regularity in attendance, only to be followed by an extended period of absence
• They may also “ride the roller coaster” – they experience high times of commitment followed by low points of non-commitment, disappointment, and apathy

4.  BASEBALL – Three Strikes and You’re Out

• This member is just waiting for one final reason to drop out
• The church tends to always have a “full count” with this person
• The inactive member may feel like they are unheard, unappreciated, overlooked, or underrated

5.  POKER – “I’m All In”

• They let the church know what they’re going to do in advance (i.e. “If the church does X, then I’m going to do Y”
• This member is forces himself into a corner and if he doesn’t make good on his bluff, he loses credibility with other members
• He’s really saying, “If I’m important to you, then you’ll go along with my wishes rather than risk losing me”
• This person’s motives may be completely noble, and he may have the best interests of the church at heart, but ultimately he is putting the church on notice
• Always backing down to this person means you may set yourself up for many future bluffs and “all-in” statements

6.  COWBOYS and INDIANS

• This person believes “it’s us or it’s them”
• Winners take all; the rest lose face and can leave
• A dead giveaway that members are playing this game is the use of personal pronouns
  • I
  • We
  • They
  • Them

Reclamation is Central to the Grand Narrative of Scripture

A ministry of reclamation is biblical and follows the example set by the Lord.  No matter what kinds of games people play, we should always be ready to reclaim them and extend grace.  Here are several verses of Scripture that address the topic of reclamation:

Ephesians 2:14-17 says that, “He is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might created in himself one new man in place of two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God…” 

Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone…”  The word we translate “reasonableness” literally means “generous in overlooking injury or insult; rising above pettiness” in the original Greek language.  It is God’s desire that his people be in right relationship to one another at all times.

Luke 14:23 shows the heart of God and his passion to reach the cultural outcasts.  “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled (a picture of God turning his attention to the Gentile world so that they might hear the gospel message and also believe in him like the Jewish people).  People will not compel themselves to come to God’s house….they have to be compelled to come in.

Hebrews 10:25 tells us, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…”  Sometimes people fall out of the habit of coming to church and belonging to a local church, so they must be encouraged to continue to walk in Christ as members of His body, the church.

Perhaps the most familiar verse is John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in would not perish, but have eternal life.”   God so loved you and I (and those absent members of your class) that He originated a plan to sacrifice his Son so that we all might be reconciled to him.  Reclamation is the story the Bible tells over and over, cover to cover.

The lesson was titled “Generosity Vs. Greed” and it encouraged learners to (1) share their resources generously (2) treat people with dignity and (3) protect people with mercy.  The passages were from the book of Deuteronomy and had to do God’s instructions on how His people should treat the poor, foreigners, widows, and the fatherless.  You’ve probably studied lessons like this in the past, but I received a letter from someone that chronicled how Sandy’s Sunday School class immediately acted on the lesson truths.  Here is the story of her class through the words of her husband, Jim:

To conclude and give meaning to the lesson, Sandy asked her ladies to do something for someone else by giving (financially) to make a difference in their lives as well as being a witness for Christ.  This presented a bit of a challenge, knowing that many  would not have the financial means to participate as some receive financial assistance to take care of their own basic needs.

 Her objective was to ask each lady to take a $20.00 bill,  then pray for the Lord’s leadership during the week and use the $20 to bless the person.   Through an anonymous donor, $600 in $20 bills was given to Sandy so that she could distribute one per person who wanted to accept the challenge of using it to bless someone else.

30 ladies accepted  the challenge by taking a twenty dollar bill.  Amazingly, she had 30 twenty dollar bills which was exactly  the number needed.  Many of the ladies were just overwhelmed with the thought of doing something for someone else when they had always been on the receiving end.  One lady, with tears in her eyes, said, “Thank you for giving me the dignity to help someone else.”  Sandy told the class there were no strings attached, they did not need to report back how they used the money unless they wanted to share their story… and the stories are already coming in!

On Sunday afternoon, one person went to McDonald s and got 20 one dollar cheeseburgers and along with a bottle of water went to a downtown Orlando park and gave them to homeless persons.  Another went to Wal-Mart and looked for someone with small children that needed assistance in buying their groceries.  Other similar stories have been coming and I am sure many others will be forth coming.  Of course, we know that the giver is much more blessed than the one receiving.   Many of them expressed with excitement that this was the first time in their lives they have had such an opportunity!  Needless to say, the presence of the Holy Spirit was evident and working in their lives.

Well, thanks for letting me share one more story about my wife and her class.

Jim

I know Jim and Sandy through my work at LifeWay.  I serve in the division that produces ongoing Sunday School curriculum, including Bible Studies for Life.  I am thrilled to hear how this one class responded to God’s Word, and how this will change the hearts and lives of many of the ladies who decided to act on the Scriptures.  I am thankful for Sandy’s effective leadership and the spiritual transformation taking place among her class members through the work of the Holy Spirit.  I am pleased to play a small part in providing Sandy and her church the ongoing Bible study resources they use, and I know that Sandy has to be pleased with the way her ladies are trying to live out their faith in front of a lost audience.  I am grateful to Jim, Sandy’s husband, for sharing this wonderful story with us. 

This goes to show that teachers can use ongoing curriculum to effectively teach their class and lead learners to apply what they’ve learned “out in the real world.”  Sunday School doesn’t have to just take place within the four walls of a classroom, as Sandy and her class have demonstrated…in fact, the best Sunday School takes place when we get off the church campus and live out our faith in front of a lost world. In my mind, this is Sunday School at its best.  We come together in class to experience biblical community, search God’s Word, learn His truth, and live it out as His redeemed people.  Spiritual transformation of people is the one overarching mission of Sunday School (read more about that in David Francis’ 2012 book Missionary Sunday School)…and spiritual transformation is obviously taking place in the lives of the women Sandy leads.

Great job ladies!!  We praise the Lord for you and your example.

This first blog post is all about the big reasons why people drop off the radar.  See if you can put some faces with the situations below…

5 Reasons Why Sheep Leave The Pen

1.  CONFLICT – this is unavoidable in any size church.  Most people have an instinct for avoiding this, and it plays a factor in their becoming inactive.  Lyle Schaller once reported that, “On a given day in perhaps three-quarters of all churches the ministry of that congregation is reduced significantly as a result of nonproductive conflict.” (Reclaiming Inactive Church Members, p.19).  Sources of conflict include:

• Friction with the PASTOR
• Disagreement about the DIRECTION of the church prescribed by its leaders
• Strained relations with OTHER MEMBERS
• INTERPERSONAL conflicts not related to church members (i.e. unconverted spouse, arguments with children, etc)
• THEOLOGICAL issues – majoring on minor issues or “choking on gnats”
• FINANCIAL issues – disagreement about how the church allocates its monies
• People who are PEACEMAKERS and simply cannot tolerate conflict

2.  Unmet EXPECTATIONS – similar to #1 above, this one is more passive in nature.  I may have a conflict with you because of what you do or say; I will become frustrated with you by what you do not do or say.

A person who has unmet expectations typically has the two words “I thought” on the tip of their tongue.  They’ll say things like, “I thought the church should have done blah blah blah,” or “I thought someone would call us,” or “I thought everyone knew how we felt about…”

3.  Lack of AFFINITY – this is all about the homogeneous principle of church growth – churches grow as members find things in common with one another.  When a member senses he has few things in common with other members, he feels uncomfortable and looks for a way to exit the church.  Some phrases that people might use who have a growing lack of affinity might be:

• “This just doesn’t feel like home anymore”
• “I liked it better when so-and-so taught our class…I can’t relate to the new teacher”
• “I liked our former style of worship better”
• “No one talks with me anymore”
• “I can’t make any friends….and I’ve tried”

People with a lack of affinity tend to have a BACKWARD glance at church life.  They tend to focus on the good ol’ days.

4.  Inability to RELATE – these types of members tend to be unhappy wherever they attend church.  This breed of church member tends to have a series of consecutive church memberships, all within a short period of time.  You might call this group “church hoppers.”  They are in a category all to themselves, and they tend to have strained relations with just about everyone by the end of their time with a church.

• They tend to take PROBLEMS with them wherever they go
• They remain largely unRELATED and unCOMMITTED
• The problems they complain about in the church sometimes reflect problems within THEMSELVES

5.  EMBARASSMENT about personal circumstances – most people are very sensitive and private about their lives and when they feel that “everyone’s looking at me” their default position may be to retreat.  Some things that may cause embarrassment are:

• A changing FINANCIAL situation
• Job LOSS
• A MORAL failure (of themselves, the spouse, or one of the children)
• Not performing well in a LEADERSHIP role in the church
• CONFLICT with another member that remains unresolved

There you have it.  5 reasons why sheep leave the pen.  If you are a teacher, ask yourself if anyone in your class has left because of any of these reasons.  If so, pray and ask the Lord’s guidance as you make plans to reclaim them to your class.

Because this is Superbowl week, many Sunday School classes will have fellowships on February 5.  Consider reaching out to the absentees on your class role this week and invite them to attend.  Don’t send a postcard…call them or drop by their home.  Coming back to class might be awkward for them, but coming to a party is a different story.  Take advantage of Superbowl Sunday and fellowships to start the reclamation process.

In the next blog post, I’ll help you understand the kinds of games people play when they’ve gone AWOL.  In a final post I’ll outline some steps to take in order to be the kind of reclaimer God wants all of us to be.

Until then, thanks for dropping by and reading this post.  Please retweet it or invite friends to sign up for future posts.

Ken

May I suggest that you take a look at LifeWay’s “Transform” events that will be held in strategic locations around the country this year?  In 2011 the Transform events were packed with teachers and church leaders who sought to learn how to do more than just teach a lesson each week.  They received top-shelf training in the art of teaching learners so they live out the biblical truths they learn each week…it’s not about giving learners an “information dump” each week…it’s about helping them interact with the biblical text in ways that cause their lives to be changed in very practical ways.

Training for every age group will take place in Phoenix, AZ  (March 24), Louisville, KY (April 28), Raytown, MO (August 25), and Atlanta, GA (Sept. 22).  LifeWay has made these events affordable for people from all types of churches by offering the training at just $29 per person.

Specialized tracks are offered for the following leaders:

• Small church pastors (100 or less in attendance)
• Pastors
• Ministers of Education
• Sunday School Directors
• Discipleship Directors
• Babies-2 year old
• 3-Kindergarten
• Kindergarten
• 1st and 2nd grade
• 3rd and 4th grade
• Pre-teen
• Middle school students
• High school students
• Young adults
• Median adults
• Senior adults
• Special needs
• Leading the Sunday School in the Hispanic Church
• Leading the Sunday School in the Black Church/Urban Church
• Small groups and home groups

Click here to go to the Transform site to learn more about these special training events and to register yourself or your group

In the book Seven Practices of Effective Ministry, author Andy Stanley discussed the importance of clarifying the win in our churches.  Here is a short excerpt of what he said:

“The church should be more determined than any other organization to “clarify the win” simply because the stakes are so much higher.  Eternity hangs in the balance.  Clarifying the win simply means communicating to your team what is really important, what really matters.  The best way to leverage the collective power of your team is to make sure that everyone knows what it means to “score.”

Nothing hinders morale more than when team members with separate agendas are pulling against one another.  If the win is unclear, you may force those in leadership roles to define winning in their own terms.  If you don’t define winning for your ministry leaders, they will define it for themselves.

It doesn’t take very long for leaders to take over a class, start a new program, begin an innovative ministry, and rally a crowd to follow them.  They may only be ten degrees off track, but given enough time they will miss the target by miles.  It’s not that they are intentionally being defiant or difficult, they’re just being leaders.

But countless leaders have innocently sabotaged their church by leading people in the wrong direction.  And the fault lies with an organization that has not been systematic about defining and clarifying what a win really is.

Misalignment usually happens gradually.  And if it goes unchecked, it can wreak havoc on an organization.  Like the wheels on a car pulling against each other, misalignment will ultimately ruin the tires and waste enormous amount of fuel.”

Do Your People Know What a ‘Win” Is?

Sunday School teachers may believe the goal is to “get through the lesson” each week, so they structure the teaching time for minimal interaction with learners…it becomes an “information dump” from the teacher to the student.  For other teachers, the goal may be to “have a good time” and the emphasis is on enjoying fellowship and relationships with minimal emphasis on the Bible study lesson.  Finally, teachers might have a goal of teaching for life transformation.  If this is the goal, there is an emphasis on more than just attendance, relationships, and getting through the lesson.  The teacher knows the real goal is the spiritual transformation of his or her learners.  The goal becomes helping learners establish good spiritual habits so they become a growing, multiplying, serving disciple of Jesus Christ.  The teacher becomes a fellow sojourner, a fellow disciple, and a guide and coach who leads learners to discover spiritual truths for themselves and to apply them in their daily lives.

Both staff leaders and teachers must “clarify the win” so that everyone knows what a “win” looks like.  Without clarity, the things that Andy Stanley wrote about will come to pass, and you’ll have lots of teachers all going after different “wins” in their classrooms.  Maybe this is why so many Sunday Schools are in trouble today…staff leaders haven’t provided the right kind of leadership to clarify the win so that teachers are all pulling in the same direction.  A hands-off approach to leadership will lead to the situation that took place in the last line of the book of Judges…”Everyone did what was right in his own sight,” and that’s a recipe for disaster in your Sunday School!

Getting Back on Track

If you want to clarify the win, whether you are a staff leader or a Sunday School teacher, consider spending some personal time with the Lord deciding what you want from your Sunday School leaders and the learners entrusted to your care.  Make sure these wins are based in Scripture, and then share them with those you lead.  Agree to the “wins” with your teachers by creating a teacher covenant that has agreed upon goals.  If you are a teacher in a Sunday School class, speak frankly with your class members about how you want your time together this year to impact their lives so they can reach a higher level of spiritual maturity.

Winning isn’t about getting through a lesson each Sunday, nor is it about simply enjoying fun and fellowship in class.  Winning is about helping adults look and act more like Jesus.  As you clarify the win, help adults focus on living as fully devoted followers of Christ.  There’s no harm in getting through a lesson or having a good time doing it, but don’t stop there or you’ll stop short of the real win that adults need.

According to research presented in the book, did you know that:

1.  Americans age 65+ are the fastest growing segment of the population

2.  In the past century, the number of Americans over age 65 has increased twelve-fold (from 3.1M to 37.9M)

3.  By the year 2030 there will be 72M people in America over age 65

4.  An American turns 60 every 7 seconds

Corporate America is already responding to this world-wide aging trend by creating new products and services for older adults…how about your church?  Amy asks the reader to consider how the church budgets for its senior adult ministry…is it as important as the student and children’s ministries, or has our ministry to Boomers and those beyond paled in comparison to the efforts we expend to reach young adults, whom we think are the “future of the church.”  For the next 20-30 years, the New Old are going to be our future, with great potential to make a Kingdom impact through their leadership, finances, and passion for active living and meaningful ministry in the world.

Amy points out that our society discounts the value of the aged in favor of younger adults, and that if we aren’t careful, our churches can fall victim to thinking like the world does.  If we aren’t careful, the church will cause “the new old” to disengage with the church as they seek other avenues through which to make a difference in their communities.  How is your church allowing Boomers to create and direct new ministries they are interested in?  Realize that Boomers won’t resonate with potlucks, fall foliage trips, and game nights.  There’s nothing wrong with these classic ways churches have tried to address senior adults’ needs, but this won’t attract the Boomers and retain them in your church’s senior adult ministry.  In fact, churches should consider having several different ministries to senior adults.  What would those be?  You’ll have to pick up a copy of Amy’s book and find out!

Amy has divided her book into 3 major sections:  The New Old, the Boomer and Beyond World, and Implications for the Church.  A combination of research statistics and practical ideas make this a must-have book for your personal ministry library.  Don’t ignore this age-wave…learn to ride it and to help your church meet the spiritual, physical, emotional, and practical needs of seniors.

To order a copy of Amy’s book, click here to jump to it’s landing page on Amazon.com.

To follow Amy’s blog, follow the link in the right sidebar on my blog:  Blogs You Might Like

Here is a brief summary of what The Gospel Project curriculum is from the TGP website:  “The Gospel Project is a Christ-centered Bible study resource that deeply examines the grand narrative of Scripture and how it transforms the lives of those it touches. Every session immerses participants—adults, students, and kids—in the gospel through every story, theological concept, and missional charge from Genesis to Revelation.“

Click here to go to The Gospel Project’s website, view a video by Matt Chandler regarding the curriculum, and see other videos that explain the direction of the children’s curriculum.

Were you aware that 11,000 people a day are turning age 55 for the next 14 years?  That’s 11,000 people a day for the next 14 years.  Wow!  Boomers are expected to live an average of more than 82 years.

The church must now consider how to move Boomers into a meaningful senior adult ministry, one into which they are going to go kicking and screaming.  Boomers don’t want to think of themselves as old, and they have little intentions of moving gracefully into your church’s senior adult ministry.  Haven’t you had difficulty getting them to move up already?  It’s just going to get worse…unless you think about your options and then take action.

In the RESPECT book, the author recommends that churches consider having 2 types of ministries…maintaining their current ministry to senior adults, and creating a second one designed by Boomers for Boomers (people age 55-70).  Bill even suggests the possibility of a third ministry to Empty Nest adults between the ages of 40-55.  Does this look like your church’s current ministry to these adults?

As you think about the aging adults in your church, consider these characteristics of people in the Boomer generation:

1.  Boomers are seeking a greater plan for their lives in which they can take part.

2.  Boomers are open to learning what the Bible says if they can see practical connections to what is going on in their lives.  Application is key.

3.  Boomers have always had an interest in spiritual things, not necessarily Christian things.  They will be open to honest conversations about the gospel if our message is backed up by our lives.

4.  Boomers resonate with quality preaching and teaching that engages them.  Music cannot be stodgy or amateurish.

5.  Boomers want to control their time.  They demand flexibility in their schedules, so consider allowing a team of teachers in a class to rotate through the teaching responsibility…preparation time will be reduced, Boomers will experience freedom, and lessons will be full of quality since there is more time in between teaching assignments for preparation.

6.  Boomers don’t want a bus trip to view fall foliage.  Boomers will respond to events that involve travel, ministry, and spiritual depth.  This is an active generation that doesn’t want to age and slow down, so as Bill says, “you’d better get your track shoes on.”

The book is full of more insights about building a new ministry to Boomers since they aren’t expected to make the transition to most of our church’s current senior adult ministries.  The book is a quick read with thought-provoking questions and insights.

To order a copy of the book from LifeWay, click here to jump to the book’s landing page at lifeway.com

The Thank You Economy reminds us that we’ve entered a new era, one in which developing strong relationships is pivotal to a brand or a company’s success.  In the past, companies have pushed their messages out to the consumer.  In the new economy, companies will have to develop relationships with consumers, and be comfortable with the fact that they (the consumer) have the power via social networking to influence the buying decisions of friends, family, and strangers.  Shoving one-way communication down a customer’s throat may have been an effective marketing strategy in the past, but not in the present economy.

The author, Gary Vaynerchuk, says that social media has taken us back to a time in our country when people frequented businesses because they liked the owners, felt good about the products, and wanted to help out their neighbor.  He says, “Social media has transformed our world into one great big small town, dominated, as all vibrant towns used to be, by the strength of relationships, the currency of caring, and the power of word of mouth.”  Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites allow us to communicate with friends, family, and others about the experiences we have with companies, products, and yes, even churches (Vaynerchuk does not address the church, but I see large implications for the church in his book).  Church leaders must be prepared to engage people in the social media arena regarding their church, the Sunday School, and other ministries.  Apologize for the shortcomings, don’t hide failures, and be honest and open (authenticity is key) about who you are and what your church is.  Look for ways to engage people in an online conversation about your church and Sunday School as you find places in which people have dialoged in the social media world.  Even negative comments, according to the author, can help you engage people in honest conversation and it will allow an opportunity for many others to see your open, honest, and calm communication with a disgruntled person.

What should the church, and Sunday School, learn from this?

1.  Social media and its influence are not going away any time soon.  Learn to use social media to promote your church and Sunday School in the virtual world.  Spend time searching for conversations about your church and engage people in an honest dialog.  Set aside time each week (daily is even better) to track down conversations in which the subject of your church comes up.

2.  A poor experience at church or in the classroom may be seen by the masses.  Faith Popcorn once called disgruntled customers “vigilante consumers” for their use of social media, phone, e-mail, and word-of-mouth to hurt those businesses that disappointed and/or ignored them.  If you deliver a poor experience to a church member or guest, it may be magnified a hundred fold as they talk about it in social media.

3.  You’re never done.  In the Thank-You Economy, you never are done communicating with potential customers (members/parishioners)…as the author says, “The Thank You Economy rewards marathon runners, not sprinters.”  You’ll want to thank people for choosing your place of business (i.e. church) and continue to engage them after the initial encounter.

To learn more about The Thank You Economy, click here to go to the Amazon website and read details and customer reviews

Rather than me listing out the changes, click the ETB Revisions link below to view a PDF presentation that is interactive and listen to my friend, colleague, and project leader for all ETB products, Dr. G. Dwayne McCrary, explain the new changes and how they will benefit teachers and learners!

As always, thanks for dropping by, reading the blog, and passing it along to friends and colleagues who are passionate about Bible Study, God’s Word, and Sunday School.

ETB Revisions