Sunday School Youth

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Youth Sunday School
Compiled by Ed Gilman
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Relating to Youth
Establish common ground. Go where youth are
and make contact. Invite youth to your
home. Participate in youth activities. Be a
good listener.
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Relating to Youth
Practice affirmation. Be sensitive to youth
needs. Develop trust. Be a friend, not a
buddy. Pray for youth, specifically by name.
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PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Back-to-School

• Link this huge event in students lives to
  Sunday School. Since there is already a new
  school year, there needs to be a renewed emphasis
  on the new Sunday School year.

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PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Attendance Competitions (Fall and Spring)

• There are two times a year that are ideal to do
  some kind of competition. Give points and rewards
  to folks who go all out in inviting members and
  prospects to come on attendance days. Be sure the
  rewards are for effort and not just for results.
  The event can be for one day or to build
  attendance for an entire month.

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PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Summer Mania

Family vacations, sports and band camps, jobs,
and so much more begin to fill up the live of
students in the summer. This should be an
emphasis focused on reminding students to be
faithful in Bible study participation. Plan
things that you can only do during the summer.
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PLAN AN ATTENDANCE EMPHASIS
Christmas and Easter

In some churches, this is an ideal time to
challenge people to be faithful in attendance.
Some students only show up at this time of the
year. Do something extra special and remind
students that this is the kind of experience they
can have every week.
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Effective Outreach

• Record keeping is essential. Make sure you
  collect complete information about prospects at
  every opportunity.
• Plan a calendar of ideas and activities for the
  whole year. Too often outreach doesnt happen
  because we never plan for it. Also make sure your
  plans are not interfering with the overall Youth
  Ministry or church-wide plans.
• Teach key students how to make others feel
  welcome. The key to outreach is your students.
  They need to realize the significant role they
  play in reaching unchurched people.

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Effective Outreach

• Dont be afraid of failure. Not every event or
  strategy will bring untold masses of students
  into your ministry.
• Set your expectations reasonably. God is holding
  you accountable for doing outreach, not the
  results of it.
• Pray before, during, and after each event. God is
  the mover and shaker when it comes to His kingdom
  business.

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ASSIMILATION

• Every department, class, and ministry should have
  a plan, as well as scheduled activities and
  events to promote assimilation.
• Too many students are lost due to the fact that
  we have not intentionally reached out to them and
  included them.
• The key to assimilation is the student. Whatever
  plan you develop must revolve around the
  abilities and willingness of your students.

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ASSIMILATION

• Idea One
• Enlist Student Care Group Leaders. Assign three
  to six teenagers to each care group leader. Half
  of that number should be regular attendees and
  the other half prospects and chronic absentees.
• Encourage care group leaders to make weekly
  contact. The focus of the contact should not be
  just to get them to attend. Instead, the student
  care group leader should focus on building the
  relationship.
• Relationships are essential to building a sense
  of community among class members.

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ASSIMILATION

• Idea Two
• Another idea is to plan monthly or quarterly
  class fellowships. Make the focus of the event to
  build relationships.
• Structure activities so as to allow students time
  to get to know each other. Play games where they
  have to do things with people they dont know
  very well.
• Prepare a get-to-know-you sheet which requires
  students to get information from other students.

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ASSIMILATION

• Idea Three
• Another idea might be to enlist a host or hostess
  for your class.
• His or her responsibility would be to greet
  newcomers, enroll them, introduce them to others,
  and sit with them in class and in worship. They
  could also be responsible for making sure the
  newcomer is assigned to a care group leader.
• The first few moments in the class or department
  time are some of the most important in
  assimilating guests into our ministry.
• Who is the one person who would be perfect for
  this you are aware of now.?

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Youth
Sunday School Leadership Job Descriptions
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Division Director

• Coordinate the work of the Youth Sunday School
  where there are two or more adult departments.
• Discover training needs and plan training
  opportunities in conjunction with the Sunday
  School Director.
• Participate in outreach efforts, planning
  meetings, and Bible study groups.

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Department Director

• Discover and enlist other department leaders.
• Monitor the process of assimilating new members.
• Lead the large group time when planned for a
  Sunday morning.
• Lead the planning period for the department at
  worker's meetings.
• Work with youth leadership team and youth to plan
  fellowship opportunities.

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Department Secretary

• Be responsible to the Department Director in all
  matters related to department records.
• Process and maintain visitation records and
  maintain an up-to-date prospect file, and provide
  records for the caring ministry.
• Determine ways information from records can be
  used to minister to people.

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Teacher

• Be responsible to the Department Director or
  Sunday School Director for the total work of the
  class.
• Teach youth the Bible by guiding
  discovery-learning activities.
• Participate in planning sessions, outreach and
  visitation activities, and other special Sunday
  School functions.

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Youth Class Leader

• Be selected by the teacher to serve for a three
  to six month period of time.
• Assist the teacher in administering and
  evaluating the activities of the class.
• Participate in training opportunities.
• Be involved in Bible studies and encourage peers
  to be personally involved.

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Youth Care Leader

• Be selected by the teacher to serve for a three
  to six month period of time.
• Assist the teacher in administering and
  evaluating the activities of the class assist the
  teacher in leading class members to care for
  members, non-members and their families.
• Participate in training opportunities.

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