Basics For Sunday School Directors

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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Compiled by Ed Gilman
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You Want to Live
a Safe Life?

• Avoid riding in automobiles because they are
  responsible for 20 of all fatal accidents.
• Do not stay home because 17 of all accidents
  occur in the home.
• Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14
  of all accidents occur to pedestrians.
• Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water because
  16 of all accidents involve these forms of
  transportation.
• You will be pleased to learn that only .001 of
  all deaths occur in church.   
• Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place
  for you to be at any given point in time is at
  church!

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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Americas Churches Are In Decline

• Across this nation about 85 of our churches are
  plateaued or in decline.
• Of the remaining 15, about 14 are growing
  through transfer growth.
• Only 1 of churches in America are growing by
  conversion growth.

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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
10 Must Do Duties
1- Know the 10 Bottom Line Numbers (see slide
7) 2- Establish, Develop, Maintain and Guide
use of Sunday School Prospect Files 3- Create
and Guide the Sunday School Leadership Team
(faculty) 4- Visit in Homes of your Sunday
School Leaders 5- Establish a Prayer Ministry
with Sunday School Leaders (lists)
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
10 Must Do Duties
6- Establish New Units and Restructure your
Sunday School at least every 2 years 7- Set
Annual Goals for the Sunday School 8- Conduct
Annual Planning Retreats for your
Team 9- Provide for Training of your Sunday
School Leaders (and keep
records) 10- Give Recognition to your Sunday
School Leaders (formally and informally)
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
10 Bottom Line Numbers
1- Sunday School Enrollment 2- Sunday School
Average Attendance 3- Enrollment / Attendance
Spread 4- Number of Prospects 5-
Possibilities (enrollment prospects) 6- New
Enrollment Required to Gain 7- 3 Sundays and
Youre Out 8- Sunday School Attendance to
Baptism Ratio 9- New Units 10- Unsaved
Enrollment to Baptism Ratio
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Flakes Formula

• He did not give us a magic formula, but he did
  give us 5 timeless principles for Sunday School
  growth that are still relevant today.
• Flakes formula does not work, you have to work
  the formula.
• Remember, all great ideas eventually erode into
  hard work, Flakes formula is no exception.

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Flakes Formula
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
1- Know the Possibilities

• Keep definite records of enrollment.
• Continue to find prospects.
• Know the difference between a prospect and a
  suspect.
• Keep an accurate visitation file of these
  prospects for each age group.
• Continue to cultivate new ways to discover
  prospects.

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Flakes Formula
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
2- Enlarge the Organization

• Sunday Schools must continue to create new
  classes and departments (units) if they are to
  grow.
• New units typically grow faster because they are
  smaller and want to grow.
• New units are usually more focused on outreach
  and evangelism, and have higher rates of
  baptisms.
• New units are better at assimilating new members
  than established classes.
• New units open more doors for ministry
  opportunities to individuals and their families.

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Flakes Formula
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• 3- Enlist and Train Workers

• Enlisting workers properly and enlisting proper
  workers is a critical element in growing a church
  through the Sunday School.
• Provide each potential teacher with a job
  description of your Sunday Schools expectations
  of them.
• Train them through specific training
  opportunities and through a consistent workers
  meetings.
• Always maintain a proper teacher/pupil ratio in
  fairness to both the teacher and the pupils.

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Flakes Formula
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• 4- Provide the Space Facilities

• You can only put so many people in one room.
• When the room is full growth stops.
• The proper facilities and adequate space must be
  provided in order to grow.
• Like all of Flakes formula, growth will not
  automatically happen when you provide great
  facilities, all the principles of Flakes formula
  must be followed to sustain long term, healthy
  Sunday School growth.

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Flakes Formula
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
5- Go After the People

• Visitation of prospects and constantly contacting
  absentees and members for ministry, witnessing,
  and spiritual nurture is critical to growth .
• Follow-up is the key to reaching people in this
  busy culture we live in.
• Open enrollment means there are no
  qualifications for membership in a Sunday School
  class, they dont even have to attend before they
  can be enrolled.

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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

Barnetts Principles of Enlargement
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1. The Principle of Leadership Reaching
prospects depends upon an adequate ratio of
workers to enrollment upon the degree of
commitment these workers show toward their
tasks. 2. The Principle of Delegation Reachi
ng prospects depends upon the effective
delegation of responsibility to Sunday School
workers. 3. The Principle of Grouping
Reaching persons depends on using a grading
grouping plan that respects the individuals
developmental stage provides for annual
promotion in all groups. 4. The Principle
of Involvement of Learners Reaching prospects
depends upon the degree and quality of
involvement which teacher and class members
achieve in their Bible study.
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Barnetts Principles
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6. The Principle of Organization Reaching
prospects depends upon the creation of new units
designed to meet the growth potential at
hand.7. The Principle of Space and
Facilities Reaching prospects depends upon the
expansion of space and other facilities as
growth potential suggests the need.8. The
Principle of Relationship Reaching prospects
depends upon balanced, consistent, prayerful
action in accordance with all the principles of
growth.
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Barnetts Principles
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• Ten Characteristics of the
• Purpose-Driven Sunday School

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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• 1. The intent and focus of Bible Study is to
  bring about life change through an encounter with
  Gods Word and to help members understand and
  live out their mission.
• 2. Every Bible study presents an evangelistic
  focus in content or application.
• 3. Unit leaders and members regularly
  contribute to the evangelistic prospect list,
  select visitation teams and participate in weekly
  visitation.
• 4. Age appropriate curriculum is chosen to
  accomplish the mission of the church by a team of
  staff and laity following a developmental process
  designed for personal and corporate growth.
• 5. Teachers are certified through a formal
  apprentice program, being mentored by an
  experienced teacher(s) combined with an
  appropriate personal study program.

Purpose-Driven
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• 6. Leaders members are led to maintain a
  dated prayer list of persons needs, recording
  prayer results sharing answered prayers as
  appropriate.
• 7. Fellowships are planned and conducted at
  least monthly for the purpose of developing
  friendships, involving members, guests
  in-service members as appropriate.
• 8. Class enrollment is maintained at a number
  that facilitates growth, with apprentice leaders
  assigned to each unit ready to begin the next
  group as soon as the enrollment reaches the
  birthing level.
• 9. Units are structured with a ministry/care
  team that maintains a weekly contact with members
  has an action plan for meeting immediate long
  term members needs.
• 10. Each teaching unit plans and conducts
  appropriate service projects designed to
  penetrate and impact the community for Christ,
  providing for the involvement of all members.

Purpose-Driven
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• An Overview of the Ten
  Best Practices of Sunday School

The best practices of Sunday School as strategy
are presented here as 10 brief, concrete,
imperative statements. They are not a mechanical
formula for success, but describe the process of
designing an effective Sunday School strategy.
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
1- Commit to the Strategy

• We will commit to Sunday School as the
  foundational strategy in a local church for doing
  the work of the Great Commission by
• Developing an annual plan that supports the
  churchs thrust to lead people to faith in the
  Lord Jesus Christ and build on-mission
  Christians.
• Including as key elements of the plan ongoing
  short-term open Bible study groups additional
  Bible study events, such as Vacation Bible
  School, that focus on foundational evangelism
  foundational discipleship.
• Providing the best-possible financial support to
  implement the strategic plans.
• Implementing the plan through specific monthly
  and weekly actions.

Ten Best Practices
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2. Organize with Purpose
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will organize our Sunday School ministry to
  accomplish the objectives of leading people to
  faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and building
  on-mission Christians by
• using the concept of age-graded, open Bible study
  groups as the primary organizing principle for
  Bible study groups.
• providing groups for all ages and generations,
  including preschool, children, youth, young
  adults, and adults.
• relying on sound learner leader ratios proven to
  be effective for each age group in developing the
  age-group organizational structures.

Ten Best Practices
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3. Build Kingdom Leaders
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will build kingdom leaders who are committed
  to Sunday School strategy as an expression of
  faithfulness to Christ, His church, and the
  mission mandate He has given by
• Praying for God to call out leaders for kingdom
  service through Sunday School ministry.
• Implementing a leader-enlistment approach that
  focuses on helping people respond to their
  personal call from God rather than an approach
  that is primarily concerned with filling church
  or organizational positions.
• Enlisting leaders who themselves are committed to
  cultivating and multiplying new leaders.

Ten Best Practices
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3. Build Kingdom Leaders
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Continued

• We will build kingdom leaders who are committed
  to Sunday School strategy as an expression of
  faithfulness to Christ, His church, and the
  mission mandate He has given by
• Devoting major attention to leadership meetings
  that focus on the mission, on relationships, and
  on Bible study.
• Providing training that equips leaders for their
  work and enhances the quality of their
  leadership.
• Calling out people who will give their lives to
  evangelizing the lost and who are willing to
  participate in ongoing evangelism training and
  multiplication of evangelism leaders.

Ten Best Practices
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4. Develop Soul Winners
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will lead leaders and members to become
  soul-winners and witnesses for Christ in all life
  settings, including the home, by-
• Teaching members to view being a practicing
  soul-winner as the role of every believer.
• Challenging members continually to be aware of
  the spiritually lost people they encounter daily.
• Focusing attention on the responsibility of
  Sunday School leaders and members to lead people
  to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Training leaders and members how to share the
  gospel through an intentional, ongoing strategy.
• Providing regular opportunities for leaders and
  members to share the gospel as part of personal
  home visits.

Ten Best Practices
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5. Win the Lost
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will engage in evangelistic actions that
  result in winning the lost to Christ, as well as
  in other actions that target the unchurched and
  reclaim the spiritually indifferent, by
• Involving members in discovering individual and
  family prospects.
• Maintaining up-to-date master and working
  prospect files and implementing an ongoing
  approach for making evangelistic prospect
  visitation assignments to members.
• Providing regular, specific times for
  evangelistic, outreach, ministry visitation.

Ten Best Practices
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5. Win the Lost
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Continued

• We will engage in evangelistic actions that
  result in winning the lost to Christ, as well as
  in other actions that target the unchurched and
  reclaim the spiritually indifferent, by
• Committing ourselves to witness for Christ in all
  life settings, including the home.
• Teaching evangelistically, including foundational
  teaching, especially with preschoolers and
  children, that becomes the basis for a later
  conversion as the Holy Spirit brings conviction
  of sin.
• Challenging unchurched or spiritually indifferent
  individuals and families to commit to living as
  followers of Jesus Christ.

Ten Best Practices
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6. Assimilate People
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will assimilate individuals and families into
  the life of the church and facilitate their
  growth as disciples of Christ by
• Encouraging new believers to identify with Christ
  and His church through baptism and church
  membership.
• Emphasizing regular participation in systematic
  Bible study as the foundational step of
  discipleship.
• Enrolling people anytime, anywhere in ongoing
  Bible study and other short-term Bible study
  groups.
• Providing an atmosphere for building
  relationships with one another in an environment
  of grace, acceptance, support, and encouragement.
  
• Encouraging all believers to strengthen their
  walk with Christ by participating in other
  discipleship opportunities.

Ten Best Practices
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6. Assimilate People
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Continued

• We will assimilate individuals and families into
  the life of the church and facilitate their
  growth as disciples of Christ by
• Developing a system for tracking individual and
  family participation in ongoing Bible study and
  in discipleship groups.
• Developing a system for tracking actions that
  serve as indicators of spiritual growth and
  personal spiritual vitality.
• Providing opportunities for new Christians and
  church members, and their families, to discover
  how they fit into the life and ministry of the
  church.
• Planning opportunities for individuals and
  families to pray together and to work together
  toward fulfilling the Great Commission.
• Promoting systematic, biblical giving and the
  stewardship of life as the norm for believers.

Ten Best Practices
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7. Partner with Families
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will partner with parents and families to
  build the home as the center of biblical guidance
  by
• Providing an appropriate open Bible study group
  for every member of the family, including family
  members with special needs.
• Providing training and resources to help parents
  fulfill their responsibility as the primary Bible
  teachers and disciplers of their children.
• Developing family-oriented evangelistic and
  ministry strategies that help families to reach
  other families for Christ and the church and
  minister to their needs.

Ten Best Practices
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7. Partner with Families
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will partner with parents and families to
  build the home as the center of biblical guidance
  by
• Building a leadership team that believes in and
  models the essential partnership of home and
  church in Bible teaching.
• Providing Bible study and devotional materials
  that encourage and support family worship and
  Bible study in the home.
• Exploring the possibilities for intergenerational
  ministries that enable the different generations
  to interact with each other rather than being
  isolated from one another.

Ten Best Practices
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8. Teach to Transform
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will engage individuals and families in the
  biblical model of instruction that leads to
  spiritual transformation by
• Preparing faithfully for the open-group Bible
  teaching session, including personal spiritual
  preparation and participation in leadership
  meetings.
• Encountering Gods Word in a Bible study group
  guiding learners toward spiritual transformation.
  
• Continuing to guide learners toward spiritual
  transformation in daily living and family
  relationships.
• Centering the transformational teaching learning
  process around these Bible teaching elements
  acknowledge authority, search the Scripture,
  discover the truth, personalize the truth,
  struggle with the truth, believe the truth, and
  obey the truth.
• Preparing open-group lesson plans to teach in a
  variety of ways (relational, musical, logical,
  physical, reflective, visual, verbal approaches).

Ten Best Practices
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8. Teach to Transform
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Continued

• We will engage individuals and families in the
  biblical model of instruction that leads to
  spiritual transformation by
• Looking for opportunities in other settings to
  both teach and model the message of the Bible.
• Equipping parents to be the primary Bible
  teachers in their homes.
• Choosing open-group Bible study curriculum
  materials that lead learners to explore the
  entire counsel of God during their life stages.
• Providing the best-possible teaching resources
  that enable teachers to teach for spiritual
  transformation.
• Providing the best-possible space and equipment
  as appropriate for age-group teaching and
  learning.

Ten Best Practices
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9. Mobilize for Ministry
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will take deliberate actions to mobilize
  people to meet with compassion the needs of
  individuals and families by
• Remembering that the greatest need is to be in
  right relationship with the Lord.
• Helping identify ministry needs and informing
  leaders and members about ministry opportunities.
  
• Equipping individuals and families to minister to
  others in need in all settings.
• Leading members and their families to be involved
  in ministry and mission projects as a
  continuation of Sunday School Bible study.
• Involving the church family in supporting
  missionaries and mission work through prayer and
  giving.

Ten Best Practices
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10. Multiply Leaders and Units
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will develop and implement an intentional
  process for continually multiplying leaders and
  units by
• Communicating the key relationship that
  multiplication of leaders and units has to the
  overall mission of Sunday School as strategy.
• Teaching every believer to be in service and on
  mission and to multiply themselves.
• Developing a potential leader-training ministry
  that helps members explore their leadership
  potential and possibilities.
• Making leader enlistment and multiplication of
  units an ongoing process rather than annual
  actions.

Ten Best Practices
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10. Multiply Leaders and Units
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• We will develop and implement an intentional
  process for continually multiplying leaders and
  units by
• Encouraging and supporting the initiative of
  existing Bible study groups to reproduce
  themselves through new open Bible study groups
  that increase the opportunity to evangelize and
  disciple more people.
• Encouraging and supporting the efforts of leaders
  to identify prospective leaders and guide them
  toward service for Christ and His church.
• Engaging the church to start a new Vacation Bible
  School, start a new Sunday School, or help to
  plant a new church mission.

Ten Best Practices
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Sunday School General Officers Job Descriptions
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
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Sunday School Director
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• Being responsible to the church for all phases of
  Sunday School work including outreach, Sunday
  School teaching improvement and worker training,
  witnessing, ministering, and Bible teaching
  projects such as Vacation Bible School.
• Seek counsel and leadership from the pastor or
  Minister of Education.
• Lead the Sunday School Council in planning and
  evaluating the work of the Sunday School.
• Represent the Sunday School on the Church
  Council.

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Sunday School Secretary
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• The Sunday School Secretary is responsible to
  the Sunday School Director for compiling and
  maintaining weekly, quarterly, annual records,
  and reports for the Sunday School.

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Outreach-Evangelism Director
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• Be responsible to the Sunday School Director for
  planning, conducting, and evaluating the Sunday
  School in reaching, witnessing, and ministering
  to those who are not members of the Sunday
  School.
• Be responsible for training of outreach leaders.
  Coordinate plans for prospect discovery.

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Vacation Bible School Director
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• Responsible to the Sunday School Director for
  planning, promoting, conducting, and evaluating
  the church's Vacation Bible School.

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Sunday School Workers Covenant
BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Believing that the privilege of guiding people in
the Christian way of life is worthy of my best,
I covenant, as a worker in the Sunday School of
my church to

• Order my conduct in keeping with the principles
  of the New Testament, and seek the help of the
  Holy spirit that I may be faithful and efficient
  in my work. (Eph. 41)
• Be regular and punctual in attendance and, in
  case of unavoidable absence, give notice thereof
  as far in advance as possible. (I Cor. 42)
• Make through preparation of the lesson and for my
  other duties each week. (II Tim. 215)
• Attend the regular planning meetings. (Luke
  1418-20)
• Use the Bible with my group on Sunday morning, or
  other meeting times, and help them to understand
  and love it. (Psa. 11916)

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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• Contribute my tithe to my churchs budget. (Mal.
  310)
• Visit prospects frequently and make a special
  effort to contact absentees each week. (Acts
  246)
• Study one or more books from the Church Study
  Course each year. (Prov. 1528a)
• Be loyal to the program of the church, striving
  to attend all worship services. (Heb. 1025)
• Make witnessing a major endeavor. Prov. 1130)
• Seek to discover and meet the needs of those with
  whom I come into contact, especially fellow
  church members and prospects for my church. (Gal.
  62)
• Pray regularly for the church, the Sunday School,
  the officers and teachers, and for the pupils and
  the homes from which they come. (I Thess. 517)

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BASICS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTORS

• Cooperate wholeheartedly in the plans and
  activities of the church. (I Cor. 39)
• Apply the teachings of Christ in moral and social
  issues of my everyday life. (James
  122)
• With the help of God, I will do my utmost to keep
  this covenant
• ____________________________
• Name Date