Conducting Leadership Meetings

Adapted from an article by Christina Crawley

The Monthly Planning Meeting

To stay apprised of new situations and to manage implementation of the plan, a monthly Sunday School Planning Team meeting needs to be set in place. By meeting regularly, the Sunday School Planning Team positions itself to be proactive - addressing matters related to implementing the annual plan toward fulfillment - rather than reactive - addressing issues in the midst of crisis.

Here are some guidelines:

ð Select an appropriate meeting time. A regular meeting following the last Sunday of the month is ideal because statistical data for the month usually is available.

ð Use an agenda. A valuable tool for an effective monthly planning meeting is a meeting agenda.

ð Plan the elements of the agenda. The plan sheet is build around these ingredients:
- Inspiration. Set the meeting within a spiritual context and relate the work to the commission of Christ and the mission of the church.
- Information. Provide pertinent information that can help leaders improve the effectiveness of Sunday School.
- Evaluation. Discuss the effectiveness of events that have been completed and consider ways they could have been improved.
- Communication. Report on current activities or on upcoming events.
- Preparation. Initiate efforts related to future or new projects.

- Preview. Provide an overview of upcoming lessons, highlighting each lesson’s Biblical truth and Life Goal. Also alert teachers to any potential ‘trouble’ verses and ways of possible interpretation.

ð Follow Up the Meeting. Send members a summary of the meeting. Absentees will know what occurred during the meeting, and those who attended will be reminded of assignments.

Weekly Leadership Meetings

The weekly leadership meeting is to help all Sunday School leaders to be more effective in all aspects of Sunday School ministry. Here is suggested content of a weekly Sunday School leadership meeting:

· General Period (15 min.). This period is a brief gathering of all Sunday School leaders led by the Sunday School director, pastor, or minister of education. Click here for general period suggestions.

· Department/Class Leadership Meeting. This period is the primary focus of the weekly leadership meeting. Generally, the department directors or class teacher leads it. Each segment is to contribute to the achievement of the objectives in Sunday School.

· Focus on the Mission (10 min.) This portion of the meeting is an opportunity to relate the work of the Sunday School departments and classes to the mission and the ministry of the church. Information is shared concerning the church's ministry. Leaders are made aware of churchwide emphases, needs, and concerns.

· Focus on Relationships (25 min.). During this time, relationships with members and prospects are discussed, individual needs are assessed, and as appropriate, plans are made to involve members in responding to them. Churches using the FAITH Evangelism will use this time to review assignments, give reports, and make follow-up assignments. Occasionally during this time, a study and review of witnessing approaches can be conducted.

· Focus on Bible Study (25 min.). Teaching for spiritual transformation is facilitated when leaders work together to plan the best way to bring members into a life-changing encounter with the Bible message. During this time, previous Bible study sessions may be evaluated and assignments made for subsequent studies, in particular plans deciding how the Bible content for subsequent Sundays will be taught. If your team of teachers uses a variety of curriculum options, allow them to meet together according to their curriculum preference.

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Eight Ways to Show You Care

By Gary Hardin

All everyone needs people who will stand with them during difficult times. The Bible says, “Carry one another's burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). How can you show people you care? How can you help to carry the burdens of people who are coping with adversity? Here are 8 tips.

1. Listen, Listen, Listen

Listening might be the paramount care-giving skill. When we listen, and I mean really listen to people, we demonstrate that their problems and concerns matter to us. Great listeners cultivate the ability to hear not only the words but also the feeling behind the spoken words. If you developed only the ability to listen well, you would be an effective caregiver.

2. Be Cautious About Giving Advice

Rather than give advice, help people identify and evaluate the options available to them. A church member talked with me recently about a problem in her life. After I listened to her explanation of the problem, I asked, “What are you thinking you should do?” She talked about an idea she had. I then asked, “What other options do you have?” Somewhat surprised, she said, “I don’t think I have any.” But after a moment, another idea came to mind, and she stated another possible way she had to solve her problem. This woman left my office armed with at least three possible courses of action for solving her dilemma.

3. Refrain from Judging and Condemning

I have observed that, when people mess up, blow it, or make bad choices, they feel pretty bad. They don’t need me to add another heaping dose of judgment or condemnation. Assure them that no mistake or sin lies beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness.

4. Be Alert to Warning Signals

Here’s what I mean by “warning signals.” A person you have always known as a happy, jolly, effervescent, life-of-the party individual displays a look of deep concern on his face all week long. The frown and deep concern showing on your friend’s face serve as warning signals that something is going on in this person’s life, and you should be attentive.

5. Avoid Saying, “I Know How You Feel”

Even though you may have had the same experience as someone else, similarities may end there. To say we know how a person feels means we have walked in their shoes throughout that experience. If we aren’t supposed to say, “I know how you feel,” what are we to say to communicate concern? Consider these possibilities: • “I have some understanding of what you’re going through.”
• “I went through a similar experience once.”
• “I hurt with you.”
• “I can see the pain on your face.”
• “You seem to be hurting.”
• “What’s the hardest part about this for you?”
• “What are you feeling right now that you had not expected to feel?”

6. Realize the Power of Your Presence

In the face of death, severe crises, gut-wrenching heartache, and the like, we often struggle with what we should say. Sometimes your physical presence—the fact that you are there—speaks more loudly than spoken words.

7. Never Divulge Confidences

As we minister to hurting people, they may confess gross errors in judgment as well as personal sins they have committed. They are counting on you to keep confidential what they have shared with you.

8. Let God Guide You

The psalmist prayed, “Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me” (Ps. 25:4-5). In determining how best to show care for people, ask God to guide you.

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Managing a Meandering Mind

Turn your prayer distractions into God-directed dialogue.
^{By Brad Preston}

Like the prodigal son, my mind wanders recklessly into a far country when I pray. In moments of solitude when I am just getting close to God, my brain shifts into gear and speeds off for the highway. I tried making a list. I tried walking around with my eyes open. I tried praying out loud; I tried praying real loud. The harder I tried to eliminate the distractions, the more frustrating they became.

Then an idea came to me unexpectedly. What if the interruptions are God's effort to dialogue with me in prayer? Perhaps God has a better handle on prayer requests than I do. What if I allowed him to use the distractions to direct my prayers?
I decided to surrender my prayer agenda and to stop fighting the interruptions. Instead of battling my wandering mind, I lift up each random thought in prayer when it comes: "Lord I'm thinking about doughnuts. You got any idea why?" Sometimes praying on it clears the thought away, but other times God uses the thought to speak to me (like convicting me that there's a hole in our relationship).

Besides opening a new world of interactive dialogue with God, my learning to pray the interruptions instead of fighting them, I discovered, has other benefits.

At times my prayers are interrupted by what appear to be inappropriate subjects—lustful images, anger about the ministry, complaints. My response used to be denial. I didn't want to admit those thoughts could enter the sacred place of prayer. Frustrated, I would push them away. If they came back, I pushed harder. But the pushing became a distraction in itself.
Sometimes God uses praying through the thoughts to cleanse them from my mind. Other times I pour out the struggle in all its strife like one of David's psalms. Either way, it has awakened a new honesty and transparency in my relationship with God.

I like sticking with my prayer list because a list is safe. A list can be used to pray for other people's needs while conveniently overlooking your own shortfalls.

But heeding the interruptions doesn't allow for that careful avoidance. It forces me to address sins, regrets, and shortcomings I normally wouldn't choose to include on my list. Now when my prayers are interrupted with, You need to devote more time to being intimate with God, I don't just push the thought away, I stop to pray about it.

By letting the Lord add his items to the prayer list, and by willingly accepting a distraction as an area to explore with Him, I'm doing a lot more listening. I'm finding relief in an area that used to frustrate me. My prodigal mind is beginning to follow the path home—the path that takes me straight to the Father.

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