In a study recently released by Sunday School/Open Group Ministries of the GBC, 37 Georgia Baptist churches were identified as having consistent Sunday School growth over a five-year period.

From 1997-2002, the average Sunday School attendance of these congregations grew at least 2% from the previous year.

This study differs from another recent one we did on the fastest-growing Sunday Schools in our convention,” says Steve Parr, specialist with Sunday School/Open Group Ministries. “Those were based on net gains in enrollment, attendance, and baptisms over a three-year period.”

In 1998, First Baptist Bethlehem averaged 40 people in Sunday School, now the numbers have climbed to over 400.

“A lot of the growth hasn’t been one thing,” says pastor Jody Hice. “Overall, I would say it goes back to God doing phenomenal things in our members.

“Our Sunday school ministry is an outreach for our church. We make it more open to first-time guests. From there we plug them into Life Groups, which are more in-depth small groups that meet on Sunday night.”

 

Small groups help growth

The use of small groups is becoming more common, agrees Faith Baptist, Monroe pastor Chris Connor.

At Faith, where Sunday School/small group Bible study attendance has jumped in the last eight years from 150 to 550, the groups meet on Wednesday nights, some of them off campus.

“Whether it’s small groups or Sunday School, the hardest thing to do is actually forming the group,” says Connor. “Once you get to a certain size, you need to birth a new group and keep the numbers low. It forces people to get out of their comfort zone a little bit.”

 

Providing options improves growth

In addition to utilizing small groups, Pastor Steve Stewart of Oak Hill Church in Griffin says it’s important to provide options.

“We don’t force people to go into an age-related class,” he says. “We offer classes on leadership, for those with newborns or teens, etc. We’ve even started some Bible study classes based on the Andy Griffith Show.

Atco Baptist in Carters-ville relies heavily on a busing ministry in order to get people into Sunday School who otherwise would have no other means of transportation. With a Sunday School enrollment of 780, the five full-length busses and one smaller bus equipped for the physically handicapped are a vital part of the church’s ministry.

Jeremy Digsby, youth pastor, recounts their effect. “About 45-50% of our junior-highers are totally dependent on the busses for them to have a way to church,” he says. “In addition, our youth are able to be involved by going to the doors of the kids’ homes and assisting them across the street.”

In 1993, Oak Hill had 78 enrolled in Sunday School. Today that number has grown to 1,066.

“Because of our size, it is crucial for people to get involved in small groups,” says Stewart. “I tell them from the pulpit that if they’re not involved in Sunday School, it’s going to be difficult for them to be cared for.”

 

Growth results from various sources

Growth can also come from other sources, pastors say.

In 1995, the pastor at Faith Baptist had a heart attack. Serving as an associate at the time, Connor filled in. “Our people began praying for his health, my leadership, and other things” he says.

“We had plateaued as a church, but now started seeing growth. Folks started inviting others. Those people got saved.

“In response, we started Care Night on Mondays in the fall of ‘97. This is when we make phone calls, write cards, and make visits to people. Around 100 of our members are involved.”

 

Important to set goals

Setting goals for Sunday School attendance maintains the growth, says Stewart.

“We continually set goals for our leadership to match. With more people involved comes more responsibility. Accountability is a key factor. Our teachers are required to contact everyone,” says Stewart.

“We also started having attendance campaigns twice a year. These motivate the members to bring someone over a four-week time frame, culminating with high attendance day on the fourth week.

“We generally double our average attendance on that day with no less than an 80% increase. This produces prospects, whom we contact over the next six months.”