Finding Committed Sunday School Leaders

Written by Dwight Moss

Do you remember in the opening and closing scenes of “Forrest Gump” how the feather just drifted along with the wind; no purpose, no direction.  It just went along with the flow.  That’s the way it is with many people; they just drift along.  They never lead.  Sometimes they follow, but most of the time they are just there.

Yes, God creates followers. And I am convinced that there are many undiscovered leaders He has created, but they have just not found that area for which they are made to lead. There are a number of things that we as church leaders can do to help these latent leaders move forward.

If we want to find more leaders, we as church leaders ourselves must develop an atmosphere where members are sensitive to God’s leadership call. Some ways we can do that are to:

Exhibit excellence – People are attracted to excellence and repelled by mediocrity. Colossians 3:23 should be our watchword. Everything we do should be done “as unto the Lord” and expect the same of others. We should always attempt to glorify God by what we do and how we do it.

Look for leaders – We need to always keep our eyes open for those around us who may be ready for that first opportunity to step up to the plate. Watch for people who initiate activities in VBS, a Sunday School class, on the ball field, or any place. Anytime there is a group there will be someone who will step forward to lead; we need to always be watching for those potential leaders.

Direct; don’t demand – A leader at any level needs some sort of direction without placing unreasonable demands on them. Pointing them in the right direction then turning them loose builds trust. At times we can give too much latitude to someone who is a potential leader. Everyone needs a degree of direction and we need to check in with them at different stages of the project to see how we might help with some snags they may have encountered.

Furnish freedom – Giving direction to a new leader is good, but don’t micro-manage. Tuning them loose says, “I trust you.”

Praise profusely – Everyone needs to be praised. A potential leader will be looking to be encouraged and praised by the person for whom they are performing a task. Don’t disappoint them. Praise publicly when appropriate; and it usually is. Encourage along the course of the project. If the leader is responsible for others also connected with the project they should be encouraged to praise them as well, mainly be your example.

Set for success – Always give new leaders tasks at which they cannot fail. Small successes now are building blocks for large success later. Set them up for success to build their confidence for other things down the road.  Find a project that is “No fail” for a new or unsure leader. This will help them to become more sure of themselves and prepare them for that major task.

Accept accountability – As leaders, we are accountable to someone in our church. Make sure that potential leaders understand that there are no Lone Rangers in ministry. Accountability helps keep us on track and focused. How we respond to accountability now will establish how others respond in the future. (Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.)  We should first let them know that they are being put over an important task and that we are counting on them as are other people. Let them know that we are also accountable and that we want to help prepare them for some even greater things in the future.

Forget failures – “Failure is not fatal…” Remember that we learn from our mistakes. If we learn from a failure then it wasn’t a total failure.  Learn and apply that knowledge to the next project. Don’t rehash old mistakes and failures; instead recall successes and victories. If someone has had a bad experience or “dropped the ball” in the past they, of all people, do not need to be reminded of that. We all make mistakes from one time or another. Give encouragement but maybe walk a little closer with them through the project than you would have otherwise.

Start them small – Give a potential leader a task a little less than what you think is their capability. When they succeed move them to a larger task.  If they fail, not a great deal is lost and their faith in themselves is only bruised and not broken.  When they succeed, you have helped build them up for the next task.  Don’t put them in a position for many others to be depending on their success until they have proven themselves.

Search Scriptures – “…pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Luke 10:2b HCSB.  God knows we need leaders; after all, it is His harvest.  Use scriptural principles to look for and develop these workers.  Do just what this verse says to do; pray that God will bring leaders to you who have a desire to be developed.

Involve everyone – Most people leave a church because they have no meaningful place of service. As the number of leaders increases so does the number of ministries available for even more leaders to become involved in.  If you even think that someone may be a leader, find a place for them to lead.  Sunday School class responsibilities are a great place to have people get started.

Let them loose – Don’t start all of the ministry opportunities at the church staff level. When people express a need, give them permission to start a ministry to meet that need. They probably already have the passion for seeing it through.

Leaders are like diamonds. Some are just barely below the surface while others are buried deep. In either case, it takes some effort on our part to mine them.

Dwight Moss is Sunday School Director at First Baptist Church in Fulton, Kentucky and a factory sales representative for Continental Research Corporation.

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