Assimilating through the
Sunday School and Small Groups
Dr. Tim S. Smith
Matthew 28:18-20
Go=
Baptizing=
Teaching Them=
The call of the Great Commission is “______-making,” not “______-making.”
Healthy Sunday School/Small Groups
•______% of Effective Evangelistic Churches (according to Rainer’s research) identified Sunday School as their most effective assimilation tool.
•Churches with healthy Sunday Schools were found to be more effective in evangelism and assimilation.
•_____% of believers that were involved in SS were still active five years later. Only ______% of those that did not plug into SS were active five years later.
Qualities Found In Effective Assimilating Sunday Schools
1.They tended to have “high expectations” of leaders and members.
2.They tended to be balanced between content and relationships.
3.The Sunday School class was the source from which ministryoccurred.
4.The Sunday School classes had an outward focus.
BUILDING BLOCKS for a Healthy Sunday School
#1 - ______
#2 - ______
#3 - ______
#4 - ______
#5 - ______
#6 - ______
#7 - ______
#8 - ______
#9 - ______
A New Member’s/New Christian’s Class
•These are classes that meet for four to eight hours to introduce prospective members to the church, to orient new members regarding membership, and/or to provide introductory discipleship training to new believers.
•The times and schedules varied widely from church to church. The common factor was that there was a class provided.
Results of New Member’s Classes
•When offered, but not required, assimilation improved by ______%.
•When expected, but not required, assimilation improved by _____%.
•When required, assimilation improved by ______%. People were more than twice as likely as before to become active members of the church.
Information Is Provided
•The information includes general information about the church and ministries.
•The information primarily provides a doctrinal summary of the churches beliefs.
•The formerly unchurched (in Rainer’s study) considered this “extremely important.”
Expectations Are Communicated
1.The participants were “more likely” to engage in ministry.
2.The participant’s were stronger in their financial giving (30% higher than non-participants).
3.The participants were more inclined to share their faith (Only 7% of members ever verbally share their faith).
4.They were more inclined to attend Sunday School.
5.They were more likely to join (if they were prospective members).
An Emphasis On Relationships
•“Intentionality” is a common quality in effective churches.
•Sunday School tended to be the key source of relationships.
–Do you have resident members that are not enrolled in a Sunday School class or small group?
•Relationships need to be assigned as well as spontaneous.
•One-on-One Discipleship is offered by very few churches, but is highly effective where implemented.
•People visit because they are invited. They return if the church is friendly. They assimilate if they build a relationship.
Dr. Tim S. Smith
State Missionary
Sunday School/Small GroupsSpecialist
Georgia Baptist Missions & Ministry Center
6405 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, GA 30097-4092
770.936.5287
1.800.746.4422 ext.287
FAX: 770.452.6580
E-mail:
Website: ssog.gabaptist.org