Well, there is nothing like being in the cool of the mountains of New Mexico.  Add to that an added bonus of a good conference and that is much like chocolate and peanut butter coming together!

Last week I attended a Sunday School Conference at Glorieta led by LifeWay staff.  Ed Stetzer challenged us to wrap our minds around growth (or the lack thereof) in evangelical churches today, all the while encouraging us to press in to what we know is true, the need develop small groups that equip, encourage, and send believers into a world that desperately needs Jesus Christ.  Ed reminded us of the simple, but powerful work of small groups, accountability with one another to love and good deeds!

To further equip, the leaders pointed us to a ministry of balance in our small groups using the Connect, Grow, Serve, Go model.  Check out the the handouts and the informative webcourse.

Have you been refreshed in mind, body, and spirit lately?  Find a great conference at a great location and go!

As you move to a dual Sunday School schedule, here are some time schedules I have seen work:

9:30 SS/Worship, 11:00 SS/Worship (30 Minute Window for turnover/fellowship)

8:15 Worship, 9:30 SS/Worship, 11:00 SS/Worship (8:15 added to allow more space in 11:00 Worship service)

8:00 SS/Worship, 9:15 SS/Worship, 10:45 SS/Worship (Heaviest schedule I have been a part of where we had ABC Sunday School hours.)

I have also worked with 7:00 and 7:30 “early bird” Sunday School classes, which have been Senior Adult, or men’s classes.

Whatever the schedule adjustment, communicate clearly and for some time about the changes.  Pray about it, and have fun!

If your ministry uses Sunday School for small group ministry, then space will be an issue for you.  One way to easily make room on your campus for more Sunday School space is to meet multiple hours.  Keep these principles in mind as you move forward in planning for multiple Sunday School hours:

1.  Take your current facility and count the number of Sunday School rooms you have and multiply by 10.  This equation is not very fancy, but it does give you a quick baseline number of how many folks you can minister with and to on Sundays.

2.  Remember two important ceilings: preschool rooms and parking.  If you move to two Sunday Schools, you cannot double use the parking lot or preschool rooms.  You will need space in both of these areas for the max number you are planning to have on campus.  One church where I served was in desperate need of moving to two Sunday Schools.  But, there was no way to be able to accomodate this because of lack of preschool space and parking.  Since then, the church has been blessed to move to a larger campus.

Ask the Lord to help you grow, in every way!