Developing Sabbath
School Action Units
Sabbath School Problems
• The decline of Sabbath School attendance in many places.
• It was discovered that nearly 20% of those who have been
Adventist from four-to-ten years never study their
Sabbath School lessons.
• The comparison between church books and Sabbath
school attendance shows a large number of missing
members.
• The majority of teachers have never had any training.
How Many are Missing
Sabbath School
Why Don’t People Come to
Sabbath School
Basic Reasons for Leaving the
Church
• Lack of warm fellowship and
support by fellow members.
• Church services do not meet
their felt needs in coping with
complexities of daily life.
Counsels on Sabbath School Work , p. 257.
• “Our Sabbath schools are what the Lord would
have them to be, for there is altogether too
much dependence placed upon form and
machinery,while the life-giving power of God is
not manifested for the conversion of souls, for
whom Christ died. The order of things must be
changed if our Sabbath schools meet the
purpose for which they exist.”
Counsels on Sabbath School Work ,p. 66.
• “How sad it is to think of the great
amount of mechanical work that is done
in the Sabbath school, while there is little
evidence that there is moral
transformation in the souls of those who
teach and who are taught.”
Testimonies, 5:256
• “There is much to be done in the
Sabbath School work also, in
bringing the people to realize their
obligation and to act their part. God
calls them to work for Him, and the
ministers should guide them their
effort.”
Sabbath School Objectives
• Spiritual Nurture
• Fellowship
• Community Outreach
• World Missions
Sabbath School
Action Unit
Advantages of Sabbath School
Action Units
• Basic Divine Imperatives for a Finished
Work.
• The Potential: The Small Group Sabbath
School Classes Can Provide Adherence to
the Above Imperatives.
Basic Divine Imperatives for a
Finished Work
• The church must realize its obligation to
carry the gospel of present truth to every
creature (CS 111).
• The work will never be finished until the
membership unites in the work (GW 352)
• Every church should be a training school
for Christian workers (MH 149).
Basic Divine Imperatives for a
Finished Work
• The greatest help that can be given our people
is to teach them to work for God, and to
depend on him, not on ministers (7T19).
• The Sabbath School should be one of the
greatest instrumentalities and the most effectual
in bringing souls to Christ (CSSW 10).
• “One who cannot err” has advised the formation
of small groups “as a basis of Christian effort”
(7T21,22).
The Formation of a
Small Group
• “The formation of small companies as a
basis of Christian effort is a plan that has
been presented before me by One who
can not err. If there is a large number in
the church, let the members be formed
into small companies, to work not only
for the church members but for
unbelievers also” Evangelism, p. 115.
Sabbath School Action Unit Potential
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Provide an excellent “training school.”
Turn spectators into participants.
Prepare members for effective outreach.
Enable members to win and retain
backsliders.
• Assist members to reach their own goals.
• Contribute to a finished work through
focused, coordinated effort.
• Provide assistance to most church project
and activities.
Sabbath School Action Unit Plan
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Classes of six to eight
Outreach Leaders - Care Coordinator
Outreach Plan
Class Time - One Hour
Time for Missing Class Members
Time for Outreach
Lesson discussion Application
Monthly Corporate Sharing
Monthly Home Fellowship/Evaluation
Weekly, then Monthly Leader Consultation
Class Needs
•Class size of 6-8
•Outreach Leader
•Outreach Plan
•Time (25 minutes)
Class Operation
• Discussion Group Leaders (5 minutes) Cares for
missing class members.
• Care Coordinator (20 minutes)
a. Calls for experiences related to class
plan.
b. Trains from experience shared.
c. Assigns visits.
d. Promotes the class plan.
e. Conducts prayer session.
• Discussion Group Leader - a choir
director, not a soloist (35 minutes)
a. Review the high points of the
lesson.
b. Ask 3 or 4 questions.
c. Secure full participation.
d. Applies lesson to life this week.
Who, Where,
How, When?
Who?
• Decide on the number of classes needed
by dividing current Sabbath School adult
attendance by seven.
• Review briefly the Care Coordinator and
Discussion Group Leader qualifications
needed.
• Have the group select the best possible.
Where?
•This is not a problem, by
using the ordinary pews.
•The ideal is folding chairs in
circles.
How?
• Prepare a list for each class with the
Discussion and Care Coordinator and
four to six blank under their names.
• Superintendent, Secretary, Personal
Ministries Leader, and Pastor assign
members into balanced “family” group.
• Forming classes in specific territories is
excellent.
When?
• Superintendent, Personal Ministries
Leader and Pastor should over a one to
three week period, explain the plan and
its benefits to the adult Sabbath School.
• Provision can be made for a regular class
for any who are totally opposed to this
approach.
Task of Discussion Group
Leaders
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Study broadly
Select focus
Prepare a brief introduction
Write 3 to 4 application discussion questions
Give an overview of the major points
Encourage participation and assist in making definite
personal application
• Summarize--express appreciation for participation
• Pray for help to meet application objective for the
week
Good Questions:
• The Meaning:
What does this text means to you?
• Learning from Experience: Share an
experience where this text was fulfilled or
was significant in your life.
• Application to Life: Think of what will
possibly happen to you this week? How can
you apply this text to your life this week?
How can you use this text in reaching out
and sharing with someone this week?
The CARE COORDINATOR
should be:
•a tactful, enthusiastic,
persevering, and loving
concerned active member
with a burden for souls,
developing a band of well
trained soul winners.
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
• Claim the Holy Spirit’s infilling and wisdom
• Discover outreach plans of the church
• Know the Personal Ministry leader’s
objectives
• Determine what activities have worked best
in the past to increase quality membership
• Dream big
• List appropriate quality activities
• Make a potential plan
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
Claim the Holy Spirit’s infilling and
wisdom
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
Discover outreach plans of the church
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
Know the
Personal
Ministries leader’s
objectives
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
Determine what activities have
worked best in the past to
increase quality membership
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
Dream big
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
List appropriate
quality activities
Class Planning Session
(Care Coordinator’s Preparation)
Make a potential plan
Class Planning Session
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Pray earnestly
Elect a secretary to assist and record plans
Share thrilling experiences of other action unit classes
Challenge each member with a vision to dream big
Pray two by to two for cleansing
Explain the church focus and plan and the Personal
Ministry leader’s objectives
Ask what has worked best in the past toward the finishing
of God’s work
Call for and value as important each member’s opinions
and comments
Write down all suggestions
Select together a few workable ideas or plans
Do strategic plans
Seven Key Elements of Success
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Class planning session
Care for missing class members
Care-coordinator time: to share experience
and to train, to pray, promote and assign visits
Application of lesson
Leader consultation/evaluation
Corporate Sharing
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Home Fellowship/Evaluation