International Institute of

Christian Discipleship

ARE 04
Developing Sabbath School
Action Units

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®

Description
The adult Sabbath
School is an excellent
setting for developing
a program of outreach
and nurture involving
group dynamics. ©Neuber Oliveira/Churchphoto.de
Description (cont.)
This seminar will explore the purpose of the
adult Sabbath School, provide an overview
of small group principles, explore methods
to revitalize Sabbath School which serves as
instruments of fellowship and membership
retention and provides training to mobilize
members in outreach activities, and make
Sabbath School lessons the highlight
of daily spiritual life.
Basic reasons for leaving the church
Lack of warm fellowship and support from
fellow members.
Church services do not meet their felt needs in
coping with complexities of daily life.
Sabbath School problems
There is a decline in
Sabbath School
attendance in many
places.
It was discovered that
nearly 20% of those who have been Adventists
from four to ten years never study their
Sabbath School lesson.
Sabbath School problems (cont.)
The comparison between church enrollment
and Sabbath school attendance shows
a large number of missing members.
The majority of Sabbath School teachers
have never had any training.
Growth - 2002
Accessions 980,920
– Per day 2,685.61
– Per hour 111.90
– Per minute 1.87 ©Matthias Mueller/Churchphoto.de

New church organized every 3.63 hours

Growth rate = 4.65%
One Adventist for every 482
persons in the world.
Two phases

Conversion Phase
Discipleship Phase
The conversion process
Now what?

The discipleship
process continues . . .
Why do people drop out?
Call of the world
Lack of fellowship
Personality clashes
Force of habit and lifestyle issues
Problem 1 - The call of the world
Friends, relatives, former
lifestyle habits, examples
of inconsistency in
church members
Sabbath problems
at work
Problem 2 - Lack of fellowship
Function Ratio Explanation
Friendship 1:7 Each new member should
have a minimum of seven
new friends in the church
within the first six months.
Member/group 75:1 75 of every 100 church
involvement 00 members should be
involved in a group.
New member 9:10 Nine of every ten new
group members should be
involvement involved in a small group.
Problem 3 - Personality clashes with
people in the church
Problem 3 - Personality clashes with
people in the church (cont.)
“Old guard” “gatekeeper” traditionalists who do
not really want new members in the church
because it disturbs the power structure.
Church members who “lock out” new members
and don’t even realize they are doing it.
Problem 3 - Personality clashes with
people in the church (cont.)
They unconsciously want to “protect” their
“church home” from “outside” influences,
and they see this as a perfectly legitimate
attitude in line with Christian “standards.”
Intolerant church members who insist that new
members must immediately meet their personal
standards.
Problem 3 - Personality clashes with
people in the church (cont.)
Church members’ impatience with new members’
unfamiliarity with Adventist church practices.
Unfortunate use of Adventist “vocabulary” and
lack of common sense in dealing with new
members.
Problem 3 - Personality clashes with
people in the church (cont.)
Inability of the new member to find a social
“home” in the church.
“Locked out” new
members is one of the
most common reasons
why people leave.
Problem 4- Force of habit
People's lifestyle cause them to form
habits that keep them from church.
Tired, too much to do, etc.

If someone is absent three Sabbaths in a row,

and no one knows where they are, it is a sign
that something is wrong!
What new members don’t understand
New members come from
many different backgrounds and
usually do not understand many
Adventist ways of doing things.
Assimilating and retaining new members
in the Church
What can Sabbath School do?
“Our Sabbath schools are not 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. This order of things must be
changed if our Sabbath schools meet the purpose
for which they exist.”
—Counsels to Teachers, p. 41
“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!”
—Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 66
“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 in their effort.”
—5 Testimonies, p. 256
Sabbath School objectives
Spiritual
nurture Fellowship
(Bible study)

Community World
outreach missions
Blessings of Sabbath School action units
From 20-100 in six weeks: Portland Oregon
Fifty families returned: Holland, Michigan
Sixty brought back 31: Owasso, Michigan
A transformed church: Iona, Michigan and
Saginaw, Michigan
Four non-Adventists came to Paradise Valley,
Arizona
Blessings of Sabbath School action units
(cont.)

Back to Church after 30 years:

Grand Rapids, Michigan
A 15%-90% increase in daily lesson study
in two months, Owasso, Michigan.
Woman discovered her spiritual gift,
Baltimore First.
Seoul, Korea
Advantages of Sabbath School action units
Basic divine imperatives for a finished work.
The potential: 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
(cont.)

The greatest help that can be given our people is

to teach them to work for God, and to depend
on Him, not on the minister (7T, p. 19).
The Sabbath School should be one of the
greatest instrumentalities and the most effectual
in bringing souls to Christ (CSSW, p. 10).
“One who cannot err” has advised the formation
of small groups “as a basis of Christian effort”
(7T, p. 21, 22).
The formation of small groups
“The formation of small companies as a basis of
Christian effort is a plan that has been presented
before me by One who cannot 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
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.
Sabbath School Action Unit potential (cont.)
Contribute to a finished work through focused,
coordinated effort.
Provide assistance to most church projects
and activities.
Sabbath School Action Unit plan
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
Sabbath School Action Unit plan (cont.)
Monthly corporate sharing
Monthly home fellowship/
evaluation
Weekly, then monthly leader
consultation
Class needs
Why small classes?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Visitors to the church
Sabbath School Action Units

Care Coordinator
Group Discussion Leader
Social system
“Triangle of learning” 10%

A child remembers: 20%

10% of what he reads 30%
20% of what he hears
30% of what he sees 50%
50% of what he hears & sees 70%
70% of what he says
90% of what he says & does 90%
Based on research by the University of Texas
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 shared experiences.
c. Assigns visits.
d. Promotes the class plan.
e. Conducts prayer session.
Discussion Group Leader – a choir director,
not a soloist (35 minutes)
Reviews the high points of the lesson
1. Asks 3 or 4 questions.
2. Secures full participation.
3. Applies lesson to life
this week.
The principles of CLAIM

Connect
Learn
Apply
Integrate
Master
The principles of CLAIM
Connect: Why should I study this subject?
Learn: What are the Bible facts?
Apply: How does this topic relate to current events?
Integrate: How will I share this information with others?
Master: By answering these questions, I master the skill
of telling my “story” and giving an answer for the hope
that is within me (1 Pet. 3:15) as I claim responsibility
for my own learning.
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?
The ideal is folding chairs in circles.
It is also fine to use ordinary pews.
How?
Prepare a list for each class with Discussion and
Care Coordinator and four-to-six blanks under
their names.
Superintendent, Secretary, Personal Ministries
Leader, and Pastor assign members
into balanced “family” groups.
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
Study broadly
Select focus
Prepare a brief introduction
Write 3 - 4 application discussion questions
Give an overview of the major points
Encourage participation and assist in making
definite personal application
Task of discussion group leaders (cont.)
Summarize - express appreciation for
participation
Pray for help to meet the
application objective
for the week
Good questions:
The Meaning: What does this text mean 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 might 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
and developing a band of well-
trained soul winners.
Class planning session
Care Coordinator’s Preparation:
Claim the Holy Spirit’s infilling and wisdom
Discover the outreach plans of the church
Know the Personal Ministries leader’s objectives
Determine what activities have worked best in
the past to increase quality membership
Class planning session (cont.)
Care Coordinator’s Preparation:
Dream big
List appropriate quality activities
Make a potential plan
Class planning session
Pray earnestly
Elect a secretary to assist and record plans
Share inspiring experiences of other action
unit classes
Challenge each member with a vision
to dream big
Pray two-by-two for cleansing
Class planning session (cont.)
Explain the church focus and plan and the
Personal Ministries 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
Class planning session (cont.)
Select together a few workable ideas or plans
Do strategic planning
Seven key elements of success
Class planning session
Care for missing class members
Care coordinator time: to share
experiences and to train, pray,
promote, and assign visits
Application of lesson
Seven key elements of success (cont.)
Leader consultation/evaluation
Corporate Sharing
Home Fellowship/Evaluation
The key of discipleship

©Neuber Oliveira/Churchphoto.de

Small Groups Sabbath School

Action Units
Sabbath School
Action Units

International Institute
of
Christian Ministries

©2012 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®