Recently, I asked my Sunday morning Bible study class to indulge me in a short illustration. I asked four volunteers to come forward and stand shoulder to shoulder. I then asked three to step forward while the fourth remained in place. I explained that of all the people that join a church, three out of four do so because someone they know and trust invited them. Seventy-five percent of church members joined through an existing member. This is not speaking to the work of the Holy Spirit, who creates faith in the dead sinner through the Gospel of salvation of Jesus Christ. Rather, people predominantly join after being invited by a friend. We know this is true of adults, why not children as well?
The following Bible passages related to faith sharing would make excellent memory verses.
Here are few outreach ideas that work well for adults and can be adapted for Sunday School students as well.
Church-themed Spirit Wear. If your church has T-shirts or other apparel, encourage you students to wear this clothing as often as possible. Clothing, pens, coolers, and the like are excellent tools for promoting your ministry. What’s more, they are low impact. In other words, even the shyest Christian in the world can wear a T-shirt promoting the church without ever saying a word.
Prepare Event Cards. A second idea is quarterly event cards. At the beginning of each year, the church should have some idea of all the events that will take place over the following twelve months, such as: concerts, pot-lucks, plays, Christmas programs, special worship services, and the like. Each quarter of the year, produce a simple card that lists the events for the next three months. Distribute these to your students and encourage them to share the cards with friends, neighbors, classmates, and so on. If you have a special Christmas party or other special event within your Sunday School class, create simple invitations using business or note cards. These are simple tools that facilitate inviting others to church and Sunday School events.
Faith Sharing Calendar: Picture an Advent calendar; however, instead of opening a window each day to reveal an image of Christmas, each window reveals a friend or family member whom the student may invite. Prior to beginning the craft, have each student compose a list of the people in their life whom they could invite. To get them started, create a list of your own. This list could include friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers, classmates, and others. The goal is to be specific, to list people by name.
Be My Valentine Guest at Church: As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s common for kids to exchange cards or invitations to parties. Help the students create cards in the same Valentine’s Day style, except these cards are for worship, Sunday School, or other church events. The invitation could even include Bible passages that highlight God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.
Young people can be wonderfully effective witnesses to the Good News of Christ. Blessings on your efforts to equip them!
Help kids learn to share the Good News daily with the Everyday Faith Calendar.