When you read a Sunday School manual that's a full-length book, or you read through a leader guide that has way more stuff in it than you could ever use, and then you get to Sunday morning and half of your time is spent listening to prayer gossip, it can be discouraging. To simplify things, I've created a one-page checklist for Sunday School. Keep these simple questions in mind. You don't have to do each one every week, but you do want to do them regularly:
Evangelism
Personal and relational evangelism does not easily take place at a sermon invitation.
Do I share the gospel during Sunday School or train members to do so?
Does my class pray for and reach out to lost people?
Is my class a comfortable and welcoming place for lost people to learn about Jesus?
Discipleship
Discipleship best happens in intentional and organized small groups.
Do I have a goal for each class meeting that involves life-transforming discipleship?
Do I teach outside of my comfort zone to connect with the learners in my class?
Do I have a way of keeping up with my class members’ spiritual growth?
Fellowship
Relationships are best and most easily built in small groups over a long time.
Does my class have opportunities to build relationships outside of class?
Does my class take initiative in keeping up with absent class members?
Are we open and gracious and accepting of all people?
Ministry
Ministry needs are best discovered and met in the context of relationships.
Is my class aware of ministry needs and do we have a way of tracking those needs?
Do we pray regularly and intentionally for our church, class, and extended family?
Does my class have its own ministry in our church and community?
Worship
Worship is about responding to God; God encounters us in His Word and Spirit when we meet.
Does my class acknowledge Christ as Lord in our words and actions?
Does my class look forward to meeting with God in our time together?
Do we take time to praise God for His sake?
Sure, there's a lot more detail we could go into for each topic, but that's for another article. This is meant to be short and simple--an easy starting place.