We Would Like To Invite YOUR Church To Host One Of Our Workshops In 2008!
In 2008, the Pennsylvania State Sunday School Association will offer TEN different 2-1/2 hour training workshops (including two brand new workshops). The two new workshops will be "Sunday School Success in the Small Church" and "Effective Bible Study for Excellent Bible Teaching."Your church is invited to host one of the P.S.S.S.A.’s workshop training events for your church and community. Each workshop will be presented either by P.S.S.S.A. Executive Director, Rodney Pry, or by one of the Association’s other highly qualified trainers.
Each of our workshops are 2-1/2 hour events that can be presented on a weekday evening, Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon or evening. You can also present two different workshops as a 5-1/2 hour event on a Saturday.
Each workshop is presented on a "per participant" basis. In 2008 we have actually reduced the price of our workshops to just $20.00 per person. If you would like to present two different workshops as a 5-1/2 hour event on a Saturday, the price will be just $30.00 per person. All workshops must be open to persons from other churches in your area. All persons attending the workshop must be pre-registered and pre-pay to the host church. The minimum number of participants for each workshop is 15.
We hope that the host church will also agree to help promote the event in their area and to help involve as many Christian education workers from their own church and community as possible. The P.S.S.S.A. will provide custom printed brochures and other materials to help promote the event. We will also do a mailing to other churches in your area.
Churches interested in hosting a workshop in 2008 are urged to talk to potential participants about possible dates for the event (late winter, spring and summer are great times to hold a workshop).
If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your area, we invite you to call the P.S.S.S.A. Office with at least TWO dates in mind. We will contact our trainers and get back to you as soon as possible to confirm a date for YOUR workshop event. If you have additional questions, please call (toll free) 1-800-358-2303.
OUR 2008 WORKSHOPS…
Workshop #1: "Sunday School Success in the Small Church"
Does your church have a membership of 250 or less, or an average worship attendance of 125 or less each week? If so, then you are a part of a "small church." But, you are not alone! Over 75% of all churches in Pennsylvania fall into the "small church" category.
One of the biggest concerns in many small churches relates to their Sunday school. A majority of small churches say that their overall Sunday school attendance is down by 20% or more in recent years. Most report problems recruiting good, quality teachers and leaders. Many have noted very specific declines in attendance by children, youth and young adults. And, unfortunately, as Sunday school attendance and effectiveness decline, the number of closings among small churches continue to increase each year.
For many years, church leaders have agreed that the Sunday school is one of the best barometers for judging the overall health of a church, that that can certainly be seen as evident today in churches all across Pennsylvania and the nation. As the Sunday school declines, general interest and the spiritual levels of the church also usually decline.
What can we do? Are all small churches destined to see their Sunday school and their entire program decline? Certainly not! Across the Keystone State there are hundreds of good, effective small churches and Sunday schools. And, although these churches have no desire to grow into a huge mega church, they are growing and producing true disciples who are changing their local communities and the world in a very positive way for Jesus Christ.
To aid small churches in this vital area, we have developed our brand new "Sunday School Success in the Small Church" workshop. This workshop is designed to provide a wealth of information, ideas, resources and inspiration to all local church and Sunday school teachers, leaders and members.
The new workshop will focus on:
- The importance of Sunday school within the small church
- The advantages of a small church
- Common problems facing a small church
- The development of better, more effective teachers and leaders
- Making Sunday school more appealing to all church leaders
- Finding and recruiting new Sunday school members
- Effective methods for building spiritual commitment and more!
Participants will receive worksheets that contain an outline of the workshop and additional resources that can be used to promote and build their local Sunday school.
Workshop #2: "Effective Bible Study for Excellent Bible Teaching"
Excellent Bible teaching doesn’t just happen. Behind the content and method of what is being taught is a teacher who has taken the time to effectively prepare their lesson. The quality of the lesson is not necessarily based on the amount of time given to the preparation as much as it is dependent upon the effectiveness of the study that went into the preparation process. That indeed is the key to an excellent lesson.
Teachers want to know how to effectively study the Bible in order to teach an excellent lesson. This workshop will highlight the six "P’s" of effective Bible study and then layout a schedule to help teachers to fit the preparation process into an already busy schedule. Briefly, the six "P’s" of Bible study are:
- The Prerequisite for Bible Study
- The Presupposition behind Bible Study
- The Preparation for effective Bible Study
- The Principles of effective Bible Study
- The Perspective of Bible Interpretation
- The Processes of deriving Bible Application
There will be a brief opportunity to put these "P’s" into practice during the workshop session. The over-riding goal of the workshop is to maximize your Bible study in order to raise the excellency of having your learners discover God’s Word for their lives.
Workshop #3: "Reaching & Teaching Young Adults in the 21st Century"
In far too many churches today, there is one particular age group that is very conspicuous in its absence. Who are they? Young adults, age 18 to 30! Statistics tell us that only 32% of young adults attend church on a weekly basis; 20% have no religion at all. And, from age 18 to age 29, church attendance declines by 58%. The statistics are very clear in their message: We need to be doing more to reach out to the 18 to 30 year olds within our communities. But what can we do and how can we do it?
To prepare this new workshop, the P.S.S.S.A. conducted extensive research and study and talked with a number of leaders from churches that have very successful young adult ministries to compile information and put it into an informative and practical workshop that will provide information, ideas and resources to help all church and Sunday school leaders. As the workshop was developed, we were able to identify 13 important elements that contribute to the success of young adult ministries and we were also able to identify a number of programs (ranging from traditional worship and Sunday school to new programs and activities like relationship building activities focused Bible study groups) that these churches are successfully using to reach and teach today's young adults in and through the church.
Workshop #4: "Overcoming the Biggest Obstacles To Sunday School Growth"All Sunday schools have problems, but only as you meet and overcome these problems will your Sunday school be truly successful. This workshop looks at the most common problems of today's Sunday schools and how to successfully overcome them.
Some of the problems to be addressed in the workshop will include:
The lack of training for Sunday school teachers and workers.
The lack of spiritual growth.
The shortage of teachers and workers.
The lack of children and youth within the Sunday school.
The lack of concern for Sunday school by other church members.
The lack of concern for Sunday school by church and denominational leaders.
The lack of good Sunday school literature and other resources.
And more...
This workshop is designed to help churches identify their own obstacles that may be hindering their Sunday school growth and provide practical answers to how they can work to remedy each problem.
Workshop #5: "Sharpening Your Skills as a Teacher In Church"
Whether you have been teaching for a few months or many, many years, all teachers need a "refresher course" from time to time. This workshop is designed to help teachers of all age groups sharpen their current skills and get new ideas and information to be even better and more successful. Some of the areas to be covered in the workshop will include:
The importance of being a teacher in the church and Sunday school.
Renewing your personal commitment and relationship with Jesus Christ.
Utilizing today's most effective education theories in the church classroom.
Making the most of today's best and most effective teaching methods and tools.
Evaluating your success as a teacher in the church and Sunday school.
Workshop #6: "Preparation For Sunday School Growth"The "Preparation For Sunday School Growth" workshop is offered as a workshop to help involve all Sunday school members in the work of Sunday school growth. The workshop is designed as a practical "how-to" workshop on Sunday school growth and renewal for pastors, Sunday school leaders, Sunday school teachers and individual Sunday school members. Topics to be covered include...
"Whose Sunday School Is It Anyway?" The purpose of this section will be to help people see that every person is important in the Kingdom of God and in the church. Only as individual members feel "ownership," will they really become involved and active in trying to make the Sunday school better and more effective in its ministry.
"A Sunday School Health Check." This section will include consideration of a list of questions that are designed to help participants examine their Sunday school - where they are, where they have come from, and where they are heading.
"Preparation For Sunday School Growth." Sunday school growth doesn't just happen. Before you can really think about Sunday school growth, you must think about making improvements in your program. Specific areas to be examined include: "Openness to Growth," "Have a Goal & Plan for Growth," "Spiritual Renewal," "Program Renewal," "Teacher Improvement & Training," "Positive Public Relations," "Prayer" and others.
