(without begging!)

It's a Sunday morning, and you're looking forward to teaching kids about Jesus. You get in the car and head off to church, and as soon as you enter the building, you notice many children waiting for your class in Sunday school. You look around for one of your co-workers, but they seem to be missing - or maybe they just haven't arrived yet. Suddenly you realize that every person who is supposed to teach on this day has cancelled their plan to do it because of illness or decided to go to another class or some other unavoidable situation! Now what?

Teaching Sunday School is often a thankless job. There are no quick fixes for the shortage of teachers and workers in Sunday school, but some help alleviates the problem.

This blog post will explore how you can get your church family involved with teaching Sunday school. And you can make it so great that they don't even realize they're teaching! This list of _____ ways to do that will make sure that your children have a blast while learning about God's Word at the same time, plus help you get more people involved.

Before enlisting workers, BEGIN IN A SEASON OF PRAYER.

When you're looking to enlist help in your ministry or project, it's essential to start by seeking God's wisdom and guidance. Prayer is the first step in making sure that our intentions are pure and aligned with His will.

When I think of the best Sunday school teachers, moms, dads and pastors I've had in my life, they all have three things in common: a) They pray. b) They teach their kids about Jesus. c) They make ME want to become a better person. For those who don't know how to start teaching or leading well, it is best to begin with, a season of prayer before enlisting workers. Prayer will ensure you are filled up spiritually and ready for the task at hand!

START ENLISTING EARLY. When you're looking for a Sunday school teacher, it's essential to start early. Give yourself plenty of time! For the first few Sundays in class, one person can teach, and another can lead discussions or play games. You'll need someone willing to commit at least nine weeks to teach - so don't wait until the weeks before to find your perfect candidates! And remember: people are usually more enthusiastic when they go through this process on their own than if someone asks them during an awkward moment like after church service coffee hour or a sudden question on the way to the car.

When seeking a Sunday School teacher, make sure you GIVE THEM TIME TO PRAY ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY. You are hoping they will make a big commitment. Allow them some time for truly prayerful consideration of your request. But let them know you may get back to them in a week so they can start thinking and praying about it right away.

Being allowed time to consider a request is such a thoughtful act that it's easy to see why we should let them some time for praying themselves about whether or not they could help teach instead of just making an immediate decision right off the bat. In this way, both parties are excited about the growing team and encourage one another because prayer was behind the initial offer. But suppose people don't give themselves any space in which to think first before accepting offers. In that case, one cannot expect a lot of excitement about the new position (from either party!).

"If we want to pour into the lives of our students, we need to be pouring into God ourselves..."

A long-term solution to ensuring enough Sunday School teachers is ASK THE CURRENT TEACHER(S) TO APPRENTICE ANOTHER LEADER who can eventually take their place or continue as a team.

Many churches have members who are well suited to tacking on extra responsibility with their current duties like teaching--they simply need someone else there directing them, so they don't feel intimidated by all that is new before them. So if your church needs some help adding more teachers, start looking outside yourself first and reach out to one person you really believe would be up for this role, then offer them guidance from other leaders already employed at your congregation.

OFFER MORE TEACHER/LEADER TRAINING IN SUNDAY SCHOOL. Offer various ongoing events to those interested and who want to come back for the next session! Here are some things you can consider saying to that person and/or to the leadership about this:

"Our Sunday school group would like to offer potential Sunday school teacher training. We have set up ongoing events available for any person interested in leading a class on their own or as part of a team with one other lead instructor."

The goal here is to give kids more educational opportunities and provide opportunities for adults who want to be involved. So you could say to the potential teacher:

"Our congregation is always looking into ways we can help better ourselves, so this past year has been focused on expanding our offerings for children's education at church during Sundays. We start with simply teaching them about how Jesus loved us by having volunteers teach classes once every month. Would you be interested in partnering with us in that?"

MAKE A CO-WORKER COVENENT BETWEEN OTHER TEACHERS! This could help add structure in our lives by exploring ways to collaborate more effectively on Sundays, so each lesson plan meets its goals while respecting everyone's time constraints. These are just two ideas among many: Sharing resources like books or containers for crafts OR bringing snacks into class when necessary rather than giving children an excuse to leave early.

Co-teacher covenants are also an opportunity to get together with other people who share similar questions or weaknesses. It is also gratifying to share strengths and successes in your ministry of teaching children about Jesus! Sharing also gives us regular opportunities to collaborate on how we can better help your students grow spiritually during class time while ensuring they enjoy coming back week after week!

And last but certainly not least, SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER MAY BE THE PERFECT PEOPLE TO ASK WHEN LOOKING FOR OTHER POTENTIAL SUNADY SCHOOL TEACHERS! They know what it's like, which means they will have a good sense of who would do well in this role.

They will know that someone with a special knack for communicating with kids would be invaluable to the teaching team. So if you know any people who are skilled in this area, have them contact the leaders of your church and volunteer!

In conclusion, if you are looking for ways to get your church family involved in Sunday school, I have some great news! Teaching kids is not only enjoyable but VERY rewarding. They might be surprised at how easy it can be and the number of people who volunteer their time teaching on Sundays.

Teaching Sunday school is also a great opportunity for church members to participate in their faith and learn more about what it means to be Christians. It’s an enjoyable volunteer opportunity that can be rewarding on many levels.

Do you need help finding people who want to get involved? Let's connect, if so! Let us know your experience, or share your ideas for inspiring more people to teach Sunday school in the comments below.