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Leadership Development
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Taking on the role as the leader of a Sunday school class has been on my heart for some

time now. After much prayer and planning, I have decided that I am ready to take on the

challenge. This class has given me many new leadership skills to utilize in order to make my

new ministry a success. I plan to focus on the five practices of exemplary leadership while

focusing mostly on inspiring a shared vision.

 Seeking God¶s will and plan for my ministry is the first place to start. I have prayed

earnestly about accepting a leadership role in our Sunday school department and feel that God is

leading me in that direction of service. There are many privileges and responsibilities to

becoming a Sunday school teacher. Seeking God¶s vision and making it our vision is at the top

of the list. Other guidelines to follow are communicating with my class, understanding my role

and responsibilities as a teacher/leader, and involving my class members in the growing process.

I hope to exemplify the five practices of exemplary leadership that we have learned from Kouzes

& Posner during this class.

³Where there is no vision, the people perish«´ (Proverbs 29:18) As a Sunday school

teacher, I will become the primary vision-caster for my class. I will need to see the possibilities

beyond the present realities ± perhaps to see what no one else can see. . The vision of my class

is becoming a class after God¶s own heart that carries out His Great Commission as we go. To

share and inspire this vision with my class, we will pray alone and together; envision what our

class can do to reach the lost; and share our ideas with one another in order to accomplish our

goals. My vision will provide the focus of all that we do as a Sunday school class. It will help to

motivate, encourage, energize and direct our class.

Communication is another key for successfully leading and growing my class. I will not

only clearly state our vision and goals but will be enthusiastic about carrying out the plans we set

forth to attain our goals. I want to set an example for my class to follow by using the infinite

resources that God has provided me in order to grow in my spiritual life and encourage them to

do the same. With daily prayer, Bible reading and interacting with other believers, we are able to

learn more about and grow closer to God each day. We grow excited about what we learn and in

turn others see a change in our attitude and life style.

 Understanding my role and responsibility as the leader of my class is important. I will

first and foremost teach, minister to and fellowship with the students who are enrolled in my

class. Preparing a lesson each week that has meaning and application to our lives is vital to the

success of my leading the class. Encouraging one another is also vital to our class. However,

my other responsibilities include encouraging an outreach program. We are called to witness to

and share the gospel with those we come in contact with daily. ³Do not merely listen to the

word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.´ (James 1:22)

Involving my students in ministry will be a key to making our class successful. Everyone

likes to feel wanted and needed. When we have a responsibility or obligation, we are more

likely to be committed. By delegating duties to them, I will be freeing some of my time and not

bear the whole load of the class. Giving them these responsibilities also allows them the

opportunity to serve and grow more spiritually mature. ³Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it.´ (Proverbs 22:6)

My personal leadership values include integrity, honesty, accountability, communication

and team work. A leader must create, communicate and demonstrate what he wants his

followers to emulate. By always acting accordingly to my values, I am able to model the way for

my followers. I will be able to set a positive and spiritual example for them. ³To walk the talk,

you have to have the talk to walk.´ (K & P, p.47) If I am not prepared to teach the lesson to

them each week or if I haven¶t communicated with them during the week, how can I expect them

to do the same? I have to do what I say and earn respect and credibility from my followers. I

must lead by example!

The things I have learned the most throughout this class are the importance of

experimenting and taking risks. I have never been a risk taker even though I am not afraid of
change or failure. I realize that we learn the most during these situations. Not only do I need to

take risks but I need to encourage others to do the same. ³Leaders find ways for people to stretch

themselves.´ (K & P, p 172) Reflecting on situations in my past when I have been challenged, I

remember being encouraged and feeling a sense of purpose. With this in mind, I plan to

encourage my students to step outside their comfort zones. Perhaps there will be some who are

interested in becoming teachers one day. I will encourage them to share during class and maybe

teach a lesson when they are ready. Other ways to encourage experiments with my class will be

through our outreach ministry. Instead of the traditional visitation outreach, maybe we can have

a game day and invite the community. This will allow us the opportunity to meet people, share

God¶s word with them and invite them to our class.

The leadership component I plan to focus mostly on during the building and growing of

my Sunday school class is inspiring a shared vision. Envisioning the future of our class and

enlisting my students to participate in its growth is what I want to improve. There are many

ways I can enlist my students in the class. By giving them responsibilities such as being a care

group leader, outreach coordinator, in-reach coordinator, or social coordinator, I would be

enlisting them in order to ³bring the vision to life´ (K & P, p. 141). However, envisioning the

future is more difficult for me. Jim Pits, Northrop Grumman Corporation tells us that ³You

begin with the end in mind, by knowing what you dream about accomplishing, and then figure

out to make it happen.´ (K & P, p. 103) My vision of the near future of our class is growth so

exponentially that we need more room. The long term vision I have for our class is having to

form another class.

It is easy to share these ideas, visions, goals, etc with others, get them excited and

enthusiastic, and encouraging them to get on board. However, keeping the excitement and
enthusiasm is always a challenge. As the leader of the class, I plan to recognize each

accomplishment we make by keeping track of our progress on the wall in our room. This will

not only encourage them to excel but it will celebrate our accomplishments along the way.

I am looking forward to taking on this new leadership ministry in the near future. It will

be a challenge and yet so rewarding. I love encouraging people and seeing them succeed in all

they do. This role as a leader will enable me to inspire my class members into action. I will also

focus on helping them ³to develop their spiritual gifts and skills and to discover more fully who

they are created to be.´ (Kaldor, 2002)

Setting goals for my class will take place during our first three classes. I would like to

share my vision with them and encourage them to offer suggestions for goals. We will compile a

list of class goals and post them on the wall in our classroom. The vision will also be clearly

stated and visibly posted in the classroom as a reminder each week. As the class grows, we may

have to come up with new activities or ministries to involve people. Using the visionary

leadership skills we have learned during this course, I will be able to foresee what changes may

need to be made. ³Visionary leadership is based on a balanced expression of the spiritual,

mental, emotional and physical dimensions. It requires core values, clear vision, empowering

relationships, and innovative action.´ (McLaughlin, 2001)

 References

Kaldor, P., 2002. È


 

     
  .

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007).  
 San Francisco: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.

The Holy Bible, NIV (1996).

www.lifeway.com , How to Organize an Adult Open Sunday School Group.