Wednesday, August 7, 2013

RALLY SUNDAY: Keep it Simple but Effective

Rally Sunday is coming! It's not the beginning of the church year but it is the beginning of the education year in the church. There are 6 previous postings for Rally Sunday. You can use the categories on the right to check them out. They include ideas for a 100 Day Challenge, a few creative leadership ideas, introducing your carnival of ministries, and how to kick-off the year with random acts of kindness.

Rally Sunday is a day for the leadership of the church to rally the congregation. It's a unifying and focusing event when they are introduced to the educational game plan for the year and encouraged to participate. A LOT of churches turn Rally Sunday into quite a circus and I'm not really a fan of that but I am a fan of introducing people and programs of ministry in fun and creative ways. The key is in not focusing more on the power of entertainment than on the power of the Word. We want people to give their faith as much attention as they do their Facebook time, fishing trips, soccer team, work, Sunday brunches, or their math homework. Remember that when you involve the parents you involve the children. 

Here are a few simple ideas:
  • Include a breakfast potluck or picnic after or between services or at the very least have some special breakfast finger snacks for the kids.
  • Have people write some creative skits to introduce the leadership.
  • Remind the parents why they need Bible study as much as their children do.
  • Create a visual menu of some kind for the bulletin with descriptions of the classes and include why it's so important for people of all ages to remain rooted in the Word. 
  • Invite a puppet group to introduce Bible characters that will be studied by the children. 
  • Include some Sunday School songs in the worship.
  • Choose a theme for the year and create a banner that can hang in a prominent place throughout the year.
  • Commission EVERYONE in the congregation after you commission the teachers! It can be an affirmation of everyone's commitment to be a part of theirs and/or their children's Christian education. 
Rally Sunday - It's all about the value of Bible study! 


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