You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less

Video Discussion Guide

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Double Your Class (WordPerfect)
Double Your Class (Adobe)

Introduction

I intentionally provide more material than you can use in a normal hour. You could approach this in one of two ways. One would be to condense the material and pick and choose the questions that work for your group. The other would be to expand the class to 12 weeks. Show the video one week and discuss as time allows. Spend the next week in discussion. If we believe that lives are changed in the context of a group, there is something to be said for this approach. I am not sure I have enough here for you to discuss for quite that long, but I am confident that you can come up with some valuable application for you context.

Session #1: Why should we double every two years of less?

OPEN

Let's each introduce ourselves and share one thing that we love about teaching.

DIG

Let's review: as many of the reasons for doubling a class can you recall.
Can you think of any other reasons that you want to grow your group?
Which of these reasons is most compelling to you, and why? Why do you want to double your class every two years or less?⁽¹⁾
How badly do you want to grow your group? How important is it to you?
Josh states that he has one simple message for this seminar. Does anyone remember what it is?⁽²⁾
Josh's first reason for doubling a class every two years or less is because of the thrill of the work. Do you find Sunday School work thrilling? What do you love about being a Sunday School teacher?
What advice would you have for a teacher who did not find teaching thrilling?
Josh says it is more fun to lead a growing group than it is to lead a group that is not growing. Do you agree? Why is this true?
The second reason we should seek to double our classes is because of the lostness of the lost. What are some scripture verses that come to mind that underscore this truth?
Josh's third reason is because of the sickness of the world in which we live. Does it feel to you like the world is getting sicker? What evidence do you see of our world growing sicker?
What recent evidence have you seen of the sickness of our world?
Josh says he think the church fundamentally has the answer. Government doesn't. Psychology doesn't. Education doesn't. The church, fundamentally is charged with the responsibility of curing the disease. Do you agree?
What is the answer?⁽³⁾
A third reason to double our classes every two years or less is because we can do it. Who can quote Philippians 4:13?⁽⁴⁾
Fill in the blank: doubling a class every two years or less requires going from 10 to ________ in a year.
Does going from 10 to 14 in a year sound like a difficult task to you?
Why are we not doubling already? Why is doubling a class every two years or less not common place in churches?⁽⁵⁾
What goal does Josh challenge Sunday School teachers with?⁽⁶⁾
What is a thoroughly assimilated person?⁽⁷⁾
Who is the most recent person(s) your group has assimilated?
Would you accept the challenge to attempt to thoroughly assimilate one couple each quarter? Would you prayerfully receive that challenge as your own?⁽⁸⁾
A forth reason to double every two years or less is because of the power of multiplication. Let's work this out. Let's suppose half of our classes were to double every two years or less and the rest were to stay constant. Where would we be in 10 years if we were to do this? Let's work it out on the board.
Some one look up Matthew 13:23.⁽⁹⁾ Why does Josh say this is the most convicting verse in all the Bible?⁽¹⁰⁾
Do truths like this tend to make you feel condemned?
Can anyone quote Romans 8:1 for us?
Why is it important that we remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ?⁽¹¹⁾
Have you been a part of a church that preached a gospel of "a little bit of grace; little bit of condemnation"? Why is this a dangerous distortion of the gospel?
Another reason to double every two years or less is because of the goodness of the good news. We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord. We are commanded to delight ourselves in the Lord. Are you enjoying God these days?⁽¹²⁾
Josh paraphrases John Piper⁽¹³⁾ as saying, "Our problem is not that we go to hard after pleasure; our problem is not that we want joy too much; it is that we settle for too little. God would give us a magnificent feast at his banqueting table and we were content to each left-overs. God would give us a magnificent view of the Himalayas and we were content to go to the garage and sit on folding chairs and watch slides of Buck Hill." What do you think of this? Do many Christians today settle for too little? Do we not want joy enough?⁽¹⁴⁾
Josh says the problem in many of our churches is not that we don't have good methods, it is that we are not thoroughly happy in God. Do you agree?
How many people in your group are thoroughly happy in God?
How do we stay thoroughly happy in God? How do we stay obedient to the command of God to rejoice in the Lord always?
Josh says we should double every two years or less because Jesus told us to do so. Does obedience to the great commission translate into a class doubling every two years or less? Is this goal soundly based on the commands of God?
The last reason for doubling every two years or less is because of the glory of the God we serve. How does doubling every two years or less help to glorify God?
Josh gives a five point outline for how to double every two years or less. Can you remember these five points?
Let's pray. As we do, would you join me in committing your self to learning to double every two years or less, and, as God gives you the strength, doing it?

Session #2: Teach a half way decent lesson each and every week, nothing less will do.

OPEN

Let's begin by introducing ourselves and sharing one thing we have going for us as a teacher.⁽¹⁵⁾

DIG

Last week, we talked about a number of reasons why we should double every two years or less. How many can you remember this week?
This seminar follows a five point outline. Who can remember the five key points?
How many of you have attended a Sunday School class that was just flat out boring?
Bruce Wilkinson says the #1 problem in Sunday School is that the teaching is boring. He says he hears it 80% of the time. Why is boring teaching so common place in many churches?
How do you take the greatest news ever to hit planet earth and make it boring? What are some common mistakes teachers make that contribute to boredom factor?
One example of a good teacher in the Bible is Apollos. Let's all look up Acts 18:25.⁽¹⁶⁾ What were some qualities that marked Apollos' excellent teaching?⁽¹⁷⁾
One quality of good teaching is that it is biblical. What is the difference between teaching directly from the Bible and teaching from biblical principle? Who could give an example of this? Suppose you are teaching on a servant's heart. Contrast the two approaches.
What does Josh mean by teaching that is clear but not too clear?
Why doesn't teaching need to be completely clear?
What is an example of a teaching of Jesus that was not completely clear?
When was the last time you taught in such a way that people asked you about it during the week, or shared with you an insight that they had thought about because of your teaching?
Good teaching is application oriented. Suppose you are teaching on Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet. What are some ways you could make that teaching application oriented?
Good teaching is interesting. What goes into interesting teaching? How can we make sure that our teaching is not boring?
What does Josh mean when he says we don't have to be Chuck Swindoll to grow a Sunday School class?
Josh says we ought to focus our teaching around one main idea? Do you agree? Why does this help?
What did you teach on last Sunday? Can you summarize it in one sentence?
Why is asking questions an effective method of teaching adults?
You have asked some questions that really took off, while others fell flat. What goes into good questions?⁽¹⁸⁾
Josh says, "It is more important to teach the class than it is to cover the material." What is the difference?
Why is it more important to teach the class than it is to cover the material?
Why do some teachers feel compelled to cover the material?
Josh says it is a healthy thing when there is spontaneous laughter in a class. Does your class ever laugh?
How do you make your class laugh?⁽¹⁹⁾
Why is the quality of the teaching the number one predictor of the growth of any class?
How do you go about learning to be a great teacher?⁽²⁰⁾
What influences have shaped your teaching ability?
What is one thing from this session that you could do to improve your teaching?
How do you feel about making a life long commitment to learning to be a better and better teacher?
Let's pray and make that commitment to God just now?

Session #3: Invite every member and every visitor to every fellowship every month

OPEN

Today we are going to talk about using fellowships to help grow a class. Complete this sentence: my idea of a good time is______________.

DIG

Josh says if you want to double a class every two years or less, don't invite them to class. Why does he say this?
Someone look up Luke 5:27-32.⁽²¹⁾ What was Levi's strategy for evangelism?
Why is it that when people show up to a fellowship, the tend to show up for class? How does that work? Why is that?
Why does Josh put "every member" before "every visitor"?
Someone look up Galatians 6:10.⁽²²⁾ Where does this verse teach we should start our doing good?
How many names on your class roll can you recall that you have not seen in six months or more?
Do you think any of these would respond to an invitation to a fellowship?⁽²³⁾
How do you minister to absentees now?
Why do you think chronic absentees don't attend? Let's make a list of reasons.
Why do people not typically respond to an invitation to come to class?
The second group of people we are to invite to every fellowship every month is every prospect. Where do we get these prospects?⁽²⁴⁾
Why do we need to ask people over and over and over before they respond?
Does that sound difficult or awkward to you? Does that sound like something you can do?
Why is consistency and persistency important?⁽²⁵⁾
What are some ways to invite people? What is the best way?
What kind of fellowships would work for your group? Let's brainstorm together.
Would athletic events work for your group?
What are some examples of seasonal parties that would work for your group?
How do you feel about canceling our Sunday Evening service in order to have Super Bowl parties in our classes?⁽²⁶⁾
Would occasional expensive parties work for your group?
Would occasional long-full weekend, or overnight parties- work for your group?
Who do you have in your group that might have the gift of party that you might could recruit to help you double your class every two years or less?
Let's pencil in some dates for potential fellowships for the next 6 months. Let's start the planning process right now.⁽²⁷⁾
How could we on staff help you be effective in your ministry of inviting every member and every visitor to every fellowship every month?⁽²⁸⁾
How would you feel about making a commitment to try this for the next six months? Let's pray together about that.

Session #4 Give Friday Nights to Jesus

OPEN

Let's each share our name and one thing we have learned from this course so far.

DIG

Let's review. What are some reasons why we would give our selves to doubling our classes every two years or less? Why do you want to double your class every two years or less?⁽²⁹⁾
What are the five steps Josh offers to help us double our classes every two years or less?
Everyone look up 1 Peter 4:9.⁽³⁰⁾ Let's memorize this verse together.
How do you interpret and apply this command? Exactly what is this verse telling us to do?
How effective have your found visitation to be?⁽³¹⁾
Describe what Josh means by "giving Friday nights to Jesus."
Does that sound fun to you? Do you enjoy having people over?
What if you enjoy having people over, but your spouse does not? What do you do then?
Josh speaks briefly about making our churches "seeker friendly." What is the biblical basis of this concept?⁽³²⁾
Would you feel comfortable bringing a seeker to our church?
Can you think of anything we could do to make our church more seeker friendly?
Josh had a 90% response rate of those he had in his home joining the church and becoming Christians and thoroughly assimilated people. Why is this so effective?
Anyone have a guess as to what percentage of our visitors join the church?⁽³³⁾
Josh says that love expresses itself in very ordinary, pedestrian ways. Why is this true?
When you have people in your home, do you and your spouse like the house clear?
Have you found some examples of the truth, "All good ideas degenerate into work"?
Is giving Friday nights to Jesus easy or hard?
What obstacles can we expect if we set out to give Friday nights to Jesus? What bad things will happen?
What is the reward? Why bother?
Is this something you can try?
Do you have people in your group that might really latch onto this concept?
Have any of you ever been on the other end of this? Have you been touched by the friendliness of another's hospitality?
Let's pray and commit ourselves to be obedient to the command of God to offer hospitality without grumbling.
Before we leave, let's quote 1 Peter 4:9 together.

Session #5: Encourage the Group Toward Ministry

OPEN

To get us started, I would like several of you to share one way you have been able to put something to work from this class.

DIG

Let's review. Who can recall the five steps to doubling our classes every two years or less?
Why is a teacher of two year olds the best evangelist for recruiting people to teach two year olds?
Josh says that recruiting people toward ministry is not something we do separate from or in addition to teaching, but is part of the fabric of the teaching process itself. Why is this true?
Can someone be a disciple an not be involved in ministry?
Why is a team a good way to get people involved in ministry?
Josh says people who like to teach don't like to party and people who like to party don't like to teach. Have you found this to be true?
Do you like to party?
Do you have people in your group who like party?
How many people in your group know their spiritual gifts and are involved in a ministry according to their giftedness?
Someone describe the principle of ownership.
Why is this important? What does it have to do with recruiting people toward ministry?
What eight team members does Josh recommend?
What line up are you comfortable with, in terms of team members?⁽³⁴⁾
Who do you know in your class who could be a teacher in training?
Who do you know that might make a good inreach leader?
Who do you have in your group that might be a good outreach leader?
Who could you recruit to do fellowships in your group?
Do you have any one in your group that might really latch onto the idea of doing the hospitality ministry?
Do you have a details oriented organizer who could serve as class president?
Josh mentions two things that don't work in terms of recruiting. What are these two things?⁽³⁵⁾
What does work? How do we recruit people to help with the ministry?
Tell me about one person you have successfully recruited in ministry.
How did you get involved in ministry?
Josh says, "ask, then be quiet." Why is it important that we be quiet?⁽³⁶⁾
Why is it important that we recruit people according to their giftedness?
Why is it better to start with the person and push them toward the ministry, rather than starting with and empty organizational chart and trying to fill it?
Why is it a good idea to let people test drive ministry for a limited period of time?
How do you know if you have a gift?
Do you love teaching? Is it more fun to you than Six Flags?
What are some ways we can motivate people to serve? How can we keep people who have signed up for ministry motivated in the work?
What are some ways we can say thank you to those who help us? How can we honor them?
Let's close. Let me ask each of you to name one person you would like to try to recruit to ministry in the next two weeks.

Session #6: Reproduce

OPEN

Did anyone get a chance to talk to someone about getting involved in the work this week?

DIG

Let's walk through 2 Timothy 2:2⁽³⁷⁾ as Josh did on the tape. Did you follow the math? How many people are impacted by this one verse?⁽³⁸⁾
Is this verse a back handed command? Could you say that on the basis of this verse we are to find a Timothy and say to him, "The things you have heard me say. . ."?⁽³⁹⁾
Why do you think this law is so consistent that Josh talks about that there is a constant ratio of church size to number of groups.
Josh says, "Love at its best is a little bit selfish." What does he mean by that?
Why do outsider want to feel that we have some self interest in meeting them.
Why was it important to Sharon that Josh want to go out with her?
How does this "love at its best is a little bit selfish" have to do with growing a Sunday School?⁽⁴⁰⁾
What does Josh say is the highest price in church growth?⁽⁴¹⁾
Why is saying good bye so difficult?
How is the pain of saying good bye that missionaries must suffer related to what we do in Sunday School?
Someone explain the principle of blocks. What does that have to do with Sunday School?
How do you feel about creating a new group? Do you want to create a new group?
What is in it for you to create a new group?
What did Jesus teach us would be the bottleneck of the evangelistic/ disciplemaking process?⁽⁴²⁾
Jesus told us to pray for laborers. Let's pause and pray right now that God would raise up laborers in our church.
Jesus sent his disciples out as laborers. Who do you know in your group that might be laborer potential, that you might could send out into the harvest? What Timothy have you been able to identify in your group?
Josh mentions three good ways to create a new group. The first one he calls, "trick them." Someone explain that. How does that work?
Why is monitory division according to a hard age division sometimes a harmful approach?
What do you think about using an alternative curriculum for a while in order to create a new group?
Would you be open to our church staring an alternative service? That is, how would you feel about us staring a Saturday night service? Would you go? Would you support those who did?⁽⁴³⁾
How about reproduction on another level. Would you support this church giving birth to a new church at some time in the future?⁽⁴⁴⁾
What does Josh mean by, "take advantage of existing cliques"?
What sub-groups are in your group? Do you have a group of engineers or cowboys or home-schooling moms that would naturally want to form a group of their own?
Josh closes the seminar with a touching story about a time when the group came through for a couple that had lost their five year old boy. When have you seen the body of Christ be for one another the body of Christ?
How is the intentional "invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month" related to this?⁽⁴⁵⁾
Let's pray. How can we pray for one another this week?

1. If your group comes to strongly personalize their own reasons for deeply wanting to double their class, the rest is cake.

2. We can take America for God by giving the ministry to laymen who are working through groups to double every two years or less. "Preach a little" on your vision for reaching your community through groups that double every two years or less.

3. God loves us. We receive grace and acceptance and love from Him. We are able to love each other out of the overflow of receiving love from Him. We create hothouses of love called churches. We take this love to the world. Love expresses itself in ordinary, pedestrian ways like having people over to our homes to share coffee cake and Diet Coke.

4. Philip. 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

5. I am still waiting for a good answer to this one.

6. Thoroughly assimilating one new couple per quarter.

7. Someone whose name is scribble on the back of half a dozen member's phone books.

8. You might pause and pray at this point.

9. Matthew 13:23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

10. Either we are producing a hundred, sixty or thirty fold, or we are bad soil.

11. Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

12. Pause. Let people think about it.

13. Desiring God, Multnomah Press.

14. Piper has a fresh perspective, doesn't he? I'd encourage you to drink deeply at his table.

15. One of the great battles is building confidence into our teachers. Any idiot can tell a teacher what he is doing wrong or how he could do better. Real skill is about building faith and confidence into teachers while at the same time improving their skill.

16. Acts 18:25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.

17. Zeal. Accuracy. Teachability.

18. I'd remind you that I have hundreds of questions available online at http://www.joshhunt.com

19. This is an example of a "jump-ball" question discussed in Disciplemaking Teachers. It is a sort of trick question because, at the end of the day, you should try to make your class laugh. Laughter spontaneously erupts from groups that enjoy being together.

20. Put in a plug for future classes on how to teach. Part of what I am trying to do with this point is build attendance at future classes on teaching.

21. Luke 5:27-32 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, [28] and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

[29] Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. [30] But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

[31] Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [32] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

22. Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

23. It is normal that many of them might not be open to any one invitation. That is why is this a global strategy, not a quick fix. One fellowship will not get the job done. Inviting every member and every visitor to every fellowship every month will get the job done.

24. One of the best ways is from visitors who visit the church. Often times, it will take months of inviting before these people will be at a point that they want to come around and come to Sunday School. I am working on some new material that outlines 10 steps to reaching our friends for Christ. Watch for details.

25. Let me tell you flat out that the first few fellowships you do are not going to be all that much fun. The reason is simple. The fellowship is not about the fellowship, it is about the fellowship. That is, it is not about the bowling, it is about the fellowship that bowling creates. Until the group gets to know one another, nothing you do together will be all that much fun. Once you do get to know on another, sitting around doing nothing is fun.

26. Feel free to leave off this question if you think if will be controversial.

27. You might pass out blank calendars and let people get to work. This will go a long way toward bridging the gap between ideas and action. The video section of this session is short, leaving plenty of time to start putting these ideas to work.

28. This is the subject of my next book, You Can Double Your Church in Five Years or Less. You can do some things like have a monthly fellowship night where the church provides an open nursery to make it easy for groups to have fellowships. Also, you can help with mailing invitations to fellowships. Groups will need your encouragement and support to make this happen.

29. If people really want to, they will figure out how.

30. 1 Peter 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

31. I am told that the average visitation program will thoroughly assimilate about 10% of those that pray to receive Christ in a direct, confrontational approach to evangelism. 90% of the people we have into our home become thoroughly assimilated. Still, if visitation works for you, do it.

32. 1 Cor. 14:23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

33. It would be real nice to have this information available. If you can show your group that you have lots of visitors that are not being reached it may help to inspire their faith that we can double our classes every two years or less.

34. You might want to provide some more direct leadership in this area.

35. Guilt and public invitations.

36. Whoever talks next loses.

37. 2 Tim. 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

38. You are really trying to cast a vision for the long term effect of reproduction. Going from one group of 30 to two groups of 15 is no big deal, except those groups of 15 can grow to 30 and reproduce and so forth. People are very resistant to being divided. You want to give to them a personal sense of ownership over the idea of reproduction.

39. People are resistant to this step. Try to show a strong biblical case for it.

40. We have to catch a little bit of the disease of selfishness in order to cure it.

41. Saying good bye.

42. Laborers.

43. My first book talks about the fact the church in the future will have multiple services with multiple styles and multiple preaching pastors. If you want to ride the wave, it is not a bad idea to drop little hints along the way.

44. Most of the cutting edge churches that are really reaching people 20 years from now have not yet been started. Perhaps you could start one. Every organism has a life cycle. No tree reaches the sky. One of our key strategies of evangelism and discipleship is reproduction at every level-at the group level and at the church level.

45. This particular incident grew naturally out of the intentional discipline of monthly group fellowships?