Many churches are looking for ways to cut ongoing expenses due to the declining economy. Think about the following as you make those considerations in respect to Sunday School and other ongoing Bible study groups.

View these tough times as a great window of opportunity to reach people who now realize their bank accounts, retirement accounts, jobs, houses, cars, etc. are not where they need to place their trust. Churches have a great opportunity now to remind people Jesus Christ never changes and He will help them survive anything—even this tough economy. Bible study leaders do not want to miss this opportunity.

Consider pulling together class leaders or plan a class fellowship around looking ahead at the Bible study sessions for the next three months. You will be amazed at how you can look ahead to connect those studies to this tough economy. You are reminding people of the relevancy of God’s Word yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Coach teachers to developing talking points each week since people are constantly hearing and discussing the economy.

Evaluate what financial expectations you place on Bible study leaders. For example, you may lose some great teachers if they have to purchase their own curriculum and/or teaching supplies. Purchase necessary supplies in bulk as a church.

Insure all church members and prospects are assigned to a Sunday School class or ongoing Bible study group for ministry and fellowship purposes. Not only are people more apt to build relationships here, but your church is more apt to know of ministry opportunities related to the tough economy. Remember to assign preschool, children, and youth teachers to an adult teaching unit, too. Three year olds cannot minister to their teacher, but the adult class or small group can.

Try to avoid making cuts to your ongoing Bible study curriculum. Yes, the Bible is our textbook in Sunday School, but the leader and learner resources help people understand the truths from God’s Word and how that impacts their lives today. In addition, many teachers probably would not have started teaching without some leader helps. Curriculum also helps churches lay out the path they will follow in terms of the scope and sequence of Bible study.

With that said, avoid any wasteful spending or the appearance of wasteful spending. Routinely examine how well you are using the resources you are purchasing. The Sunday School Director, Minister of Education, or Small Group Director should walk through classrooms once a month if possible. They are looking for unused Bible study curriculum and leader packs. Toward the end of a quarter make note of excess unused Bible study curriculum and adjust the next quarter’s order. If a leader pack is still unopened or unused, eliminate that resource from the next order. All churches want leaders to have the necessary resources, but it is poor stewardship regardless of the economy if we waste curriculum. You will find leaders don’t miss the items you reduce from the order if they weren’t using them anyway.

Place your curriculum order early if that option provides a discount. For example, Lifeway’s Dated Order Form provides a 5% discount if you order by the date listed on the order form. That’s an immediate 20% savings possibility. 

Recognize some alternative resources for curriculum may appear to save you money, but may not in the long run. Cost is one consideration for curriculum, but it is not the most important one. For example, there are many great options for downloadable Bible study curriculum. These are great options for people who want downloadable resources. However, consider the following if you are ordering downloadable curriculum strictly to save money.

•  Many churches try downloadable curriculum only to find many people still want a printed copy. If the church supplies these copies, you may or may not save money in the long run. Think about the staff time to produce the copies, the copier paper and ink supplies, etc.
• There are other issues to think about. For example, many teachers have access to a computer at work. Believers need to protect their witness with their employer to insure we provide a day’s work for a day’s pay and that we avoid using work resources for personal use. The teacher may forget to print out a lesson until Sunday morning only to find their home printer is out of ink or out of paper.
• You get the picture. Remember, downloadable curriculum is not good or bad. Just investigate the true expenses if the only reason you choose downloadable is cost. Order downloadable curriculum because you want downloadable curriculum and that it meets your church criteria/policies regarding Bible study curriculum.

Some churches are adapting more expensive options but may be frustrating great teachers who do not have the resources they need to prepare the Bible study session. There are great options for DVD driven Bible studies. However, most churches cannot afford the equipment and the DVD’s for every adult Sunday School class. Therefore, the church may only buy the leader guides. In those cases, most teachers find themselves leading sessions based on the class having viewed a DVD. Since they do not view it nor know the content of the DVD, they plan a session that may not have a clear direction and purpose. 

Many DVD driven studies require Bible study to be completed each day during the week prior to the study. Completing these daily assignments is critical to the discussion during the group Bible study session. Sunday School, by definition, is an open Bible study group. A person who has not completed the assignment will quickly discover he or she is behind—has not completed the “homework”. 

Share your own suggestions or concerns related to how this tough economy is impacting Bible study classes and groups. Email Belinda Jolley to share your suggestions/concerns. Check this article frequently to see additonal ideas.