I was thrilled when I found out my local church was going to use Truth78 in our elementary Sunday school classrooms. It was a change my husband and I had been praying toward for a couple of years. But while changes can be good, they can also be disruptive. The very factors I enjoyed most about Truth78 curriculum (i.e. solid Bible content, interactive teaching format, printed visuals, concrete illustrations, etc.) could feel like a barrage of curveballs for people who had never used it before.
How can you help your team of volunteers make a successful switch to Truth78?
Casting a vision for teaching the full counsel of God directly from the Word in age-appropriate lessons is great, but snarly logistics can distract from the best of visions. What may be equally important to your volunteers is intentional, practical preparation and help. Therefore, lead with vision and the necessary logistics: equip, model, and encourage.
Equip
Truth78 lessons come with many moving parts. Equip your team for the classroom by preparing resources and training your volunteers in how to use them:
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Help teachers prepare the printed visuals ahead of time. Consider gathering a small team to help you trim, label, laminate, and file the visuals lesson-by-lesson so that they are ready for teachers to use. Store these files in a sturdy plastic tote.
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Gather/purchase any additional supplies noted in the lessons. Store these in an easily accessible way for the teachers to use from lesson-to-lesson.
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Print the parent pages and extra workbook pages. File these in the same lesson-by-lesson folders with the prepared visuals.
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Create a classroom schedule. Give your volunteers suggested time allotments for each activity included on a typical Sunday morning/mid-week.
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Decide what lessons will be taught over the year. Many churches don’t have 40 weeks of Sunday school. What lessons will you cut? What might you combine? Do you have extra weeks? How will you use them? Type out a calendar for the year.
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Encourage teachers to carefully read the curriculum Introduction and Scope and Sequence.
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Make sure the classrooms are ready. Decide what will be needed in terms of chairs, tables, wall space, whiteboards, easels, students supplies, etc.
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Provide training for volunteers before the Sunday school begins. Explain how each role works within classroom, and how the curriculum works within the classroom time. Direct them to Truth78’s Core Training Series .
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Communicate what curriculum you will be using to the parents of your students ahead of time. Ask that each student come to class with a good Bible (we encourage ESV) that is easy for them to read (no tiny print!).
Model
Often, the easiest way to learn a new system is to watch it in action. Model for your team how Truth78 works.
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Teach a sample lesson to your volunteers. Use all the printed visuals and concrete props called for in the lesson. Afterward, model a small group time using copies of the workbook pages.
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Volunteer to teach the lesson for the first few weeks of Sunday school. Allow your teachers to observe how to incorporate visuals, props, and kids looking up Bible passages during the lesson.
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Offer to help your teachers find and prepare props and visuals for class throughout the year.
Encourage
Leadership doesn’t stop once the Sunday school year has started and volunteers are using Truth78. Make yourself available for questions and problem-solving throughout the year—and always be ready to encourage.
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Send your team regular emails. Include a word of encouragement grounded in the studies they are using.
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Ask for feedback. Ask specific questions and welcome specific answers.
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Act on feedback. Does something in the classroom schedule need to be clarified? More training needed? A different way/place to store props. Follow-through.
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Host a mid-year refresh. Use this time to thank your volunteers, gather feedback, and offer more encouragement and training.
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Pray, pray, pray! Pray with and for your volunteers. Encourage them to pray over their lesson prep during the week. Have them establish a habit of praying together as a team before each class time begins.
The first year of Truth78 at our church was one of hard work, learning curves, and the occasional bump. We are now going into our fourth year and our classrooms are vibrant, staffed with many veteran volunteers as well as new ones, all of whom have growing relationships with the students in our church. Even better, our students are excited about Sunday school and come with Bible in hand, ready to see what new thing we’re learning today. It takes time, work, and preparation, but it is a wonderful vision. There is no place I would rather be on Sunday morning!
This article was written by Sarah House who is a Sunday School teacher and homeschool mother of four children.
