Hey Coach!
Administrating the Sunday School is not very different from running anything else. You have goals, objectives, tasks, and budgets. The great difference is the Sunday School is comprised of volunteers instead of paid employees.
You may find yourself working with the volunteer the same way you do with a paid employee, but it is without the leverage of the pay check. This can create some interesting situations. However, many superintendents do a superb job of working with the volunteer staff.
Why do they succeed where others fail? They have mastered the skills of coaching. It may sound strange placing Sunday Schoolandcoachingin the same sentence, but there are similarities between the two.
Coaches come in all types and styles. Some yell and scream, pace the sidelines, and threaten their players. Generally, those who play for them are motivated by fear and intimidation. On the other hand, there are coaches who lead their teams by example and an earned respect. These teams perform to make their coaches proud.
Which coaches are the most successful? I suppose that could be debated, but if you asked which players have the highest satisfaction level and enjoyed the game the most, it would be the ones who play out of respect for their coaches instead of fear.
Coaching the Sunday School team is much the same. Those who are successful in administrating their Sunday Schools are those who cause people to wantto work as opposed to havingto work in the Sunday School.
Since a team is a collection of individual persons with a common goal or purpose, the successful coach will keep a few key ideas in mind when working with them.
Know the team members.
The good coach knows the strengths, the weaknesses, and as much of the history as he or she can know of the people on the staff and how best to utilize them. Volunteers in the Sunday School come with a wide diversity of backgrounds. Some are longtime Christians; others are new. Some are conservative; others contemporary. Some have been in Sunday School all their lives; others may not. Each person on the team must be viewed and dealt with individually.
For years we have encouraged teachers to develop a dossier on their students. A good administrator needs the same information on his team members.
Communicate expectations.
When a team takes the field at the beginning of the game, there is no doubt in the members' minds as to what is expected of them. They are there to win. This is communicated to them in many ways throughout the week and is usually reinforced by the pregame pep talk.
Does your Christian education team know your expectations? Have you communicated this to them in more than one way?
A basic step in this communication process is the development of a mission or vision statement. Let your group help you develop one. It needs to be succinct, easy to remember, and answer the questions, "What are we doing?" and "Why are we doing it?"
With a mission or vision statement firmly in everyone's mind and spirit, there is no question where the team is expected to go.
Communicate individual expectations too. You will naturally expect more from one person than from another, because skills and abilities vary. However, never expect more from anyone than he or she is able to give. It's important to know each person on your team.
Let the team be the team.
The coach's role generally doesn't include playing on the field. He has picked the team, taught them, and developed the game plan. He must then release them to play the game. He stands on the sideline and encourages the team, making adjustments as needed.
Modern theories of management discourage micromanagement. This is good, perhaps long overdue, because people are free to use their gifts and abilities to get the job done. A team that has been put together properly can find a way to accomplish their assignments if given the chance.
The hardest thing about empowering and delegating is learning that others don't do it as well as you. Sometimes they do it better.
Coach player's mistakes.
A part of the coach's role is to correct mistakes that affect the team. In this phase of coaching, it is most important to gather all the information before tackling the problem. Learn why or how this situation has happened. Sometimes it's because of breakdown in communication resulting in misunderstood directions or incorrect information. The person may not be at fault; it could be the system.
Other times the problem might be unavoidable such as finding a class without their teacher. It was the new teacher's first Sunday, and she was late. I quickly stepped in and started working with the class until she got there. The entire time I was thinking of how many ways I could say, "If you are going to teach this class you had better be here on time!"
When the teacher arrived 15 minutes later, she apologized and explained that the automobile battery was dead that morning.
In corrective settings, the goal is to correct performance, attitude, or behavior without destroying the person. "I want you to succeed" must come through loud and clear.
Determining the reason for the mistake helps determine the course of correction. Is it a lack of ability, lack of skill, or just a simple mistake? If it's lack of ability, you may need to look at assigning that person to another area of ministry. If it's lack of skill, training can help.
If it's a mistake, correction is in order but must be done in a way that will not negatively affect the person's feelings about himself or herself.
In a nationally televised baseball game a young outfielder came charging in on a sinking line drive. His intentions were to make a shoestring catch for the out. But the ball skidded past him to the wall, allowing a game winning inside the park home run. As the camera zoomed in on the dejected young ballplayer, the commentator pointed out that this was an "error of enthusiasm."
The seasoned coach recognized this and simply corrected the mechanics of the play, not the young player. This young man went on to become a superstar.
Remember, before you utter your first words of correction, know all the facts of the problem. A wise person once said that a word spoken in anger was one you could regret for the rest of your life.
The Sunday School team is like any other team. A good coach is the key. God can help you be the coach that builds a successful Sunday School with great teachers and workers for now and the future.
