Bobby Sebastian serves Poplar Grove Baptist Church in Cookeville as a Bi-vocational Pastor. Under his leadership, the church has seen continued growth in Sunday School and was recognized as one of the Fastest Growing Sunday Schools in Tennessee in 2007.
He believes that the key to growing your Sunday School is to multiply by dividing. New groups enlarge the organization so that it can reach and minister to more people more effectively. He states, “Try not to allow classes to become too large. Over 30 is pushing it.” Bobby understands and practices the principle of the Power of Ten, “For every new SS group a church starts, attendance increases by 10 people.”
The biggest obstacle for Poplar Grove in starting new units was overcoming space limitations. A new educational building was built three years ago to allow for the continued creation of new classes. If you have space issues, consider scheduling a One Day Consultations provided by the TBC. A trained consultant will be provided to analyze your space.
Bro. Bobby encourages classes at Poplar Grove to build "community." Classes need to have the characteristics of a "life group," incorporating fellowship and planning outside activities. He understands that life change best happens in a small group experience. Bobby states, “This is very important as your church begins to grow. Member care is taken care of largely through the Sunday School class.”
