The absolute foundation of a call to ministry is the Great Commandment presented by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39.  This is the Heart of the Gospel. A personal relationship with God through functional faith in Jesus Christ is the prerequisite to any meaningful Christian service.  Our effectiveness as Christian workers relies completely on the sureness of this base. 2 3 4 The tasks of the Bible Teaching Program reflect specific tasks of the Great Commission, the purpose of the church.  The classic tasks of the individual class are teaching, involving the “teach people the Bible” and “lead people to worship” program tasks; inreach, involving the “minister to people” and “fellowship with people” tasks; and outreach, involving the “reach people” and “witness to people” tasks. Another classic description of the task of the Sunday School, also reflecting its base in the Great Commission, is:       REACH TEACH WIN DEVELOP 5 As we serve our Lord, we experience the joy of Christian service, the joy of being “God's fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9),  the joy of being involved in serving our fellow man as we teach boys, girls, men, and women.  These rewards are tremendous in their own right. But we also have the longer-term reward of being able to say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.” (2 Timothy 4:7) 6 The task of the Sunday School teacher is one of the most significant tasks in the Body of Christ.  The personal energy and commitment required to accomplish that task are considerable--so great, in fact, that they can only come from a total dependence on the gifting and empowering of the Holy Spirit.  This presentation will focus on the attitude of dependency required in a successful Sunday School teacher. The call of God is a concept found throughout the Bible.  It refers to a profound encounter with God which results in a deep and abiding sense of God’s hand on one’s life, an understanding of God’s direction and purpose for an individual’s life and ministry, and the resulting attitude of dependence on God for direction, empowerment, and strength to accomplish one’s ministry. The Great Commandment was given to individuals; the Great Commission was given to the Church.  The active verb in the Commission is “teach”-- make disciples.  The way we teach is expressed in the participles in the verse:  “going”, “baptizing”, and “teaching to observe.” Note especially the premise in verse 18: Jesus has been given all authority.  He could have chosen to accomplish his mission in any manner whatsoever.  In fact, he has chosen the particular method expressed in the Great Commission--he has chosen to involve us in his service to bring about the Kingdom of God.  In the grace of God, he has permitted us to be “fellow laborers together with God” and to have an active role in what God is doing in the world today. 1 3 How does the church carry out the Great Commission?  It requires a variety of approaches, skills, temperaments, and gifts.  It requires people working together as a team, with unity of purpose but diversity of approaches, to accomplish this vast undertaking. The Sunday School is uniquely positioned to accomplish the mission of the church in the local congregation.  As the largest organization of the church, it has a place for everyone, permitting specific assignments of responsibility for teaching according to developmental needs, for ministry to a variety of life needs, and for outreach to the entire community.  As its staff of teachers and officers work together as a team, they support one another in carrying out each area of the Great Commission.