I still believe in Sunday School!

Sunday School was started in 1780 in England by a gentleman named Robert Raikes. Mr. Raikes ran the local newspaper and was a committed Christian. He became concerned for the large number of poor children being forced to work 6 days a week in factories; he often watched on Sundays as these kids wandered the streets cussing and getting into trouble. Robert Raikes started “Sunday School” to teach these factory kids to read and write. He also taught them the basics of the Christian faith.

Many today believe that Sunday School is like Trix; ‘just for kids’. Deuteronomy 31:12 implies that Sunday School is for all ages. It reads, “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law.”

As Christians we don’t really have problems; what we call problems God would call opportunities. Here are a few ‘opportunities’ the church faces regarding Sunday School.

1.      Attendance opportunities – Attendance across the board has been dropping; in worship, bible study, volunteering, etc. If we want worship attendance, offerings, volunteering, witnessing, and serving to go up we need to get people committed to Sunday School. Romans 10 tells us “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” 

2.      Recruitment opportunities – We can’t simply find a warm body to put in a classroom yet the number of volunteers is in steady decline. We have to find those gifted in teaching and recruit them. 

3.      Facility opportunities – Many classes meet in rooms too big, too small, or too old and depressing. We must constantly evaluate classes and adjust rooms as needed. 

4.      Money opportunities – It takes money to buy literature, snacks, crafts, and books. As stewardship declines, this becomes a bigger challenge. 

5.      Resource opportunities – Adults will drop out of Sunday School if they are not getting something of value for their investment of time. We have to equip teachers with the best resources and tools so that they might teach the scriptures in a way that transforms lives.

Recognizing that some of those ‘opportunities’ are substantial, there are some questions to ask. The answer to these questions will determine how vibrant and successful a Sunday School will be. 

1.      What is Sunday School’s purpose? The obvious answer most give is to “teach the bible”. That’s correct but only 25% of the answer. Sunday School is the reaching, teaching, caring, and evangelizing arm of the church. The Sunday School is to be the front door by which many get connected to the church. For every 2 lost adults that attend Sunday School for 6 months, one of them will be saved. 

2.      Who should teach Sunday School? Teachers must lead by example. Acts 20:28-30 reads, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” 

3.      Should we give up on Sunday School? There is a movement to off-campus home small groups. The percentage of worship attendees attending home cell groups is always significantly less than the percentage that attend an on-campus bible study class on Sunday mornings. Some pastors want to allow for their teaching from the pulpit to suffice for teaching the bible, but the problem with that is much of the small group dynamic like relationships, accountability, and the ability to ask questions is lost.

4.      What would be the results if we gave up on Sunday School? Our church members would become ignorant of the Word. Our churches would not be bionically strong nor sound. Our ability to influence society would be greatly diminished. The Church of England gave up on Sunday School years ago and I think the results speak for themselves.