Comments on: What happened to Sunday school?

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 19:39:15 +0000

Our church continues to have an adult SS class. We have several teachers who switch back and forth, so that one teacher doesn’t have to be there every Sunday. We have been surprised that new people have started attending our church because we have an adult SS class. They were specifically looking for this. We simply go through the Bible, chapter by chapter, (one chapter each Sunday), exploring the Word of God, and what it really says. Class membership continues to grow. A lot of folk are hungry for the world of God, and for a place that teacher the Bible, not some book about the Bible or Christian life.

By: Kristi

Kristi — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:25:20 +0000

Great article. I would be interested to know if the history of Vacation Bible School is the same and your thoughts on that. I would love to see some fresh wind and new ideas on reaching children today.

By: Cathee Miles

Cathee Miles — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:00:02 +0000

I too work in spiritual formation at an urban setting and we are needing to “rethink” Sunday school because parents are not bringing their kids to SS, but are bringing them to church. I am considering doing children’s church style with teaching during the worship hour. The kids are not excited about Sunday school either.
We also provided a day camp in the summer for kids which has been very successful.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:23:40 +0000

In my experience in churches or in our geographical area, I’ve not seen Sunday School used as a tool for church growth, nor have I seen churches hire paid ministers of education, though I know that is true, particularly of the ’70’s era in larger metropolitan areas. We have been living and ministering in a church for the past 15 years in a conservative, very rural community. For our area, in which there are many small churches (and I mean small!), Sunday School, like you said, has certainly “lost its edge.” Sunday School is a great time for age-appropriate discipling for all ages–people are already there for church, parents can learn together while their children are learning and cared for, it provides small-group interaction, and an opportunity for many to grow through teaching and helping. It seems to me that one of the main reasons for the decline in Sunday School is that church families simply don’t see it as valuable enough to either attend or pour their energies into. Families are too busy–Sunday mornings are the time to sleep in–it’s a family day–or, even more so, the one day of the week children’s sports leagues find an empty schedule to fill. In our experience, the god of self and sports has wreaked havoc on our teaching/discipling times on a Sunday. People seem content to come to a worship service (where there is little preparation or commitment expected) but there are other places to be during the Sunday School. We could actually use a bit of advice! We have just a handful of children (ages 3-13), so now we do Sunday School together–so the discipling I would like to see simply does not happen. We have trouble recruiting teachers as well. We’re all for evangelization and teaching unchurched children and adults, but not sure that it will happen on a Sunday morning. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

By: Becki

Becki — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:50:46 +0000

A great article with many things to think on. I’ve been trying to shape some purpose statements for our Bible Learning time on Sundays and this article has given me several solid ideas.
Thanks!

By: Karl Bastian

Karl Bastian — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:39:50 +0000

Fantastic article! Often unknown history of Sunday School which is usually seen as a church program. I was privledged to be the first children’s pastor at the historic Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, Illinois and enjoyed remonding people there that the church, founded by the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody, began as a Sunday School for street children that once was so big it attracted the attention and a visit from the 16th President of the United States… yes, Abe Lincoln himself! I renamed the Sunday School Mr. Moody’s Sunday School while I was on staff there to remind folks of its rich history.

By: Brenda Z.

Brenda Z. — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:00:39 +0000

This is a very in depth article w/ lots of great content. Very good read. I would never discount any system or program simply because it’s been around for a long time or seems outdated or an “uncool” thing of the past. My only problem with Sunday school is simply the name- “Sunday school”. Calling it “school” doesn’t exactly draw kids in. My kids look forward to church on Sundays but school is a negative to them. Just the word “school” brings about a slightly negative idea to most kids, b/c at school there are rules and obligations and it’s just a part of life that is accepted for what it is. I want more than that out of church for my kids. I want a place where they are excited to go and learn and grow, and it could look identical to what Sunday school really is in actuality. A different name can just do a lot of good sometimes.

By: Michelle Castle

Michelle Castle — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:20:34 +0000

This is a great article (which is no surprise, coming from Ed Stetzer!) I’m a missionary and children’s pastor for at-risk inner city kids. We recently changed our kids church format to be more like Sunday school than the typical, exciting large group model seen in our denomination’s kids’ ministries. The kids are more engaged and less disruptive, and we’re incorporating more Bible reading and literacy-building activities to support their academic development. I love it!

I’m going to order David Francis’ book about Steven Paxton today.