People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Our Sunday School Is Slipping!
by James W. Moss, Sr.
Over the past several years, any number of pastors and leaders have come to me and said, "Jim, our worship attendance is growing. We have a number of small groups away from Sunday morning, (e.g., home Bible studies, support groups, task groups, music groups, etc.). but our Sunday school is slipping. Please help!"
Several observations
Let me begin by saying several things in observation:
Sunday school is still a valid ministry. I have been in a number of adult Sunday school classes over the past year. Teachers were informed. They were communicating effectively. The pupils were responding meaningfully. There was a good relationship between teacher and pupils and among the class members. They were significant gatherings and a joy to see. May their number increase.
One fact has to be realized. The number of children per family has declined. I am one of six children. We have five children. Few young families are having that many children today. Many churches have 2-4 children per class. Another factor is that there are no adult classes for the parents of children to fit into, so neither the parents nor their children attend Sunday school.
Have you started any new adult classes lately? The addition of new adult classes is critical to the advance of any Sunday school. It is very difficult to grow a Sunday school without the addition of new adult classes. Adult classes are an important source of small groups in a church. However, it is difficult to introduce new people into groups that are more than two years old. The relationships are already formed. New people are intruders who may damage existing relationship. So new classes must be added regularly. Also, the existing classes grow older and older leaving gaps in the old ladder system. Most of the time, it is parents of the children who should be in Sunday school that are skipped when this happens. Frequently, the strategic addition of a new adult class will impact not only the new class but the classes where their children go as well.
Devoted teachers
In the old days, most teachers were devoted to their tasks. They loved the Lord, their church, and their pupils. Many of the teachers were soul winners. Any number of older adults in your church were led to Jesus by a devout Sunday school teacher. In fact, when I ask people to name the most influential Christian in their life, they will mention a Sunday school teacher at or near the top of the list.
To encourage that kind of devotion, potential teachers need to be identified. Who are those people in the church that have the potential to teach effectively? They need to be motivated by explaining the importance of the role of teaching and the potential to impact the lives of pupils. Then those persons need to be recruited. This is an intentional process where candidates are urged to take the role of a teacher. Then potential and current teachers need to be trained. Trained Christians then need to be deployed in ministry. Some churches do a lot of training but nobody gets deployed. Eventually, recruits need to get to the work. Then teachers need to be celebrated. Remember, we generate what we celebrate. Celebrate teachers.
I specifically want to address the issue of teacher training. A quality teacher is indispensable for a quality class. Competency is a requirement for teacher satisfaction. Training is essential to help teachers do their jobs most effectively. A class in evangelism for teachers is essential. It is also important that methods and various aspects important in teaching should be shared so the teachers can be the best they can be. Teach them to share their faith one-on-one. I believe a local church ought to offer a minimum of six hours of teacher training annually. Use the training as a recruiting tool. Encourage people to attend who have the potential to become teachers. The training becomes a tool to evaluate whether you can actually use someone or not.
There needs to be a fellowship aspect to Sunday school. One part of the genius of the old Sunday school was that virtually every class had class meetings where the pupils got together away from Sunday morning for fellowship. I continue to urge classes and small groups to have fellowship times away from the teaching period where relationships may be built. This is true for children’s and youth classes as well.
A second aspect of the old Sunday school that I would like to see replicated is the aggressive outreach nature of that time. Teachers and pupils alike were constantly inviting others to come to their Sunday school. I remember even as a boy regularly inviting my friends to my Sunday school. For the Sunday school to fare better, it has to become aggressive in seeking new participants.
Sunday School is still important!
One fact remains. The Sunday school is still important in the life of the church. The Sunday school is still the long-term predictor of what will happen in a church. The Sunday school still has four basic reasons to exist:
1. Evangelism—the winning of the lost should still be high on the priority list.
2. Incorporation—the bonding of people into the body requires participation in small groups.
3. Fellowship—an atmosphere for Christian fellowship must be created in each class.
4. Teaching—we are to share what Jesus instructs. Frequently, evangelism, incorporation, and fellowship must occur to create a climate for teaching.
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February 22, 2001. Volume 4, Issue 3. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.