The Sunday School is a vital facet of fulfilling the Great Commission. The Scripture states, “Teaching them to observe all things.” It has been a tremendous tool to teach the Bible for more than two centuries. Teaching the Bible in Sunday school allows more student involvement and lends itself to teaching more than the preaching. Not that long ago the Sunday attendance was often larger than the morning service.
Attendance through the last few decades has lessened and some churches have given up. But I don’t know of a better method to teach children and adults. It can still be effective. Church attendance has waned but we cannot stop having church and neither should we give up on the Sunday school because attendance has gone down.
Without promoting the Sunday school, it soon will lack life and excitement and possibly eventually die. This must not happen! You must make a strong emphasis on Sunday school. Plan at least a Spring and Fall campaign along with a theme. It could be four weeks up to twelve weeks. Consider a biblical theme such as The Twelve Apostles or The Ten Commandments. Grow in Grace was one we recently used. The theme can be a more secular theme such as Going West, I Love America or I Love Sunday School. It should be exciting, fun and informative. It affords the greatest opportunity for children to learn the Bible which can lead to their salvation.
Train your teachers. Hold a weekly teacher’s meeting. Have a yearly or semi-annually teachers training. Teach your teachers how to utilize songs, Bible stories, pictures, and Bible games. Create in them a greater burden for the souls of the ones they teach. Talk it up in the morning service and promote the special days and campaigns. Sunday school must not be boring, it must be exciting and interesting.
Choose a curriculum carefully. Make sure it is fundamental and accurate. Also be careful your scope and sequence are in proper order so that you cover the entire Bible and not duplicate what other classes may be teaching. Keep a data base of everyone that visits and don’t take them off the role unless they die, move, or join another church.
The Sunday school must die in your church. It can be a teaching and reaching arm of your ministry. The world has much to offer people today and you can’t compete with some of it but you can be faithful to do what the Bible exhorts us to do, and that is to teach the Word of God.
Someone I know said to me, “You get what you go after.” I’ve never forgotten those words. By making the Sunday school important you will get more students. You will get more children if you reach more young couples that have children. There must be a concerted effort to build the Sunday school and without a strong emphasis it will not grow. Sunday school is still a vital function of a church.
