At breakfast last week, a pastor boldly suggested that “Sunday School is not working anymore.” This pastor’s perspective was that disciples are not being made in Sunday School and in his opinion…in most ministries of the church. The truth is that few Sunday Schools are measuring up to this pastor’s expectations. So I would agree that Sunday School is not working for him but that doesn’t mean it can’t work.
I believe that Sunday School is still one of the anchor ministries of the church. Sunday School can be an effective strategy for helping the church fulfill the Great Commission. Almost every decision a Sunday School leader makes is impacted by a leaders understanding of why the Sunday School exists. A common definition accepted for Sunday School: Sunday School is the foundational strategy in a local church for leading people to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and for building Great Commission Christians through Bible study groups that engage people in evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and worship.
Is Sunday School the foundational strategy for your church or is just an event that takes place on Sunday morning? At the National Sunday School Director’s Seminar in Sevierville, Wayne Poling of Lifeway Christian Resources stated, “in its foundational role Sunday School is a place where any person can enter their journey in Christ and their personal growth.” He continued to state that “Sunday School as a strategy means that each group is seeking to see the lives of their target group, the group for which they are responsible, spiritually transformed.”
A Sunday School like this works. Is your Sunday School working?
