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Too many
churches
operate like
a Department
of
Redundancy
Department!
Often
several
overlapping
ministries
compete for
members’
time and
leaders’
energies.
These
various
ministries
also
typically
compete for
resources,
and
sometimes
just for an
announcement.
When the
Sunday
School is
viewed as
the hub of
“the church
organized,”
many of
these issues
can be
solved.
Sunday
School
typically
has more
people
enrolled
than any
other
organization.
Here are a
few ideas
for
leveraging
Sunday
School to
support the
mission of
the entire
church.
Sunday
School and
the Five
Purposes
Even a
church with
no
activities
other than
worship and
Sunday
School can
accomplish
all five
purposes of
the church:
Worship,
Fellowship,
Discipleship,
Ministry,
and
Evangelism.
For those
who would
add Prayer
as a sixth
purpose, it
can help
accomplish
that too.
Historically,
Sunday
Schools
accomplished
these
purposes
even if
there was no
worship
service. In
fact, even
today,
Sunday
Schools
continue to
be organized
in villages,
on ranches,
and in
multi-housing
complexes
where there
is yet no
church or
preacher or
worship
service. Can
Sunday
School
itself do
everything a
church
should do
around those
purposes? Of
course not.
But it can
do each of
them in a
foundational
way,
introducing
members and
guests to
the mission
of the
church,
whether they
know it or
not!
Sunday
School and
Worship
Sunday
School is
the perfect
partner with
worship for
an optimum
weekend
experience
for the
entire
family. A
high
percentage
of people
will attend
a Bible
study group
before or
after the
worship
service. All
worship
service
guests can
and should
be assigned
to a Sunday
School class
for
follow-up.
Sunday
School and
Fellowship
Sunday
School is
unparalleled
as an
assimilation
strategy. In
fact, many
people will
enroll in
Sunday
School
before they
make a
decision for
Christ or
church
membership.
Asking them
to enroll
says, “We
want you to
be a part of
our
fellowship.”
Those
enrolled in
Sunday
School are
many times
less likely
to become
drop-outs
than those
who attend
worship
only. Sunday
School Bible
study
provides
“fellowship
around the
open Word of
God.” Some
churches
even call
their Sunday
School
classes
“Bible
Fellowship”
groups.
Sunday
School and
Discipleship
Sunday School Bible study provides foundational discipleship. Can
people
become
devoted
disciples of
Jesus Christ
if their
only
small-group
experience
is Sunday
School?
Probably
not. But
they can get
started, and
then be
encouraged
during
Sunday
School to
take
advantage of
other
discipleship
opportunities.
Some Sunday
School
classes
enlist a
discipleship
leader, who
will make
sure the
class knows
about such
opportunities.
A few
churches
actually
organize
smaller
discipleship
groups that
are subsets
of the
Sunday
School
class. Five
couples or
eight single
adults form
a typical
group, that
meets weekly
or twice a
month to do
a deeper
discipleship
study.
Sunday
School and
Ministry
The care
group
structure in
Sunday
School
provides a
great
organization
for ministry
to people.
It also
provides a
structure
for a prayer
chain,
without
having to
create a
separate
organization.
If adult
care groups
are made up
of men-only
and
women-only,
as I
advocate,
you’ve also
got a
built-in
communication
link to the
church’s
men’s and/or
women’s
ministries.
Sunday
School
provides
people with
an
opportunity
to serve,
both within
the class;
and in
preschool,
children,
and student
classes. One
mark of a
ministering
class is
that it
releases
members for
service, and
keeps up
with them
after they
leave to
serve.
Sunday
School and
Evangelism
Sunday
School
remains the
most potent
organization
in the
church to
reach out to
others. Most
people say
they would
attend a
Bible study
group if
someone
invited and
accompanied
them. What
better place
to do that
than Sunday
School?
Recently, a
couple
visited our
church and
placed their
daughter
Elizabeth in
our 8:00
pre-K class.
On Monday,
Elizabeth
told her
mom, “Ms.
Barbara (who
relieved us
at 9:00),
asked me to
come back to
Sunday
School; can
I go today?”
In just a
few short
years,
Elizabeth
will be
making a
decision
about
Christ. Her
experience
in Sunday
School will
be
foundational
to that
decision. A
growing
number of
churches are
encouraging
each class
to adopt a
missions
project,
expanding
the Sunday
School’s
role to
include
evangelism
through
missions.
Many enlist
a missions
leader to
guide this
effort.
At its best,
Sunday
School is
much more
than a
collection
of Bible
study groups
that meet
one hour
each week.
It is a
robust
strategy
that can
undergird
and
strengthen
virtually
every aspect
of a
church’s
mission. God
bless Sunday
School! |
