Why I Believe so Strongly in Sunday School and Small Group Ministry

By David Frasure

There are certain topics that create passion and inspire vision for me.  When I speak on these topics the veins pop out in my neck, my face turns a little read and my voice rises in intensity.  Sunday School and small group ministry in general is such a topic for me.  I’ve been asked why I believe so strongly in the small group ministry of Sunday School.  I’d like to share a few of those reasons here.

1. Small groups give the responsibility of ministry to the average church member.  “And He (Christ) personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry…”—Eph 4:11-12 (HCSB)  Clearly from this passage we see that the work of the ministry is not just the job of the pastor of the local church.  Any church growth model that relies on a few well educated, super-mature, gifted people to do the ministry is not a biblical model.  A well structured Sunday School ministry is simply an organized way to put this passage into practice.

If the deacon body and pastor are the only people in your church doing ministry to your local congregation, you very likely have a very tired pastor and deacon body.  One church I served in had some very strong Sunday School teachers who saw Sunday School as something that met on Sundays, but ministered seven days a week.  That is a very healthy mind-set.  These teachers literally lightened my counseling load because they saw themselves “in the ministry.”  Such teachers release the pastor’s time and giftedness to focus on his God-given assignment to lead, feed, exhort and protect.  This kind of ministry focus meets needs and assures that people are not slipping through the cracks.

2. Small groups give the task of evangelism to everyone in the church.  When a typical family visits most churches, their information is placed in a prospect file.  The pastor or an outreach team is eventually given the assignment to make a contact.  How different it could be if the sixth grade Sunday School teacher accepted the responsibility of reaching the son in the family, and the fourth grade teacher properly saw her role in reaching that daughter for Christ.  Imagine the impact when the assistant teacher in the preschool department realizes he has an obligation to see that the parents of that visiting two-year-old have the gospel presented to them.  As the outreach leader in the couple’s class gets involved, this visiting family begins to see that they are wanted in this community of believers.  They also have a very good chance of receiving Jesus into their lives.

When classes are structured properly and the evangelistic passions are stirred, the Sunday School becomes a tremendous tool for the Holy Spirit to use to add people to the kingdom of God.  In many churches, the pastor is the only person really leading people to faith in Christ.  The only potential for increased baptisms lies in his ability to spend more time in witnessing and less on sermon preparation or time with his family.  When the Sunday School is operating properly, such no-win scenarios can be avoided as all the membership has a part.

3. Small groups make assimilation a very normal process of the life of the church.  People will not join an organization that makes them feel like outsiders.  That is especially true for the church.  We say we exist because we love God and we “love our neighbors as ourselves.”  The hypocrisy of a church that is unwilling to warmly receive and incorporate new people into the fellowship is more than most unchurched people can bear.  It also breaks the heart of God.

Once again, the small group allows the assimilation process to flow quite naturally—especially when classes are taught and equipped to sincerely accept the newcomer.  The corporate worship service is obviously a vital ministry of the church; however, it does not lend it self to assimilating new people and connecting people in the vital relationships that they need for living the Christian life.  That is why the worship service without the small group opportunity leads to a great imbalance and an improper dependence upon the few “up front” ministers.