For the next several issues of this newsletter I will focus on the importance of Sunday school. Most of what I will write comes from the training our Green Valley Baptist Association received from Darryl Wilson, the Kentucky Baptist Convention Sunday School & Discipleship Consultant.
To have an effective Sunday school the members must reach outward, reach inward, and come to class prepared for an encounter. Darryl taught us seven ways to reach outward, six ways to reach inward, and three encounters in which to prepare.
Robert Raikes began Sunday school in Great Britain during the 1780's because of his concern for the uneducated children. During this time children worked in the fields or in factories for most of their waking hours Monday through Saturday. In fact, a law passed in 1802 limiting the number of hours a child could work to twelve a day! Robert Raikes began a school to educate children on Sundays, their only day free from work. He used the Bible as the textbook to teach children how to read.
The purpose and dynamics of Sunday school have changed since the 1780's, but the name has stayed the same. Why do we conduct Sunday school today? Darryl gave us two amazing statistics on the effectiveness of Sunday school. First, 62% of
people were somewhat likely to attend Sunday school if invited. Second, for every three lost people we get into Sunday school, one gets saved!
Why does Sunday school look anemic in most of our churches? Because we have lost the vision of what it can do for our church, and the passion of seeing lost people saved. We spend precious time during the Sunday school hour focused on
ourselves instead of God's Word, and the lost people that need salvation. Our Sunday school prayer lists seldom mention the lost and unchurched by name. We worry more about our comfort then helping new people feel welcome. We do not anticipate new people, so we do not prepare for them. When one accidentally shows up in our classes we have no idea how to greet them or treat them.
Darryl Wilson sounded the clarion call that things must change in order for Sunday school to revive and thrive! He taught us how the change can take place. I look forward to unpacking for you the great Sunday school training he shared. Next month I will begin to share some of the seven ways that a Sunday school class can reach outward.
Pastor Nathan A. Whisnant
