Sunday school
Posted by Carol Howard Merritt on 26 Nov 2008 at 04:54 pm | Tagged as: church
Recently, I was talking to a Scottish friend who was perplexed by American religious education. She explained that in her country, they got well-rounded, interfaith religious education in schools. She was not a church-goer, but she was sad that her children were missing something.
I smiled and said, “Right. People go to church to get religious education here.” It made me happy to realize another reason why people go to church.
Her comments did make me stop for a moment though. Of course, I’m a huge proponent of the separation of church and state. The separation is good for vital faith communities, as well as our country. Yet, I realized the benefits of religious education in school. Right now, in certain parts of the country, some intense prejudice against Muslims is brewing. What if people actually learned what Islam was all about, instead of relying on caricatures or news reports? What if children had a balanced perspective, understanding, and respect for all sorts of religions?
It also made me realize how important Christian education is in our churches.
It’s hard to remember that sometimes. Honestly, the recruitment in our church is like pulling teeth. I would say it’s working moms, church in the 21st century, D.C. culture, etc., but it’s not that completely. I remember an annual, painful extraction when I was growing up in the Baptist Church too.
When I look at the large picture, I wonder, Why do we do it? I mean, why do we have to have Sunday school? Is there another way? There seems to be a lack of educational resources. People don’t seem to want to teach it. If people don’t want it, why do we go through the painful annual ritual? It’s not like the state’s mandating it.
So, I’m torn. Of course, in a perfect world, I would hope that everyone would want to be a part of Christian education, that we would have eager-beaver teachers waiting in line to impart their Christian love on children and other adults. But we don’t. So, now what?
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When I went to High School (and this is Germany), we had the choice of Catholic, (Lutheran) Protestant, and the magical “Ethics” for the rest (people without religious affiliation, or “other” religions). It was compulsory, though, to attend one either way. Was it valuable? Oh yes, most certainly.
As for “Sunday School”…The materials out there are numerous, but it get’s trickier to find material once younger people start to ask the very complex questions, because the coloring in of these funsheets that you are dealing with at that point, very often need your very own pencils to color them in. And sometimes, the points do not connect at all to make Noah’s Ark. And answers? Well, some questions do not have easy answers, we all now that. Maybe it’s a case for a (slightly adapted): “teach always, and if necessary, use words.”
Hi Carol:
First time poster, long time reader. I also listened to your Alban broadcast all the way up here in Canada on Tribal Church. Really well done.
Anyway, in my town, Catholics went to one school and the rest of us went to another. The Catholics always had religious ed, while we didn’t have anything. I think that speaks more about the Catholic dominence in the town, and the fact that the protestant schools were named after Presbyterian medical missionaries.
I have to be honest though, I would never want religious education in schools. Because then I would just be getting 10 different churches trying to get their perspective on religion, especially coming from my own Christian traditions resistence to fundamentalism and “Jesuswejus” prayers.
Interesting post!
Aaron
Carol,
I haven’t had a chance to get your book yet, but I intend to do so next week. I don’t know how you get it all done!
Here are some of my thoughts in response to some of your questions and statements:
(1) Why do we have to have Sunday school?—–We don’t. But we have not yet found a better way to make disciples by leading them to faith in our Lord Jesus (baptizing) and teaching disciples to obey Christ’s commands (Matthew 28:19-20). Sunday School is able to do both, but revolutionary changes are needed. Small groups work for some. An ideal approach would be mentoring multiplication, but that could be started through Sunday School.
(2) There seems to be a lack of educational resources.—–I am seeing more and more hopeful signs on the horizon. I have heard of a half dozen of cutting edge Sunday School books being written right now. More is springing up on the web. Hits on my Sunday School Revolutionary blog have almost doubled each of the last two years with over 4,000 hits each of the last four months. I am hearing more positive stories in conferences I lead and those I attend.
(3) People don’t seem to want to teach it. If people don’t want it, why do we go through the painful annual ritual?—–We are selling Sunday School too low. What I mean is that we enlist with low expectations and should not be surprised when that matches the results. No one has time today for a job that is not important. Instead, let’s help potential teachers understand how important the job is and what the requirements for giving our best to God and the sheep in our care. Expect a lot, affirm them, hold them positively accountable, and help them succeed!
Thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sven, Good to see your name. Hey, it’s been a year since we met. A lot has happened… I hope you’re well.
Aaron, I’m glad you liked the podcast, and I’m glad you commented! You’re right about religious ed in schools. Definitely. I guess that conversation just made me realize how important it is… which I always forget when we’re trying to recruit.
Darryl, I hope you like the book. And thanks for sharing your site. I’ve never visited there before. It looks like a great resource.
At a bare minimum, we do it because it provides a good narrative foundation for Christian faith. Knowing the stories prepares the ground for a deeper understanding later on.
Or…it should.
Carol, I’ve heard you speak often about how our churches are one of the only places left where generations can mix and mingle in an authentic way. But look at our Sunday School models. We all come to church and go into our respective classrooms segregated by age. We have lost what made the church so strong – community. We have older people who want “adult, meaningful bible study” and younger kids who now think adults just “can’t relate” and we wonder why the church is suffering.
I absolutely think Christian Education is one of the most valuable things we can provide as a Church. My question is how we can we regain some of that community building and learning that we have lost in our segregated classrooms?
Great point, Jen. Are there any intergenerational models out there? Has anyone know of any?
We used to have a pretty integenerational model at Western. Since we had few kids, we used the “Country school house” approach. It worked well. But as the number of kids rose, it became increasingly difficult to use the model so we have moved to age-based classes. I too would love to hear if there are models that work without the classes. There must be since Sunday schools are a relatively new invention in Christianity!
Just finished reading Tribal Church. Thank you, Carol! It’s a wonderful, insightful book. On the subject of Christian education: it’s a struggle at the suburban church I serve to capture the minds and the time of young adults for educational opportunities. We do well with children and youth, but have had a hard time esptablishing a practice with young adults. We’ve tried a number of models and topics, asked for input…I think we’ll be looking at providing more home options for personal study with gatherings to discuss what we’re reading. I’d be interested in what others are finding helpful.
We haven’t done Sunday School for several years now and our way is definitely not perfect, but for us, it’s okay. We have Godly Play during worship (at the parents’ request; they didn’t want to do 9:30 classes before an 11 am worship time.) We have small groups – although many do not partake and they vary in terms of information conveyed. We used to do “Faith on Tap” but – like so many “classes” it was about gathering information and going home. And how everybody’s “smarter” but nobody’s “transformed.”
In the deconstruction of Christian Education, we’ve made people unhappy perhaps, but – for those who see educational opportunities as tools for spiritual growth – our new way seems to be helpful.
One more thing about kids: the entertainment feature is both important and troubling. A friend takes her 7 year old to “The Theatre Church” in DC with lots of bells and whistles for “Sunday School” and a good message gets through to her. But it takes a steady diet of this stuff, not just an occasional hit and run way of teaching any of us about God and what it means to be followers of Jesus.
Jennifer, Thanks. I really appreciate it. I’m so glad you liked the book.
jledmiston, I was hoping that you would chime in. And you’re right, knowledge does not always equal transformation. That seems to be a trap that progressives often fall into.
Carol, one successful intergenerational attempt I saw was during the usual Sunday School hour in an eastern Kentucky church. One Sunday each month the classes became intentional mixes of age groups (generations), especially focused on families but allowing for those without family members. It was well received and well attended.