Has Sunday School outlived its Usefulness?

In my work with churches I am learning to ask this question to elicit a response: “What is the main way that your church is trying to disciple people?”  The proper Sunday School answer is, of course, Sunday School.  If we are honest, in many churches Sunday School is the only intentional way that we are trying to help people grow in Christ.  But is it effective?

What is a disciple? That is an important question. If disciples are what we are supposed to be producing, what is one? I like Dallas Willard’s descriptions here: “A disciple is a learner, a student, an apprentice—a practitioner, even if only a beginner.” Willard adds, “Disciples of Jesus are people who do not just profess certain views as their own but apply their growing understanding of life in the Kingdom of the Heavens to every aspect of their life on earth.”* A disciple is a person who has made a commitment to Jesus Christ that acknowledges Him as Lord and Master of every facet of their life (Romans 10:9-10). A disciple is committed to aligning their life and behavior to the teachings of Christ.

Are we making disciples? If the question is “are our Baptist churches (my tribe) routinely helping to produce people who are living distinctly in their attitudes and choices so that Christ is clearly understood through their lives and influence?”, I would have to say the reviews are mixed, but often the answer, is no. Why would I say that? Because I routinely witness devastatingly immature behavior that seems to be systemic in churches, that cripples our witness and it usually pertains to non-essentials. There is something missing in our understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

Is Sunday School to blame? Yes and no. Sunday School as conceived as a way of bringing people together to learn the Bible and discuss ways to apply truth to our lives and form meaningful connections that go with us through life is still relevant and useful. Sunday School as practiced in many churches as a one-way exchange where a teacher does an information dump is not helpful. Sunday School as a platform to espouse a position on politics is not helpful. Sunday School as place where someone reads from a quarterly while others fight sleep should be outlawed on every continent! Being a Sunday School leader is a high, holy calling and will always be hard work and should never be approached casually or carelessly (see James 3:1).

What choices do we have?  That is a great question. I think it ought to be explored thoroughly in every congregation.  Years ago I heard Bruce Wilkinson say that the job of a teacher isn’t just to “cover the material, but to cause students to learn.”  What can we do to cause people to learn? And by learn I mean understand, live and apply Biblical truth. Here are some ideas:

1. Reform Sunday School. “Churches who have sustained success let people experiment” (Brian K. Dodd, INJOY). Take the best parts of Sunday School and pour into them so that they are better, but do away with the aspects of it that hinder life transformation. Though it terrifies many teachers, you should stop using a teaching style that is primarily a lecture. I mean it! Knock it off! There are too many fabulous reasons to arrange your class in a forum that encourages discussion. Study the lessons, but use open-ended questions to encourage people to participate. Consider each week that there is not meaningful involvement in the lesson by the learners to be a failure. Also, please, please develop ways to connect with your class at other times away from church. Share life together. The informal things that we do away from church can be great entry points for pre-Christians who are freaked out by church.

2. Consider doing home groups. If the goal is transforming people’s lives to take on the character of Christ, who cares where it occurs? 2 Timothy 2:2 says, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  It doesn’t say, but only do it in a square room at a church building. This is an unhelpful way that we have westernized discipleship. My friend Steven Dresen has rightly pointed out that for most people our home is the biggest financial investment we will ever make in our lifetimes and it is a pity that we have lost the art of hospitality as a feature of discipleship. Nothing would please me more than to open my home to others frequently for friendship and Bible study.

3. Pour into people in any way you can. When I became a follower of Jesus, many people in the church where we were members invested in me spiritually. People gave me great reading materials. People invited me to go with them and learn how to make home visits and express godly concern for those who did not know Christ and those who just needed encouragement. Our church was organized to help new Christians in a variety of ways. My church entrusted me with leadership opportunities and helped me to develop godliness as a follower of Jesus. Eating lunch with people and loving them enough to help them know Christ better is so worthwhile. I think it was Bobb Biehl who wrote about a constellation of mentors. He said we should always have someone more advanced that we are learning from, a group of peers who we are connected to, and someone less advanced that we are helping. I totally agree.

Conclusion - Whatever we do, however we do it, one thing is certain: it is imperative that we in the church do a better job of helping people become Jesus’ apprentices—practitioners—“children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15)

* Dallas Willard, TheGreat Omission (2006).