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Sunday School's New Mission

"What do we do now7" by Dan Harrison. Evangelical Advocate, Jan 2003 (Vol 99, No 5). Page 19. Topic. SUNDAY SCHOOL. See also

Twenty-five years ago, Sunday school was the place where most new people entered evangelical fellowships. Later on, they would start attending worship service. Today, the order is reversed, with morning worship attracting the new churchgoers and Sunday school holding the smaller, more-seasoned group. This trend calls Sunday school and worship service to new roles.

Sunday school's mission should be to help people become stronger in personal spirituality and deeper in church life. A two-part model that would work well for those purposes has been described by Keith Drury.

Caring. The first half of the Sunday-school period can be a time of ministry for class members. In this setting, a group can develop into a loving community, sharing and praying. Especially good for seekers and other newcomers, this is in the tradition of John Wes-ley's "class meetings," where people laid hands on one another and prayed for needs.

Convicting. Teaching hasn't disappeared from the Sunday-school hour. In Drury's model, the second half should be "convictional Bible study." Leaders' goal here is not simply passing on information but persuading for life change. In response to the truths they hear, participants should be asked to make a deeper commitment to Christlikeness. In succeeding weeks, leaders should encourage class members to tell how God is changing them.