Category Archives: Sunday School

A Sunday School teacher’s goals should include reaching, teaching, and assimilating students into church life. Truly impacting students’ lives will take more than showing up and teaching a lesson. A Sunday School teacher’s life will teach as much, if not more, than skillfully crafted lessons.

How a Sunday School Teacher’s Life Teaches

To systematically teach God’s Word, we need to be students of the Word ourselves.

We aren’t going to take students beyond where we are ourselves. As Jesus said, “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (Lk. 6:39-40) — We need to spend time with God in His Word outside of lesson preparation so we’re personally learning and growing.

Adequate lesson preparation, by studying God’s Word, not only leads to accurate handling of the Word (2 Tim. 2:15) but also frees us to be more flexible in fielding questions without aborting the lesson. We know where we’re going and can transition back to the lesson when interruptions to the lesson plan happen.

It’s going to be difficult to keep the Gospel central in our teaching if it isn’t in our own lives.

The Gospel touches the deepest needs of our hearts. If we haven’t grasped how encompassing it is, how are we going to help others as they grapple with their need for Jesus? Unless we’re gripped by its significance, we probably won’t be impassioned to keep it central in our teaching.

Further, the Gospel’s power extends beyond salvation. When we forget what Jesus did for us on the cross, we fail to appropriate its power. If that happens, so many of the qualities that make us effective teachers will be missing from our lives. That includes qualities we need to properly address people’s questions and doubts, maybe even antagonism. Read 2 Peter 1:3-9 and 1 Peter 3:15-16.

If we’re verbally encouraging students to relate with one another and the Body as a whole as Christ-like servants, but our actions contradict our words, we’ll see minimal, if any, effect. We’re unlikely to foster a caring and outreaching environment without modeling it.

How we interact with students from the moment they step through the door to when they depart leaves an impression. Whether it’s the way we greet them, exercise discipline, or respond to questions, we’re either underscoring or negating Christ-like communication.

Think about the impression students get from the way we interact with other teachers, helpers, or ministry leaders. Is it all about us and our needs or do others within the Body truly matter to us?

We’ve stated that Sunday School’s purpose has commonly become the biblical education arm of the Church. But, outreach and assimilation can also take place through this ministry as the teaching of God’s Word is instrumental for all of these purposes, not just discipleship for spiritual growth. This, therefore, guides a Sunday School teacher’s methods and materials.

What a Sunday School Teacher’s Methods and Materials Should Lead to

Consider what Sunday School should lead to and the methods and materials needed to get there becomes more obvious.

1. If Sunday School is going to lead to the discipleship of believers into fully devoted followers of Jesus, then teachers need to employ hands-on methodology that enables students to engage with the Word of God.

Sometimes we do need to lay the groundwork for what is to be learned. Some lecture could be appropriate to get out content but it shouldn’t be the sole, or primary, means of teaching. The younger the age, the shorter the lecture should be. Intersperse it with other methodology. And, most certainly add visuals wherever possible. Follow lecture with opportunity to interact in some way.

Aim toward more student-oriented methods than teacher-oriented to keep students active, rather than be passive recipients. Include a variety of methods within a given lessons, increasing the potential of reaching different learning styles.

For Sunday School to lead to changed lives, methodology most get beyond a catechetical question and answer session to truly grappling with what the Bible teaches. Being filled with knowledge isn’t the end goal but rather applying truth to life, bearing fruit to the glory of God, and getting to know God better, not just about Him (Col. 1:9-10). That won’t happen if students don’t grasp the significance of the lesson to their lives.

2. If people are going to resolve their doubts and hesitations to give their lives to Jesus, Sunday School teachers need an openness to deal with real issues, reflected in the way class time is structured.

Time needs to be built into the lesson for possible questions people might have. Teachers need to guard against being the one to ask all the questions. Students should be allowed to ask as well. And, the teacher doesn’t need to be the one always answering questions or monopolizing discussions. Others in the class have undoubtedly grappled with doubts in the past and can provide valuable input.

Certainly, though, class time should not totally revolve around outreach as many attend who already know the Lord and hope to get to know Him better. Sunday School teachers need to know when it’s time to move on but do so in a way that doesn’t shut down people’s search for answers. One way to do that could be to have breakout groups wherein groups deal with different topics or issues. At times, teachers may need to offer to continue one on one after class. Teachers would also do well to have follow-up materials on hand to send home with searchers.

3. If Sunday School is going to be a place to build relationships, then it needs to include community building activities.

Methods that get people interacting with one another open the door to developing relationships. That would include discussion methods and group projects. If you don’t have time for a lengthy discussion or your class is too large for an open discussion, a simple neighbor nudge or breaking into smaller groups could work.

Also consider seating arrangements. It’s difficult to relate with others when seated in rows looking at the back of someone’s head. When possible, arrange chairs in a circle or semi-circle.

Extracurricular activities certainly would have a major impact on building community. Eat together. Engage in a fun activity or recreation. Serve together. To keep your class from becoming cliquish, sometimes have them invite others to these activities. Perhaps they could work together to sponsor a church-wide event to get to know and reach out to others in the Body.

Sunday School can be an entry point for people who don’t yet know the Lord to learn about Him and prayerfully accept Him as their Savior. Most commonly today, it has been the biblical education arm of the Church for the spiritual growth and discipleship of believers. And, it can also be a place for assimilating people into the Church Body. A Sunday School teacher’s goals become clear when considering this potential.

A Sunday School Teacher’s Goals Can Potentially Be Threefold

Since Sunday School can potentially be a place for outreach, Bible teaching, and assimilation, a Sunday School teacher’s goals must reflect these three objectives for Sunday School’s full potential to become a reality.

1. Keep the cross, the Gospel message, central but without coercion or judgment.

If Sunday School is going reach the unsaved, it needs to be a welcoming place where people can safely express their doubts without fear. We must “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect …” (1 Pet. 3:15).

We cannot, however, skirt around people’s greatest need, that of being made right with God. The Gospel is the “power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). God makes it clear that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

Begin with the youngest age to present lessons with the cross at the center. Of Timothy, the Apostle Paul said, “from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:14-15).

2. Provide a systematic approach to learning the Bible that remains relevant to everyday living and hence life-changing.

We must always remember that the Bible is the Text we teach. — “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Through the years, Sunday School curriculum publishers of primarily children’s classes, have used a scope and sequence chart. The idea was that as children progressed through the different classes, content would build upon the previous classes and provide at least a broad systematic coverage of the Word. This acknowledged that “all Scripture … is useful”.

Youth and adult lessons often tended to be more topical, though some curriculum was available that continues a systematic approach. Since the Word remains as that which changes lives, guard against discussions or video presentations with little, if any biblical input.

Sporadic attendance and people attending for the first time at higher age levels makes a systematic approach to learning the Bible difficult today. While teachers shouldn’t spend a lot of time in review of previous lessons, they may need to bridge some gaps. Think of creative ways to lay the groundwork for lessons.

3. Foster a caring environment but do not let the class become ingrown, or cliquish.

Due to its size, a Sunday School class can provide a good place for believers to learn how to relate as “members of one another” (Rom. 12:5), caring for each other in true fellowship and service. If Sunday School, however, is going to assimilate people into the whole Body, it cannot become ingrown, or cliquish. “There should be no schism in the body” (1 Cor. 12:25).

Whether the class turns into a clique within the church or looks outward in terms of fellowship and serving, largely depends on the atmosphere the teacher fosters. Constantly challenge students to remember that they are part of a bigger Body.

For More, Go To: Sunday School Resources

While there are many different venues for Bible teaching, Sunday School has been a major arm of the Church for Christian Education. While teaching in the various settings can be similar, there are some differences which should affect teacher training.

Factors to Consider in Sunday School Teachers Training:

Graded

Sunday School, at least in its more traditional format, provides classes divided according to the different ages. Are your teachers well acquainted with the age level developmental characteristics of the age they teach?

If you are a smaller church and have resorted to combining age levels, do your teachers know how to make that work?

Group Size

Sunday School classes are often mid-size groups. The larger the group the less active the participation of all students tends to be. Help your teachers know how to nonetheless engage students. They do not need to resort to lecture. What methods are good to use with their group size?

In smaller churches, teachers might occasionally only have 1-3 students show up on a given Sunday. Much of their curriculum is written with a larger group of students in mind. Do your teachers know how to make on the spot adjustments?

The Sharpening Your Bible Teaching Methods Resource includes charts to help teachers choose methods based on group size as well as age level, time, and more.

Curriculum

Sunday Schools often use pre-determined, dated curriculum, especially for children. Are you training Sunday School teachers on the nuances of that particular curriculum? Do they know when and how to tweak the curriculum for a more effective lesson?

Consistency

Sunday School tends to have many of the same students attend over the course of time so you are able to work at building relationships, making long-range investments into their lives. Because of this, teachers also will have greater opportunity to build on previous learning, which opens the door for a series or unit of study. Do your teachers know how to provide review of previous lessons without boring students?

Providing this kind of consistency becomes more of a challenge if you rotate teachers. Do your teachers understand how each lesson fits into a bigger scheme? Do they realize that they can’t simply bypass a lesson if it is part of a unit on which the next week’s teacher is to build? Have you acquainted all Sunday School teachers with the scope and sequence chart provided by many curriculum companies to let them see where each lesson fits?

For More on Sunday School, click on the following links:

Sunday School as a Shepherding Ministry

Sunday School Curriculum & Other Resources