Sunday School

[Pah]

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=192

(Ventura, CA) – Americans have grown accustomed to change. But children who attend Sunday school these days have an experience similar to that which their grandparents would have had decades ago. In a culture saturated with change, one of the most stable aspects in the religious sphere has been Sunday school – the weekend educational efforts that Protestant churches offer to people outside of worship services.

However, a new study conducted by The Barna Group of Ventura, California shows that while many aspects of Sunday school remain constant, there are significant changes bubbling beneath the surface. Longitudinal research among Protestant pastors, commissioned since 1997 by Gospel Light, has explored how churches prioritize and engage in Sunday school, the usage of curriculum, midweek programming for children, and Vacation Bible School programs (often called VBS).

In terms of Sunday school prioritization, the research showed that just 1 in every 7 Senior Pastors (15%) considers Sunday school to be their church’s highest priority. This represents a significant drop from previous years – 2002 was the high point, when 22% of pastors claimed that Sunday school was the top priority of their church.

What types of pastors were least likely to prioritize Sunday school? Those leading mainline churches (8%), pastors under 40 years of age (10%), and predominately white congregations (12%). On the other hand, those most likely to strongly emphasize Sunday school were African-American congregations (37%), Baptist churches (23%), pastors who have been leading their churches for 20 or more years (23%), charismatic churches (21%), and congregations with pastors age 59 or older (21%).

Sunday school is the most essential aspect of bringing new members to faith. With a declining foucus, won't this change the face of Christianity?

 

[Scuba Pete]

Pah,

While my church has Sunday School, the emphasis has always been on the PARENTS. Children need their own faith. The prayerful parent will do their best to teach the core principles of their faith and then let their children decide on their own.

Among the FASTER growing churches, the conversion of children is a small percentage of the overall growth. These churches are highly evangelical in nature and are usually the first ones to try something "new".

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Our church has a very active sunday school. After school the children come into the church for the last few minutes of the service. Once a month we have family service where the children are part of our service and most come up for a blessing when we take communion.

Terry
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Blessed are those who bring peace, they shall be children of God

 

[michel]

Our church has a very active sunday school. After school the children come into the church for the last few minutes of the service. Once a month we have family service where the children are part of our service and most come up for a blessing when we take communion.

Terry
_________________________________
Blessed are those who bring peace, they shall be children of God

Our Local Church is much the same; although they do not have a Sunday school, Children are welcome. In fact there is a little girl who goes to every Sunday service, and apparently is quite upset when her parent's plans clash with her weelly visit - She is only six, and, as Terry says, she receives a blessing.

I am not sure about Sunday school - although there is a Church not far from here that holds 'meetings' for young childre - but thaey are held on Wednesday afternoons, after school.

 

[Melody]

I don't belong to any one church and every one of the churches I've been attending has sunday school for both adults and children at 9 a.m. and then at 11 a.m. regular services with the 6th grade and younger going off to "little" church after the introductory prayer and singing. At the church we're attending now, the youth pastor gives a sermon similar to the adult pastor so that the parents can talk with the kids about it afterward.

 

[pandamonk]

Catch em while they're young. A great way to make sure they grow up believing. Why not leave them to grow up without knowing anything about religious beliefs until their teens, then tell them the stories of the bible and see how many believe it?