Featured Which Sunday School

Is the leader on staff? If not, what can the Pastor or church do? Are you required to attend Sunday School in the church where you serve?

Is it a "special" group that is meeting a very specific need in his life right now? Is he discipling somebody at the other church?

 

Without knowing the details, and if he is not paid staff, I would stay out of it. As Zaac suggested, there may be a specific (and/or sensitive) reason for it. Until there is a conflict, it is none of my business.

 

I would probably agree with Rolf, so long as it is a church of the same faith and order as yours. If this "leader" is going to a different denomination, with different interpretations of scripture and ideas on theology, then you need to take the proper steps.

If you're the only one who has recognized it, then go to the guy and talk to him. If he won't hear you, get two or three witnesses to go with you and talk to him again. If he still won't listen, then take the matter before the church. That's just good gospel order.

This might not be a case of trespass against you as an individual, Salty, but it seems possible that it is a case against the church.

 

Here in Avondale, there are about a half dozen churches. Does that mean there are a half dozen bodies of Christ, or is there one body of Christ?

Is there any scriptural precedent for "action" against someone who studies with a different congregation?

 

If they all held to the same doctrines, then, no, there probably isn't much difference. I live in a small town and within ten mils of my house, in all direction, there are probably 30 different churches, mostly Baptist, but a fair amount of Methodist, a couple of Lutheran, and a couple Catholic.

If a "leader" in a Baptist church was found to be studying doctrine at, say, a Lutheran church, or at a Catholic church, do you still think that person is capable and credible enough for a leadership role?

 

Aaaaaahh, simple answer, make Sunday school more relevant and challenging.

There are some people who attend other churches in our Sunday morning class.

We end promptly at 9:45 giving them enough time to leave and get to their church.

Rob

 

I have seen this at different churches, I even attended one where the Pastor didn't take part in Sunday School. So many churches are in such a hurry to have someone fill a spot, they don't bother to get someone that has the gift to teach. We once attended a Sunday School class where the guy literally read word for word was was in the Sunday School material, and when it got to any discussion questions, he read the question and answered it himself. Attended another Church, and had similar results. That one did do the discussion questions, but still, just read the material.

Most people don't know how to use the material they are teaching from, even though much of it has a 'how to' section in the back.

If Sunday School was so bad that I couldn't attend it, I would look for another Church to place my membership with. I may try talking to the Pastor about it, but my experience with that is that they don't want to be bothered with it. I don't know if others have seen this, but I have been to Churches where people only attend when they are doing something, such as, if they aren't going to be singing a special, they don't show up, if they aren't teaching, they don't show up. All that does is discourages others.

IMHO - The only time this should be acceptable is when the church you attend, doesn't have its own Sunday School.

 

Then why is it an issue?

Was this made clear before he was offered and given the position?

Apparently not. It's an assumption that you and obviously a lot of others make. But I don't know that there is a Biblical requirement first for Sunday School.

But most churches usually have criteria that have to be met to get certain positions. It would be unjust of the church at this point to remove him for attending Sunday School at another church if his involvement in Sunday School at his church was not given as a requirement for his position of leadership.

Is someone being harmed by his attending another church's Sunday School? A lot of folks in positions of leadership go to other churches on Sunday night because their church stopped doing Sunday night services. Should they be removed also?

This just sounds like a bit of nosiness that is unwarranted without some more details. :laugh:

 

I would have to disagree again because you never know what the circumstances may be. Maybe he has a wayward son or daughter who will attend that Sunday School but won't attend the one at his church and he is trying to mend his family.

Or again, maybe he attends a special Sunday School class there for men recovering from cancer and there is nothing like that at his church.

It's the Body of Christ. And unless they are teaching something contrary to the statement of faith of his church and he isn't paid staff or someone who has been told that to be in leadership he must be enrolled and attending a SS class at his church, this just shouldn't be an issue.

It's as though some churches think there is a competition for people. If he's getting something he needs there that he believes he wasn't getting in a SS class at his church, it shouldn't be an issue.

We are constantly starting new classes because someone has an expressed need for a certain type class.

His church may not have the resources to do so.

 

Again, what impact does this have on others who attend Sunday School, or those who don't? Sunday School is NOT a support group. One could argue that there really isn't a standard for Sunday School, because what we have now doesn't even reflect why Sunday Schools were started.

We were members of a church that had 2 different Sunday School teachers. One was so bad that I dreaded going, but I didn't want to discourage anyone, so I just sucked it up and went. Now, lets say you invite someone to church and they want to attend Sunday School as well. Regardless of the excuse you give me for why you won't attend SS at your home church, I may very well just bypass even attending that church with you.

For some reason, we have made Church about US. If you need a support group, find one or start one at a different time than Sunday School. If you can't suck it up for the sake of others, find a new church.

This is completely different from those who attend other churches for Sunday evening and Wednesday evening, when their home church doesn't have those services. Here is an instance of a church that has Sunday School, but the guy doesn't go. They don't even compare.

There isn't anything the church should do though, maybe not let this person lead, but aside from that, there isn't anything that can be done.

 

?? why would his attending SS someplace else affect either one of those groups?

Unless the group of people impacted have been told that to be in leadership they have to be enrolled and attending a SS class at the church, it shouldn't matter.

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It depends. Our SS classes are support groups and more. They are a small version of the church. Because of our size, the SS gets to minister to the people much more readily than the pastor and church staff ever could.

True.

If you invite someone(I'm assuming from your wording you mean a fellow Christian) to church and they don't want to come because you attend SS at another church, then let them either find their own church or continue to be disobedient if they are forsaking the assemblying.

Why? The Body of Christ is supposed to exhort. Some choose to do so while in SS. Doing the work of Christ doesn't take the focus off Christ.

Often times local bodies have to recognize that it's time to BE the church in action rather than have some more teaching. Teaching is of no use if it's not put into action.

??? Again, unless you're on staff or in a position of leadership where attendance and enrollment in a SS class at your church is mandatory, it shouldn't be an issue.

If a fellow Christian doesn't want to come to church with me anymore because I attend a SS class at another church than my home church, then they can go find their own church.

They compare.

And again, if the church didn't make this clear before placing him in the position of leadership, they need to leave it alone.

 

You seem to miss the meaning of the word "LEADER". It is understandable, because leaders are no longer people that lead by example, they prod from behind with the mentality of "do as I say, not as I do." A LEADER who is not attending their home church is setting the example that you should attend another church for Sunday School.

What kind of example would a pastor be who never prayed in church, or a teacher who never studied, or a music folk who never practiced?

 

Where I worship the Sunday morning adult bible class is run like a class room.
It is not a mini-church.
We don't ask for prayer requests.
We don't directly minister to the needs of a particular member.
Our mission is studying the biblical text.
We have 45 minutes to instruct and we use all of it.

The church has small groups during the week that work as ministry groups or a 'small church'.
That is the place where the ministry of caring for specific needs and personal prayers occurs.
It is still instructive but at a more personal level.
The schedule in these groups is more flexible.

Rob

 

I understand the word leader quite well. If he was placed in a leadership position that has nothing to do with SS, why is it an issue other than with folks who are nosy?

But he IS attending his home church. And I haven't heard anything about his leadership in the position he was placed being compromised as a result of attending SS someplace else.

And unless the Pastor or whomever put him in the leadership position made it clear that he's required to be enrolled in and attending a SS class at his home church, they should be quiet.

But I say again, if he is being fed in the other SS and is receiving something he isn't at his church, or is helping someone at the other church, his home church needs to just stay out of it. It's not a competition. And if they pushed the issue, he should just step down from the position of leadership.

He might be over at the other SS class doing something God has directed him to do. Or he might have a child over there. We don't know.

Speaking of no comparisons. We're talking about a leader attending SS school at a church that's not his home church.

Apples to apples would be a pastor praying at another church but not praying at his church, or a teacher studying to teach at another church but not at his church, etc.

 

What is the purpose of Sunday School? Most of us, I think, would say that Sunday School (for the older generation in the church; more well-established believers) is a place to study the scriptures and learn the meaning behind certain texts. It's a place for us to grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

So if a "leader" is going to a Baptist church for worship service and preaching, but is going to a Lutheran church for Sunday School, then you could have trouble brewing. What if this "leader" attends an Arminian church for worship, but is getting his scriptural lessons in a Calvinist church?

Do you not see the potential for harmfulness to enter the church through such a practice?

 

If there wasn't an issue with it, this topic would not even be talked about. How many people are there in that church that are talking about this? I have heard others in churches I have attended talking about similar issues. Even if they don't know he is going to another church, they know he isn't in Sunday School.

All your comments are about the individual and what they want/need, rather than others. SO can I assume that church is all about the individual and Jesus, and everyone else needs to just stay out of the way?

 

Well, if you believe in a Universal invisible body of Christ with all local visible congregational bodies are mere PARTS of the whole, then he is merely visiting another part of that body.

However, if you believe the congregational body of Christ is institutionally a visible local body of baptized believers then he is violating his commitment to the body wherein God has equipped and placed him to meet the needs of that particular body for its edification which "every part supplieth."

 

I think I covered that with this :

:thumbsup: