Sunday School

Depends on what you mean by scrutinized.

We have some that dont attend SS for some reason or other, but we wish they did. And we invite them often.

 

Tell them to show you where in the bible it says, you have to be there every single time the church doors are open. Personally I like SS because I always learn alot in there and you can talk back and forth.

 

Experiences differ.
Nowadays I would be scrutinized severely if I came near our SS.
Our SS is purely there for the children.
After 3 what could be described as 'incidents' I have standing orders not to get involved with my church's SS ever again.

-I filled in for our normal SS teacher's while they were on a short vacation one sunday. I was supposed to cover the last chapter of Mark's Gospel. The material I was provided with was nothing but a long rant against the idea that that last chapter is a later addition. A completely pointless subject for my class I figured. So instead I borrowed a snake from a friend and ordered a tape about a small church in the Appalachians...
-A few years later the couple which teaches Sundayschool fell ill saturdaynight and someone (I volunteered) had to replace them sundaymorning. They had been teaching a series of lessons about our baptist heritage. I had no access to their lessonplan, but I'm a churchhistorian, so that ought not be a problem.
So I broke out my collection of slides and told the thrilling tale of how Jan van Leiden and his Ana-Baptist cult took over the city of Münster and started a rain of terror. Especially the picture of polygamist Jan beheading one of his wives made quite an impression.
The kids loved it, their parents not so much....
-The final straw was when I arranged a fieldtrip to a museum with some real Papal tiara's on display after the teacher's told the youngsters that the pope had the number of the Beast written on his crown. That hurted their credibility somewhat...

 

I enjoy our "Sunday School" class. They call it something else because it does sound childish to call it "Sunday School". But it's a time for us to be interactive and discuss, add to, agree, disagree with the teacher, etc....Kinda like in here, actually...without the moderators (facial expressions keep us in line...and the fact that they can point us out in a crowd).

There are many Sundays I can't attend, and I really miss it. During that time, I'm sitting in front of a clock thinking to myself, "Ok, what are they doing now?".

 

Heh! Pay attention next time you post in this thread. I got a page that said, "Sit tight...we're taking you back to Sunday School".

Guess you have to be careful about naming your thread "Heaven" or the alternative eternal destination.

 

Hey smothered,

A lot depends on your position within the church. Each member of our staff is expected to be at each ministry event we have (worship, Bible study, outreach event, etc.) Being deathly ill is about the only excuse accepted for staff to miss. If you're part of the leadership team, but not considered staff, you are still expected to be there, but we won't shoot you if you miss. For everyone else, we want you to be there, assuming the event is for your group, and we will encourage you often to be there, but if you miss, you're not going to get beat up nor will we try to make you feel guilty about missing.

 

You're right...there's no scriptural requirement. But don't you want to be a part? Is there something more important going on at that time?

Or is it simply "mind over mattress?"

We have a wonderful time of discussion, bible study, and prayer. Ask yourself this question: why are you not going?

</font>

• It's to early.</font>
• Sunday School is for kids.</font>
• It's boring.</font>
• I'm there at church long enough already - why add another program?</font>
• I'm not comfortable being in a group - I'd rather go to church quietly and leave quietly.</font>

I've heard these and other excuses. I don't scrutinize people for not coming, but I do encourage them to come. It's because I know the value of a good Sunday school, and the difference it can make in the lives of those who attend.

Perhaps you're not being scrutinized after all. I can't answer for your pastor, but perhaps he (like me) knows the value of a good Sunday School program and desires this good thing for you.

 

You should be scrutinized (in love) if he (the pastor) does not see you growing in your faith with or without Sunday School.

Sunday school should be an in-depth study of the Bible. If it's not, then you're not really missing anything except maybe some coffee, donuts, and "shootin' the bull" with your friends.

 

don't mean to raise nobody's hackles here, but, the pastor has the right to ask (scrutinize is too strong a word, I think), if he is honestly convinced that in doing so he is protecting the Lord's sheep from wolves.

That is, in as far as spiritual things are concerned.

Sunday School, however, has no Scriptural basis, and historically, was not even intended to teach Scripture, but, so farmers' children could catch up with secular education since in rural times, as long as kids get to learn reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic, off they went to the farm to help out.

 

Mioque – that was hilarious. Anytime you want to fill in as a teacher here in a real church in the Appalachians you just let me know we will have a class waiting for you. You will have to bring your own snakes though.

We have many in our church that do not attend SS but come for the worship hour. I think it is a sign of a poorly executed Sunday School. They did not enjoy the classes and did not learn anything so people stopped coming. We have changed some things now but it will take time to get people back. My wife and I are teaching a youth class now and it is slowly starting to grow but several weeks we have had only our own children.

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

Sunday School is very important. Studying God's word, fellowship, and outreach. From my experiance those who don't go to Sunday School are often one's who slip easily in and out of church.

Stats show a higher retention rate of those in SS classes as opposed from those not attending. It comes down to commimant.

 

But don't you want to be a part? That depends on the class. Pigeon holing people never works.

At my old church, I loved my Sunday School class. The teacher was a godly man who knew his bible, knew how to apply the bible to life, took the time to prepare the lesson, maintained control of the class. There was a real fellowship of learning atmosphere. I loved that class. Hardly missed it.

At my current church. I was told, "This is your class." No options offered. I was a single mother, therefore I went here. I felt like the odd duck out from day one. I had been married for almost 20 years, happily married for almost 20 years. I happen to be pro-marriage, pro-men. One woman in the class said, every morning, "We need to get more men in here. How can we date Christian men if they don't come to church?" Two others turned every bible lesson into an example of why they hate men. The teacher, a sweet man, who has a very godly spirit, was not a strong leader and, frankly, he wasn't very educated. I'd taught lessons that offered more depth than he offered in class, and his own wife hadn't set foot in church for about three years. Then there was the substitute teachers who promised to show us how to stop being old maids and get men.

There would be, from time to time, a few visitors who would show up once and then leave the church. I told the associate pastor I didn't feel it was the class for me. He begged me not to change classes. Said the class needed people like me. I tried a little longer, got more bored, more fed up, and found myself dreading church. It was not that I wasn't learning, I wasn't learning, I wasn't fellowshipping, and I was disgusted with the whole thing. It was like a meeting of the NOW league. Even if men showed up they didn't dare speak up. I didn't even want to go to church anymore. I didn't want to face worship having NOT been to Sunday School because someone would make some joke about over sleeping, but I didn't think that nonsense was uplifting, or worth getting up early and driving to the other side of town for.

I finally called one of the seniors in church and told her that if I didn't find another class I was going to have to change churches. She recommended the Pastor's class, and I've been happy ever since.

On that same note - my son went through a similiar experience at a previous church. He loved church. Looked forward to it. He tends to be shy, but his two best friends in the world were in his Sunday School class.

Then one day the church hired a new children's director who decided to divide the class by age, using certain months as the cut off. She split my son and his friend's up. My son HATED the new class. He saw his classmates as "babies" and his friends as being yanked from him. We went from a kid eager to get to church to a battle in the morning. We moved him to the other class with the permission of the directors of both departments. The children's director moved him back and berrated the directors and us. We kept going, until one day my son literally broke down in tears and said he would rather go to math class than go to sunday school. We went to the Senior Pastor. He said, "We wondered what was going on. Sunday School attendance has dropped about 45% in the children's ministry."

The children's director went looking for a new job.

 

There are many reasons why people do not attend Sunday School. Some are understandable and others are not. I know some people who cannot sit very long because of pain or some other health reason so they choose to either go to Sunday School or Worship Service.

Some feel uncomfortable in a class setting.

 

Tremendous - and God bless you for it. May I ask why are you in seminary. Are you under a call to pastor, or some other Christian profession?

Perhaps your pastor is trying to be an asset to you as you go through seminary classes. Also, have you ever thought about teaching a class?

 

Mioque, you can teach our class anytime! think you can stand a bunch of middle agers?

SS never hurt anyone, and being in seminary looking toward a future as a pastor or leader, you can't have to much teaching!!!! One big lesson is that there will always be SOMETHING you have to do that you think you shouldn't have to do. Might as well get used to it now while the something is as comfortable as SS.

 

I love pour sunday school class, our teacher is well studied and wrote our lessons. We always learn from him.

 

What audacity for the PREACHER to teach a class and of all things do a chapter by chapter discussion of the Bible. I always thought that one attended Sunday School to learn about the Bible and doctrine. Oh well

So you are in Seminary and study the Bible outside of church services. Does this mean to you that the Bible is not to be studied in church and Sunday School?

No age group SS class for you? All members are your former SS teachers? So? And your point? Read 1 Peter 5:5 during your outside of church Bible Study, and prepare a sermon for yourself on that passage.