Church attendance in America has experienced resurgence of late as churches retool to deal with cultural shifts. Yet in the midst of this retooling, an archaic program like Sunday School is often left to wither on the vine. This article offers tools for a vibrant adult Sunday School program.
Church attendance in America has experienced a revival of late as churches retool and refine their messages to appeal to a changing culture.
Amidst all this retooling a Sunday School program may seem like an anachronism, but Sunday School can still appeal to the adults in the church if done properly.
The following article outlines the tools for an effective adult Sunday School program.
Organize
Any church program conducted as an afterthought is doomed to failure. Success requires passionate organization that plans as far into the future as feasible and wise.
One fatal practice of most Sunday School programs is to run a class as a constant occurrence. This can become grueling for both the students and teachers, who both will see no end in sight.
As a first organizational step, divide the Sunday School year into quarters, four-month blocks, or six-month semesters. When recruiting volunteers, stress that the commitment is only for a single class period, unless they want to recommit the following term. Passionate teachers will recommit, while those who learn they do not have the gift will be able to quit without shame.
Dividing the year into blocks also helps recruit and retain students. New people particularly do not like to come into a class midstream.
Once a schedule is chosen, try to plan a couple of terms in advance and, if possible, have a sense of continuity. Any program conducted as an afterthought is doomed to failure.
Enroll students
Pastors in charge of a Sunday School program often focus on recruiting and retaining solid teachers, but teachers without a class are just sad looking individuals talking to themselves.
As one semester draws to a close, begin to circulate promotional materials for the next term's course offerings. Ask students to sign up and communicate that doing so is a commitment for the entire semester.
Culturally speaking, a signature has the feel of a binding contract, even if, as in this case, there are no punitive repercussions for failure.
Use the carrot rather than the stick approach in enrollment. Make sure students know that the program could not exist without them and the church is relying on their commitment.