Improving Adult Sunday School classes
From Faith Pulpit, Winter 2015. Used by permission, all rights reserved.
My purpose in the first article was to call churches back to the priority of adult Sunday School classes because I believe they can do everything small groups can do and more and can provide the best format for discipleship. In short, adult Sunday School has the greater potential for benefit to a church. In this second article I offer some suggestions for how we adult teachers can improve our adult classes so they reach their full potential.
1. Commit to using printed curriculum that covers the Bible systematically.
One of the advantages of adult Sunday School classes over small groups is they can cover all the Bible systematically. This kind of coverage will not happen if adult teachers are allowed to choose their own studies. Systematic coverage can only happen when teachers follow a printed curriculum that covers the entire Bible. And if a church has more than one adult class, this kind of coverage can only happen when all the adult teachers in a church follow the printed curriculum.1 For adult classes to reach their full potential, printed curriculum that covers the Bible systematically is essential.
Discussion
In Defense of the Adult Sunday School
From Faith Pulpit, Winter 2015. Used by permission, all rights reserved.
The venerable adult Sunday School class has not been doing well recently. Most churches still have one or more adult Sunday School classes (though some churches have already abandoned them), but a new adult ministry seems to be getting the priority these days—small groups.
I believe that one reason for the popularity of small groups is that in many cases we have not done adult Sunday School well. Adult Sunday Schools in many churches have become stale and lifeless, so we have looked for a new ministry. Small groups seem like the answer to the problems of adult Sunday School classes.
How Do They Differ?
Most of us are familiar with adult Sunday School classes. Churches have had them for decades. Smaller churches may have only one class while larger churches have multiple classes. Churches that have more than one adult class may group the adults by ages (my preference) or allow adults to attend any class they want. Many churches today call the adult classes Adult Bible Fellowships (ABFs).
Discussion
Tipping, Tithing, and Grace Giving: The Concept of Grace Giving
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. This article will stand somewhat alone, but is best understood within the context of the overall biblical teaching on giving.
Most Christians know that giving of material and financial resources as an offering to God and to support the work of ministry comes with the territory of being a believer. Many have been taught that tithing (giving 10% of one’s income) is the accepted way to give. A key point in this article series is that tithing fades from view and grace giving comes to the forefront in New Testament Christianity.
So the question is, what is “grace giving” and where is it taught in the Bible?
Discussion
Looking for Small group studies that have gone over well
Our church is going into Summer #2 of using small groups as a primary place of discipleship and practicing the “one-anothers” of scripture. We did Jerry Bridges’ The Practice of Godliness last Summer and it went really well. I wanted to see what other churches have used that were good studies. I’m looking at two other Bridges’ books Respectable Sins and Trusting God. I’ve also considered some of the Lifeway small groups studies.
Discussion