Why I Believe in Sunday School

Dear Church Goer,

I write to you today from a heart of love and concern regarding a growing trend that troubles me, and one that I fear is eating away at the core of our personal and church values.

As long as I can remember, Sunday School has been a regular part of my family’s Sunday worship routine. Although there were many times as a young person that I did not want to go, nor did I get anything out of the lessons, a habit and a pattern was formed for which I am very grateful.

Although it could be argued that there is not a clear Biblical mandate for what we call Sunday School, and by studying the origins of Sunday School, we can see it was originally intended as an academic outreach to the poor and uneducated. In either case, we must recognize that there are many biblical references and commands regarding gathering together to worship God and study His Word. I am concerned that far too many in this generation see Sunday School attendance as optional, for what might be regarded in the academic world as “extra credit.” However, I would counter that view with this: we are commanded in God’s Word to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and although some may consider attending a worship service sufficient to fulfill that requirement, if we look at the rest of that verse in Hebrews 10:25 it reads “exhorting one another: and so much more as ye see the day approaching.” (KJV) I contend that this “exhorting one another” is more likely to take place in our smaller Sunday School class settings than in a corporate worship service. The truth of the matter is that Sunday School probably more accurately resembles the New Testament house-church services, that were more interactive, than do our actual worship services today, most of which are geared more to adults than children. Although it is ultimately the responsibility of parents to teach and indoctrinate their children in God’s word, Sunday School, when done properly, is a wonderful way to reinforce to our children what Deut. 6:5-9 teaches us about how we are to approach the teaching of God’s Word. In the King James Version, it reads:

5. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Another verse that should be taken into account is II Tim. 2:15 which reads, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Although we understand that the KJV’s use of the word “study” can also be translated in other ways, the essence is that they all point to the way in which we handle and understand God’s Word. The argument could be made that this means a person could study or work on their own, to which in part I would agree, however the sad truth is that probably the majority of professing Christians today never even read their Bibles, let alone study them to any level of understanding, and are completely dependent on the few verses they may hear in a Sunday morning service for the whole of their Bible reading/studying. Hence, they become ignorant of the laws and principles of God’s Word. God help us to not take the study and understanding of His Word, the Book from which we will be eternally judged, so lightly!

I, as well as most anyone who will read this, understand that we live in a busier, faster-paced age than ever before. But, when I begin to evaluate the matters of life, for better or worse, I must side with the things that hold eternal value over any personal, material or earthly thing that might rob me of the very best that God has for me and my family, even if they seem legitimate and cannot be constituted as sin, in and of themselves. As I and my children get older I sense more and more how much the world is trying to squeeze us into its mold. I also see many other churches that no longer have traditional Sunday Schools or even Sunday evening or midweek services for what they may have deemed justifiable reasons, but I can’t say that it seems to have helped those churches grow deeper spiritually or even grow in attendance.

Many of us, either out of necessity, or out of a desire to provide well for our families, will give many hours to our employers or businesses, even working overtime if called upon to do so. Some may even give of their time for the sake of charity or other good causes. While I firmly believe that it is biblically mandated that we work to provide for our family’s needs, let us not lose sight of what is truly our greatest need. If we must work so much to provide materially for our families that we are regularly too tired or too careless to make it to Sunday School, or other church services and functions, I fear that we are placing our treasures and, in turn, our hearts, where moth and rust will corrupt. Let us remember that Christ commanded us to take up our cross and follow Him, not follow the American dream.

Ultimately, I believe that this trend may be fed by a spirit of independence which, in nearly every case, will lead to spiritual decline, if not complete backsliding. The scripture tells us that we are all members of the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul frequently reminds us of our need for each other as part of that body. In I Corinthians 12:12 he says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” He goes on to illustrate how certain parts of the physical body are necessary to the whole, such as the foot, hand, ear and eye, noting that there should be no division in the body, and that when one member of the body fails to fulfill its purpose, it affects the entire body and all members suffer in some way. Ephesians 4:16 tells us that, “…the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” In other words, it takes all members of the body working together and fulfilling their purpose to edify the whole body.

My intent is not to browbeat or to cast a poor reflection on anyone, but to admonish us to reevaluate and, if needed, reprioritize our lives, placing eternal and spiritual things with the highest importance, and, if need be, to cut out other things that may be hindering our personal and corporate spiritual growth, even if it may take what seem to be radical changes such as jobs, living accommodations, comforts, entertainment, etc.
I DO believe in Sunday School! Not because it has become a modern church tradition, but because it truly does have spiritual and eternal value that must not be lightly cast aside! There are many more scriptures that could be added to this topic but finally, “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)