Is Sunday School Causing the Decline of the SBC?

I'm tweeting with my friend David Francis of LifeWay, and I also just commented on Ed Stetzer's article on his blog about the decline of the SBC. Let's put the question out there:

In your opinion, is Sunday School causing the decline of the SBC, or is it just a symptom of the SBC's decline?

Your thoughts?

Comments

[Jake Livgren]

I'm a young adult and a Sunday School teacher. I never really thought about this, but I'm going to give it some thought.

I found your blog through Ed Stetzers. I really liked your article about a Compelling Mission. For me, what I really need is some direction. SS just doesn't seem like it's going anywhere man. My church just has SS and it's pretty frustrating. I mean, I want to know that what I'm doing is making a difference and my class feels the same way.

I was raised an Southern Baptist, and I don't see the SBC going anywhere either. I don't know, is this a top-down or bottom-up problem.

I'm ordering your book, btw.

[Scott Zalaznik]

Bob, I wouldn't presume to know the answer to the question but can share my experience. We currently attend a church that is vibrant and making a huge Kingdom impact. There is no SS. They have small groups that meet in homes. As a family with 3 kids ages 4-8, attendance has been challenging (childcare is not the norm and paying a babysitter is not a good financial option for us now). I really miss having SS where the kids could go and have class and we also could have a smaller setting to connect with other believers.
As for the SS effectiveness - I think it can be very effective when viewed as a small group meeting in conjunction with a regular worship service. The challenge is to ensure that it is truly a time of equipping for application while achieving greater spiritual engagement/fellowship with other believers and not just a 'class'.

I think there are other challenges within SBC life that are more probable factors in the decline. Again, my 'experience' of SBC life is far from comprehensive. I consider it a denomination that I have embraced due to my doctrinal conviction (pretty sure there is no where else I would fit or that would have me for long!). At the same time, I see it as a denomination that rather than embracing me - it has merely allowed my embrace. That's a problem if you want to disciple the lost rather than simply raise up a generation within SBC families. Insider/Outsider is a real phenomenon, and one that insiders do not perceive and therefore feel no need to address.

Much like so many churches in AZ that are surrounded by transitioning or transitioned hispanic neighborhoods that still don't see them. They sit wondering where is the leader who will bring them back to their former glory days with the methods that worked in a pretransitional neighborhood and rely on denominational leaders who are committed to a hyper-congregational led leadership - which means they don't lead they commit to only following the lead of these congregations. It's a dizzying, circular dependence. Neither SS nor small groups, choirs nor praise bands, will be enough to overcome those circumstances. I'm speaking as a former pastor who has to live with being too hispanic for traditional churches and too anglo for the hispanic churches (what very few there are). My passion and plea has been for a hybrid approach but you cannot get a voice to bring change without being confirmed as part of the status quo in my experience. And that problem is bigger than SS.

I have to say I am very, very thankful for the church we are at and pray that there will be more churches as effective as Cornerstone of Ames (even without the traditional SS model). There roots are SBC, but unless you are SBC you would never know it. I once was critical of this, but now I am simply thankful they are proclaiming solid biblical truth, making disciples, baptizing them, and supporting the IMB through both financial giving and personnel, on fire for Christ and the nations.

Just 2 cents from a refugee living and worshipping in Midian.

[William Wright]

This is a great question Bob!

This is just my observation from interacting with people, but it seems the SBC is losing popularity with the younger generation because it is perceived as a political body more than the Body of Christ. Ed Stetzer makes an absolutely true statement when he says that turning left in theology is not an option, but above opinions, above jargon and even above the numbers, is knowing and loving Christ our top priority as He commands in Luke 10:27?

I constantly have to remind myself with our class of young singles that knowing Christ is our top priority. From all the young adults myself and my wife have talked with coming and going, they typically don't seem to care what Sunday School is called. They don't want a fancy service with a rock band. They want to be challenged spiritually and intellectually with service and meaning.

Long story short, Sunday School may be a symptom but I can't honestly agree that it is the problem. With all the doom and gloom with church memberships in decline it is exciting to see the HUGE amount of hope in this generation if we can get out and show them the truth of scripture and the love of Christ.

[Edmond Long]

We as Southern Baptists are not doing Sunday School any longer as SS should be done. We seem to have forgotten the maxim "methods change but principles never do." Well, Flake's Formula, as a set of undergirding principles is still legitimate. Regardless of how we try to restate them, those SS "laws" remain the necessary ingredient for SS to be successful. In our modern era, we have opted for other approaches to reaching people: events, PR, buildings, etc. We have lost the personal touch real SS provides both in the outreach stage and in the Bible study stage.

One person commented on his involvement in a church with life groups. Some of the problems associated with life groups (what do you do with your babies and children - a problem not encountered with SS) are quite important. My experience with life groups has not been encouraging. From what I have seen, perceived needs and trendy topics are the focus of the studies of these groups. Systematic Bible study and outreach are de-emphazed.

Given how biblically illiterate many Southern Baptists are, should we not be focusing on discipleship by encouraging, emphasizing and offering systematic Bible study? The best context for reaching people, developing believers through Bible study, and assimilating new believers into our churces is SS.

The work of the church is just that: work. In over 35 years of pastoral ministry, I have seen a dangerous drop in the number of people in our churches who are actually willing to work. SS takes work. So, we have tried to reinvent the wheel. Nothing about church, SS, or the christian life as a whole should ever be expected to be convenient.

We must become focused again on our communities, and less on our congregation. We must become committed again to reaching people with the Gospel. Then, we will see our decline rate reverse itself.

[Gus Downing]

It is interesting that this question would arise at this time. Our staff has been discussing reasons that our SS is not growing. And of course if SS does not grow, Church will not grow and SBC will not grow. For many years SS was the growth factor in most every church, as goes the SS so goes the church.

However in the 90’s SBC Leadership began to try and change to match the ever changing culture in which we live. Thus LifeWay was born and many church leaders sought to re-invent SS. Study courses were added to make teaching much simpler. Video lessons became the rage, and instead of a Systematic study of the Scripture, Topical courses were adopted. Evangelism, Discipleship and Missions would be taken over by other ministries in the church. Members of classes were only encouraged to be faithful in attendance.

I find it amazing that God was caught off guard and had not prepared for this change in our Society. For 2000 years the Scripture was sufficient for teaching the “all things” of Jesus and training Believers to make Disciples. Now that was not sufficient, we needed a new plan!

To grow our churches, and thus the SBC, I think we need to get back to the Acts way of church. Note a seldom used Scripture that described a period of Acts Church History found in Acts 9:31. If our churches would practice this method they would grow and so would the SBC!