What is the goal of our Sunday Schools?

What is the goal of our Sunday Schools? Ruth Lukabyo

 At Youthworks we talk a lot about intergenerational ministry, the different generations being part of the church and ministering to each other. Yet each Sunday those who are under the age of 14 are taken out of the congregation and have their own program. Many churches still call this ministry Sunday School.

What is the goal of Sunday Schools and how has this goal been shaped by the history of Sunday Schools in Australia? This was the question that guided me in the last Theology Think Tank.

To help me prepare, I asked the graduates in our Facebook group this question and I found the different answers fascinating.

One graduate mentioned the historical goal of the Sunday Schools, “I think historically it was to educate children about the bible (when I was a kid my dad drove a bus and picked up local kids who came to Sunday school and often their parents never came to church but wanted their children to learn about it).”

That is, the goal of the Sunday Schools was primarily for the children of non-Christian families. Sunday School teachers tried to give these children a basic biblical education, with the hope that when they were older, they would become Christians.

Other graduates on Facebook explained that the goal of Sunday Schools has now changed, and the goal is focused on the children of believers.  As one explained, “They are about supporting families as they bring up their children to know and love God and provide an age-appropriate way to do that.” Another said, “To help parents in their discipleship of their kids. Be another voice for the gospel and biblical word view. Show what fellowship of believers looks like.” Another, “That young people will grow in their love of, relationship with, and knowledge of God. Deut. 6:4-7 comes to mind.”

One graduate confessed that the Sunday School supported his family by giving him a break, “Honestly, while I love having my kids in church with us, sometimes just the child-minding factor is awesome.” Sunday School nurtured him spiritually by caring for his kids and allowing him to have fellowship with adults and hear a sermon.

In the Theology Think Tank, I presented a paper on the early Sunday Schools in the colony of NSW in the early 1800s. In thinking about the goal of Sunday Schools, it was useful to reflect on the reasons that Sunday Schools were established in the first place. To look back in order to look forward.

It was Robert Raikes who began the first official Sunday School in England in 1783. Children were working in the week and for many, Sunday was their only day off. There were not many schools for poor children and literacy rates were lower then 60%.

Raikes saw children breaking the sabbath, vandalising property and not going to church on a Sunday. He began Sunday Schools where children were taught reading, writing and arithmetic. They were taught to memorise the catechism (the basic teaching of the church) and they attended church as a group. Sunday School was basically a school for the poor, and children were there for most of the day!

In NSW, Thomas Hassall who was the young son of a missionary, began the first Sunday School in the colony in 1815.

Just as an aside, I have to share an amazing connection here. The principal of Youthworks College, Mike Dicker, is the great, great, great, great grandson of Thomas Hassall. A love for children’s and youth ministry has gone down the line!

Thomas Hassall began a Sunday School at St John’s Parramatta, but in 1815, he also began the Sunday School Institution. The goal of the Institute was “… the establishing and promoting of Sunday Schools throughout the colony, with a view to the Instruction of poor children of both sexes, to read the Holy Scriptures.”

In the colony, there was still a low literacy rate of around 60% of adults. This meant that many young people could not read the Bible. The goal of Sunday Schools was to teach children to read so that they would have enough understanding of the Bible to be able to become Christians when they were older.

Sunday Schools were only aimed at poor children. It was assumed that middle class Christian families were responsible for the spiritual formation of their children. That the children would be baptized, their parents would read the Bible with them, catechize them, and prepare them for confirmation. At the age of around fourteen they were considered adults and full members of the church.

As we discussed the history and goals of the early Sunday Schools, a few fascinating implications struck me.

First, it is important to be intentional about our goals. What are we trying to achieve in our Sunday Schools and what does effective childrens ministry look like? What are the strategies you are using and how well are you meeting your goals? Don’t just do it because that’s what’s been done before, let’s do thoughtful and theological children’s ministry.

Second, what do we call our Sunday childrens ministry? At the Think Tank a few children’s ministers from England participated and they were surprised that any Australian churches still used the name Sunday School at their church. The name school is outdated when you think about it because we don’t need to teach kids to read anymore. Some churches have opted to call their ministry, “Kid’s church”, but I personally think that implies that children are in a different church to their parents. Other churches use a cool acronym and others just use the plain old term, “Children’s ministry”. What is the best name to use?

The third implication that struck me is that historically Sunday Schools responded to a social problem with love. There may be ways we can still love children through breakfast clubs, homework clubs, Indigenous literacy programs, even fostering children.

One of the graduates on Facebook is a foster parent and when he considered the goal of Sunday Schools he said, “It helps as another set of eyes regarding kids’ safety and wellbeing.  I don’t know, maybe a steppingstone or the opening of a door to being a father to the fatherless, an overseer of widows and orphans.” 

Perhaps there are social needs amongst children in your community, especially amongst those who are poor or vulnerable?

If you want to think more about Sunday Schools listen to the recording of the Theology Think Tank here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdY1__LpfC0&t=1761s