What's It Worth?

What is a solid, Lutheran Sunday School worth to your congregation?

Sadly, for too many Lutheran congregations, the answer seems to be, "Not very much." They run what Seth Godin calls "the race to the bottom," choosing just-barely-good-enough material for the lowest possible cost.

Color printing? Never mind that realistic biblical and life-application art contributes significantly to student engagement and the message that the stories in the Bible are not just stories, but historical events. Color printing is too expensive.

Sound doctrine? That's nice, but theologically trained editors and careful publication processes add measurably to the cost of material. I'm not sure that the children, parents, educational leaders, or pastors care all that much.

There are a few things for which people are still willing to pay more for the quality of a known brand over the lower-priced generic. A cell phone. An engagement ring. Coffee. Is Sunday School among them? It depends on what you value.

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word.

What Is the Best Price for Sunday School Material?

I hear it all the time. "We can't afford to buy that curriculum for our Sunday School."

So, I have to ask, "What is the right price for Sunday School material?" For too many churches, pastors, DCEs, and Sunday School leaders the quick answer will be "Free."

The question behind it all is "How much is it worth to you? How much do you value it?" For a small Sunday School, the cost for each child could amount to $12-$15 dollars each quarter. A larger Sunday School may have a slightly lower per pupil cost with more children in each classroom. That price has not changed dramatically over the past 20 years, though it has increased some as costs for other things have risen.

If Sunday School is perceived only as an expense, the cost will always be too high. But if Sunday School is seen as an investment in the spiritual lives of children, your children, the value would seem to be priceless, worth any cost. That argument will never convince an accountant, but it might be worth discussing with those whose responsibility it is to provide Christian nurture for children. Does the Sunday School material you use bring eternal value to children?

Therein lies the real cost of free material, or low priced material. It that material is not rich in the Gospel, the pearl without price, it may be "worth less," that is, worth every penny you didn't pay for it.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Let the Children Come to Me

Jesus said to them, "Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14

Not, "Let the children come to soccer." Not, "Let the children come to have fun." Not, "Let the children come when we feel like it."

"Let the children come to Me." The Church wastes its time when it tries to entertain children on Sunday morning; the world offers far better entertainment. The Church wastes its time when it fails to point out the eternal, spiritual difference between participating in sports and hearing the Gospel. The Church wastes its time when it offer Sunday School material that does not consistently teach the Law and the Gospel each week, showing students their sin and pointing them to their Savior.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word, as you bring them to Him!

Count the Cost?

"The only things we spend time and money on are things that we believe are worth more than they cost." Those words were written by Seth Godin in his blog, who describes himself as "a writer, speaker and an agent of change"; you can read the whole post here.

Essentially, he says that when we claim things cost too much, we are really saying we don't believe they are worth what is being asked in payment.

In my opinion, Mr. Godin has put his finger on what is looming as a crisis for Christian education in the LCMS. Sunday School is no longer valued as it once was as an institution for teaching the Gospel. Perhaps there other models for Christian education that will flourish, that is, be seen as worth the cost in dollars, staff time, volunteer commitments, and parental investment. I'm not seeing it however.

Your challenge is clear. If you want to build up your Sunday School, you need to strengthen its reputation for value. You need to convince others---your pastor, parents, church leaders, budget-setters---that Sunday School is worth it!

God bless you as you work to make a priority of teaching God's children His Word.

Building Up Your Sunday School

Who would not love to have more children attending Sunday School each week?

One powerful tool is a strong adult Bible study program, one that addresses the needs and matches the learning styles of parents with children. It will have three immediate benefits.

In the first place, if the parents are in Bible class, so will the children be in Sunday School.

Second, the example of the parents in valuing lifelong Christian education will impact the children in very positive ways.

Third, if parents join their children in study during the Sunday School hour, the children will then join the parents for worship, which, sad to say, is not always the case in our churches these days.

Good things happen when children learn to value weekly opportunities for worship and Christian education. God promises this will be so!

God bless you as you teach His children, and their parents, His Word!

To Break or Not to Break for the Summer

You will need to work carefully with congregational leadership on this one, but here's my take.

Achieving a vibrant, growing Sunday School requires huge amounts of energy! Keeping your momentum is difficult, reversing a declining trend even harder. Think of the amount of energy it takes to get that boat moving through the water, to overcome inertia and the drag of friction. When Sunday School is discontinued through the summer, you may actually train your families not to attend, let key volunteers find other things to do with their time, and make a statement about the program's ongoing value.

On the other hand, summer is when lots of families relocate and visit new churches. They are eager to establish roots, and have their children meet new friends. No summer Christian education opportunities will not cut if for them.

With these thoughts in mind, you might want to review the article provided through a recent e-mail from Concordia Publishing House. You can reach it through this link.

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word.

Did You Have Sunday School after Christmas?

Those who follow this blog might expect a bit of a rant here (like this one from 2011). No this year. But I have to ask the follow-up questions: why? or why not?

If you cancelled Sunday School for convenience (yours, or the teachers, or the families), I challenge you to re-think. We have precious few opportunities to teach God's children His Word. I would give up even one of them with the greatest reluctance.

If you cancelled Sunday School for safety (as our church did on Sunday, with blizzard condictions, travel advisories, and single-digit temperatures), bravo! Thanks for doing your best to keep God's children safe to hear His Word another day.

Value versus Cost

What is the connection between the value we assign to something and its cost?

Some might think that the more something costs (a diamond ring, for example, or an oil painting), the more valuable it will be to the person who possesses it.

For all too many Sunday School leaders today, I fear that the reverse is true: the less the Sunday School material costs, the more value it will have for the leaders in question.

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't believe that trends toward black and white reproducible student material and free curriculum available on the Internet are all about improved educational experience for the students. It seems to be about cost.

No one needs multi-carat diamonds or Van Goghs to teach God's Word. The ideal, it seems to me, is to find the best material (in theological and educational terms) that you can afford.

Sacrificing educational and theological quality for lower cost has significant negative potential.

God bless you with wisdom to make good curriculum choices as you teach His children His Word.

Dear Lord . . .

Hear our prayer on behalf of the Sunday School. In Your grace and mercy . . .

• Grant that all churches find children in their midst with whom to share Your Word.
• Grant to all churches willing servants to teach and direct the Sunday School.
• Bless pastors with both the desire and ability to make Sunday School a high priority in the congregation's ministry.
• Bless congregations with an abundance of gifts to support Sunday School with excellent resources.
• Teach discernment to Sunday School leaders to recognize the errors of moralism and works righteousness and to seek an appropriate balance of Law and Gospel as they choose curriculum for their teachers.
• Give parents both the desire to see their children in Sunday School each week and the willingness to attend Sunday School each week themselves.
• Give all who teacher Your Word wisdom and understanding, both of the Word and of the students they teach, so that their lessons might be effective in building Your kingdom.

We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

What Is Sunday School For?

How's that for a basic question? How would you answer? The answer you give, and the answers the members of your congregation give, to that question will say a lot about the philosophy behind your entire Christian education ministry.

I can think of three significant purposes for Sunday School.

Evangelization
The Sunday School is, first and foremost, a weekly opportunity to share the "evangel" (Greek for "good news") about Jesus Christ with adults and children. It is a vital message for Christians and non-Christians alike. If the Good News is not shared, if the material used teaches moralism or works righteous or only law, you are wasting everyone's time and doing more harm than good.

Education
It is not without reason that we call is "Christian education." The more we know about the Bible's message, and the better we understand it, the more our faith is nurtured and our vocation encouraged. Biblical literacy is a great defense against false doctrine and spiritual ruin.

Socialization
For children, just as for adults, the habits of weekly attendance at worship and Bible study and daily devotion and prayer are encouraged through the social and service connections we find with other congregation members. Children who know and enjoy being with their Sunday School class mates will attend more frequently, and even urge their parents to take them to church. Studies reveal that member who have at least five points of connection in the congregation will be more active and contribute more time and treasure to its welfare.

What other purposes come to mind for Sunday School?

Sunday School is not the only place that these purposes can be achieved. The family has a "first line" responsibility for nurturing children in the faith, teaching the Holy Scriptures, and bringing children to worship. But nearly every family I've encountered looks to the Church for support and assistance in these tasks.

God bless you are you teach His children His Word!

Is Sunday School Necessary in Your Congregation?

• Not if all families in your congregation are fulfilling their vocations and living as God's children twenty-four seven.
• Not if your children are continuing as lifelong Christians through their teenage and young adult lives, attending the Divine Service regularly and immersing themselves in God's Word.
• Not if the children in your congregation are immune to the temptations of the devil, the world, and their own sinful flesh.
• Not if your students never encounter a skewed teaching that distorts the Gospel and proclaims instead a need to earn salvation through personal effort.
• Not if your students are already biblically literate and knowledgeable about the doctrines of the Lutheran Church.
• Not if your pastor's sermons are equally helpful to children and adults.
• Not if your church never has visitors who are eager to learn more about Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior from sin.
• Not if there are other programs of Christian education that are more convenient for and utilized by all the families of your congregation.

For congregations that are not quite there yet, Sunday School remains a time-tested opportunity for children, youth, and adults to study God's Word using age-appropriate materials that are centered on Christ.

God bless you teach His children His Word!