A Class of One

It may be that some Sunday in the next month, many teachers will be faced with a very difficult situation . . . a class of one. It it not surprising that many will find this situation difficult of a couple of levels. Let's deal with two specific areas of concern.
Physically
In our present societal culture, my first piece of advice, when faced with a single student when it comes time to start your Sunday School class is this: don't.
I encourage all agencies of the Church to adhere to a two-deep policy: two adults present at all times with children. This is especially true when there is only one child in the class. How could anyone in the church be concerned about my conduct, you might ask. Tom Nummela must have a warped mind. None the less, for the protection of the volunteers involved as well as the children, this should be a  matter of policy. It is often mandated by your church's insurance carrier.
If you find there are just two of you in the room . . .

• Join another class, one level up or down as needed. The other teacher will probably be surprised, but things will sort out quickly and everyone will benefit.
• Recruit another adult or parent to join you. The child's parent would be ideal. Everyone will be more at ease.

In either case, explanations will be a whole lot easier if it is simply in response to the church's policy.
Educationally
Assuming that you have that extra body in the room and are going ahead with the lesson, consider these realities:

• Discussion may be difficult.
• The lesson will go very quickly.
• It is time to get personal.

Getting personal will help on several levels.
As the teacher, be personal. Share your story. Make sure the student knows that you teach about Jesus because you love Jesus and know He cares for you. Reveal enough about yourself to give the student some opportunities to relate to you.
With the student, get personal. Spend some time at the beginning of class to get to know the student. Ask fact questions about family, pets, school, hobbies, sports, and other interests. Even if you know the child well, get to know him or her even better. The point here is both to learn and to let the student practice talking to you. When the lesson discussion comes around you'll find it will go much better.
Read the Bible account, re-tell the account, and ask review questions. The review could be a two-person drama, perhaps. You'll have time to round up a few props, practice the lines, and really get it right.
Build your review and application questions like a pyramid. Lay a base of easy questions, ones with obvious answers. Structure the questions so that the student cannot answer in one or two words. (Remember, you want the student to get comfortable conversing with you.) After the base has been laid, look for the analysis questions that will unpack motivation, why the people in the story acted as they did, and why God acted as He did in this situation.
When it comes to application, lead the student to see that he or she is like the person God helps in the story, more than the one who helps (not the Good Samaritan, but the man who fell among thieves; not the shepherd or the woman who lost the coin or the father, but the lost sheep, coin, and son).
As you teach, decide whether the application activities in the lesson will work with just one student. Invent your own craft ideas as you go along. Invite the student to illustrate the story on the board, or draw a picture on paper to share with parents. Take the child along to the supply room to gather some cool stuff to create some take-home art.

Finally, be brave. Sing the songs suggested in the lesson; no one will hear but you and an audience of one. Try something new; if it doesn't work, your learning partner will be forgiving. Above all, let the Gospel shine clearly. The class of one is a rare opportunity to assure that child of God's love and forgiveness in a personal way. Make the most of it.

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

Children's Christmas Service or God's Word?

What will your Sunday School be doing for the next three Sundays? Teaching God's Word using the curriculum you've paid good money for? Or rehearsing for the annual children's Christmas service?

The children's Christmas service is a wonderful teaching opportunity in and of itself. It not only teaches God's Word, Law and Gospel, to the children (I hope and pray that this is so), but it provides an opportunity for the children to be the teachers, sharing God's wonderful Christmas Gospel with the congregation members, family, and friends who attend. It is an event that offers spectacular visibility for your Sunday School within the congregation and in your community. By all means, continue this tradition in your congregation or begin it.

But don't let it crowd out the Sunday School's agenda for teaching the Bible's salvation narrative in an organized sequence of lessons. Keep this main thing the main thing, even in December. Here are some tips for preparing for the Christmas service with a minimum or disruption.

• Use the musical selections of the service in school-wide or classroom openings and closing in December.
• Practice for the service outside of Sunday School time. I had mostly seen these rehearsals run on a couple of Saturday mornings in December. Yes, it is another family commitment during a very busy time of the year, but parents are usually highly committed to this event. If they understand that the Saturday rehearsals are the price of participating in it, they will usually bite the bullet and make it work. (And it can be a great kid-free shopping window, though you don't have to advertise it as such.)
• If using some Sunday time is essential to make it work, don't surrender the entire hour. Use a half hour. Or keep the kids for an extra 20 minutes after class for rehearsal.
• Send home unused Sunday School materials (leaflets and craft pages) with the children with a note suggesting how they can be used to teach or review the lesson at home. 

God bless you as you, and your children, teach His children His Word!

Since When?

When did it happen that clear presentation of the Gospel became just one of many criteria measured during the selection of material for teaching Sunday School lessons?

Those evaluating Sunday School material measure . . .
. . . cost per student.
. . . engaging activities.
. . . colorful illustrations.
. . . how well the lessons match the Church Year.
. . . activities to take the lesson into the home.
. . . developmental appropriateness.
. . . ease of teacher preparation.
. . . effectiveness in teaching the Gospel.

That's great! These things should be considered. Absolutely! But it seems often that these criteria, and others considered important in a given location, are given more or less equal weight. Cost per student or engaging activities may out-weigh the doctrinal content for the material when the final selection is made.

Obviously, I am not without bias. My life's work these days is to prepare Sunday School material that changes hearts and touches lives through the clear proclamation of the Gospel in every lesson. But it seems to me that the Gospel ought to count for more.

Given that God's Word of Law and Gospel, sin and grace, is at the heart of Scripture and the only means by which lives can be changed for good, is it really wise to choose any material in which the light of Gospel does not shine?

Thanksgiving

Our choir sang a choral gradual for Thanksgiving that will stick with me for a long time, I hope. It is a wonderful arrangement by Carl Schalk of a prayer by George Herbert:

"Thou [who] hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise."

Thank God that His generousity, His gifts to us, are constant and plentiful, never sparse [spare], and not dependent on our prayers or our gratitude.

I have so much to be grateful for, and, sadly, am never so generous with my thanks as God is with His gifts.

God's grace at work!

Thank you for teaching God's children His Word.

Simple Truth, the Gospel Is Not Simple

Preparing lessons with clear proclamation of the Gospel heart and core is not an easy task. There are many ways in which things can fall short.

If a lesson has been written without clear proclamation of the Gospel, teaching it in a way that adds God's grace back in is even harder.

The Gospel needs to be the starting place not the optional accessory to the lesson.

Just saying.

God bless you as you teach God's Word of Gospel to His children.

Teacher, Resist the Temptation

Resist the temptation to cover everything in the teacher guide, lest you cover everything including the intended key point.

The publisher has probably delivered more than enough material to you, so that you have enough for that extended hour or small class that rips through the lesson in record time. This is good news! It gives you options.

But you are the one who decides. Keep the key point in mind, that kernel of Law and Gospel that will deliver the Good News of Jesus' love to your students. Choose the parts of the lesson that make the most sense for communicating that Gospel to the specific students you have in that specific classroom on Sunday. Adapt, review, invent, re-weave. Make the lesson your own. But don't try to teach it all! Teach the main thing in an engaging way.

Next week your students will be back to hear more!

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

Sunday School for the Small Church

What do folks mean when they ask for "Sunday School materials for the small church"?

• Material that works with ultra-small classes?
• Material that works with combined grades?
• Material for all students (preschool through upper grades) in the same room?
• Material for churches with just one or two teachers?
• Material that works in small classrooms, or where classes meet in close proximity without the benefit of walls and doors?
• Material for churches that can't afford copiers?
• Material for churches that can't afford to purchase leaflets?

I wonder at times whether what is really being asked for is material that requires little or no advance preparation and material that costs next to nothing to purchase.

Me? I'm always suspicious of the easy and cheap stuff. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is (too good to be true).

Teaching God's children His Word is often, maybe even always, hard work that requires preparation to be most effective. And material that will make it happen is worth paying for.

What am I missing?

Maybe there is a "leaner and meaner" way to do Sunday School material?

I'd love to hear your ideas.