Sunday School That Works, Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Does Sunday School Still Work?

In Chapter 1, Parr lays the ground work for everything that he is going to be talking about in the rest of the book.  Simply put, he says that if Sunday school is done right, it still works.  But doing it right takes effort from the Pastor, the Staff, and the Sunday school leadership.

Parr gives four reasons why some leaders say that Sunday school doesn’t work.  But he also gives some results that will be seen when it is working correctly: (1) The lost will be reached, (2) Lives will be changed and (3) Leaders will be sent.  Now isn’t this what we all want for our church? Of course it is.

If we are not seeing these results in our church (i.e. if Sunday school is no longer effective), perhaps the problem is not with Sunday school itself, but with the fact that we no longer are using it for its intended purpose. Parr states that the purpose of Sunday school is “to enable the church to strategically embrace the Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Finally, some churches would say that the title “Sunday school” is obsolete and is not cool or hip enough to attract younger generations.  But in reality, regardless of what we call our program, if we are fulfilling the purpose and doing it the right way, people will come.