LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 52

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52 PARISH, YOUTH, AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES

1. A basic challenge is to make our Sunday schools as solid
and sound as possible. Too often we fail to recognize and
appreciate the importance of the Sunday school in our congre-
gational ministry. In many circles the Sunday school has a
poor image. Some Sunday schools are conducted haphazardly:
expectations of students are low; the Sunday school hour is
“time to be filled’ —sometimes with meaningless or purpose-
less activities: the Sunday school program at times lacks scope
or sequence.

We need to take our Sunday schools seriously. The “Note” to
the “Christian Questions” in Luther’s Small Catechism applies
also to our Sunday schools: ‘These questions and answers are
no child’s play, but are drawn up with great earnestness of
purpose by the venerable and pious Dr. Luther for both young
and old. Let each one take heed and likewise consider it a
serious matter; for St. Paul writes to the Galatians, chapter
sixth: ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked.”

We need Sunday schools that are sound as well as solid. As
we proclaim our Savior in our Sunday schools we are to be sure
that our proclamation is faithful to the revealed written Word.
Perhaps we need to hear again the Word of the Lord through
Jeremiah: “Let the prophet ... who has My word speak My
word faithfully. ... Behold, I am against the prophets, says the
Lord, who use their tongues and say. ‘Says the Lord’”’ (Jer.
23:28, 31).

What can we do to develop solid, sound Sunday schools?

a. We need to recognize the noble service performed by the
thousands of faithful Sunday school workers in our Synod.
Sunday school teaching ought to be perceived as being a
glorious opportunity for proclaiming the Savior and for guid-
ing lives in the way of the Lord. The more we recognize and
appreciate the seriousness and eternal significance of our
Sunday schools, the more likely we will be to attract excellent
teachers and stimulate them to give their best to their Sunday
school ministry.

b. Our pastors are to be encouraged to recognize the Sunday
school as an important part of their ministry, to give high
priority to the Sunday school as they schedule their time, to
resist vocational pressures that might divert their attention
from the Sunday school, and to demonstrate their interest in
the Sunday school in appropriate ways.

c. In situations where the demands on the pastor are such
that he is unable to give attention to the Sunday school as he
might wish, the congregation might be encouraged to calla
synodically certified director of Christian education to work
with the pastor to provide strong leadership to all facets of the
congregation’s educational ministry.

d. Asstrong organization and administration are essential
for any effective Sunday school program, great care ought to be
exercised in the selection of the Sunday school superintendent
and other officers. Every congregation might well review its
Sunday school program and consider how it might improve its
organization and administration.

e. Important as Sunday school teacher training is, teacher
selection is even more essential. Those persons to whom the
Holy Spirit has given the gift of teaching are to be identified
and matched with the class that can make best use of their
talents.

f. All Sunday school teachers are to be encouraged to meet
frequently and regularly for teacher training. To assure sound
teaching in the Sunday school it is important that teachers
grow in their understanding of the Bible and Chnistian doctrine
as well as in their teaching skills.

g. To assure the sound proclamation of Jesus Christ, it is
important that Sunday schools use curricular materials in
harmony with the Bible and our Lutheran teachings. A
growing number of Sunday schools seem to be using materials
that reflect a Reformed theology. Although these Reformed
materials take the Bible seriously, they tend to point the
students to personal morality or ethics as the basis of salvation
rather than to Jesus Christ.

Our Synod has always taken seriously the importance of
using sound Lutheran curriculum materials. One reason for
the existence of the Synod is that congregations might be
provided with reliable textbooks. Curricular materials pro-
duced by the Synod through its Board for Parish Services are

carefully prepared and closely reviewed to assure their doc-
trinal integrity. Congregations do well to use these materials in
their Sunday schools to assure themselves that Jesus Christ is
being faithfully proclaimed.

2. A second basic challenge for our Sunday schools is to
continue to emphasize their importance and value for all the
people of God. As the “Note” in Luther’s Small Catechism
states, “These questions and answers . . . are drawn up with
great earnestness of purpose by the venerable and pious Dr.
Luther for both young and old.” The Bible itself is an adult
book that offers the wisdom of God to all people regardless of
age. ~.
Almost without exception, large, thriving Sunday schools |
are those that enroll more youth and adults than children.
Children will more readily attend Sunday school if they have
before them the visual example of youth and adults partici- ,
pating in serious Bible study. “—-*

Today youth and adults live in a highly complex world in
which pagan ideologies, values, and morals are pervasive.
They need the insights and power of the Holy Spirit mediated
through the Word to enable them to live with integrity as
Christian persons.

In 1981 only 29.61% of confirmed high school youth and
9.45% of post-high-school communicant members were enrolled
in the Sunday schools of the Synod. We need to review and
upgrade constantly the Sunday school programs offered youth
and adults and to invite personally the youth and adults in our
congregations to participate in Sunday school. “~

3. The third challenge is to become more earnest and
systematic in ministering to every member of the congregation
as an individual. As the statistics indicate, only about half the
children baptized in our churches ever enroll in one of our
Sunday schools. A gradual decline in the percentage of bap-
tized children enrolled in Sunday school occurs after the second
grade. Nearly 45% of the children baptized in our churches do
not receive the rite of confirmation.

a. The dropout of children is largely an adult problem.
Perhaps parents and sponsors do not fully recognize and
appreciate the commitment they make at the child’s baptism to
continue to nurture that child in the Christian faith in the
fellowship of God’s people. Perhaps we need to do more in
instructing parents and sponsors prior to the baptismal rite
about the significance of the sacrament and the responsibility
they are assuming. “"

Then the church needs to continue to minister to parents of
young children to assist them in establishing and maintaining
a Christian climate in the home. Parents are to be encouraged
to enroll their children at the appropriate age in the Sunday
school and other church educational settings. Opportunities
for parental involvement in the Sunday school program are to
be offered, and parental cooperation solicited.

Ofa variety of ways to maintain close contact with parents
we mention only two.

One, the Sunday school might well establish study/discus-
sion groups for parents as part of its program. The Synod
through its Board for Parish Services and Concordia Pub-
lishing House offers many resources for such a group.

The second avenue is a well-organized and conscientiously
maintained Nursery Roll program. Although the number of
congregations conducting a nursery roll increased in 1981 by
more than 100 congregations over 1980, nearly 50% of our
congregations do not have this program for young children
and their parents. These congregations need to be encouraged
and assisted in establishing this avenue of ministry to the
recently baptized and their parents.

To be effective, the nursery roll ministry ought to include a
systematic program of home visitation in addition to the
mailing of materials available in the Concordia Nursery Roll
packet. In these visits the church visitor can reflect the
congregation’s interest in the young parents and their child,
cultivate a stronger relationship between the parents and the
church, and leave inexpensive Christian books on child care
and appropriate books that can be read to the child.

When the child reaches the appropriate age for enrollment
in the Sunday school and other church-sponsored early child-
hood educational settings, the church visitor can invite en-