Sunday School Hour
The Scriptures teach us to pass the faith on to our children. That sounds like a no-brainer, right? Who doesn't want to pass the faith on to the next generation? The question becomes, how do we do this effectively?
Here is a shocking statement: At Southport Presbyterian Church, we have created a model that doesn't encourage our children to attend church. Adults come to worship and children go to children's ministry. We currently have middle and high school students who have rarely attended corporate worship with the rest of their church family. It should not surprise us, then, that 60-70% of the church's children leave the faith after graduating high school. Granted, church attendance alone isn't the antidote to the problem, but is certainly part of the solution.
By the way, prior to the Industrial Revolution, there were not separate ministries for children and youth (the Sunday School movement began in 1780, but it was originally designed to teach working children how to read). Now, we affirm the importance of special ministries for children and youth, but believe it is not good for them to happen concurrently with corporate worship.
Starting September 12, we will move to a new model that includes a Sunday School hour in between the services. If you are an adult, we encourage you to volunteer in our children and youth ministries. We will also offer a class for adults taught by Rob and me . . . or you can hang out in the gathering area and have fellowship time with other adults.
For those of you with elementary age kids, I'll share some thoughts for you next week.
More details to come . . .
Here is a shocking statement: At Southport Presbyterian Church, we have created a model that doesn't encourage our children to attend church. Adults come to worship and children go to children's ministry. We currently have middle and high school students who have rarely attended corporate worship with the rest of their church family. It should not surprise us, then, that 60-70% of the church's children leave the faith after graduating high school. Granted, church attendance alone isn't the antidote to the problem, but is certainly part of the solution.
By the way, prior to the Industrial Revolution, there were not separate ministries for children and youth (the Sunday School movement began in 1780, but it was originally designed to teach working children how to read). Now, we affirm the importance of special ministries for children and youth, but believe it is not good for them to happen concurrently with corporate worship.
Starting September 12, we will move to a new model that includes a Sunday School hour in between the services. If you are an adult, we encourage you to volunteer in our children and youth ministries. We will also offer a class for adults taught by Rob and me . . . or you can hang out in the gathering area and have fellowship time with other adults.
For those of you with elementary age kids, I'll share some thoughts for you next week.
More details to come . . .
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