If You’ve Got the Parents, We’ve Got the Curriculum
Should your church begin a new Sunday school class just for parents? Picture the following scene:
Kim and Darrel speed into the church parking lot, ten minutes late and already frazzled from the battle of getting their preschool daughter and middle-school son fed, dressed, strapped in, and motivated for church that morning. Kim rushes to the children's Sunday school hall to get Chloe checked in. Darrel is trying to find the chairman of the deacons to explain why he won't be at their meeting Monday night - they have a piano recital for their oldest child, who is also gone for a soccer tournament next weekend.
They slip into the back of their Sunday school class and find seats between a senior adult couple and an unmarried, unemployed college graduate. They try not to make eye contact with the teacher; they hope they won't be called on to say anything about what they learned studying their Sunday school lesson. The truth is, with the kind of week they've had, they never had a chance to open their quarterly. Darrel was lucky to find his Bible this morning in the mad rush out the door.
Kim and Darrel feel a little relieved that they never have to say anything at all. Two retired couples spend a good chunk of the time talking about the timeshare condo the four of them split at the beach last week. Kim thinks to herself, "Sounds nice. Maybe when Chloe graduates in fifteen years we can finally do things like that." But she can't spend too much time dwelling on it. This is their week for nursery duty, and she and her husband have to leave ten minutes early. She wishes they could stay for prayer requests. Then again, she doesn't feel like she has enough in common with these people to share from her heart anyway.
Most churches experience this dilemma. We know Deuteronomy 6 stresses the role of parents as the primary disciple-makers of their children. We understand there is no one more critical for the health of the church and the spiritual development of the next generation than parents. But we also know that, spiritually speaking, parents are typically the most underfed group in the church. They are often the last ones to get to Sunday school, the first ones to leave, and the most likely to miss Sundays in between. Furthermore, according to a survey conducted by LifeWay Research, only 36 per cent of parents who attend church every week feel they are “very familiar” with what the Bible says about parenting. It seems as though there is more to churches helping parents become better parents than just getting them to show up.
Maybe it's time for your church to consider starting a new Sunday school class just for parents. Think about how the scenario we just read could be different:
❏ What if there was an entire class of couples and single parents who had the same busy lives as Kim and Darrel? Would they feel less guilty for not studying their lesson? Would they be more willing to participate in the class? Could they be more vulnerable and open with other couples in the class if they knew they all were struggling with the same things?
❏ Would it make a difference if there were a Sunday school curriculum that didn't require a lot of advance preparation? What if it was written in a way that emphasized interaction, openness, and vulnerability? What if it was arranged in a flexible format, so a teacher who was pressed for time in the class wouldn't have to go over every single teaching point to help learners understand the Scripture's meaning?
At LifeWay we want to make a promise to your church: If you will focus on parents with new class units, we’ll focus on parents with a new curriculum. We have completely redesigned Life Truths to meet the needs of today's busy parents. The new Life Truths stresses interaction, but requires minimal preparation. Each lesson is loaded with practical application ideas for parents to use with their kids, so that the entire family can benefit from the lessons about God's Word. An online community for Life Truths allows parents from all over the country to connect with one another and talk about the struggles they face in raising godly children.
The strategy of the new Life Truths is simple: It is written by parents, for parents, because the truth of God's Word makes us better parents. For around sixteen cents a week you can give a mom or dad Bible study material that will equip them to fulfill their God-given responsibility.
Kim and Darrel speed into the church parking lot, ten minutes late and already frazzled from the battle of getting their preschool daughter and middle-school son fed, dressed, strapped in, and motivated for church that morning. Kim rushes to the children's Sunday school hall to get Chloe checked in. Darrel is trying to find the chairman of the deacons to explain why he won't be at their meeting Monday night - they have a piano recital for their oldest child, who is also gone for a soccer tournament next weekend.
They slip into the back of their Sunday school class and find seats between a senior adult couple and an unmarried, unemployed college graduate. They try not to make eye contact with the teacher; they hope they won't be called on to say anything about what they learned studying their Sunday school lesson. The truth is, with the kind of week they've had, they never had a chance to open their quarterly. Darrel was lucky to find his Bible this morning in the mad rush out the door.
Kim and Darrel feel a little relieved that they never have to say anything at all. Two retired couples spend a good chunk of the time talking about the timeshare condo the four of them split at the beach last week. Kim thinks to herself, "Sounds nice. Maybe when Chloe graduates in fifteen years we can finally do things like that." But she can't spend too much time dwelling on it. This is their week for nursery duty, and she and her husband have to leave ten minutes early. She wishes they could stay for prayer requests. Then again, she doesn't feel like she has enough in common with these people to share from her heart anyway.
Most churches experience this dilemma. We know Deuteronomy 6 stresses the role of parents as the primary disciple-makers of their children. We understand there is no one more critical for the health of the church and the spiritual development of the next generation than parents. But we also know that, spiritually speaking, parents are typically the most underfed group in the church. They are often the last ones to get to Sunday school, the first ones to leave, and the most likely to miss Sundays in between. Furthermore, according to a survey conducted by LifeWay Research, only 36 per cent of parents who attend church every week feel they are “very familiar” with what the Bible says about parenting. It seems as though there is more to churches helping parents become better parents than just getting them to show up.
Maybe it's time for your church to consider starting a new Sunday school class just for parents. Think about how the scenario we just read could be different:
❏ What if there was an entire class of couples and single parents who had the same busy lives as Kim and Darrel? Would they feel less guilty for not studying their lesson? Would they be more willing to participate in the class? Could they be more vulnerable and open with other couples in the class if they knew they all were struggling with the same things?
❏ Would it make a difference if there were a Sunday school curriculum that didn't require a lot of advance preparation? What if it was written in a way that emphasized interaction, openness, and vulnerability? What if it was arranged in a flexible format, so a teacher who was pressed for time in the class wouldn't have to go over every single teaching point to help learners understand the Scripture's meaning?
At LifeWay we want to make a promise to your church: If you will focus on parents with new class units, we’ll focus on parents with a new curriculum. We have completely redesigned Life Truths to meet the needs of today's busy parents. The new Life Truths stresses interaction, but requires minimal preparation. Each lesson is loaded with practical application ideas for parents to use with their kids, so that the entire family can benefit from the lessons about God's Word. An online community for Life Truths allows parents from all over the country to connect with one another and talk about the struggles they face in raising godly children.
The strategy of the new Life Truths is simple: It is written by parents, for parents, because the truth of God's Word makes us better parents. For around sixteen cents a week you can give a mom or dad Bible study material that will equip them to fulfill their God-given responsibility.
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Comment by Michael Stover on May 27, 2009 at 9:09am - Excellent article James, and sadly that scenario is played out in too many of our churches. What an oasis of hope, encouragement, and truth a class for parents of children and teens can be! And the new Life Truths curriculum is a great resource for utilizing the time learners and leaders have to connect them with God's truth.
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