This is a "rough draft" of Part III. It will make a lot more sense if you read Parts I and II first. Part I in this series quotes the multitude of research projects into the real life benefits of church attendance. Part II quotes a number of research projects and poll results that knock out the crutches for lame excuses used by church for "where the kids are on Sunday."

Try as they might, some churches simply discover that Sunday morning is not their "primetime" for Christian education. A lot of factors go into this. A HABIT of not coming to Sunday morning classes is probably the most prominent. And habits are very difficult to break. I've been in a church that had growing worship attendance, but declining Sunday School attendance at the same time. The children's offerings were great, but they couldn't generate a decent adult ed program, so the adults weren't attracted to show up early. And as you know, the kids can't drive themselves to church!  

Some people want to give up on Sunday School altogether, and this would be a HUGE mistake. The answer for many churches is to recapture interest in Sunday morning Adult Bible study, while at the same time, redefining what we mean by "Sunday School."  I'm going to address my ideas for re-definition in a moment. But first.....

Moving Beyond "Sunday" and Beyond "School"

Proposal #1: Move beyond "Sunday"

Is Sunday morning before 10 a.m. the BEST time in the 21st Century to conduct children's Bible education? In some churches and places in the country, the answer is no. It's only ONE time during the week where we can conduct children's Bible education. (Notice I'm not saying "get rid of Sunday School.")

Proposal #2:  Move beyond "School"

"No more one size and one time fits all" programming

If we had no preconceived notions or schedules to hold us back, what would a program of events, classes and experiences look like that encompassed all the content we deemed important for our children to learn over a period of years?

It might incorporate a blend of special limited-time studies on Sunday morning after worship, some special evenings, some special retreats, some family ministry events, some home groups, and some parent-led home teaching.

It would not offer key content in just one format, place and timeslot. So for example, Sunday night Communion Instruction might only offered twice during the year at different times to accommodate schedules. And then only every two years.

It would offer additional studies, resources, and experiences for those ready to go deeper. So for example, a youth leader might have several books that they give out to kids, and then invite those who read it to meet for hamburgers and discussion.

It would recognize that kids mature at different rates and are individuals, and thus, not every 9th grader is ready to join the church at the same time.

It would include "cast your net" events designed to attract the children of "less than active" members, -those who are often ready to reconnect when the church offers something special or different, such as the "rite of passage" events described below.

It would include several "rite of passage" events to mark accomplishments and points of spiritual maturation. It would incorporate youth, confirmation, family and adult ministries in its design. It would view students as individuals with individual needs, individual schedules and individual preferences, not "take it or leave it."

Problem? Kids tend to follow their parents attendance patterns. I recently read an article that described how kids drive just like their parents do!  If you have road rage, your kids probably will too.

So consider now the result of the last 30 years of SHIFTING ADULT EDUCATION AWAY FROM SUNDAY toward "small groups." How has that affected attitudes and practices about Sunday morning education?  With adults, we have cultivated expectations AWAY FROM Sunday classes, but only offer regular Bible education to their kids on Sunday morning. See the problem?         

Proposal #3  Start "Bringing CE to the Kids," ...rather than only expecting the kids to come to CE

I propose that each church have a branch of its Christian education ministry charged with the responsibility of bringing CE to the kids, rather than bringing the kids to CE. Bringing CE to the kids where they are isn't just about showing up at their home, though that's not a bad thing to do if you're invited! 

Ideas: -->> It's about training parents to be their children's primary Christian educators. Its could mean creating a Confirmation program that isn't all about classes in the pastor's office, but just maybe about the pastor meeting with the Confirmand in their home with their parents over dinner, and having some things to talk about.  -->> It's about a youth leader and a couple of kids showing up at a student's soccer game, instead of whining about how it interferes with the youth group schedule. It's about creating Facebook group page for your church kids designed for the kids to stay in touch with each other and for you to provide weekly encouragements. It's about Twittering "thoughts of the week" to kids on their cellphones. It's about putting Christian music CDs and software into their hands so they can listen (and learn) on their own time. Such an approach would give away books, and not just Bibles. And the books might not come from 'the church' ...but instead, be passed down from a sibling or a teen in the church to a younger student with conversation about "why I liked this book" and "when you're done, let's get together for a hamburger and talk about it."

In fact, I would go so far as to say that any church which is not actively working on a plan to reach children through their homes, their parents, through their siblings, and reaching through their church peers in an "off-church-campus" way, is a program that is living in the past, and not addressing current and future needs.

Jesus traveled the roads, visited the towns, and went into homes. I'm not suggesting we abandon Sunday School on Sunday. Rather, I'm suggesting we find new ways to enact what Sunday School is supposed to be doing. Christ himself gave us the model and the commission.... go out into the world, ...teach them all I have commanded you. He didn't say "stay here and set up folding tables." Sometimes his teaching did look more formal and localized. Take the Sermon on the Mount for example, or the times where he is described as teaching in the Temple. But also look at the varied locations Jesus went. Why? Because he was looking for the sinners not the saints. If your Sunday School is looking for the sinners and not just the saints, it has to get up and get moving too.

The "look, feel, and shape" of such an "off-campus" approach is uncharted territory for most of us. It's simply not the way we were brought up or trained. And there are few published resources to help -especially if you are of the Mainline Church persuasion. But it must be innovated --or we will become increasingly irrelevant due to the many factors mentioned in this article.

STATISTICS AND TRENDS ARE NOT DESTINY IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO INVENT SOLUTIONS.

In his article, "Innovating on the Fly," renown church growth consultant Bill Easum wrote one of the most true statements about the church that I have ever read. And here I am applying it to Christian education and Sunday School.

Easum writes:

"For the next fifty years, the ability to constantly innovate "on the fly" will present one of the most important leadership issues facing any organization.

Not since the Reformation has the need to discover new ways to achieve old things been as important as it is today.

Those not secure enough to innovate on the fly will be unable to effectively lead a church through the next twenty years."

You can read the full article and many other excellent Easum articles at
http://www.easumbandy.com/resources/index.php?action=details&record=338

Ideas for a new ministry to children:

#1. Family ministry!  It's the best children's ministry we can do.

Now that I've said that...let me talk about children's ministry.

1. Do less "whole group" programming that is year-round and facility based. This will open up time for other opportunities to go out and be where the kids are. New venues will create new opportunities for interaction and keep us from offering only a classroom based model. (Example: a children's group I know pledged to attend events in which each member was already involved. The group would show up at soccer games to watch individuals play, dances, school competitions, etc.)

Note: A 2009 study conducted by the Barna Research Group found that there is very little long term difference between a child attending church events "every week" versus "2 or 3 times a month" -when it comes to the hoped-for result of "life-long active participation." 

2. Think beyond Sunday morning. Organize opportunities to meet a variety of options and schedules. Provide opportunities that have defined start and end dates. Studies show that people find it easier to join newly forming groups, rather than break in to existing ones, and respond to defined lengths of commitment.

3. Create opportunities that include parents, rather than viewing parents as "the ride to and from the program." Indeed, if I had to choose between Children's Ministry and Family Ministry, I'd choose Family Ministry every time. Start to bring parents into leadership and support roles early and often, and don't discontinue it just because the kids get older.

4. Have a one-on-one component where leaders go where kids live and play. Involve caring adults and .

5. Seek to match each child with an opportunity to serve/help in the life of the church.

6. Expand the number of ritual/rites of passage which children/youth can pass through, rather than lumping it all into one Confirmation behemoth. Keep these "rites of passage" easy to participate in (no 10 week courses), but special enough to draw wide interest.

7. Individual churches will shape parts of their ministry to children in ways that capitalize on real strengths -not imagined ones. A real strength in the church might be it's tradition of camping, or service, or the presence of college students, for example. Such strengths present unique opportunities to those churches.

8. Use technology to "data-base" contact information about kids and their activity/interests. No more losing kids through the cracks.

9. Planning meetings will include focusing on the lives and needs of individuals, not just program detail.

10. Develop new standards for measuring success and failure. Five quality encounters a year can have a greater impact than 25 weekly attendances in a classroom.

11. Recognize that some children/youth are ready for exceptional commitment and provide a track for them to follow. (By analogy, schools have found that gifted students need gifted/extra approaches or they drift off).

12. All children's ministry in the future must be equally focused on family ministry, and in particular, encouraging and TRAINING parents to talk about faith in the home and in daily living.

13. Your thoughts here.

Neil MacQueen
Revised 2009

Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister, Christian educator, President of Sunday Software Inc., and leader in the Workshop Rotation Model movement for reinventing Sunday School. Over the years he has written and published numerous articles and two books on Christian education, and led numerous conferences and seminars. Part of Neil's ministry is addressing current issues and future of Sunday School and Christian education. Neil and his wife Malinda and their three daughters live in Columbus Ohio. This article was first published at www.sundaysoftware.com. Email Neil at neil@sundaysoftware.com

For an article about "A Different Kind of Children's and Youth Group" read
"The Tribe13 Experiment."

This article may be reprinted for non-commercial use, provided the author and website information is preserved.