Rethinking Sunday School--Part 2

(It should go without saying but since this is part 2 it will make more sense if you read part 1!)

Because there were so many other things on my plate, Sunday School at Grace was important, but was also relegated to the a back corner in my mind. In part that was because the vision for it wasn't coming clear. We had the right idea--Grace Adventure Club (joining the adventure of following Jesus) but the program model didn't seem to fit the title so to speak. Though done really well, it was still about program and about transferring information.

Then some things began to click. The first was a few weeks ago when I was passionately trying to recruit people to help out with the Grace Adventure Club (GAC). We've always struggled with getting teachers, particularly men. So during my impassioned appeal I talked of how important relationships are in the lives of kids. It's not really about the space but about the relationship with an adult.

Not long after that David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church, was in town and stayed at our house for a couple of days. We had some really intense, spirited, and helpful discussions about reaching men. We talked about how men learn. About how Jesus discipled his 12 men. It was a big kick in the pants for me. Early on in our history he challenged me to be more intentional about reaching this endangered species but I'd gotten distracted. Not only did he give me some great ideas for discipling men, but it triggered a deeper think about how we disciple our kids.

Around that time I met with our GAC leaders and Mike reminded me of how its about relationships, not the room or the program. After that meeting it all fell into place. What had been churning in the back of my brain finally came to the forefront.

Jesus didn't simply impart information. Jesus formed his followers. He did so through activity, through conversation, through hanging out with them, through modeling what a relationship with God looks like. David Murrow actually timed the parables of Jesus. The average story Jesus tells is about 38 seconds long. So in between those short stories Jesus did a lot of mentoring, coaching, discipling. It wasn't about a program. It wasn't even really about learning information. It was about a relationship with Jesus, who gave himself to his 12 men so they could do what Jesus did and give themselves to others.