Why Sunday School Is So Important
Bro. Tim Massengale

What Is Happening to Sunday School?

•	In many denominations, and even within some of our own fellowship, the Sunday school has fallen on difficult times. 
•	Some are abandoning their Sunday schools in favor of a simpler children's church format on Bible study night. 
•	Others have gone to a single Sunday afternoon service with no Sunday school at all. 
•	And perhaps the most common trend is to still have age-graded classes for children, but eliminate the Sunday morning class for adults. 

•	Most growing churches are strong Sunday school churches. 
•	It is impossible to build a great church organization of an enduring nature without building a great teaching program through the Sunday school. 
•	As an institution, the Sunday school is over two hundred years old. 
•	First conceived by Robert Raikes in 1780, it began as an educational outreach to children - the street ruffians of the ghettos - to teach them the Word of God. 
•	Having its foundation on two solid rocks - evangelism and education - it has endured the test of time to become the primary method of evangelism by the fastest growing fundamental denominations within the United States. 
•	Why is Sunday school so important to growth?

Provides Spiritual Strength for Growth

•	The Sunday school provides spiritual strength for growth. 
•	The Sunday school is the only place in most churches that provides a systematic, comprehensive, and complete coverage of the Bible. 
•	As good as the preaching and teaching on Sunday morning, evening, and mid-week services is, it is usually very selective and focused on needed areas. 
•	The messages are aimed at changing lives rather than providing a balanced Bible education. 
•	Without an established "through the Bible” curriculum, we have a tendency to "major on minors" and "plow the same Gospel ground." 
•	"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16).  
•	Unless you teach through the Bible in one of your other services, you need to have a strong Sunday school for all ages. 

Involves Workers in Christian Service

•	The Sunday school trains workers for Christian service. 
•	More than any other program in your church, the Sunday school is a place to develop workers for all types of labor within the church. 
•	It can utilize saints from the new convert level all the way to developing preachers and elders for full-time service. 
•	They can gain valuable experience in administration, motivation, organization, evangelization, instruction, as well as a multitude of skills and talents. 
•	A growing, evangelistic Sunday school utilizes teachers, supervisors, assistants, secretaries, office help, musicians, bus workers, storytellers, craft workers, puppeteers, artists, and dozens more. 
•	How will you use this vast reservoir of talent if not in the Sunday school? 
•	How will you begin to train leaders for other areas of service if you have not a Sunday school? 
•	Look at where most of the key leaders and department heads in growing churches started - the Sunday school! 
•	Ask most preachers where they first developed their abilities to teach - the Sunday school! 
•	The old saying, "use them or lose them" is true in every aspect. 
•	Working Christians are happy Christians, fulfilled in their labor for God. 

Strong Evangelistic Tool

•	The Sunday school is a vital tool of evangelism. 
•	A real problem in many churches is their limited number of family, friends, and acquaintances to witness to and carry the truth. 
•	The longer a person lives for God, the fewer non-church friends and contacts he or she will have. 
•	A Sunday school that is reaching out into it's neighborhood and community will be continually expanding its reach to people who would have otherwise never had any contact with the church. 
•	Using a bus, van, or car ministry, not only will you have an opportunity to plant the Word into the hearts of the children, but a weekly reason to visit the home and become friends with the parents. 
•	Special promotional events such as Easter, Christmas, Mother and Father's Day programs give a prime opportunity to invite the parents to church and see "Johnny" perform his part. 
•	Such contests and promotions also encourage all church members to invite their friends and neighbors to the service. 
•	An evangelistic Sunday school will also see the children - both of saints and sinners - come to full Bible salvation. 
•	Often when the child makes a move for God, it motivates the parents to move also. 

Sunday School Works

•	Sunday school provides a perfect format and organization for all types of outreach: door knocking, bus ministry, special day promotion, bringing visitors, personal witnessing, and home Bible study to name a few. 
•	How much a church would be losing by not having a Sunday school! 
•	If your Sunday school is presently not productive in winning souls, the answer is not to eliminate it, but to change it - into the powerful evangelistic tool that it was meant to be.