Sunday School - Maintenance or Mission?

Common sentiment is that Lord'S Day school is in decline. Increasingly we read of declining attendance, Christian churches eliminating Lord'S Day school, shutting them through the summertime vacation period. Walk into any Christian bookshop and you will happen many books showing statistics on the diminution of Lord'S Day school and the deficiency of biblical cognition amongst the population. Books on how to revitalize your Lord'S Day school are large sellers. The most popular workshops at our conventions are those that state us how to see growing and renewal in this country of Christian church life.

Obviously we make have got jobs in Christian education. Many people are concerned and desire to make something about it. But the danger is we have got developed a "maintenance mind-set" inch our approach. Our clip is consumed with "ought" and "should." We "should" hole up our place and more than people will come. We "ought" to acquire a new course of study that is more than effectual and appealing. We "should" acquire more than socially involved in the community, inviting them to church. We "ought" to publicize through different mass media then they will come.

I am certain you can believe of many other things we "should" and "ought" to do. The job is all these things maintain us busy in the planning and treatment meetings, but, makes this busy work have got any impact on God's people? Volition it change lives? Volition troubled psyches be comforted? Volition God's love be shared? Volition people be interested in coming to Lord'S Day school to pass clip with these care concerns?

What we necessitate to make is acquire "mission minded" as history clearly demoes this is what is most successful. When we attain out to a destitute human race of hurting people telling them the message of Jesus Of Nazareth Christ. When we state them of his decease and resurrection we incarnate a first century Christian spirit, centring our attending on Supreme Being and His action in the world. Keeping our eyes firmly on God's presence and ministry is our first precedence and everything else will fall into place.

People today are increasingly making it clear that they want more than spiritualty in their lives. They are seeking to cognize the significance of life. They are seeking support in modern modern times of trouble, personally and in times of national crisis. Support generally as they journeying though life. What are we going to make to assist them? Are we going to continually acquire distracted putting our accent on the "should" and "ought" of our care minded attack to Lord'S Day school? Which makes nil to share God's message of love and at worst functions only to rearrange the chairs for a continually declining group.

Our care attacks have got been showing small fruit. Perhaps it is clip to go back to a sense of missionary post and renewed accent on sharing God's love in today's world.