S/O Not following the pack

[Entropymama]

Several of the replies to this thread got me to thinking... my dh is a children's pastor and we run age appropriate classes for the kids. I've noticed many of you don't agree with having classes like this. What are your reasons for keeping them with you and if you did send them to a class, what elements would you want to see in the class? Just looking for input because we're always trying to do better. :)

[FaithManor]

Reason #1. Our children never fit the educational/developmental level of the age group they were assigned to. Because of classical homeschooling, our children were more steeped in Bible study, world history, and reading ahead of the rest. Boys who are bored can be a real problem and the classes were very boring because they had already covered that material and in more depth.

 

Reason #2. Most Sunday School Class teachers, in our experience, do not have very much classroom control. We've seen too much chaos and of course, church leadership doesn't really have any meaningful avenues of discipline without causing problems within the church body.

 

Reason #3. Most of the Sunday School teachers my children have encountered knew less about the Bible than my eleven year old does. That's pretty sad and a snarky indictment but it is true in our experience. I am sure that this is not true in many churches. But, in our area, teaching children's classes is, by in large, considered "grunt" work by the adults. The best trained and most informed adults are the ones least likely to be willing to give up their own adult small group fellowship to teach children.

 

Reason #4. An awful lot of people in our area use S.S. and other church classes as babysitting and will bring sick children to the church and drop them off. We don't have any sort of check-in system and we literally have people in the community that will drop a sick child in the church parking lot on Sunday morning and then go grocery shopping. Additionally, it seems like many of the church parents don't seem to have a "clue" either. During the children's Christmas play practice this past December, one of the elder's kept allowing his wife to drop off their child with double walking pneumonia and a temperature of 103 to play practice because "she needed the break"! UGH

 

Reason #5. Though Protestant, Dh and I don't entirely fit the exact mold of any of the local Protestant churches in terms of theology. So, that makes discipleship hard when the S.S. teacher has one interpretation of a verse and we have another. This would be just fine if open debate and scholarship were encouraged but as a general rule, with children's classes, the kids are supposed to parrot back belief to the teacher, not engage in a lively discussion of why this means this or that. Usually, it ends up with a very frustrated S.S. teacher who doesn't want our child in her/his class no matter how respectful that DS has been. So, its either shut up and don't participate or don't come.

 

Reason #6. In the middle and high school grades, the classes are not gender segregated and there seems to be an awful lot of flirtatious behavior and distractions between the genders. Since our children cannot date/court before the age of 18, there is the additional teasing from other teens because "you're weird".

 

Reason #7. Dh works long hours and even if there is something going on say on Wednesday evening that would be good for the children, since he doesn't get to eat supper until seven, that means we have to choose between family time - and this might be the only time Dh has to spend with the kids - or the class/activity.

 

I think that's about it. I hope this doesn't offend you. It's a personal choice we have made based on our experiences.

 

Faith

[danybug]

I did not read the other thread you referenced, so I hope I am not off. My dh and I were just discussing this the other day. We were questioning what we think is best for our ds (9yo) to start doing. And obviously our opinions are based personally on our small church, but I feel like my ds would be better served by staying out in worship with us.

 

My reasons would be:

 

1. Children's church often just seems like social time for the kids, no real concrete learning

 

2. We learn more in depth Bible knowledge in our homeschooling

 

3. We are not interested in the whole craft/make it fun portion

 

4. Staying out in worship would force my son to hear a more detailed applicable sermon that might push him to ask us more in depth questions of us or push him to think of something in a new "grown-up" light

 

I realize the challenge is then my ds actually paying attention, but I still feel like he may pick up more in the areas I would like him to spiritually grow.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I agree with many of the reasons that were mentioned already but just wanted to add that asking this question on a homeschooling board may not give you the same answers that you would get from asking a group of parents of ps children. So, the answers you get here may not be applicable to your situation unless you have mostly homeschool children in your classes. Many of the reasons I would not put my dc into a church classroom are the same reasons why I don't put them into a ps classroom. We don't like classrooms.:001_smile:

 

Going to church for us is a family affair...if I can't have my children with me then we will stay home and worship.

[Tess in the Burbs]

Well, honestly, by 8 I personally think a child can sit through and understand the service most of the time. My son transitioned at 8 and now prefers the service. He is always allowed to draw if he gets bored but our last church he enjoyed the pastor and got a lot out of the sermons.

 

His main gripe with the kids classes(we visited another church this past year looking for more kids stuff) was that the group activities were dumb to him. I know many churches have the girls and boy separated in 4th and up but it could start younger. I say that b/c he hated the hand motions when they sang. If you weren't doing it an adult would come 'help' you do the motions. He said all the boys were trying not to do them b/c it's 'dumb'. I noticed at our normal church they were encouraging the kids to do hand motions with songs and sure enough my son was NOT going to participate in that. He loves music but the hand motion thing bugs him and apparently a lot of other boys age 8 ;-)

 

I know for us the 'kiddie' class isn't really of interest for an 8 year old boy. His 7 year old sister is just happy doing crafts, singing with hand motions, and having story time. Perhaps it's just a gender issue in regards to the activities...

[Daisy]

I didn't read the original thread but I'll comment on why we keep our children with us.

 

1. We attend a nondenominational church and the older elementary Sunday School classes do not use curriculum. This means the few times we've sent our daughter to the class there has been questionable content. (Latest example was the teacher telling 5th graders not to be B.U.S.Y because that is Being Under Satan's Yoke and basically scared them half to death). Since the teacher changes every 3 months you never know WHAT theological bent you are going to get. The classes that do use curriculum use Gospel Light which contains Bible stories and cutesy personal application, but no real depth.

 

2. Our pastor preaches inductively from a book of the Bible. This is clear teaching of the Word that both my children can learn from. We discuss the sermon over lunch and we all learn something "age-appropriate." And unfortunately the children's Sunday School time corresponds with worship so we are stuck choosing which our children do; service or SS.

 

3. Sunday School is too play-centered. It is often viewed as babysitting, as another person put it. Games, lots of outdoor play, snack, and maybe a 10 minute lesson. That isn't why we go to church. We go to church to worship. The bar was never set so low when I was a kid. We were expected to memorize our Sunday School verses, have meaningful Bible study, etc. Now it seems like everything has to be Nickelodeon's version of Sunday School.

 

4. My children don't need Sunday school for social interaction. They are involved in Awanas, summer camps, homeschool park days, roller blading, playing with neighbor friends, etc. I imagine the same is true of ps children.

 

 

The positives of them being with us in service...

 

1. They hear the actual Bible read (which is ALWAYS age-appropriate).

2. They see their parents leading by example; worshiping, praying, reading the Bible, asking questions.

3. We all learn the same thing and can carry on discussions at home about what we learned. (This is HUGE for us because it means we are relationally engaged with each other).

4. They learn how to behave in church. Not just good behavior, but actually how to worship.

5. They see the sacraments and asked questions.

6. They learn that the corporate church coming together on Sunday morning is for a purpose that just doesn't include snack time and kickball, kwim? It is about glorifying God, worshiping God, and enjoying Him. It is to remind ourselves of what all Christ has done on our behalf.

[fairfarmhand]

I'll give you a slightly different viewpoint from someone who DOES use the children's classes at our church. (we would not allow our children to participate if these classes were done differently)

 

1. They are developmentally appropriate. After age 2 the children leave the nursery and go to toddler time, where they hear brief stories and learn some worship songs. There are plenty of workers so disruptive children are able to be dealt with without the whole class getting side tracked. They teach even the toddlers short memory verses and other things like the names of Jesus' disciples. At age 4 the kids go to children's church until the fourth grade, where the content difficulty increases.

 

2. Children's church is not babysitting. The kids learn things (I cannot believe the stuff my kids have picked up there ) It is a church service where the kids are required to sit quietly and sing, listen to a story or sermon and behave themselves. In the last fifteen minutes or so they have games since by then the smallest ones are getting quite squirmy. Again, plenty of workers who are not shy about making the children behave. But the workers are able to have fun and transmit plenty of love and acceptance even to the difficult kids while being firm.

 

3. Kids know when they are not liked; Our church is large enough that the same people don't get burnt out with these duties, so they can keep a good attitude. A person that is not good with kids does not have to feel obligated to do this, since there is a large pool of workers to choose from.

 

4. In Junior High, the classes are gender specific, (jr. High boys, Jr. high girls). This is a good thing, since you can address certain (especially sensitive) topics really in depth and get closer to a teacher than you would with a huge mob of of boys and girls showing off for one another.

 

5. After the fourth grade our church offers youth service. I do have concerns about this since IMHO a child over that age should be capable of sitting in the regular service. The only reason we allow our daughter to attend this service is that our youth pastor is fabulous. They sing worship songs that are a bit more upbeat than the "adult" service. (we have a very traditional congregation) and include the kids in the service more. The kids share prayer requests. The youth pastor actually preaches a sermon to the kids. The kids are discouraged from pairing off. So, we do allow our kids to participate. At high school age, the kids sit out in the adult service. At the end of EVERY service the youth pastor gives the plan of salvation and invites kids to come talk with him if they are interested.

 

I do think it is very important that men are included at all ages over the toddler age. The young boys never need to get the idea that church is a women's thing. I think boys will not get involved if they see the church classes and activities are all for girls.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Well, none of the Churches I go to have a nursery. But we never even went to the cry room, and here's why:

I think it is important for children to learn to sit through services with their parents. The only way for them to learn is to do it. We can't keep children separate until some arbitrary age and then expect them to come in and sit responsibly for the first time. Also, it is important to worship together, as a family, both with your immediate family and with your Church family.

 

Of course, my Churches have always been very welcoming to children and recognize that sometimes babies fuss, sometimes toddlers speak back to the Priest, and sometimes preschoolers kick the sit in front of them. All of these children are dealt with quietly and services keep on going around them. If a child is particularly difficult that day, they are taken outside to calm down and returned to the pew.

 

DD would have just reached the age this past year when she could have went to religious education classes AFTER Mass, but for various reasons our Church attendance has been low. Next Sunday we are attending a new Church and I hope this one will fit our family better. If it does, she can attend Sunday School if she wants, but we will also be attending service together either before or after.

 

I make no judgments on what other people do, but this works for my family. So, number one for me to send my DD to classes would be that the classes are either offered at a different time then services, or there is more then one service that day so we can make the previous/next one.

[Parrothead]

I dont have any use for children's church. I don't mind CCD classes (the Protestant equivalent is Sunday school). I believe children should be in church with their parents.

[CLHCO]

We have our children attend Sunday School and youth group, but I have concerns which grow daily from this decision. After a very glitzy vacation Bible school this summer, they really started to make me twitchy.

 

I read some time ago that kids who attended Sunday School were far more likely to NOT believe the Bible when they mature. I remember not really agreeing with the assumption of why this is the case, but I do believe the statistic.

 

Children's church, and youth groups today are gimmicky. It's more like going to a little party with a theme, like "Mother Goose", or "Aesop's Fables". Maybe it's meant to teach you some nice little moral theme, but it's not "truth". It is presented in the same way other fables or children's fun and games are presented and as a child "leaves childishness behind" and matures, I really think they view it as part of the world of children, not the world of adults. Their first and main impression of Christianity is that it is a childhood fable and they outgrow it.

 

I feel more like I'm trying to counter-act that mentality when I speak at home with my younger kids. We do sit together in the adult service as well, but I think it would be easier to take the adult service and speak to the children about it after church in a way to help them understand, like I would politics, situational areas of right and wrong, family situations, or other areas of life, than to try to mature what is immature.

 

As for my teens, they are mature young women who can completely relate to an adult study. I resent the idea that teenagers should be looked at as in a crisis, needing to be quarantined. Yes, due to how society treats them and how some of them are raised, some are in crisis and won't be interested in an adult study, but such things are not applicable for my teens.

[Caitilin]

I dont have any use for children's church. I don't mind CCD classes (the Protestant equivalent is Sunday school). I believe children should be in church with their parents.

:iagree:And I agree with the PP who said that the only way a child learns to behave in church is by being in church and being taught to behave. My dh is not religious, so I leave my littlest with him until somewhere between age 2 and 3, and after that age I expect them to sit and play quietly in the pew, without snacks. (We don't do snacks in the morning anyway, so this is not abnormal for our household.) This has worked well for all 6 kiddos...:D

[Entropymama]

I think that's about it. I hope this doesn't offend you. It's a personal choice we have made based on our experiences.

 

 

 

Not at all. In fact there were some really good responses to this that help us do better.

 

I agree with many of the reasons that were mentioned already but just wanted to add that asking this question on a homeschooling board may not give you the same answers that you would get from asking a group of parents of ps children. So, the answers you get here may not be applicable to your situation unless you have mostly homeschool children in your classes. Many of the reasons I would not put my dc into a church classroom are the same reasons why I don't put them into a ps classroom. We don't like classrooms.:001_smile:

 

Going to church for us is a family affair...if I can't have my children with me then we will stay home and worship.

 

Good point. I wish you all would just come to my church. Then we'd have responsible parents! :tongue_smilie:

 

1. We attend a nondenominational church and the older elementary Sunday School classes do not use curriculum. This means the few times we've sent our daughter to the class there has been questionable content. (Latest example was the teacher telling 5th graders not to be B.U.S.Y because that is Being Under Satan's Yoke and basically scared them half to death). Since the teacher changes every 3 months you never know WHAT theological bent you are going to get. The classes that do use curriculum use Gospel Light which contains Bible stories and cutesy personal application, but no real depth.

 

Ok, that's really frightening.

 

3. Sunday School is too play-centered. It is often viewed as babysitting, as another person put it. Games, lots of outdoor play, snack, and maybe a 10 minute lesson. That isn't why we go to church. We go to church to worship. The bar was never set so low when I was a kid. We were expected to memorize our Sunday School verses, have meaningful Bible study, etc. Now it seems like everything has to be Nickelodeon's version of Sunday School.

 

Sadly, we've found that if we don't make it this way, the kids (who spend all week in front of television) complain to their parents that it's boring, and the parents complain to us. The sad fact is that most parents are almost completely disconnected and they just want it to be easy and fun. We do have a program for the kids (kind of like Awana) that encourages scripture memorization among other things, but it requires parent involvement so a lot of the kids don't do it. Also the average kid only comes once per month. !

 

I'll give you a slightly different viewpoint from someone who DOES use the children's classes at our church. (we would not allow our children to participate if these classes were done differently)

 

1. They are developmentally appropriate. After age 2 the children leave the nursery and go to toddler time, where they hear brief stories and learn some worship songs. There are plenty of workers so disruptive children are able to be dealt with without the whole class getting side tracked. They teach even the toddlers short memory verses and other things like the names of Jesus' disciples. At age 4 the kids go to children's church until the fourth grade, where the content difficulty increases.

 

2. Children's church is not babysitting. The kids learn things (I cannot believe the stuff my kids have picked up there ) It is a church service where the kids are required to sit quietly and sing, listen to a story or sermon and behave themselves. In the last fifteen minutes or so they have games since by then the smallest ones are getting quite squirmy. Again, plenty of workers who are not shy about making the children behave. But the workers are able to have fun and transmit plenty of love and acceptance even to the difficult kids while being firm.

 

3. Kids know when they are not liked; Our church is large enough that the same people don't get burnt out with these duties, so they can keep a good attitude. A person that is not good with kids does not have to feel obligated to do this, since there is a large pool of workers to choose from.

 

4. In Junior High, the classes are gender specific, (jr. High boys, Jr. high girls). This is a good thing, since you can address certain (especially sensitive) topics really in depth and get closer to a teacher than you would with a huge mob of of boys and girls showing off for one another.

 

5. After the fourth grade our church offers youth service. I do have concerns about this since IMHO a child over that age should be capable of sitting in the regular service. The only reason we allow our daughter to attend this service is that our youth pastor is fabulous. They sing worship songs that are a bit more upbeat than the "adult" service. (we have a very traditional congregation) and include the kids in the service more. The kids share prayer requests. The youth pastor actually preaches a sermon to the kids. The kids are discouraged from pairing off. So, we do allow our kids to participate. At high school age, the kids sit out in the adult service. At the end of EVERY service the youth pastor gives the plan of salvation and invites kids to come talk with him if they are interested.

 

I do think it is very important that men are included at all ages over the toddler age. The young boys never need to get the idea that church is a women's thing. I think boys will not get involved if they see the church classes and activities are all for girls.

 

Where do you go to church?! That is amazing. Don't ever leave. :D

 

I read some time ago that kids who attended Sunday School were far more likely to NOT believe the Bible when they mature. I remember not really agreeing with the assumption of why this is the case, but I do believe the statistic.

 

I read that, too. I want to know why.

 

 

 

One more question: does anyone not want their kids in the adult service because of adult content? Maybe it's because I live in Vegas, but there are issues dealt with in adult service that I don't want my kids to hear about. I don't think my pastor has ever preached a whole sermon on prostitution or drugs, but he mentions those things. I do not want to hear on the drive home, "Mom, what's a pimp?" :001_huh:

 

Thanks for all the great replies!!

[Alphabetika]

Reason #1. Our children never fit the educational/developmental level of the age group they were assigned to. Because of classical homeschooling, our children were more steeped in Bible study, world history, and reading ahead of the rest. Boys who are bored can be a real problem and the classes were very boring because they had already covered that material and in more depth.

 

 

:iagree:My kids do go to SS and we have great teachers at our church, but the curriculum used is just so....blah. We have encountered a lot of what Faithe describes here. Our classes are two grades combined, so, for instance, right now my middle dd's class is a bunch of 5th grade boys and some 6th grade girls. The difference between the genders at this age seems, well, very pronounced.

[Photo Ninja]

We sometimes let our dc go to SS, and sometimes we didn't. It depended on a few factors.

 

When our dc were young, SS was just babysitting. We wanted our dc to learn how to behave in church, so they sat with us. We allowed them to color or do something similar quietly. Sometimes we had them go to the SS class, but that depended on who was teaching that month. Some teachers were structured and maintained order. Most did not maintain order because it was easier to allow the toddlers/preschoolers and Kindergarteners to play without rules, and it was often chaotic. Many teachers were not prepared for any lesson and tended to wing it, which often meant they watched videos. My dc can watch videos at home, so why do it at church?

 

Like others mentioned, we read the Bible at home. My dc memorized scripture, too. They knew more about the Bible than the SS lessons taught, so they were tired of hearing the same shallow lessons week after week. At home we discussed meaning and application, but in SS all they heard was the story, and it was a summary, not read from the Bible. The lessons/teachers seemed to assume that children are not capable of actually learning the Bible. One time dd (age 7) came out from SS crying because the lesson was about Joseph having dreams and his brothers threw him into a well and sold him as a slave. She was upset because that was the end of the lesson! She said that the other kids need to know the end of the story and how God changes the evil acts for good and Joseph ends up saving Egypt and his family from starving, etc. She asked the SS teacher about it and she said that was the end of the lesson and the next week's lesson was about someone else. Dd didn't want to go to SS again for a very long time because the lessons were not complete.

 

Anyway, we decided that as long as SS didn't hurt our dc that they could choose to go or choose to stay in service. At least half the time they stayed in service with us because they liked the worship and teaching better.

 

In middle school our dc often went to both the main service and the youth group. In high school our dc usually went to service on the weekend and to midweek youth group. Again, it didn't hurt them, they got to see friends, and it really was a social time. They attended a Bible study/program at a different church, and that is where they learned, apart from the main service. They didn't consider youth group as a place to go to be fed and challenged, but a place to have fun and to serve. They usually ended up working in some capacity instead of fully participating, which they preferred.

 

Anyway, in a long nutshell, that's why we often didn't choose to do SS for our dc. They and we considered it as dessert, not the main meal. As long as they got fed elsewhere, the SS was fine, in moderation, depending on their ages.

[RobinF]

One more question: does anyone not want their kids in the adult service because of adult content? Maybe it's because I live in Vegas, but there are issues dealt with in adult service that I don't want my kids to hear about. I don't think my pastor has ever preached a whole sermon on prostitution or drugs, but he mentions those things. I do not want to hear on the drive home, "Mom, what's a pimp?" :001_huh:

 

Thanks for all the great replies!!

 

My dh is a pastor/church planter and we don't mind and tell families that they are welcome to worship together. There have been Sundays that he has told me that he felt a little uncomfortable with visitors (that we knew) because of the content of his sermon. It wasn't questionable like you mentioned but he did talk about women's menstrual issues during the sermon and he was aware of this family.

 

We use a program called KIDMO and LIL K in our kids area. They are both video driven programs but I think the content is good. Actually I think the content is great. It has a strong Biblical basis and also a great applications aspect every week. We are reaching a high percentage of non religious people so these programs give a good foundation while still holding the kids attention. We have a pretty simple program for rewarding memorizing scripture and doing "homework" too, which the kids all love. I am sure we aren't as "deep" as some might like but to be honest we do not feel like it is our "job" to provide a deep theological education in one hour a week.

[vonfirmath]

We LOVE our Sunday school. Sometimes I have issues with the way the story is taught (to 2 and 3 year olds) because the church is trying to be sensitive. But I would have quite a few more issues trying to keep my 3 year old from being distracting in church and he'd get NOTHING out of it. He just this past month started memorizing verses, because of SS. We've been trying at home -- but nothing was catching. But he stands in lines, moves from station to station, does crafts that we don't do at home, and now he is eager to memorize verses (Just in time! We start AWANAs this fall and I was worried if he'd be able to or not) He does not remember much of the story yet -- but that is true whether it is us reading it at home or him getting it at church.

 

I do not mind that they have fun at church -- toys, crafts, outside play, as well as songs and verses and Bible. It's really what he needs at this stage in his life. I also am in the rotation of teachers in his class so I can keep an eye on what is going on.

 

Most of these kids are NOT regulars and do not come every week. I do not expect that is going to improve as the children get older. So we go to church for what church can feed us, and for the companionship with others of like faith. And we teach at home for what it can not.

 

(and I am VERY pleased that our program does not involve videos and TV. The occasional TV program I can understand--though in a year and a half of videos I have not seen it used in class yet, just during VBS-- relying on it from week to week? No thanks)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

One more question: does anyone not want their kids in the adult service because of adult content? Maybe it's because I live in Vegas, but there are issues dealt with in adult service that I don't want my kids to hear about. I don't think my pastor has ever preached a whole sermon on prostitution or drugs, but he mentions those things. I do not want to hear on the drive home, "Mom, what's a pimp?" :001_huh:

 

Thanks for all the great replies!!

 

Well yes and no. I have all boys, from a rising 7th grader to a 3rd grader. I would maybe feel like I had to do some backfilling and explaining with the younger one. But with the older two, I think that they are already encountering many of these concepts from media and their friends. So I don't object to their hearing discussions of appropriate conduct towards others, that some people will try to take advantage of them, that they will face temptation in their lives and that they can sin and yet find forgiveness. In fact I'd much rather that they learn that most adults have problems that they struggle with, areas in which they spend decades bring their life in alignment with righteousness than that they think because they are tempted or make bad choices that they are forever doomed.

 

(I might cringe to have to put pimp into child understandable terms {maybe I would put it in terms of slavery?}, but my kids have had to deal with friends' whose parents were divorcing over adultery in their early elementary years.)

 

A couple other thoughts. Kids are able to do a lot more than we sometimes give them credit for. A kid who can memorize the names and characteristics of over 100 Pokemon can learn the books of the Bible and major figures or memorize verses. Children aren't born knowing how to sing hymns or even worship songs. You need to teach them the songs. That will mean a lot of repetition and slowly adding in more. But if kids learned just 4 songs a year that can really add up over time. (One of our churches had small binders with sheet protectors for each child that stayed at the church. The kids decorated the cover. New songs were added in occasionally.)

 

You don't need to have a class for every grade, but have enough that you can tailor to the developmental level. Puppet shows, object lessons and crafts are fine for K-2 or K-3. But the 4-6th graders should be reading the Bible, learning how to study and memorize, not just sitting passively. (This is why my older kids don't attend the Children's Church.)

 

There are a lot of things that can be done to help younger congregants enjoy a chuch service. Bulletin inserts with a sermon outline (especially if the outline has key words missing the the listener to fill in), some kind of a schedule for the service so that they know where they are (could list the songs being sung or just say general comments like worship songs, announcements, sermon, special music, communion, offering, etc).

 

I would encourage the church to take the long view. The kids in the groups for 6th and 7th graders are less than six years away from being adult members of the congregation. What they learn now will be the basis for decisions that they make in the near future about college, work, and family. In a short time they will be sitting on congregational meetings discussing (and voting on) heavy issues like expansion, hiring new pastors, joining or leaving denominational conferences, merging with other churches or disciplining church members. They won't just wake up on their 18th or 20th birthday knowing how to be wise. This is something that is built up over time.

 

The first church we were in as a married couple has had the assistant pastor become the head pastor and hired a new associate pastor. The kids who were kindergarteners in the first Sunday School we taught are graduating from high school. The associate pastor was a young junior high student back then. Time flies incredibly fast. There isn't really a perfect moment for tackling Bible truths, other than today.

[bairnmama]

At my church, we have Sunday School for all ages meeting at the same time. Afterwards, there is Extended Session for babies and toddlers, a younger children's church for 4 yr olds through finished K, and an older children's church for 1st -3rd grade. Everyone from 4th grade on up goes into the adult worship.

 

I don't really like the curriculum they use in the younger children's worship and SS. It's mostly the same stories again, and again, and again with very little variation. Besides that, it's often simplified too much or too abstract for that agegroup to understand. Ds often comes out of class either not being able to tell me a thing about his lesson or saying it was about so & so AGAIN. However, I teach an adult class for women in struggling life situations, that would NOT be appropriate for my ds to sit in on. I also sing in the choir during the adult worship. My dd can now sit out in the pew by herself or with a friend until the choir goes down, but I wouldn't have felt comfortable with that when she was 6 or 7. Besides, she has gotten quite a lot out of the older children's church sessions and can normally tell me all about the lesson as well as how it was to be applied.

[Entropymama]

I do not mind that they have fun at church -- toys, crafts, outside play, as well as songs and verses and Bible. It's really what he needs at this stage in his life. I also am in the rotation of teachers in his class so I can keep an eye on what is going on.

 

Two things about this: first, maybe I'm getting the wrong impression, but it seems like a lot of you have a problem with the games, crafts, etc. I can understand not wanting it to be all fun and games, but what's wrong with toys and outside play as long as a good lesson is included? Second, if you feel your SS doesn't have enough, or qualified enough, teachers do you feel an obligation to help? After all if you're a member of your church family isn't there some expectation that you'll serve in some way? We encourage all parents to help out in SS in some capacity.

 

We are reaching a high percentage of non religious people so these programs give a good foundation while still holding the kids attention. We have a pretty simple program for rewarding memorizing scripture and doing "homework" too, which the kids all love. I am sure we aren't as "deep" as some might like but to be honest we do not feel like it is our "job" to provide a deep theological education in one hour a week.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Maybe this is the difference between our situation and many others. We reach a LOT of unchurched people. You can't take a kid who's never been to church and expect him to sit still for 2 hours or start memorizing scripture right away. We have a similar program to the one mentioned above and I very heartily agree with the idea that we are not the primary Bible teachers in these kids' lives. Our job is to help parents, who should already be doing what it sounds like most of you do - teach the Bible at home. To that end we send the kids home every week with discussion and activity suggestions for the parents to do with them.

 

Thoughts??

[fairfarmhand]

 

Maybe this is the difference between our situation and many others. We reach a LOT of unchurched people. You can't take a kid who's never been to church and expect him to sit still for 2 hours or start memorizing scripture right away. We have a similar program to the one mentioned above and I very heartily agree with the idea that we are not the primary Bible teachers in these kids' lives. Our job is to help parents, who should already be doing what it sounds like most of you do - teach the Bible at home. To that end we send the kids home every week with discussion and activity suggestions for the parents to do with them.

 

Thoughts??

 

 

I totally get this. There are a few boys who I've seen walking to our church in the RAIN! There is no parental involvement for those kids. They love it that much. (They are about jr.high age) I doubt they would do it if they had to sit with the adults service, but the way our church is structured, the leadership hopes to mentor them throughout their teen years to keep them from going off a cliff when they reach adulthood. I've heard our leadership talk alot about the burden they have for young adults, especially the college age folks who just seem to disappear between the ages of 18-24.