Getting Out of the Sunday School Mindset

For those who you who teach classes teenagers through adults...

Too many times we teach a lesson with the memories of our childhood Sunday school classes in mind. Let me explain - as a kid, most of us were taught the most basic information about a Bible story. The main characters, what they did, and a lesson. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because it was instilling the facts into the heart of a child. It is on their level.

Side note: I have to warn though, from over-simplifying. Sometimes a story is so simplified that it is no longer accurate. A couple of weeks ago, an upper-elementary child was retelling me the story of Job - what they had just learned in Sunday school, but this version was so simplified and so dramatic, it was completely inaccurate. Other stories that come to mind are Hosea and the passage about the tower of Babel. (Rehash the stories in your own mind as you would tell them to a child, then go and read the passages in the Bible. A little different, huh?)

Now I totally understand that the way we teach children and the way we teach those who are more mature adults, is different. But it is our responsibility to teach a "story" Biblically and accurately - not in accordance with the traditional Sunday school lesson that we have heard our entire lives.

Here is an example: the Tower of Babel.

This is the story we hear and teach - Nimrod and his men built a tower to reach to heaven, to get to God, so they could be like God or overtake God. God got angry at their sinfulness and mixed up the languages, forcing the people to spread out.

But let's take a look at what the verses say.

Genesis 11:1-4

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

When I am reading the Bible, I like to reiterate what I just read, so that I can understand in layman's terms. Basically what we just read in this passage was that everyone on the earth spoke the same language. A group of them were traveling together, and decided to settle in the land of Shinar - which we know historically to be a very fertile and fruitful land. A good choice for a permanent home. Then they got together and decided to build a city and tower. This tower would be very tall, distinguished tower that would stand out as a landmark on the plain. (Like the Sears tower in Chicago and the Empire State Building in NY) Why? They wanted to be remembered for their unique and unsurpassable feat, because they were concerned that they would be scattered across the planet. 

Don't take my word for it! You just read it in the verses above. So moving on...

Genesis 11:5-9

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

While they were building, God can down from heaven to check it. But He noticed a problem - the people were unified in a central location. This was in disobedience to His command to populate the earth, not just the plain of Shinar. As a punishment for their disobedience, God confused their language, creating multiple languages, so that those who were once unified could no longer understand each other, and they now had to scatter. 

The sin in this act was not the building of a tremendously tall building. The sin was in their failure to populate the whole earth as God had commanded. This is evidenced in their reason for building in verse 4 and in God's reason for punishment in verses 8-9. 

God doesn't reprimand or punish them for trying to access Him through man's ways or for establishing a new religion or worshipping inappropriately. 

Surely there is an argument for prideful behavior, and it is likely that Nimrod was not a godly man. But the fact is what we traditionally teach is not what actually occurred in this passage. 

The moral of the story here is to teach the Bible biblically. Use the Bible as your source, not your memory, not someone else's material. Be careful to keep the truth in all that you teach. 

The Energetic Sunday School Class

So how is your Sunday School class going? If you have been blessed with your own Sunday School class... I assume all girls... You probably pray for life transformation in those girls.

But you are also probably all too well aware of the fact that there is so much information that needs to be shared in just one hour a week (on a good week). And somewhere around 40 weeks out of the year. How on earth can we share the most important things they need for spiritual growth in that short period of time?

Not to mention...

The dreams of an interactive & engaging class time, but instead endure the "glazed over" looks during the classroom lecture on a weekly basis?

Your girls have no idea what you are talking about when you ask them a question from last week's lesson?

You struggle with your girls talking while you're talking? This is the one that gets me.

I think every Sunday school teacher, if they are truly honest, have struggled with any and all of the above at one point in life. Sometimes it really does have something to do with the people in the class, and other times it has far more to do with the teacher.

Here are some things that I have incorporated into my Sunday school class hour (or less). They have made a world of difference.

1.   Plan Ahead
Ok, everyone, let's be honest... How many times did you wait until Saturday to come up with a lesson for Sunday morning? (or even Sunday morning to come up with a lesson for Sunday morning???) Well, the fact is... We've all done it. While you might have been able to pull off a great last minute college paper, a lesson that needs to have spiritual value just can't be done at the last minute. Can you truly say that what you thought about for the first time on Saturday night was what God wanted you to share with your girls on Sunday morning? I know for me, that is rarely the case.

To remedy the situation: Plan Ahead!

I mean, like more than a week ahead... Like a season at a time. If you have an eight-week or a twelve-week stretch of teaching, plan those lessons to tie together somehow. Maybe they all have the theme or message, or they are about the same Bible person. Maybe they all have the same topic of "Christianity 101" or dating, engagement, and marriage.

Whatever you do, you must plan ahead.

2.  Review & Preview
How many times did your mom tell you, Repetition is the key to learning?

Well... it's true! Repeat, repeat, repeat. Remind your class of what they learned last week, and the week before - every week. By the end of a 12 week series my girls could, with very little prompting, tell me generally what each lesson was about and some of the main points. Why? Because we reviewed.

I also previewed each lesson. Give the girls an idea of what was coming up next week, and sometimes two weeks ahead. Give them the "big picture." Maybe in a few years they won't be able to remember each of the lessons, but if they remember the "big picture," you did your job right.

By the end of the series, they should have a small hit on each lesson at least 20 times.

Repetition really is the key to learning. Go figure!

3.  Ask Questions
Normally it is the students who ask the questions, but turn the tables and ask them the questions. I always tell my kids if they want to talk during the lesson, they have to answer questions. That is their chance to talk and share their ideas or opinions.

So instead of me, sharing what I think about the Bible lesson, I started asking the girls what they thought. This took a long time to catch on (like five or six weeks). There were plenty of weeks that we just sat there, stared at each other, and waited for someone to answer my question. But by the end, they were accustomed to it and dare I say... Eager to answer.

The class became interactive. No longer did they have a "glazed over" look. They were prepared to answer a question, read a verse, or offer a comment.

Ask questions. Don't give up. Wait quietly and stare them down.

4.  Be Flexible
When you start asking questions and ideas start flowing freely, don't stress out...when THEY start asking YOU questions. And trust me, it will happen.

(Be prepared to be asked questions that you don't know the answer to. Write the question down, get the answer, and personally answer it the following week. Not only will they be thrilled to have the answer. The class will respect the fact that you remembered, and the individual who asked will feel special knowing that you specifically answered their question.)

5. Be Animated & Spontaneous
You might have the most amazing lesson in the world, but if you aren't animated, they aren't listening.  Be excited! Let them know you are excited. Have voice inflection. Use your hands and your body to teach the lesson.

Surprise the girls everyone once in a while. This will keep them interested. Sometimes I would bring a batch of cupcakes (like once very six weeks). Sometimes we would spend a large amount of time praying. To keep the class interested (in a world that is constantly vying for their attention), do things that keep them on their toes.

6.  Have Rules
My rules were always really basic:

• Be to class on time, because we are starting with or without you. My hope was that the girls would be so uncomfortable entering the room late that they would make the effort to be on time walking from the youth room to our Sunday school area. It took time, but it worked. 
• Bring your Bible. I got the girls into the habit of reading as much Scripture during class as possible. That meant that I incorporated a substantial amount of verses into the lesson (the Bible is more powerful than anything I have to say anyway). Then I had the girls read those verses. We went around the room. I picked them out at random. Some volunteered. But the girls were involved, they needed their Bible, and they were getting very familiar with God's Word. That's the goal. 

The point of your class is to bring glory to God, to teach the girls truths from the Bible, and to grow in Christ. These days that doesn't happen by lecture alone. We have to keep them involved. Our world is too interactive to teach any other way. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!

~Kay