Sunday School Class Ages

[WB]

Looking for some different views on this subject..
When someone attends sunday school is it a must that they go to the class that is in their age group or should they be able to go where they feel the most comfortable. Why or Why Not??

[saltcitybaptist]

I think there a lot of "what if's" here.
1. What if a 4th grader is "mentally challanged as a 2nd grader?
2. What if a 6th grader fails a school grade, and prefers to stay with his friends, at least in Sunday School?
3. What if a teen wants to be in the same class as his girlfriend?

WB, let me throw a new klinker into the question. How many churches present themselves as the "family church" but the first thing that happens is each member of a family goes to a seperate class. What would you think of having Sunday School class of families? For example, on the first Sunday of each month, Classes would be composed of 3 or 4 families. To make it very effective, have a variety of families, ie couples, 1-4 kids, singles, retired ect.

But lets go back to your orginial question, we are very traditional about our Sunday School, the key word being traditional. Maybe it is time to consider some new options to make our Sunday School more effective. Any other suggestions?

[WB]

I really don't think there is a difinative answer to this question as you said (There are alot of what if's) It is a very broad question..However I do feel it is one that should not be so cut and dried. I think that most of the time this question will fall under the 12 to 20 year olds. I do know I have taken friends of my kids to church with us only for them to be seperated when they get to church which in our case wasn't a good thing. I also have a daughther who is way more mature in Christ at the age of 13 than most adults and I have a sone who is 16 and is about as mature as a 13 year old maybe...My daughter is all about God, plain and simple. My son....well lets just say he has a ways to go to go yet, as we all do but just generally speaking. My daughter for the past 2 years has begged to get moved up to a class that would be more spiritually challenging for her and she has always been told no. You have to stay in your age group because it will start trouble if you move because then everybody else will want to move. I have enough common sence to understand that just very well might happen and if it did then what.. I am not sure if I really know because I haven't experienced it before but I think I feel like this... I for some reason don't feel as though Jesus would take a child that really doesn't want to be at his church in the first place and say to him if you come to my church you can't go in sunday school with your friends you have to go where your age group is period. CHILD SAYS, BUT JESUS I DON'T KNOW ANYONE OUT HERE AND I WOULD FEEL A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE IF I COULD STAY WITH MY FRIEND. Jesus, You go where I tell you or you will be a trouble maker...Another one...... Jesus says, Now listen this is not about spiritual growth here it is about keeping the rules your time will come when you can go to a class that will challenge you spiritually but the time is not now, you have to wait...Anyway you just want to be with the older cooler kids this is not about growth... CHILD SAY, YES IS IT JESUS, YOU KNOW ME AND EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK AT MY LIFE AND TALK TO ME AND TELL THAT I AM HUNGRY FOR MORE OF YOUR WORD. PLEASE DON'T HOLD ME BACK FROM LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOU....

I had a thought the other day that since we are now starting a new year why not for the first month let everyone go to the class that they would like to attend...Attendance would be counted but no roll books would be fill out... After the first month of going to any class you wanted then on the start of the second month you had to choose which class you wanted to be in for the rest of the year...If it is a child wanting to move up then the parents are responsible for that child being in there and would have to agree on them being there. There are still going to be problems and things are going to occur and come up that you just don't want to deal with but the way it is now is surely can't be the best way....I don't know what is but you cannot make people go to church and want to be there especially when they reach a certain age...When you go to school they tell you where you have to go...When you go to Sunday school I don't feel like you should feel the same way as you feel when you go to school...
When I was 5 my Sunday school teacher was very good to me and I loved her for it. When it was time for me to move up I didn't want to and she put her arm around me and said honey if you want to stay in my class you can I will take good care of you..It worked...It made a lasting impression on me that to this day makes me feel like somebody at church wanted me... cared about me... and not just the rules....I was more important than the rules.... That is hard to find these days....

As to your suggestion about familys going to sunday school together. I'm not sure, I guess I would need to know what the main purpose for doing that would be..Is it to bring the family closer..To let others with no kids learn from the ones that did...I don't know how long a 21 year old would stay interested if there were a 4 year old disrupting the class and I am not sure how the teacher would hold the attention span of a 6 year old when he or she is talking on a subject that takes ove 20 minutes or so...I don't know the answers really...I still think the answers are probably not cut and dried answers and different situaltions call for different positions...

[saltcitybaptist]

PASTORSTAFF calling Shilo, are you out there Shilo? ;D
Shilo, would love to have your input on this very important subject.
Anyways, WB, you provided a very informative backgroundfor your concern. Let me add another concern, (for some of the vetern members, I have mentioned this before). When I was in Germany (with the US Army) I was Youth Director of our church. MY class ranged in age from 12 - 18. Some single GI's started attended. Someone thought they should be in the youth group. Soon, I had GI's as old as 25 in my "youth" group. I balked at this situation, however, I was overruled by the interm pastor and other church leaders. Their policy was if somone was not married, they would be in the youth group. I did not think it was the best thing for a GI to be in a class with teenage girls. ANY THOUGHTS///

As far as a "family" Sunday School class, it is hard to say how a singe guy would take to a three year old. It could be distrubing, or it could be a class to look forward to. (Matt 19:14)
I do like your ideal about having classes for spiritual maturity. But, yes but, who decides who goes into which class. How about the "spiritual challanged" friends who would like to be in their friends class?
Seems like we have more doubts than solutions? Maybe its just a case of some churches trying some of these ideals. and then passing on these ideals.

Here is another ideal: how about having a week day Bible club, that would be an extenstion of Sunday School, ie use the same material, but go into a deeper study and/or review?

Finally, what do you think about the LISA CLASS. See post under "Southern Baptist Isssues"

[WB]

I did start to say in my last post that maybe a person should be able to move up only 1 class or stay one class behind. I agree with you that a 25 year old man does not need to be with teenagers. I feel like that is to much of a seperation. Some of these questions just need some common sence applied to them which it seems some don't have.
Who decideswho goes in a class for the spiritually mature??? I don't know...I guess it is coming back to if you have rules you have to have rules especially when there is no wisdom shown or where there is no common sense shown.
It is sad that our churches don't have leadership that is being lead by the spirit enough to calmly take care of these issues... I know there is no confusion with God and if there is confusion it is ignorance or satan. I have told my daughter to just stay in her class and look at it this way...Be a light to you classmates, let God use you to reach them...she didn't put up any kind of fight she said ok if that is what I need to do to keep peace...I will stay with my age...At her public school she founded the Bible club a few years ago and this year she wanted to be put in a Christian school so we put her in a Christian Academy and she loves it... Lots of homework but she loves it...We home school our son who I told you is 16. He was having troubles at school following people I knew he didn't need to follow and we were on him about it and just one day he came to me and said dad I just don't know what to do anymore. You and mom teach me one thing at home and then turn right around and send me to that highschool and everything I see and hear is just the opposite of what you teach me. I don't know what to do... So we took him out and he is doing much better than he was...I don't how I got on that subject.. Got to sleep.....later