History of Sunday School

[johnc]

Hi,

I've been having some discussions with a friend about the origins of Sunday School. Does anyone have information concerning the origins of Sunday School and in particular when did age-segregated Sunday School begin to be popular.

Thanks,
John

 

[jjraby]

t is important to realize that Sunday schools were originally literally schools: they were places were poor children could learn to read. The Sunday school movement began in Britain in the 1780s. The Industrial Revolution had resulted in many children spending all week long working in factories. Christian philanthropists wanted to free these children from a life of illiteracy. Well into the 19th century, working hours were long. The first modest legislative restrictions came in 1802. This resulted in limiting the number of hours a child could work per day to 12! This limit was not lowered again until 1844. Moreover, Saturday was part of the regular work week. Sunday, therefore, was the only available time for these children to gain some education.

The English Anglican evangelical Robert Raikes (1725-1811) was the key promoter of the movement. It soon spread to America as well. Denominations and non-denominational organizations caught the vision and energetically began to create Sunday schools. Within decades, the movement had become extremely popular. By the mid-19th century, Sunday school attendance was a near universal aspect of childhood. Even parents who did not regularly attend church themselves generally insisted that their children go to Sunday school. Working-class families were grateful for this opportunity to receive an education. They also looked forward to annual highlights such as prize days, parades, and picnics, which came to mark the calendars of their lives as much as more traditional seasonal holidays.

Religious education was, of course, always also a core component. The Bible was the textbook used for learning to read. Likewise, many children learned to write by copying out passages from the Scriptures. A basic catechism was also taught, as were spiritual practices such as prayer and hymn-singing. Inculcating Christian morality and virtues was another goal of the movement. Sunday school pupils often graduated to become Sunday school teachers, thereby gaining an experience of leadership not to be found elsewhere in their lives. Even some Marxist historians have credited 19th-century Sunday schools with empowering the working classes.

In both Britain and America, universal, compulsory state education was established by the 1870s. After that, reading and writing were learned on weekdays at school and the Sunday school curriculum was limited to religious education. Nevertheless, many parents continued to believe that regular Sunday school attendance was an essential component of childhood. The trend for permissive parenting in the 1960s, however, meant that a widespread culture of insisting that children go to Sunday school whether they want to or not (especially when the parents were not themselves going to church) was abandoned.

When did Sunday Schools start? | Christian History

 

[jwithnell]

I've always had the sense that it came out of the pietistic movement. Can't point to a specific source on this.

 

[MRC]

My understanding is that it arose from catechital instruction in an effort to make church more accessable to the unbeliever. The ideas was that catachism is too much "for the church" and that the church needed something palatable for those not part of the church.

 

[jambo]

The Sunday school movement began in Wales among the Methodist church. Two women having the desire to see children better themselves began to teach them how to read using the scriptures as a text book. Thus not only were children learning to read but were reading the bible at the same time. This developed so that Sunday School was just that -a school that met on a Sunday as not all children had the opportunity of regular school through the week as impoverished families had to send sent their children down the mines. Thus it was not just learning to read but a very basic general education was attempted. Things really developed from that so that Sunday School became more focused on the Christian faith rather than just general education.

In the UK Sunday Schools always were, and still are, a children's activity, usually primary school children although some churches have it up until about age 8-10. When I was a child Sunday School was held in the afternoons but then with diminishing numbers dropped down to before the morning service but now most churches have theirs during the morning service.

When Willie Still ministered in Aberdeen, he took the step of cancelling the Sunday School altogether. The intention of Sunday School was to teach non-church children but as all the children who attended had parents who attended the church he felt that was the place to teach children and the children themselves would benefit more by being in the service.

 

[LawrenceU]

When Willie Still ministered in Aberdeen, he took the step of cancelling the Sunday School altogether. The intention of Sunday School was to teach non-church children but as all the children who attended had parents who attended the church he felt that was the place to teach children and the children themselves would benefit more by being in the service.

. . . and this little known fact is something that should be recalled. Sunday Schools were not originally intended for the children of congregants. That was the father's responsibility if he was a Christian. Sounds a wee bit like the FIC. . .

 

[Herald]

We use the hour before worship to teach the entire congregation the Word of God. Ours is more interactive where questions pertinent to the lesson are encouraged. Is this model historic? I don't know. I do know that it's effective in teaching the Word and increasing retention among all age groups.

 

[johnc]

When Willie Still ministered in Aberdeen, he took the step of cancelling the Sunday School altogether. The intention of Sunday School was to teach non-church children but as all the children who attended had parents who attended the church he felt that was the place to teach children and the children themselves would benefit more by being in the service.

. . . and this little known fact is something that should be recalled. Sunday Schools were not originally intended for the children of congregants. That was the father's responsibility if he was a Christian. Sounds a wee bit like the FIC. . .

I can't tell whether you are agreeing with canceling SS or not?

This does bring of the issue of whether it is ideal for children and their parents to be separated during Sunday School. My wife and I have been discussing whether or not to keep our son with us during SS or let him attend the children's SS. If a church has classes separate classes for children and adults, what should parents do?

Thanks,
John

---------- Post added at 07:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:43 AM ----------

When did Sunday Schools start? | Christian History

Thanks J.R.. The link was helpful. I didn't realize SS originally started for children.

 

[JonathanHunt]

In Britain, if you suggested that adults should go to Sunday Schools 99.9% of people would think you were mad. Even in this day and age, the most hardened british atheist would tell you that Sunday schools are 'for children'.

As a tool for outreach to unchurched families they still have a considerable role to play in the UK, and although the work is very hard, some meet with considerable success. For example:

Metropolitan Tabernacle - Sunday School & Children's Meetings

The key is to operate your school at a seperate time to corporate worship so that a) more members can be involved and b) nobody misses worship!

 

[LawrenceU]

When Willie Still ministered in Aberdeen, he took the step of cancelling the Sunday School altogether. The intention of Sunday School was to teach non-church children but as all the children who attended had parents who attended the church he felt that was the place to teach children and the children themselves would benefit more by being in the service.

. . . and this little known fact is something that should be recalled. Sunday Schools were not originally intended for the children of congregants. That was the father's responsibility if he was a Christian. Sounds a wee bit like the FIC. . .

I can't tell whether you are agreeing with canceling SS or not?

I think Sunday School as it originally was intended is a good work. I think Sunday School as it is practiced today is not good.

 

[Jack K]

I think Sunday School as it originally was intended is a good work. I think Sunday School as it is practiced today is not good.

In some ways I'm sure I would agree. But the idea of "Sunday School as it is practiced today" can have wide meanings. It has gone in many different directions since its beginnings, and practices today vary a great deal from church to church, culture to culture. I've seen many Sunday schools that I think should be closed down. But I run one that I think is a great service to the church and our community. One thing we do is get dads involved and actually train and encourage them to teach at home. It wasn't happening in the men's ministry, so we're integrating it into the children's ministry.

 

[johnc]

The key is to operate your school at a seperate time to corporate worship so that a) more members can be involved and b) nobody misses worship!

At my church, the SS time is separate from the corporate worship time. No one misses worship due to SS. However, during the SS time, there are separate classes for adults and children (although I don't think there is a rule that children cannot attend SS with their parents).

John

 

[nasa30]

When Willie Still ministered in Aberdeen, he took the step of cancelling the Sunday School altogether. The intention of Sunday School was to teach non-church children but as all the children who attended had parents who attended the church he felt that was the place to teach children and the children themselves would benefit more by being in the service.

. . . and this little known fact is something that should be recalled. Sunday Schools were not originally intended for the children of congregants. That was the father's responsibility if he was a Christian. Sounds a wee bit like the FIC. . .

I can't tell whether you are agreeing with canceling SS or not?

I think Sunday School as it originally was intended is a good work. I think Sunday School as it is practiced today is not good.

 

[Skyler]

The key is to operate your school at a seperate time to corporate worship so that a) more members can be involved and b) nobody misses worship!

We have our "Sunday School"/children's lesson at the front of the sanctuary in between the opening meditation and the main message. Everybody's still present for everything; it used to be that we'd ask different people from the congregation to do the children's lesson, but recently I've been doing it every Sunday, going through the Bible with a felt board.

 

[JonathanHunt]

The key is to operate your school at a seperate time to corporate worship so that a) more members can be involved and b) nobody misses worship!

We have our "Sunday School"/children's lesson at the front of the sanctuary in between the opening meditation and the main message. Everybody's still present for everything; it used to be that we'd ask different people from the congregation to do the children's lesson, but recently I've been doing it every Sunday, going through the Bible with a felt board.

I have had in mind evangelistic outreach sunday school for the unchurched, not for the children of believers. In the case of the children who are in the main church worship, I am all for keeping the church together.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

Is there anything amiss about another religious-educational hour for everyone?

Is there anything wrong with such teaching geared toward a particular age, thus the rationale behind comprehension-level appropriate teaching materials and presentations?

I don't think these are outrageous in the least. The church catechized the youth and new believers from the first. The Reformation recovered that practice. If such a benefit was abandoned in the church, then recovering it was a good thing, even if such recovery began in an awkward way.

Today, Sunday School in most Reformed churches is simply an extension of its teaching ministry. There is often a catechetical purpose. Who doesn't want MORE religious instruction on Sunday, rather than less?

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

I agree with Bruce.

 

[LawrenceU]

Is there anything amiss about another religious-educational hour for everyone?

Is there anything wrong with such teaching geared toward a particular age, thus the rationale behind comprehension-level appropriate teaching materials and presentations?

I don't think these are outrageous in the least. The church catechized the youth and new believers from the first. The Reformation recovered that practice. If such a benefit was abandoned in the church, then recovering it was a good thing, even if such recovery began in an awkward way.

Today, Sunday School in most Reformed churches is simply an extension of its teaching ministry. There is often a catechetical purpose. Who doesn't want MORE religious instruction on Sunday, rather than less?

If that is what was taking place in most Sunday Schools I might have less disagreement. The fruit of most Sunday School programs today, in the USA at least, is the removal of the father as the source of religious instruction in his family. There seems to be an unspoken, and sometimes not unspoken, message that only the SS teachers / leaders are capable of truly training children in matters of faith and discipleship. That is wrong. Fathers are ultimately held liable for the discipleship of their families. From all of the studies that I have read and conversations I have had, even among Reformed folks, fathers play a very small role in the catechising of their children, if they do any at all. Family worship is virtually non-existent in most homes. I believe it can be shown that the move of the church away from training and expecting the fathers to take the lead in the education of their children to a position where it offers 'experts aka as SS teachers / Youth Ministers' is likely at the core of this sad state of affairs.

 

[Reformed Baptist]

Allow me to pass on the first few tidbits for 1 week of seminary...lol

Resources you can consult:

Harper's Encyclopedia of Religious Education 1990, edited by I.V. Cully and K.B Cully
Town's Sunday School Encyclopedia 1992, E.L. Towns'

"The work by Cully and Cully is an interfaith encyclopedia that contains articles written by men and women of all denominations, including some of Jewish and Moslem persuasions. What is presented here , though liberal in orientation, may nevertheless be consulted with profit by the engaged in undergraduate as well as some graduate programs. Town's Sunday School Encyclopedia is entirely different from those just mentioned. Its 639 pages contain what the publishers claim is "all you need to nkow about the Sunday school." Topics are treated alphabetically; job descriptions are provided; recent trends are duscussed; effective teaching methods are explained; policy statements relating to difficult cases are mentioned; and effective new methods and strategies (for age groups such as "baby boomers" and "yuppies") are included."

This information is from "An Introduction to Theological Research: A Guide for College and Seminary Student" by Cyril J. Barber and Robert M. Krauss, Jr.

Hope that helps.

 

[LawrenceU]

I'm assuming that is Elmer Towns, the SBC Sunday School guru.