It has been said, “You cannot make disciples in one hour on Sunday morning” meaning that it takes more than Sunday School to make a disciple. While Sunday School’s primary purpose is not to make disciples, it is a first step in assimilation and toward disciplemaking.
In the study on transformational churches the research showed that people who attended Sunday School were more likely to do those fundamentals associated with discipleship, i.e. they read the Bible more, prayed more, shared Jesus more and gave more money to the church than those who did not attend.
Outside the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia is a plaque that reads:
“The Church has always been a second home for me. As far back as I can remember I was in church every Sunday…it was the Sunday School that helped me build the capacity for getting along with people”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This was the church that his grandfather and his father pastored. It is two blocks from where he was born and where he pastored until his death in 1968.
While it is hard to develop accountability on Sunday morning and most classes do not require Scripture memory from their members, it is the place where Christian friendships and learning how to apply the word of God to their daily lives is learned. Sunday School is a place where people learn to pray for fellow Christians. Sunday School encourages reading God’s word personally at home and encourages people to ponder how it affects their lives.
Attending Sunday School is one of the easiest steps a new Christian can take toward becoming a disciple of Jesus. It is a place to learn how to interact in a small group discussing God’s word. While you cannot make a disciple in only one hour on Sunday morning, it is the best step I can share to help people on their journey to become a disciplemaking Christian.
Dr. Mark Yoakum is the Director of Church Ministries for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and believes the Great Commission is serious about going and making disciples.
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