Sunday School attendance has been dropping across virtually all denominations. This has attracted the attention of The Wall Street Journal. From a column by Charlotte Hays:
The decline in Sunday schools appears to be gradual but steady. A study by the Barna Group indicated that in 2004 churches were 6% less likely to provide Sunday school for children ages 2 to 5 as in 1997. For middle-school kids, the decline was to 86% providing Sunday school in 2004 from 93% in 1997. Similarly, there was a six-percentage-point drop in Sunday schools offered for high school kids — to 80% from 86%. All in all, about 20,000 fewer churches were maintaining Sunday-school classes. And the future does not look bright: Only 15% of ministers regarded Sunday school as a leading concern. The younger the pastor, the study showed, the less emphasis he placed on Sunday school.
Why do you think that is? Is there a way of bringing Sunday School back, or has Sunday School outlived its usefulness? If the latter, what could fill the gap in Christian education?
HT: Bruce Kintz
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