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Are We Seeing the Death of Sunday School?

death of sunday school

Sunday School. Some churches still use this term for their Bible study hour at church. But a large percentage of church leaders would say the term is an ancient relic that has been lost in the progressions of change. Are we seeing the death of Sunday school?

Is Sunday School an ancient term? Well, it is over 230 years old. It originated in Britain in the 1780s. During this time of the Industrial Revolution, many children spent six days a week working in factories, which resulted in them being illiterate. Christian leaders of the day wanted to do something to change that. Sunday was the only available time for these children to gain some education. Robert Raikes, an English Anglican evangelical, was a key leader in starting the Sunday School movement. The first “Sunday Schools” were literally schools. They were places where poor children could learn to read.

Soon Sunday School spread to America. Churches everywhere began to create Sunday Schools and the movement became so popular that by the mid 19th century, Sunday School attendance was part of most children’s lives. Even parents who did not regularly attend church themselves sent their children to Sunday School. Although Sunday School started as a way to educate illiterate children, religious education was, of course, always an important part of it. The Bible was the textbook used for learning to read. Children also learned to write by writing out Bible passages.

As child labor laws grew and children started going to school during the week, Sunday School shifted toward being totally about religious education. Sunday School also became an evangelistic tool for reaching children with the Gospel.

Are We Seeing the Death of Sunday School?

Over the last 30 years, the term “Sunday School” has been used less and less. But is it the death of Sunday school — or the death of the name “Sunday School?” As mentioned earlier in this article, churches have shifted toward more contemporary wording and methods. While children used to attend one hour of “worship” and one hour of “Sunday School,” many now attend one hour that is a hybrid of the two.