Sunday School, discipleship encourage growth

Two bulwarks of Baptist church life are Sunday School and discipleship ministries (formerly Discipleship Training). These are the programs by which churches seek to lead people to Christ and then train them as to their lives in Christ.
   
“[Sunday School] is our main outreach arm of the church,” said Steve Cloues, an associate in the office of associational/cooperative missions with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM). “It is always our goal to have the number involved in Sunday School higher than the number of resident members, because that means we are reaching unchurched, lost people and getting them involved. Then they will eventually become members.”
   
Daniel Edmonds, director of the SBOM’s office of Sunday School, agrees, but points out the current setup of Sunday School classes can be a barrier to those new to the church. “Sunday School is typically in a Bible study format. There is nothing wrong with that, but the longer a class learns together, the Bible study gets deeper. Churches need to start new classes targeting new people who will grow together.”
   
In both programs, all types of groupings exist, from age-specific classes to topical classes.  Especially in discipleship ministries classes, where, as Sonya Tucker, associate with the SBOM’s discipleship/family ministries, puts it, “You have every kind of flavor.” Churches hold studies that can last from four weeks to 12 weeks, use videos or workbooks and are written by a variety of sources, from individuals to LifeWay to churches who write their own.
   
“It’s across the board,” Tucker said. “Just as Christians differ, churches differ. But there are very good things going on with all church sizes across the state.”
   
The larger a church is, the more emphasis it should place on Sunday School because it is easier for individuals to get overlooked. “The small group helps us get a more individual look at people in the church and their growth.,” Edmonds said.
   
And growing is an aim of both Sunday School and discipleship ministries, although it perhaps receives more attention in the discipleship groups.
   
“The purpose of discipleship ministries is twofold,” Tucker said. “There is the personal aspect — helping to grow Christians to be more like Jesus. And then the church as a whole, because when you’re doing a great job with discipleship ministries, then the church will be built up. It’s equipping the believer and building up the church.”
   
Churches have a dual responsibility to their members between evangelism and discipleship, and Sunday School and discipleship ministries help fulfill that.
   
“We do a good job of accepting new believers but we need to teach them about the benefits, privileges and responsibilities of being a Christian,” Tucker said.