Sometimes, volunteers are hard to find! There are some people who are just not good working with children or don’t feel comfortable working with kids. But then there are those who are good with children and just do not have the time available to lead on a weekly basis. Sometimes it is difficult to find people to serve even once a month. It would be great to have one wonderful, committed volunteer leading each Sunday School classroom.
But I don’t always have that. Maybe you don’t either. As I have worked in my church over the years I have had to be practical. I sometimes have a two person team leading a class where the teachers teach every other week. For another team, it works better to have two weeks on and then two weeks off. In Children’s Worship, which meets during the worship time, a class is typically shared by three leaders who lead kids for 3 weeks with six weeks off.
At a recent meeting with other children’s ministry directors, we wondered if we are making volunteer positions so small that the people do not have the time to impact the lives of the children? In our desire to staff our classrooms, have we lost part of what we are trying to do for the kids? Is it effective for volunteers to serve only once a month? Are they able to build a relationship with the kids and lead them effectively? Has our culture lead us to a point where we are sacrificing our kids’ faith formation because our adult schedules are too full?
Comments
Laura, you raise some great points! Made me think about some of the things we do in general. Like taking breaks and vacations, etc. Priorities. Retirement. What does it mean in God's grand scheme?
I know some churches which never take a break from Sunday School. They have Sunday School as often as they have church. It is simply another form of worship. They would not omit it anymore than omit a church service.
Many churches take breaks during summer, and Christmas... but it makes me wonder, maybe we look at this in the wrong way. Would we say we don't need a janitor in the summer months? Yet we don't need sunday school or bible study? What is more important to maintain? Which is more significant to spiritual growth and health?
When people are too busy, is it because sunday school is during church service? or because people are unwilling to make it a priority? or because career and entertainment and sports are more important? Okay, it can be tough sometimes when you have small children, or when older children need transportation to events, etc. But maybe it is about priorities. Perhaps Sunday school classes are more significant and important than praise teams in church, more important than choir, more impacting than the superbowl or American Idol, and more of a ministry than attending diaconal meetings or caregroup get-togethers.
Maybe snowbirds can become young again and teach some of these classes in the summertime when they return to their churches.
I agree with you that the kids appreciate a consistent teacher as much as possible. Switching teachers from week to week is frustrating for them, and leaves them with a sense of a lack of committment.
JOhn Z
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