If you "teach" Sunday School...

[inncogneetow]

If you teach Sunday school, how often do you do it?

In my previous churches Sunday School staff have generally done either every other week, or every week!

In my new church the staff involved or prepared to be involved are telling me they want to do it ideally only once every 3 weeks, or just once a month, or even once every six weeks! This seems a bit bonkers to me and not very good for the children, and we need an army of adults to staff it this way. I just wondered if this was the norm these days?!

It depends how many adults you have willing to be involved, I guess. Like you I've normally done either every week or every other week -- and I agree that consistency is very important for most children. Apart from anything else if you only do once every so often you need to meet the rest of team to catch up on what's been happening the rest of the time! I suppose it depends on whether you feel that children's work is your ministry or whether it is something you help out with because you feel you should. Personally, if you were in my church and were willing to do every week or two weeks I would be falling at your feet with gratitude!

At our church we do a couple of turns per term and most parents are on the rota either as group leader or helper.

When I stated an interest in teaching Sunday School about a year ago there were enough volunteers that each of us taught once every 5 or 6 weeks, so twice a term. However, so many of those have left that we're now having to teach every 3 weeks. I was because I prefer being in church. I guess children's ministry isn't my heart. We follow a programme (Splash booklets), so know what's been covered by others each week. It's a tiny church - only 18 members, but between 2 & 6 children in Sunday School.

Thanks for the feedback so far; especially the point of view that people really want to be in the main church service. This doesn't bother me so much, which is why I hadn't really clocked that one I guess.

We have quite a big church and lots of children, which is fantastic. Each age-group class has a leader and a helper each Sunday, for practical reasons and also following child-protection best practice guidelines.

We have a rota and everyone does it once a month. Lots of people have dropped out recently though so it may well become once a fortnight, which those of us who are left aren't 100% happy about.

I lead a group as part of a rota and take a turn every six weeks with a helper or sometimes 2 helpers. We follow a set programme so I am able stand in for another leader at short notice if necessary.

When I first started I felt as if I had not been to church when I was leading a group, but that feeling soon passed.

I enjoy it as it is but would not like to be part of a smaller group and leading more frequently.

I teach every Sunday, but that's because I really enjoy being in Sunday school and find the ministers sermons really boring

I have done every 4 weeks at 3 different churches. It is generally thought that it's not good for people to miss all the services as that's where you get your own spiritual input. I think 3/4 week rotas are a good balance between children knowing you (it tends to be parents anyway) and adults getting to participate in the main service

I do two then have four off. I used to do every week but never saw a service.

I do every week which I'm not 100% happy doing but there is no-one else willing in my church! We only have one regular child who is 8 & my nephew! Others drift in & out every now & again and range from 5-11. The only other person who would do it occasionally is my mum.
I've recently started going to an evening service every other week but I don't feel it's for me so am looking for another church with an evening service, proving very difficult in my area!

At the moment I am doing sunday school every other week and I am not happy. I want the chance to go to church myself! Otherwise it is not fair and other people in the church see me as providing childcare.

I think having a team of sunday school workers can work well. We plan the sessions together so that we cover different material. We follow the lectionary as far as possible.

"In my previous churches Sunday School staff have generally done either every other week, or every week!!

Prehaps this is the problem! The volenteers are not staff. You had a church which had youth worker then you could have the same person doing sunday school each week.

We have a church where one third of the congregation are under 14....there are 28 in S School and about 5 or 6 older teens.

All parents are asked to teach or help (and are given help and support to do so) unless they are attending non believers in which case they are a pair of hands occasionally in crèche at the most, not at all if poss.

Our philosophy is that all parents are commanded by God to raise their children in Godliness and teach them the Truth...thus having week(s) off from doing this on a Sunday is a BONUS!!!!! As a sales pitch it has worked somewhat. Obviously we try to flex a bit as some people have busier lives than others.

It works out that I do main leading 1 week in three and only occasionally assist, others lead once every 6 weeks but are helpers more often.

I keep telling myself that the Lord provides hands for his work....but wish the hands He provides were a little bit happier! :) Oh and constant prayer for a co-ordinator for whom other people's children is their passion!!!!

I don't like missing too many of the main services, it gets a bit wearing, they are a very rare moment of quiet in my week. Much as I do like children's work and appreciate that it's as much an act of worship as hearing a sermon, my own DC don't cope very well with me in that role and often play up.

The best system I was in recently had a 3 week rota i.e 3 leaders and 3 "helpers" per group, which is a small enough number to get to know the children quite well and have some continuity. It wasn't a very big church though so people often got pulled away to do worship or another responsibility, we did end up having to ask all parents to help out.

I went to a seminar on this where we were challenged to have such a good and rewarding children's team that people would ask to be on it rather than having to be dragged...