The problem of Sunday school education method (I): The Sunday school teaching method in light of the parable of the sower

Sunday school education, which began in earnest in the 1940s, can generally be categorized in three ways. However, all three have problems in light of the parable of the sower.

The first way is to preach the Word in a way that is fun and interesting. The reason why this method is often used in Sunday school is that we assume children won’t listen if the Word is preached as is, so we have to make the sermon fun and interesting to capture their attention.

The problem with this method is that it does not take into account the power of the Word itself. Using the parable of the sower to better paint the picture, assuming a serious sermon will bore and confuse children is comparable to thinking even if a seed is planted and watered, it cannot bud if nothing more is added to the seed itself. However, we must all know that the Word of God itself has great abilities. No matter how much fun there is in the world, there is no greater joy than to find enlightenment while studying the Word. Anyone who has experienced this joy will know. Just as the seed itself has the ability to germinate as long as it is planted on fertile ground, we must believe the Word itself can take root and flower seeing it is properly planted in the heart. The problem is that many of us don’t believe in this ability, but instead, focus on fun.

The second way is to find and rely on people with special skills and exceptional abilities in child education. Many of us think we can trust people who are particularly popular with children, love children and have a passion for working with children, to teach our kids the Word. Accordingly, almost every church makes great efforts to find such people. However, when pondering this seemingly great method in light of the parable of the sower, we can sense there is something wrong with it, for Jesus did not say the farmer must have a special ability in order for the seeds to germinate. The reason why the seeds fail to germinate is because the land in which they are planted is infertile and barren, and has nothing to do with the qualifications of the planter. In other words, finding people with a spiritual gift in ministry is not the core of the education in faith, and it’s unwise to completely rely on people with such gifts. Moreover, an individual with a spiritual gift purportedly stays at a church for only about three years on average. Given this statistic, such people may cause children considerable emotional distress, if anything. Because these people are extremely well-liked, it causes children terrible disappointment when they leave the church, and given the fact that this happens generally every three years, any child is bound to be confronted by this difficulty at least once while attending church. Clearly, relying on these people causes more harm than good. Therefore, it can’t be helped that there is a huge problem with the Sunday school education of a church that leaves child education entirely in the hands of professionals.

The third way is to teach kids the Gospel time after time, whenever there’s a chance, whether they are listening or not. Many people firmly believe the Gospel will be well-preserved in the corner of childrens’ hearts and work in their daily lives when necessary, so they persistently teach their kids the Gospel. In light of the parable of the sower, this method is synonymous to scattering seeds everywhere - on paths, rocky places, and thorns - in the belief that a seed will eventually sprout if a large number of seeds are sown. However, just because we stubbornly sow seeds, doesn’t mean they will all take root and germinate. This is because germination isn’t determined by the amount of seeds or the number of times the seed is sown, but by the condition and environment of the field. In other words, so long as the field is infertile and strewn with rocks and thorns, no amount of seeds sown can be expected to germinate. Likewise, if a child’s heart isn’t in the right condition, the Gospel cannot take root and germinate.

As explained above, in light of the parable of the sower, all three methods of Sunday school education can be seen to be of little effect. No means of education is of any use unless childrens’ hearts are first made into fertile soil fit to receive the Word. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (Luke 8:8).