Crossing the Valley of Elah
"What stones does your Sunday School need to succeed?
Thoughts on the giants facing Sunday School ~ from Rev. Neil MacQueen
This article was originally written as Sunday Schools were coming out of the 2020-21 pandemic wondering if their program would or could revive or survive at all in the face of attendance and budget GIANTS. Truth is, many weren't in good shape before the pandemic.
Regardless of your "numbers," it is important to note that we've been here before. A giant hurling insults across the Valley of Elah. Our leaders and army shaking in their boots and thinking about cutting and running. And us standing here in oversized armor with only stones to throw.
“Have you seen the giant?!!!"
The soldiers say to David in 1 Sam 17:25.
Yes, we have.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
Eliab says to his little brother David in v28.
Good question!
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul says to David in v33.
The nay-sayers at at their best when things are worse.
"There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and win!" Saul says to David,
and people in the church are whispering.
"You are...
Too Small
Too Poor
Too Old
Too Few
Too Busy
Too Stuck in Our Ways
Too Tired
Too understaffed
Too Afraid of Change
Too _________
The truth of the matter is that
the FIRST GIANTS we face
are usually the ones coming from our own people
and our own doubts.
David throws off the old armor and excuses,
picks up five smooth stones,
and goes down into the Valley of Elah to face the Philistine Giant.
The story of David and Goliath is a rich metaphor for all kinds of "giants" and "battles." The "stones" I'm going to mention, are solutions, of course, not weapons.
I'm sure you can think of a few more "stones", but try these in your slingshot...
What are the stones you need to face your giants?
A clean up? A facelift?
Many of the Sunday Schools I've seen in my travels could use a good scrubbing, Our classrooms should look like the shining city on the hill, not its basement. A fresh coat of color and de-junking would be a good start. Creating an attractive kid-friendly space would be even better. The condition of your classrooms is a sign to others and a measure of commitment.
A re-imagined format and learning environment?
Who keeps returning to the same old dull experience? What will set your program of teaching apart from what parents and kids didn't like before, and will signal something new is happening here?
When we reimagined Sunday School around the Workshop Rotation Model, we crushed the "same old format" giant with virtually every stone we could throw. Is it time for you to do the same? ⇒ What version of Sunday School would work for you?
A single stone creates ripples. For us in the Rotation Model, it was the imagining of an "art space" in our Sunday School that rippled through our imagination creating other media-centric classrooms such as video, games, drama, and computers -- all for teaching Bible stories. We named those special spaces "workshops." ⇒ What's your dream and how might it ripple through your program?
More help?
David was out tending his father's sheep when Samuel came looking to anoint the next great leader. ⇒ Who are you missing because you don't know them yet or haven't gone looking for them? Who are you overlooking because they seem too "small" or inexperienced? Who can you recruit that will grow into a leader?
Teacher training? (or teacher support?)
Maybe your giant problem isn't attendance or space or format, maybe it's your teachers' lack of preparation and creativity. ⇒ How do you support them? Are you in touch with them mid-week to offer preparation, ideas, and supply help? Have you recruited someone to join them? Do you help out in their classroom? A leader leads. If all your leader does (or you do) is hand out curriculum packets, maybe it's the leaders who need training (or replaced --sometimes to change the culture you have to change the leadership).
New curriculum ???
Many Sunday Schools fool themselves into thinking that throwing new curriculum at their problems will solve them. It rarely does (though the advertisers sure want us to believe it will). The stone you need may be a better teaching model -- something like the Rotation Model that changes HOW you teach, and how often you change the story. Check it out.
Delusional Teaching: If your new curriculum keeps changing the Bible story every week, and only a third of your kids attend on any given week, that means MOST of your kids are only hearing a small slice of the Bible, and probably not going to remember it either.
A Bigger Budget ???
Here's a shameless but true plug for Rotation.org: Is that expensive curriculum in effect eating your supply budget? Do you really need all that "graded" curriculum? Download our Writing Team's 300+ creative lessons for the cost of a one-year membership ($45), and spend your limited budget on things the KIDS will enjoy. Sometimes it's not the size of the budget stone but where you aim it.
Getting the Pastor on Board and Involved?
Smart pastors know that the road to the heart of the congregation goes through the way they treat the congregation's children and grandchildren. Parents and grandparents want heroes and trusted adults in the lives of their kids. In the kids' minds, pastors are a stand-in for God, which gives pastors a special opportunity to be the role model of care, inclusion, and APPROACHABLE love that children need to experience. Sometimes you just need to tell the pastor how it will benefit them (as well as the kids) and then create opportunities for this key leader to shine and feel the affirmation from the parents.
Sunday Morning Schedule?
Is 9 a.m. really the best time for your community? Is your attendance suffering because the early hour mostly works for the "older" crowd? Is 20 minutes of craft-centered "lesson" time during the sermon how to raise up kids in the way they should go? Are sleepy adult classes the best way to attract parents? I once staffed a church where the Senior Pastor said "Never try to change the worship times." We did, and it worked, and he was happy with the results.
It's amazing how one stone can solve several problems.
Dropping Some Dead Weight?
Over-sized expectations, demands, committees, and egos are like that ridiculous armor they gave David. They can really weigh you down just when you need to be nimble. What (and who) do you need to leave behind because it will just hold you back? (Yes, I said, "who." Never let an adult's giant issues stand in the way of the needs of the kids.)
Person-al Revival
Leading a program in these challenging times can be an exercise in exhaustion and humility. That's one of the reasons I love to teach the story of worn-out Elijah running off to hide in the cave of Horeb (1 Kings 19). If ever there was a story about a Sunday School leader these days, this is it!
Elijah had won the battle against the prophets of Ba-al on Mt Carmel but soon found himself alone, exhausted, and holed up in a holy cave. God had other plans, however.
"What are you doing here!" God says to the broken prophet. And after hearing Elijah's excuses, God calls him out of the cave for a little earthquake, wind, fire, and whisper therapy before telling him what every leader needs to hear: go find help. Now the funny thing is that when Elijah goes recruiting, Elisha is not at the church. He's at home cutting his parent's lawn with oxen. Know anybody like that? (See my children's sermon or classroom "mantle" activity about this story.)
You
Sometimes the stone God needs to throw is you -- your presence, your ideas, your faithfulness, your perseverance, your leadership, your willingness to confront giants, and your ability to get back up again. Giants are tough, but a person after God's own heart is tougher. And like David, they attract a following of like-minded people.
Explaining Why It Matters
One of the big "giants" always facing Sunday School is "why does it matter." Parents need convincing, in part, because their own Sunday School experience didn't. Parents don't want the same-old for their kids. They want leaders and lessons and experiences that will attract and inspire their kids -- and provide their kids with a safe, healthy, and HEALING place to be, or they'll look elsewhere. We need to make sure our lessons and community are addressing the very real giants our kids and parents. Read on for more about that!
So what are the "giants" our kids and parents are facing today?
According to a 2023 Pew Research Center report, parents today are MOST worried about their children's mental health -- anxiety and depression (40% "very" and "extremely" worried). This is followed by concerns about bullying and violence.
That same report revealed that the thing most parents want their children to grow up to be is "honest and ethical," followed by "hardworking," being someone who is willing to help those in need," "and being accepting of others." These are not mere "secular life skills." These are the Commandments and the stories of Jesus.
Doesn't take a smack in the forehead to realize that Jesus had a lot to say about the same kind of worry, sense of hopelessness, and feeling of being on the "outside" that many kids and parents are experiencing today.
If your Sunday School surrounds children with caring adults, a safe place, like-minded families, and inspiring stories of love, trust, service to others, and hope, then PLAY ON THAT HARP, David!
Let the parents and leaders know again and again WHY it matters and they will eventually pick up your tune.
To increase attendance, you have to both increase their expectations and improve their habits.
A final toss for now:
It was a miracle that David's first stone took down Goliath, so let's remember that David had four more stones just in case! Truth is, most giants take more than one stone.
And there's rarely more than just one giant facing us these days. When David descended into the Valley of Elah, he shouted. "Know that it is the Lord who will rescue his people." And like so many times before and since, God's rescue appeared in the form of a leader. If that person is not you (and why not?), then find them and help them.
I look forward to hearing your take on "giants" and "stones."
Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister specializing in Christian Education and Technology. He is also Rotation.org's founder and webmaster.
The original images in this article were created with Bing's AI Image Creator using keywords. Learn more about how Neil used AI Image Creator here, and check out the post in that topic about the idea of helping our giants and how Neil visually played with that idea in AI Image Creator.
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