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Main => Gospel Music Lounge => Topic started by: giftedone88 on March 10, 2009, 02:57:25 PM

Title: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: giftedone88 on March 10, 2009, 02:57:25 PM
Lately I have been noticing that quite a few churches are doing away with Sunday School. To me, it seems as though there really isn't a need for Sunday school if a church has a Bible Study that is conducted the same way. 

For example at the church I attend, Pastor teaches Bible Study, but it is open for discussion if anyone has a question. Same goes for Sunday School, we study the bible and it is opened for quesitons from the congregation, plus the youth are in their own Bible Study. 

So last Sunday morning, while in Sunday School it just came to my mind, like really- what is the point of having Sunday School if you have Bible Study?? Is there really a difference between the two?  ?/?
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: nessalynn77 on March 10, 2009, 03:01:28 PM
Even if they're the same, it can't hurt to have Bible study twice a week.

Our Sunday School is a bit different, it's more structured with the book and lesson.  In Bible Study, the lessons are planned out by myself or the Pastor (I'm his assistant) and it just has a different atmosphere.  Plus, there are people who can make it on Sunday Morning but not on Wednesday Night, and vice versa.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: sjonathan02 on March 10, 2009, 03:02:30 PM
Ya know, there's no real difference to me, either, aside from the book that we use for Sunday School while my pastor may teach from a series or put a biblical spin on something that's occurring in the nation/world.

Plus, there are people who can make it on Sunday Morning but not on Wednesday Night, and vice versa.

Then, there's that.  :D
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: LaylaMonroe on March 10, 2009, 03:11:21 PM
I like churches that offer specific classes during the typical Sunday/Sabbath School hour.  For example, a "Walk Through the Old Testament" or a class on "Paul's Prison Epistles" or "The Children of Israel's Journey."  Those are much more interesting to me than the typical Sunday/Sabbath school lessons.

Also, many churches today are doing less "Bible Study" and more "Mid-week service" though they're still calling it Bible Study.  In those cases, SS is still necessary.

One reason it might be necessary to have both a real Bible Study and a real SS class is that most churches have one Bible Study class for adults (and some have another one for youth).  SS tends to have several classes so you may have a totally different learning experience in that class than you'd have in a more open setting.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: nessalynn77 on March 10, 2009, 03:16:23 PM
SisterT's church offers electives for Sunday School, plus a service during that hour, so you really get a variety.  If I remember correctly, that particular service is the "express" service, lol.  They get to the point and are done in an hour.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: giftedone88 on March 10, 2009, 03:19:36 PM
SisterT's church offers electives for Sunday School, plus a service during that hour, so you really get a variety.  If I remember correctly, that particular service is the "express" service, lol.  They get to the point and are done in an hour.
What do you mean electives?
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: nessalynn77 on March 10, 2009, 03:21:59 PM
What do you mean electives?
Like what Rue was talking about, kinda like you do in jr. high and high school.  There's a list of classes each quarter or semester and you can sign up for the ones you want to take.  I think there's a mandatory 12 week course for new members before they proceed to a regular class.  It's a cool way to do it if you have a large enough congregation.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: LaylaMonroe on March 10, 2009, 03:22:15 PM
What do you mean electives?

She's referring to the types of classes I mentioned in the post above hers.  Those are called electives, in some churches.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: giftedone88 on March 10, 2009, 03:34:49 PM
Oh ok. Never heard of that. Gotta research that. It sounds like a great motivator for the saints and I love the educational structure. Def something i'd present to my pastor upon research...
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: nessalynn77 on March 10, 2009, 03:37:23 PM
Yeah, I like it.  Hopefully, one day my church will be in a place to implement something similar.  Not only does it give students options, it also opens up more opportunities for teachers to exercise their gifts.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: LaylaMonroe on March 10, 2009, 04:01:04 PM
Small churches can do it, too, Ness.  My church is small and it works just fine.

You just wouldn't offer multiple classes at one time.  You can have a schedule of 6-week or 10-week (or however long you want them to be, but I always recommend shorter durations) classes on a list.  Hang it up in the foyer along with a registration form or sign-up sheet, and encourage people to choose whichever classes they want to come to.

Actually, if you have more than 10 students, you can offer an elective class and the general class.  That way, if they aren't interested in the elective class, they can still go to general SS and they're not staying home altogether.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: under13 on March 10, 2009, 04:10:56 PM
what is the point of having Sunday School if you have Bible Study?  ?/?

More opportunities to collect an offering?  ;)

there are people who can make it on Sunday Morning but not on Wednesday Night, and vice versa.

Yeah, Some people work at night. I havent been to an evening service in a long time. :(

Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: B3Wannabe on March 10, 2009, 05:45:52 PM
I like Bible Study over Sunday School, because in every church that I've ever attended they were pretty much the same.

If it was like Larue and SisterT's church, I would like it more. I think, like Larue said, that smaller churches could still offer the variety. It would just mean changing some of their processes.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: sjonathan02 on March 10, 2009, 07:19:43 PM
I like Bible Study over Sunday School, because in every church that I've ever attended they were pretty much the same.

If it was like Larue and SisterT's church, I would like it more. I think, like Larue said, that smaller churches could still offer the variety. It would just mean changing some of their processes.

And, of course, finding people to teach the classes offered.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: LaylaMonroe on March 10, 2009, 08:25:10 PM
And, of course, finding people to teach the classes offered.

In terms of bare necessity, you really only need one teacher.  You would just offer classes in subjects in which the teacher is well learned, or willing to study up on it.

Of course, it's great if you have several teachers who are learned in several different areas, but it's not a necessity to make offering elective classes work.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: csedwards2 on March 10, 2009, 10:57:22 PM
as far as I know it, we dont have a Sunday School. I wouldnt go anyway, because whatever time, I have on Sunday morning is reserved for getting my mind on the songs of the day, arrangements, tempos, etc.


However I do attend Bible Study, which is actually a class inside our School of Faith. Awesome teaching, and its stuff you can use everyday. Since we get credit for this class, you cant miss, which is kinda rough, because the class lasts for a year. We finish in July, the prayerfully Ill have my Wednesdays back.


btw, I disdain the Bible study that is usually a mid-week service, like I had a my old church.

Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: sjonathan02 on March 11, 2009, 06:47:07 AM
In terms of bare necessity, you really only need one teacher.  You would just offer classes in subjects in which the teacher is well learned, or willing to study up on it.

Of course, it's great if you have several teachers who are learned in several different areas, but it's not a necessity to make offering elective classes work.


That, still, comes down to finding such an individual. One could say the pastor but I think a pastor has enough on his plate that add offering electives is a lot.


BTJM. *shrugs*
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: LaylaMonroe on March 11, 2009, 09:09:09 AM
That, still, comes down to finding such an individual. One could say the pastor but I think a pastor has enough on his plate that add offering electives is a lot.


BTJM. *shrugs*

I'm confused.  Your church has SS.  Someone teaches it.  Is that person not qualified to teach or is it one of those classes that teaches itself through discussion and discovery?

If you currently have a SS teacher who knows anything at all about the Bible, he or she (if s/he wanted to) could easily identify subjects in which s/he's knowledgeable.  It might be a book (A Walk Through Exodus) or a subject (NT Miracles, Signs and Wonders), or a biographical study (The Life of Paul, the Apostle) or whatever.  But surely your current SS teacher has to know
something??
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: nessalynn77 on March 11, 2009, 09:18:54 AM
The complaint I hear a lot when the Pastor teaches Bible Study (in general) is that many of them tend to preach all over again, and there's less of that teacher/student interaction, so it's more like another Sunday Service.  Just throwing that out there, it might help some pastor to evaluate that a little and determine whether it's effective.
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: LaylaMonroe on March 11, 2009, 09:29:16 AM
The complaint I hear a lot when the Pastor teaches Bible Study (in general) is that many of them tend to preach all over again, and there's less of that teacher/student interaction, so it's more like another Sunday Service.  Just throwing that out there, it might help some pastor to evaluate that a little and determine whether it's effective.

Yeah, I used to hate it when my former pastor taught SS.  His wife was the teacher (and an EXCELLENT one), but when she was absent, he taught.  He was horrible.  Sometimes he'd even tune up and speak in tongues and stuff... LOL!  I used to tell him, "dude, if I see ONE bead of sweat, I'm gonna go ring the bell!"  LOL!
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: sjonathan02 on March 11, 2009, 09:36:25 AM
I'm confused.  Your church has SS.  Someone teaches it.  Is that person not qualified to teach or is it one of those classes that teaches itself through discussion and discovery?

If you currently have a SS teacher who knows anything at all about the Bible, he or she (if s/he wanted to) could easily identify subjects in which s/he's knowledgeable.  It might be a book (A Walk Through Exodus) or a subject (NT Miracles, Signs and Wonders), or a biographical study (The Life of Paul, the Apostle) or whatever.  But surely your current SS teacher has to know
something??


I'm quite sure they do. That doesn't, however, mean they have time to study the material for the current SS AND an elective or two.

And, that's my whole point. The ministers at my church have other things for which they are responsible, they're busy people. It would, for practical purposes, have to be someone else.

At the same time, I'm reminded that 100% of the work in the church is done by 10% of the people.  :-\
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: LaylaMonroe on March 11, 2009, 09:41:37 AM
Okey dokey.

All I'll say is that 99% of my client churches are small or mid-sized churches.  My own church is small.  That's my specialty.  It can be done with what you have right now.

But different churches have different visions, so if that's not a part of your church's vision for right now, no biggie.  Y'all can do it when the time is right, if at all.  No point in squeezing into a shoe that doesn't fit.  :-\
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: SirTJ on March 11, 2009, 12:17:25 PM
No point in squeezing into a shoe that doesn't fit.  :-\

Unless you're one of Cinderella's sisters.



































(http://www.zgeek.com/forum/gallery/files/4/0/2/ba_dum_tsh.jpg)
Title: Re: Sunday School vs. Bible Study: The Difference...
Post by: T-Block on March 12, 2009, 04:35:11 PM
At my church, there is a slight difference between Sunday School and Bible Study.  In Sunday School, there is usually a different topic every Sunday.  In Bible Study, it's one topic going on for a while, then another topic. 

Plus, the format is a little different.  In Sunday School, u gotta stay on topic and there's a strict time limit.  In Bible Study, u can talk about whatever is on your mind for however long u want (although it's usually an hour).