The most ardent supporter of the Sunday School is the pastor. Or at least he had better be. However, if the pastor is running the Sunday school directly, it may be the kiss of death on growth.

There are two reasons for this. Number one, the pastor cannot possibly micro-manage every department in the church. If he tries he will stifle the growth and creativity of those who could really do a good (better) job there. He has to become the facilitator of ministers and leaders. The Sunday school is an important case in point. A successful Sunday school is a big animal to tame. It needs a dedicated leader, with vision and enthusiasm. The pastor’s inability to give proper leadership and attention to the Sunday school will hinder its progress. I have found this out to my own detriment at times when I had no superintendent.

The funny thing is, the Sunday school is the only department in the church that has the potential for radically impacting the entire church for good (or bad), and for setting the pace for spiritual and church growth. This is true because it touches or has the potential to touch every member of the church on the level of a deeper involvement with God and God’s word. Literally the Sunday school is designed to pull people into deeper water with God, and teach them to swim! In this respect the Sunday school has a personal stake in every person’s spiritual development. It is designed to facilitate just that. If the pastor doesn’t give that responsibility to others, then he is liable to keep Sunday school a tool for general and aloof instruction, thereby failing to become an intimate factor in the spiritual development of the church people through fellowship, instruction and accountability.

Number two, the pastor is usually much more effective when he is communicating his vision to others and they are involved in executing it along with him. The church is more than the sum of its parts. When the pastor has a number of leaders who are excited about the vision and direction of the church, the enthusiasm for what God is doing grows exponentially. There is a sort of contagion that spreads through the church. Now Sunday school has often been the poor stepchild of the church. It has suffered from neglect and even abuse. However, by appointing someone to lead it who is infected with the vision of church, Sunday school can easily become the locus of a spiritual revival. This happens because people who are exposed to enthusiastic people tend to become enthusiastic themselves, particularly the young and the newly converted. The pastor needs to get out of the direct Sunday school management business and turn it over to a qualified superintendent, someone who will lead with vigor and yet be accountable to him.