Building an Outreach Sunday School

by Jill Masters

Lessons for Life Sunday School lessons for children (in four volumes with additional visual aid system) are the best-known lesson outlines in book form in the world. This practical manual for the starting, enlargement and operation of children’s Sunday Schools incorporates years of experience from one who has pioneered Sunday School work in a new town, and has been central for many years to the growth of Britain’s largest Sunday School (with 800 enrolled teenagers and children), in the heart of London. This manual teems with information and tips which will help small as well as large Schools, but the transparent aim is to encourage the greatest growth possible, in gathering teenagers and children under the sound of the Word. Sections of this book Aims of Sunday School, Church policy, Organisation, Materials, Staffing, Teaching scheme, Training of teachers, Collecting children, Weeknight meetings, Visiting homes, Discipline.

111 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jeff Voegtlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since this book was written in 2005, there are a few suggestions that might be changed with updates to technology and cultural expectations. Also, the book is focused on children’s ministry in the United Kingdom, and therefore, may have some differences with children’s ministry in the United States.

Beside these caveats, the book is very good and full of wise and practical instructions on teaching and coordinating an evangelistic Sunday school ministry.

I highly recommend it to anyone who works in, and especially, everyone who organizes children’s ministry.

[Joonas Laajanen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a day when more and more children grow up without any knowledge of the Bible, its truthfulness and saving message, there is a great need for churches to not wait for children to grow up before reaching out to them on the street etc. Children can die and will not be saved without belief in the Gospel.

[Mark Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short little book demonstrates that Sunday School work is both possible and valuable. Although it is geared to larger Sunday Schools, and assumes a large catchment area, its core message is suitable even for more rural churches with less local children. The author (rightly in my view) encourages a return to the 'traditional Sunday School', but thankfully there is also a healthy emphasis on Sunday School being interesting and varied. But the main lesson to learn is that a successful Sunday School is one where all the staff are committed to the work, to the children, and to their families. It's a little too prescriptive to be recommended unhesitatingly, but a discerning reader ought to be able to filter out the particular idiosyncrasies associated with the Metropolitan Tabernacle, and make excellent use of the rest of the book.