If you were to reorganize your Sunday School and you were to ask yourself the question: "What would I want the kids (from age 4 to 18) of my Church to learn by the time they graduate high school?" How would you respond?

Examples would be that you would want them to learn about:

Creation
Fall
Abraham
Shorter Catechism
Covenant Theology
Life of Christ
What is the Gospel
Acts (life of Peter/Paul/Church)
etc.

__________________
Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
Husband of Dena
Father of Oliver
Master of Bruce
Pastor of Tchula Presbyterian Church

What can I say, I like blogs!

I would want them to know how to:
"Glorify God and enjoy him forever"

For that is the chief end of man...if they don't know how to do that, then all is vanity.

You can teach them all the doctrine in the world, but unless they know "how" to glorify and enjoy God, it does not mean a thing. As for doctrines and teachings, etc..we are all going to be at different levels, and the same will be with the children...but at the end of the day the scholar and the child, according to mans purpose, should be on the exact same level (Glorifying God and enjoying him).

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Shawn
Orthodox Presbyterian
Denver, Colorado

Open my eyes Lord, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Psalm 119:18

All of these areas are good, and I think they could all be addressed by an over -view of the History of Redemption , using Jonathan Edwards work as a base,adapted for each level of student, with confessional and cathechism work intergrated into it

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Anthony D'Arienzo
Sunday School Teacher
Hope Reformed Baptist Church:
Medford, N.Y.

I would start with the shorter catechism as the foundation which each one learns first. Once that is mastered, then I would expand out to some level of overview of systematics and church history.

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Kenneth Murphy
M.A.R. Student [Theology & Biblical Languages] - Whitefield Theological Seminary
Covenant of Grace Church - Member
St. Charles, MO

The LBCF. Once a believer has a firm grasp of what they actually believe all the questions and conundrums of life have a habit of not appears as threatening as before.

For the younger children use Bible stories to illustrate each of the 32 confessions. And as the believer progresses through the process each advance in the class advances the theology and dogma of each confession.

By the end of the Sunday School years a young adult is ready to recognize error a mile away because of the firm grip of the truth instilled in the early years.

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BiggAndyy
Deacon, Ind. Baptist
Pittsburgh, PA

Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed.

I think your topic of "What is the gospel?" is of the utmost importance.
Many adults cannot answer that question. Of the ones that can they will usualy refer to their works.
We started a neighborhood bible study group for children who play with our children. Iniitally, the first thing we asked them was "What is the gospel?" Although they had all been to varied churches they couldn't answer that question. We went over the answers from the bible over and over again all summer.
Those children are from the ages of three to 13.
Now we are studying Sproul's Saved From What? with them. After reading through a chaper we cover some questions from the Shorter Catechism. Next, we sing a hymn. Then, we have prayer requests and my husband assigns them to pray for one another. We also review the good news of the gospel with them. Then we have refreshments.
Several of the children are attending church with us regularly. Two have made a profession of faith and want to join our church. Their parents have not attended our bible study and do not attend church but we are praying that they will.
One who made a profession of faith went home the same day and asked his unmarried pregnant 18 y/o sister, "If you died tonight and God asked you why he should let you into His heaven what would you say?"
Her answer was, "That I try to do what He says and I'm a good person."
His reply was, "NOPE! That's the wrong answer!"
LOL

__________________
Karen Weinstock
Holy Trinty Presbyterian Church,
a plant of the OPC in South Florida

"The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he is a minister of God... He, moreover, deceives himself who anticipates long prosperity to any kingdom which is not ruled by the sceptre of God, that is, by his divine word." -John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion

Andrew,

Historically, children learn their catechism prior to their admittance to the Lord's table. The whole range of biblical teaching is covered in those 100 questions and answers, with the biblical support for each. Catechism class, however, should be a check-up that the fathers are teaching their children. It is not the church's responsibility to teach the children; it is the fathers'.

Cheers,

Adam

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Adam B., Wine Country, California, PCA

"I fear not to hold with Junius, de Politia Mosis cap. 6, that he who was punishable by death under that Judicial law, is punishable by death still; and he who was not punished by death then, is not to be punished by death now."

Perhaps the biggest thing that flows through-out all my teaching is showing that the Bible is the Word of God, and grounding that against all gainsayers (false views in the world and church), because all doctrines and knowledge of God comes from the Bible. So once somebody has a grasp of that, teaching doctrines is plain and simple. And they all become inter-related and not isolated concepts.

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Timothy Johnson
First United Presbyterian of Moline
PCUSA (Yea, I know)
Theology/Philosophy Sunday School Teacher
Davenport, IA

Our church has generally been happy with the Great Commission Publications Sunday School materials for the children's classes. At home we work on hymns and Bible literacy as well as reinforcing the children's catechism. In high school, we take one school year at home to work chapter by chapter through the WCF.

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JWithnell
Member Bethel OPC
Virginia
http://learningyesican.blogspot.com/

Don't forget that they need to learn the neccessity of the new birth. In your list I would have included a series on the moral law of God.

__________________
Jonathan Hunt

Elder holding forth the word of life at:
Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church (Confessionally Based)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.
-- Thomas Elsworth

My list was just a list of examples, I was asking people to add (not to my list, but just to add opinion) whatever they thought would be NECESSARY for someone leaving the church at 18 to know or to have gone through.

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)

If the parents are in the child's life, perhaps more effort should be spent in teaching this to the parents, rather than focusing on what to teach the children in Sunday school.

Also - the gospel and its relation to holiness of life.

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

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Taylor W. Otwell, Husband to Abigail
Member, Fellowship Bible Church
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Family Blog

OOOOk, guys. I'm not asking about what the parents are to be doing. Scripture is clear about that and that it is the elder's responsibility to teach and admonish parents to fulfill Deut. 6. But I'm talking about Sunday School. Please keep to that topic please.

If you want to discuss why Sunday School is contrary to Deut. 6, that is fine, but do so in another thread. I'm just looking for help here in getting people's opinion about what the Church can do (in assisting parents through the means of Sunday School) with children before they leave their homes and go to college or wherever. I.e. I'm trying to come up with a curriculum that is not published by someone else.

Personally, I'm kind of fed up with Christian Education materials which love to focus on stories, show pictures, etc. and don't teach Scripture and Doctrine. So, if the Church was to have a Sunday School, what would you want to be taught in Sunday School from ages 4 to the time these kids graduate from High School?

You said;
That is why I suggested the History of Redemption. The bible comes to us as such. Why separate the whole of redemptive history into isolated fragmented stories that are moralistic and do not prepare young people to address the ungodly society from a consistent biblical framework.

I too am fed up with that junk. Moralistic stories. Dare to be a Daniel. yip yip ha who.

Hence my brilliant post above. I should make clear that it's the philosophical base that comes through in my teaching, so that all doctrine becomes inter-related, and the Bible is interfaced with knowledge in/of the world and theology.

1. The content of the Bible. However good your reasoning skills, if you are mistaken as to the actual statements of Scripture, your conclusions will be false. This means a knowledge of all the stories (no scratching head and wondering "Who is Jael"?), memorization of key portions like the 10 Commandments, certain Psalm, miscellaneous Proverbs, some NT passages, and a good idea of where to find a specific idea and the ability to confidently say, "that's not in the Bible".
2. The Shorter Catechism, memorized and subsequently clearly understood.
3. The history of redemption.

__________________
Ruben
Moderator
F.P.C.I.
Indiana

Vanities and disguises have covered us, and thereby we are naked; licenciousness hath inflam'd us, and thereby we are frozen; voluptuousness hath fed us, and thereby we are sterved, the fancies and traditions of men have taught and instructed us, and thereby we are ignorant.
John Donne

Board Rules - Signature Requirements - Suggestions?

Calvinistas Conversando
Teología en Mexico
The Howling Wilderness

1) Have a working knowledge of the Bible (i.e. a clear understanding of the gospel, and the general history and flow of redemption, memorize when possible but at least know where and how to find answers)

2) Have a working knowledge of the Christian faith (i.e. know thy catechism)

3) Inoculate them against the attacks of the devil, especially those the devil will assault them with in college. Review common criticisms of the Bible and Christianity, and how to respond to them. That way they will not be surprised when they hear them from persuasive and manipulative professors and "cool" friends. (i.e. do basic apologetics)

4) An understanding of the importance of the Church for Christian growth and protection.

If these are all in place, then they will at least have all the tools they need to fight the battle and grow through it.

P.S.- Just a quick note about Sunday school material. So long as the "stories" in class are straight from the Scriptures, there shouldn't be a problem. It is familiarizing children with the content of Scripture. Any way you can reinforce that is good. What you want to avoid is having a "moral" to the story which the text or story does not intend. You won't be able to teach kids everything in one Sunday school lesson. Just consider each class a piece of an 18-year construction project. With the little ones, you are giving them buildings blocks to work with later on when they are older and can think through things better. If they know all the stories from early childhood, then when they begin to understand the big picture, all the stories they learned before will begin to make sense and come alive.

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Patrick
MDiv, RTS Jackson
Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC), Lisbon, NY

"He does well, that discourses of Christ; but he does infinitely better, that by experimental knowledge, feeds and lives on Christ." Thomas Brooks.
"Let us not please ourselves that we have deep understandings, but let us shew our understandings by our practice." Richard Sibbes

Leave? LEAVE?

Do you not use manacles and chains at your church? Our motto is 'the only way out is UP'

May I clarify, when I say 'leave' I mean leave the particular church they are attending and go to college, get married,whatever and move to another church (Lord-willing and hopefully).

I do not think I would change the format that our Sabbath school employs, It's simple but in my opinion most effective.
The children from 5 years old are taught in scripture, shorter catechism & Metrical Psalms to memory.

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David
Stornoway Free Church (Continuing)
Isle of Lewis, Scotland