Rediscovering the Power of Adult Sunday School: Why It Still Matters
Updated: Sep 13
Imagine a church where adults - young parents, retirees, singles, new believers - feel personally connected to both Scripture and one another. Imagine Sunday morning as more than the "main service," but also as an opportunity for relationships to deepen and spiritual growth to take place.
In many churches, that's exactly what a healthy adult Sunday School class can provide.
Southern Baptists have a long history with Sunday School. We've changed the terminology in some churches - Bible study, small groups, Bible fellowship groups - but the need hasn't changed. Adults still need a place where they can engage God's Word together, ask questions, build relationships, and help one another live out what they're learning.
Perhaps it's time to rediscover just how powerful that hour can be.
Why Adult Sunday School Still Matters
The Barna Group's research on Bible engagement has repeatedly found a positive relationship between engagement with Scripture and spiritual and relational growth. But the way we engage Scripture matters, too.
The adult Sunday School class - or small group, or whatever your church calls it - can be a powerful tool for discipleship. It's a place where doctrine becomes dialogue, where believers can ask tough questions, share honest struggles, and study Scripture together in community.
Historically, Southern Baptists have placed a strong emphasis on Sunday School as part of the church's teaching ministry. In many churches, it became a kind of organizational backbone - connecting Bible teaching with fellowship, outreach, ministry, and discipleship.
Times have changed. The need hasn't.
Adult Bible Study Should Be More Than a Lecture
For adults who have been in church for decades, it's easy for Bible study to become passive.
A teacher lectures.
A few people nod.
Everyone goes home.
While there's certainly a place for explanation and good Bible teaching, if that's all that happens, we've missed one of the great opportunities of gathering adults around God's Word.
Discussion gives people an opportunity to engage personally with Scripture. They observe the text. They wrestle with what it means. They hear how other believers understand and apply it. And they begin connecting what they're learning on Sunday with the decisions and conversations they'll face on Monday.
That kind of Bible study can build biblical understanding and relationships. There's something powerful about a class becoming a safe place to talk honestly about real life in light of Scripture.
Good Adult Sunday School Teachers Encourage Participation
Every adult Bible study leader eventually faces the same challenge:
How do I help adults who may have heard these Bible stories and teachings for decades encounter God's Word thoughtfully again?
The answer isn't novelty.
It begins with preparation, authenticity, and giving adults opportunities to participate.
Some teachers develop their own Bible discussion questions. Others use questions provided with their curriculum or supplement their curriculum with discussion guides.
The particular resource matters less than what you do with it.
Do the questions send people back into Scripture?
Do they make adults think?
Do they invite conversation?
Do they eventually move toward application?
Questions don't replace the teacher's voice. They give the teacher another way to use it - not merely explaining the passage, but helping adults discover and discuss what Scripture says together.
Adult Sunday School Creates a Place to Belong
This may be one of Sunday School's most important contributions to the church.
In a large congregation, an adult Bible study class can become a "home base" - the smaller community where people actually know one another.
In a smaller church, the class may already be at the center of that community.
Either way, something happens when adults study Scripture together week after week.
They learn each other's stories.
They know when someone is struggling.
They pray for one another.
They celebrate together.
They notice when someone is missing.
The class becomes more than a place where people learn something.
It becomes a place where people belong.
And that community can reinforce the very biblical truths we're trying to teach.
Rediscovering the Goal of Adult Sunday School
Perhaps one way to revitalize adult Sunday School is to reconsider what we're trying to accomplish during that hour.
If the goal is simply to get through the lesson, teachers will naturally feel pressure to keep talking.
But what if the goal is helping adults engage Scripture in ways that lead toward understanding, obedience, and spiritual growth?
That changes the teacher's job.
Don't get me wrong - we can still explain difficult passages. We can still provide historical context and biblical background. But we can also ask good questions.
Wait for answers.
Invite participation.
Let adults learn from one another.
And give people enough time to consider what God's Word means for the way they actually live.
If your class has become heavily lecture-driven, you don't have to change everything next Sunday.
Start with one or two good questions.
Give people time to answer.
Listen carefully. Wait through a few seconds of silence.
Ask a follow-up question.
You may be surprised by what happens when the class begins talking.
Helping Your Teachers Make the Shift
If you're a pastor, discipleship minister, or Sunday School Director, rediscovering the power of adult Sunday School isn't only about encouraging teachers to "do better."
Teachers need help.
Some have spent years teaching primarily through lecture because that's the only model they've ever experienced. Others would like more participation but aren't sure how to get it.
Give them practical help. Show them how to turn a teaching point into a discussion question. Help them learn to wait through a few seconds of silence. Teach them how to respond when someone gives an unexpected answer.
And remind them that discussion isn't the goal in itself.
The goal is helping adults engage God's Word together in ways that encourage understanding, obedience, and spiritual growth.
Thinking Ahead
I believe adult Sunday School still has an important future.
Not because churches need to preserve a particular program or keep doing something simply because we've always done it.
It's important because adults still need Scripture. They still need Christian community. They still need opportunities to ask questions, listen to other believers, and think seriously about what following Christ looks like in everyday life.
That's an opportunity worth rediscovering.
Imagine your Sunday School class not merely as another meeting on the church calendar, but as a community gathered around God's Word - learning, talking, growing, and encouraging one another.
One conversation at a time.
Want to Help Your Adults Participate More?
If you'd like to spend less time writing questions and more time leading the conversation, Steve's Bible Questions offers ready-to-use Adult Bible Study Worksheets designed to supplement the Scripture and curriculum you're already teaching.
You can also try a free sample lesson before deciding whether they're right for your class.
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