Sunday School

Conventional wisdom of the broader evangelical church has said that the best ministry models for discipleship and faith formation are age-grouped times or events where people can share common experiences. Although this is an important part of discipleship, it is incomplete.

At Olympia CRC, we value and want to pursue discipleship in everything we do. Our own programs and ministries for discipleship and faith formation have followed the typical model of age-grouped or peer-related ministries. Our Sunday School program is no exception. Last year, our Sunday School programs had smaller class sizes that made planning and effectiveness difficult. Our reality as we enter this Fall is that we know we cannot go forward with what we've done in the past. We'd like to try something new this year in the form of intergenerational Sunday School that combines all ages for our Sunday School hour.

Age-grouped and peer ministries have their place and importance in the church. It is good to walk with people who are sharing in similar experiences. Just as important as these age-grouped ministries are opportunities to share and learn with people of all ages in the church. Young people need to hear and learn from older people and older people need to hear and learn from younger people.