Faith Training

By Joelle Anderson

Q:  What do past-president Jimmy Carter, comedian Stephen Colbert, and novelist John Grisham have in common? 

A:  They have all taught religious education classes for their churches!

Religious education classes (also known as Sunday school or church school classes) train people in the faith.  These classes first popped up in the United States in the 1790s, and they continue to be a staple of congregational life.  While many people might love to attend religious education classes led by celebrities, churches don’t need famous teachers to have successful Sunday school programs. 

Virtually all congregations provide religious education.  All Catholic parishes and conservative Protestant congregations offer religious education classes, while nearly all mainline Protestant congregations do (99%). 

 
Conservative Protestant congregations offer religious education classes for all ages.  More conservative Protestant congregations than mainline Protestant congregations offer religious classes for children and adults.  Fewer Catholic parishes provide adult religious education classes, compared to Protestant churches.

Larger numbers of children and youth attend Catholic religious education classes.  Each week, Catholic parishes have an average (median) of 107 children and 59 youth in faith development classes.  In Protestant congregations, many fewer children and youth attend Sunday school, on average.  These findings speak largely to the size differences by faith group.  Catholic parishes have an average attendance of 656 worshipers each week, compared to an average of 89 worshipers for mainline Protestant congregations and 85 worshipers for conservative Protestant congregations.  

 
 Quality Over Quantity

It is impressive to find that most congregations offer religious education for their worshipers.  However, even more important than the quantity of opportunities to learn about the faith is the quality of religious education being provided.  The good news is that, among worshipers who are familiar with their congregation’s programs for children and youth (which include religious education), 79% are satisfied with these ministries.

How can your congregation make sure that it is providing fun, engaging and helpful religious training for worshipers?  Check out The Parish Paper’s free resources on Sunday school for children and adults.