Adult Sunday Church School

As Noblesville First considers the configuration of future worship times, settings and styles that will best serve our congregation and attract new members, one factor that must not be lost in the discussion is Sunday School. Adult Sunday Church School is at the core of Christian discipleship for our and any congregation. While First Church has a strong program of adult Bible studies throughout the week, I do not think we are quite yet ready to abandon Sunday mornings as a time for adult Christian education and fellowship.

We have several adult classes that meet during our current 9:30 worship hour. Those attending these classes are able to worship at 8:15, 10:45 or 11:00. Some folk attend Sunday School and then sing in the choir at 10:45. Others will attend Sunday School and choose not to participate in any worship opportunity on a particular Sunday. Some of the people who actively attend adult Sunday School are among our members most oriented to traditional worship in the sanctuary. Some older members find it difficult to attend the earlier services limiting their options. Each of the current adult classes is a significant faith group for those involved.

If we were to evolve to the schedule for which I have received the most positive comments, 8:00 - Sanctuary; 9:30 - Celebration Hall w/Choir; and 11:00 - Celebration Hall w/Praise Band, our adult church school classes might well suffer. We sacrifice options for a number of people.

We already have a adult class meeting in the Parlor at 8:15. Perhaps we should have adult study groups running concurrently with all three of the worship services. If interest were present, those added classes might well attract persons not currently in a study. Additionally, it would even be possible to have an intensive two hour class at 8:00 or even at 9:30. With a half hour between the services, Sunday morning might even provide an opportunity for a two and half hour intensive study such as Disciple. Some confirmation classes could occur during that longer period as well. Even with a longer class time, worship during the first or hour of the morning would remain possible.

Changes in Adult Sunday School would most likely mean that we also examine the best time for the children's study hour. Could multiple session work for children as well.

One suggestion that has been floated is to have only two services with Sunday school in between.
However, some members recall the move intentionally away from the two service schedule and are reluctant to return to that format. They recognize that a number of parents attend worship while their children attend Sunday school and think that combined option is important. Still, the move to three services was influenced by seating capacity in the sanctuary. With the increased capacity of Celebration Hall, over crowding may no longer be a major factor.

In a two service schedule, it would even be possible to have both the choral worship and the praise band both in Celebration Hall. The Sunday school hour between the services would allow more than enough opportunity to reset the room for the different styles. Yet, that would leave us without using the sanctuary for worship. Are we ready for that?

I think abandoning the sanctuary would generate protests from a portion of our congregation, some of whom do not even attend worship in the sanctuary, but still want it used.

Is there an arrangement that includes using the fullest capacity of our all structure?