|
It's not his fault," Laura, a recent new member, added quickly as she talked with the wife of her Sunday School teacher. "I just wouldn't feel comfortable talking to the pastor about this. I mean-my problem is really more of a ... woman's problem."
Stephanie Powell's husband had taught Sunday School for years. Her new friend, Laura Green, had been attending Liberty Church for about three months and had a problem that a man couldn't handle. Stephanie sensed she could help, so she decided to invite Laura out for coffee.
"Infertility is not a shameful thing," Stephanie offered gently. "And you might be surprised at the number of women affected by it. Like miscarriage and even rape-it happens more often than you might think."
"I know," Laura sighed, staring into her coffee cup. "But still, I wish there was someplace I could share with other women about it-privately. I mean, without men around."
Stephanie smiled, thinking of the "For Women Only" Sunday School class she'd be starting in two weeks. "I know just the place," she said.
People are suffering in your church. Every gathering of people contains some who are suffering from grief, infidelity, illness, divorce or abuse. And then there are those who are just plain stressed out. As a pastor, you can't counsel every person in crisis. Even if they would come for counseling (and many won't), you simply don't have the time to see all of them and address every point of need.
And you can't preach a sermon on every specific problem. Your service would become a niche, aimed to a few and missing many-or boring them. A special problem sermon might hit a few, but you'd lose others simply because you don't know their particular needs.
Sunday School can help. This ministry is a network of support groups where people can find counsel, support and fellowship while facing nearly any problem. The high intimacy and high accountability of the Sunday School class makes sharing possible and authentic caring certain.
Elmer L. Towns;Stan Toler. What Every Pastor Should Know about Sunday School (Kindle Locations 246-255). Kindle Edition.
Elmer Towns will be speaking at several upcoming All Star Sunday School Training Events. To Schedule an event at your church, contact josh@joshhunt.com | 
