I recommend this article from the June 26 Wall Street Journal. But here is a good summary from The Rev. Dr. Martin E. Marty’s online “Sightings” column: Charlotte Hays in her “Houses of Worship” column reports on the decline in Sunday School attendance and the number of Sunday Schools nationally. Is this because God is dead? No— while boring experiences contribute, social factors are bigger. Parental divorces unsettle Sunday arrangements for the children’s schedules, and soccer wins out over Jesus almost always. Sunday sports and public celebrations are thus other phenomena which show that there are other sanctuaries for the “real religion” of millions.
My Reflections:
She notes that even when Protestant Sunday Schools were attended more regularly, they were unlikely to convey all the content and reflection necessary for a genuine formation in the faith. Indeed, the youth with the highest level of religious literacy (both Judeo-Christian and of other world faiths) are those (of any faith or of none) who have attended private Catholic schools.
I’m not sure that one year of a confirmation class (or Coming of Age in the UU faith) can make up for the absence of in-depth content and formation in all the other years of youth. Mormons instill loyalty and content by focusing on family life and making the family unit the basic one in the local church, or ward. By maintaining a “bubble” of Mormon life and ownership of the Mormon heritage. Jewish congregations have offered Sunday school Hebrew school or other courses for those preparing for their bar mitvah or bat mitzvah.
Yet there are promising developments, such as Spirit Play for UUs, which is based on Godly Play. It is a story-based method which does not depend on week-to-week continuity of attendance. It promotes spiritual reflection, love of ritual and community-building. Also, many congregations have done the hard work of promoting community across the generations–in worship attendance and leadership, in fellowship activities (i.e., fun), in social witness and service, and even in small group ministry. I believe this cultivates an identity as a beloved member of a faith community and provides cross-generational experiences for elders, children, and parents, many of whose own family members are far away.
