Sunday School

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Sunday school, Indians and whites. Indian Territory (Oklahoma), ca. 1900.

"Sunday School" is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays (traditionally, though not exclusively, in the morning) by various Christian denominations. A reaction to these schools was the Socialist Sunday Schools movement which began in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century.

It had its origins in July 1780, in the work of Robert Raikes editor of Gloucester Journal, who saw the need to prevent children in the slums descending into crime. By 1831, Sunday School in Great Britain was ministering weekly to 1,250,000 children, approximately 25 percent of the population.

Catholics churches and most Protestant churches operate Sunday Schools, though Catholics commonly refer to Sunday School as 'Catechism class'. Sunday Schools, contrary to the name, are virtually never recognized educational institutions; rather than offering formal grades or transcripts, Sunday Schools simply attempt to offer meaningful instruction concerning Christian doctrine and keep little or no record of performance for any given week. Attendance is often tracked as a means of encouraging children to appear regularly (awards are frequently given for reaching attendance milestones).

Sunday School often takes the form of a one hour or longer Bible study which can occur before, during, or after a church service or Mass. While many Sunday Schools are focused on providing instruction for children (especially those occurring during service times), adult Sunday School classes are also popular and widespread. (See RCIA.)

Sunday School teachers are usually lay people who are selected for their job by a church board or committee, normally because of their advanced experience with the Bible—few teachers receive any formal training in education, though many Sunday School teachers have a background in education as a result of their occupations. Some churches, however, do make Sunday School teachers and catechists attend several courses on religion to ensure that they have a mature enough understanding of the faith to educate others.

It is also not uncommon for Catholic priests or Protestant pastors/church ministers to teach such classes themselves.

Hebrew schools also usually operate on Sundays.

Sunday School

See also