Book: Sunday schooling our kids out of church by Tim Wright

In his provocative new book, Sunday Schooling Our Kids Out of Church: The True Story of How One Congregation Dropped Sunday School to Save its Soul, author Tim Wright (Searching for Tom Sawyer) suggests that one of the main reasons for the growing number of religious “nones” is that we have been Sunday Schooling our kids out of church for the last 60 years. Using research, his experience on the staff of a Seeker Church for 22 years, and the experience of his new congregation, Tim looks at the unintended consequences of segmenting our kids out of worship into age-graded Sunday school and youth programs, and how we can reclaim our kids for the sake of Christ. While highly practical and filled with insights and ideas on how to move kids back into worship and on how to build a multi-generational congregation, this book is not first and foremost a “how to” book. It is, as Tim writes: A story book. A vision book. A prayer book. A gut-check book.

What Others are Saying about Sunday Schooling Our Kids Out of Church: 
In every movement that God leads, like the current Faith@Home movement, God calls and uses specific churches and individuals to help us see new things for us to consider. In this book you will be introduced to Pastor Tim Wright and Community of Grace Lutheran Church. Community of Grace has committed itself completely to intergenerational ministry. I have seen many churches “experiment” with intergenerational worship but what Pastor Tim is doing takes it to a whole different level. Intergenerational worship is not for every church, but if it’s something you are in any way considering, then you need to read this book. –Mark Holmen, Church+Home: The Proven Formula for Building Lifelong Faith. www.Faithathome.com 

If you love your kids you need to read this book. While the picture of church in culture continues to dim, Tim paints an image of a multi-generational church that dares to experiment with old forms in search of new expressions of the Body of Christ that relate to all ages. Tim's passion jumps off the page and his bold daring is the kind of creativity and innovation the church desperately needs. His examples, which make powerful use of compelling, common stories and metaphors, demonstrate that there is no need to segregate to engage. We can all worship in meaningful ways together. I invite you to follow his courageous leadership. –Len Wilson, church creative, blogger at lenwilson.us, and author, Think Like a Five Year Old: Reclaim Your Wonder and Create Great Things (Abingdon Press). 

Controversial pastor Tim Wright isn’t content to "do church like we’ve always done it.” After being in the ministry for 30+ years, he decided to take a step away from the current church trends and assess what works and what doesn’t. Rather, he assessed what God would have him do with the church and what He would not. Specifically, his new book Sunday Schooling Our Kids Out of Church: The True Story of How One Congregation Dropped Sunday School To Save its Soul tells how his church got rid of the institution that has been revered for decades: Sunday School. Did it work? What exactly is he up to? Why does he want children to – you know – actually be in church? Wright’s provocative stance has caused much conversation, hand-wringing, and prayer. But did getting rid of Sunday School help? His new book is not a glossy argument for getting rid of Sunday School nor a heavy handed treatise against the seeker movement. Rather, it’s a thoughtful telling of one church’s story. One church trying to faithfully tend to its congregants. Let the conversation begin!—Nancy French, Four time New York Times best selling author. https://twitter.com/nancyafrench