Does your church have an inter-generational Sunday School Class?

We have a modified inter-generational class with both the teens and adults together but separate SS classes for the younger children. There are actually 4 different classes for the pre-teens down to 3yr olds, but I have wondered if some of them could be combined as well, but I do not want to make too many changes. We are a small church and made the change after the man who had been teaching the teens expressed that he didn’t feel equipped for it (he had taken the position after the previous teacher had passed away). The teens saw no problem with the change and have integrated very well into the class. I believe that they are intellectually able to follow the material and I am more interested in teaching them than having fun and games on Sunday morning anyway so it has worked well for us. Further teens like to be treated like adults so I do not think they feel slighted.

We have actually implemented a variation on this concept for the VBS. I teach all the children together (K-6) for the Bible lesson and then we have them divide into 3 separate classes for the worksheets and verse memory. Again we are a small church, so this helps the workers not to get burned out but still gives a time for a bit more personal interaction with the students. The lesson time for VBS has a varied range of ages in it, but after the lesson time I ask questions and both young and old are able to answer. I often try to ask some easier questions for the littler kids, but sometimes it is the younger ones who get the answers for the harder questions.

Ed, I was still writing when you posted asking about curriculum. I use RBP for the adults, but modify it and focus on the Bible teaching section and leave out the fun and games part. I also consult other commentaries rather than just teaching from the book.

We use RBP for VBS and I teach from the Middler age book.

We’ve done a combined-family class (inter-generational) for several years now. We have found it beneficial for all age groups. Everyone is on the same page for their family discussions at the noon meal. We use our own materials, usually with PowerPoint slides. Wouldn’t go back to the old age-segregated way.

Wayne Grudem teaches a mixed adult Sunday School class at Scottsdale Bible Church in AZ. I’ve been listening through his teaching on my commutes. I’ve found that one of the most helpful parts of the class is the comments of the older saints. I wish I had them interacting in a Sunday School class where I am. But alas, we have only one person at our church over the age of 60.

http://www.christianessentialssbc.com/messages/

I went with “Other” on this one because our Sunday School classes are sometimes intergenerational and sometimes not. Overall, our approach is to give people both the advantages of “being together” for instruction but also the advantages of “being separate” and receiving specialized instruction.

On top of the often-mixed SS, we still have a Sunday evening service. That hour often involves systematic teaching of doctrine and is always “intergenerational.”

Yes, we have an intergenerational Sunday School class: WWII generation and Baby Boomers ;)

Now that you mention it, we do, too. Even when our SS is in its “divided” mode, we have at least two generations in the adult class (three is not unusual)

Well, I’m not sure why that doesn’t count. One of the really often used arguments against having any kind of age grouped classes is supposed to be that it interferes with proper passing on of the faith from one generation to the next. I’d suggest that even when two adult generations are together in a class you have a case of the faith being learned by multiple generations at once.

(Not that it really makes sense that having divided classes prevents passing the faith across generations anyway… the teacher is never in the same generation as the children… so aren’t all children’s classes “multigenerational” too? I think the fuss against age grouping borders on silly)

[Shaynus] But alas, we have only one person at our church over the age of 60./

Change your music to attract the wanted demographic, yo! :p

[DavidO]

[Shaynus] But alas, we have only one person at our church over the age of 60./

Change your music to attract the wanted demographic, yo! :p

Heh. Heh. We’re fairly conservative in our music. Old people tend not to retire in the expensive DC suburbs, or if they have, then they’re probably not at a church plant. Although… Ron Bean goes to my church. Ron, you listening? How old are you anyway? :p

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cEB_HrUeeeo/Sj0bqhx6zHI/AAAAAAAAE7c/AWxvd-HGi…

umm… no. HA!

I like intergenerational beginning at teen or college age. I do think it is beneficial for kids to have some separate programming as long as there are still some family worship times as well.