Are Sunday School, Discipleship, and Small Groups the Same Thing?

Written by David Francis

I am part of an ongoing workgroup here at LifeWay addressing this question: What are the differences between (a) Sunday School, (b) Discipleship Training, and (c) Small Groups as perceived and practiced by churches? I have also done a lot of independent research. The biggest takeaway for me thus far is that all three are best viewed as movements rather than programs. At their hearts, all three are movements that have grown because of the effort and energy of volunteer lay persons, not because they have been endorsed by those of us who are ordained clergy.

A Common Thread: Small Group Dynamics

Connect3 Booklet

Each of the three movements have different characteristics, even though they often share similar dynamics. All three, for example, typically operate best when they incorporate small group dynamics. Interestingly, all three often face a similar struggle to keep the groups small (12 participants or less). While there is much debate in literature about the optimum size for small groups, all agree that you should have at least 3 people to have a group and that when you exceed 12, it can no longer be considered small. Here are some other observations and working conclusions concerning distinctives of the three movements:

Participation
Sunday School (or its functional equivalent by another name) is an intentional strategy to be an ongoing and open group. It mixes believers and unbelievers, biblical novices and biblical scholars, newcomers and long-time members. Discipleship training (or its functional equivalent by another name) functions as a closed group primarily made up of believers. Meeting for a limited number of sessions, they are being equipped for spiritual maturity and ministry. Small groups can be either open or closed, ongoing or limited-term, depending on their primary purpose.

Size of Group
Sunday School and discipleship training have long advocated small group dynamics. However, in practice the groups are often mid-sized groups (13-30 attenders—or even more). A group of this size must accomplish small group dynamics through the deliberate use of buzz groups or other mechanisms within that context. Small groups, by definition, must have 12 or fewer attendees to be small groups. Beyond that number, they are something other than small groups.

Content
Whatever it is called, wherever it meets, whatever other purposes are assigned it, the irreducible component of Sunday School is and has always been Bible study. Discipleship training has a strong biblical component, but may use other biblically based resources to equip members for ministry. Bible study may or may not be a core component of small groups.

Location and Time
While any of these ministries can occur on or off a church campus (if the church even has a campus), Sunday School and Discipleship Training most often occur at the church building. Sunday School almost always operates on a schedule adjacent to the primary weekend worship experience (typically Sunday morning), with every member of a household experiencing Bible Study and worship on one trip to the church. Discipleship groups, likewise, are usually on the church campus, and if not scheduled in conjunction with a worship experience, at least typically operate simultaneously with other programs, such as Kid's Choirs, RAs, GAs, Children's Discipleship, Bible Drill, etc. Small groups typically operate at times other than the prime times for at-church activities, usually away from the church building, and typically have longer meeting times (90-120 minutes) than Sunday School or discipleship training. This dynamic is also the chief consensus challenge of off-campus small group ministry: What do you do (meaningfully) with the kids?

Historical Roots
Although all three movements can and do trace their beginnings back to Acts chapters 2 and 4, there is little actual biblical evidence to support that. (They were likely more like house churches than any of the three movements at issue here.) Sunday School traces it origins back to the late 1700s and Robert Raikes. If Raikes is the father of Sunday School, then John Wesley is likely the father of Discipleship training—especially the ideal of high accountability groups of twelve people. The modern small group movement is a 20th century phenomenon, which has impacted not only the Kingdom, but the educational, civic, and business worlds as well, from which most of the academic literature about small group dynamics can be found.

How to Join a Group
Churches with small group ministries typically communicate something like this (I have looked at hundreds of church Web sites which do so): “Getting into a small group is really important. It's your next step after worship attendance. So we encourage you to get in a group. Pick up a brochure or go to the Web site or ask a staff member about some groups that might be a fit for you. It is your responsibility to find a group. And it is very important for you to do so.” Sunday School communicates something similar, with a subtle twist: “Getting into a SS class is really important. It's your next step after worship attendance. So we encourage you to get in a group. Pick up a brochure or go to the Web site or ask a staff member about some classes that might be a fit for you. We think this is so important, that we're going to take responsibility for it. So get ready, because we're coming after you!”

David Francis is LifeWay's director of Sunday School. His latest book is Connect3 - The Power of One Sunday School Class. This is the fourth installment in the 3D Sunday School series following I-6 Invite: A Six-Lane Strategy toward an Inviting Sunday School and The Discover Triad: Three Facets of a Dynamic Sunday School Class. David has previously served as Minister of Education at First Baptist Church, Garland Texas, and currently teaches a preschool class on Sunday mornings.