Walking Alongside Parents in the Work | Raising the Young for Christ Ent. 7

Screenshot from The Village (2004), directed by M. Night Shyamalan. © Touchstone Pictures / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Used under fair use.

   Sunday School can do much good, but it was never meant to replace the home as the main place where children learn about God. Scripture gives the primary responsibility of instruction to parents: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deut. 6:6–7, NKJV). Our role as teachers is to support, encourage, and strengthen what is already being taught at home.

    In our church, we sometimes see children whose parents speak often about the Lord, and others whose families are only beginning to hear the gospel. This difference affects how we teach. With some children, Sunday School reinforces truths they already know. With others, we are planting seeds they may not yet hear at home. In both cases, we have an opportunity to serve alongside the parents by helping the children understand God’s Word in ways they can grasp.

    Working with parents can be as simple as sharing with them what their child learned that week. A short note, a quick word after service, or a suggestion for a verse to review together can help carry the lesson into the week. When the home and the church both speak of the same truths, they are more likely to take root.

    There are also times when parents may ask for help. They might want ideas for reading the Bible with their children or for answering hard questions. In those moments, we can encourage them to begin with Scripture, to pray with their children, and to keep the focus on Christ. We are not the ones taking their role; we are partners in the same work. Paul described such partnership when he called himself a “fellow worker for the kingdom of God” (Col. 4:11).

    Even when parents are not yet believers, we can show kindness and respect. Sometimes our example may open the door for further conversation. We can pray that God would work in both the children and their families, remembering that salvation is His work from beginning to end.

    When teachers and parents walk together, the child benefits from hearing God’s truth in more than one place. The classroom becomes an extension of the home’s teaching, and the home strengthens what is learned at church. This is how the work is multiplied, not by one part replacing the other, but by both serving the same Lord with the same goal: that the next generation might know Him.