Five Ideas for Repurposing Your Sunday School

Repurposing is interior design jargon for using accessories or space in a new way.  I learned that by watching HGTV, but churches can repurpose things, too.  Sunday School might be one area that repurposing could revitalize.   Think about these 5 ideas to repurpose your Sunday School:

1.  Take the school out of Sunday School.  Who wants to go to school one more day, especially on Sunday?  Sunday School adopted a classroom model for use in the church.   Repurpose your Sunday morning with hands-on experiences in helping, fellowship, service, and learning.

2.  Schedule short-term experiences, rather than year-round Sunday School.  What's sacred about having Sunday School every Sunday?  Schedule 4-to-6 week blocks, instead of continuous year-round Sunday School.   Take a break between sessions during natural down times such as holiday weekends.

3.  Add service projects to the Sunday morning hour.  People who don't want to sit in a class might be challenged to participate in service to the community.  Who said Sunday morning had to be just about Bible study?

4.  Expand to off-campus settings.  If you have a coffee shop or restaurant nearby, announce "We'll meet at Java Joe's at 9 AM for coffee and conversation."  Might be a good way to get to know folks who are "Sunday School averse."

5.  Schedule special Sunday mornings.  Invite the whole church for fellowship, breakfast, or special programs that bring the entire congregation together during the Sunday School hour.

What is your church doing to repurpose its Sunday School?  What's working for you?  What have you tried that failed?  What succeeded?  I'd like to hear from you, because we need to do some repurposing of our own.