Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-06-11
OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PASTOR.

OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PASTOR.
What He Can Do to Improve Sunday
School Teaching.
Rev. e. S. Reaves, pastor of Flint Hill
and Fort Mill Baptist churches, be-
fore York County Sunday School
convention.
The efficiency or deficiency Of the
Sunday school turns upon the work
of the teachers in charge Of the vari-
Gus classes. When the last word has
been said in treating the different de-
partments Of the Sunday school and
I'm emphasizing their relative import
ance, l am sure that the work OF the
teacher will be found to occupy the
most important place. 1t Is In the
class that the real work of the school
must be done. Every other exercise
of the school should be subsidiary and
auxiliary to this. The school, as re-
lated to the other agencies OF the
church of which it Is part, Is espe-
cially and distinctly the teaching SER
vice. And of all this teaching service,
the class -half-hour Is the paramount
feature. Given good teachers and the
school may be fair success, despite
poor superintendent. But given the
best superintendent, with set Of poor
teachers, who are careless or incapa-
BILE of improvement in the teaching
art and that school is doomed to fall
ure. The teacher Is the biggest fac
tor in Sunday school success.
And now let 1t be said softly, that
the Sunday school suffers, In compar-
ison with the day school, in respect to
the competency Of its teaching force.
The child who Is accustomed to the
work of a real teacher, for five days
in the week, will readily detect the
poor work Of the mere makeshift In
his Sunday school class on Sunday,
and his respect for the Sunday school
will thereby be correspondingly d.
minished. Therefore 1t Is my convic-
ton, that the problem of securing an
adequate number Of competent teach
ers is the most tremendous problem
which confronts the Sunday school
today.
Having stressed the importance Of
the teachers work, and having con-
fessed that the supply of competent
teachers is sadly inadequate to the de-
mand, let us now endeayor to see
what the pastor can do to improve
the teaching of the Sunday school OF
which he is the rightful shepherd.
l. First of all, the pastor must
recognize the fact, and have others
admit 1t, that as pastor of the church
he Is also pastor of all the organiza-
tions and agencies belonging to the
church. Some pastors do not include
the Sunday school in the flock which
they are called to shepherd. They
thus ignore one Of the most powerful
agencies for good among the working
forces Of the kingdom Of God. Some
Sunday schools do not properly recog-
nize the pastoral leadership of the
man, called Of God to shepherd the
flock, and so ignore him as valuable
asset in working toward the improve
ment of the Sunday schools efficiency.
There ought to be mutual recognition
of duty, privilege, and responsibility
between the pastor on the one side
and his Sunday school workers on the
other side. Foster, In his excellent
Manual of Sunday School Methods, :"
we'll says "The pastor Is the chief
officer in the Sunday school In the
same way that the president Of the
United States Is commander-in-chie
of the army. The president never
takes command himself, but the COM
manding general, while paramount in
the army is nevertheless recognized as
under the direction Of the president.
The pastor Is the official
head of the church, and the Sunday
school, though an elaborate organiza-
ton in itself, Is as much a part Of the
church as one Of its prayer meetings
and as much under its oversight. The
pastor has as much right to direct the
Sunday school as any other depart
ment of the church" But Of course
the wise pastor will not exercise his
rights in such a way as to ignore or
override the rights Of the superin-
tendent.
DR.. E. Y. Mullins, president Of the
Southern Baptist Theological Semi
nary Of Louisville, KY, who, at the
last session Of the international Sun
day School convention, wrote that
clear statement which defines the ac-
tivities of that body, has also written
Sunday school creed which clearly
defines the relations Of the pastor to
the Sunday school forces. 1t is as
follows: II. The supreme need in
our country today is that the forces
which make for character shall con-
troll the forces which make for INTEL
ligence.
"2. One Of the greatest forces
which make for character Is the Sun
day school; Os' ,,,.ou :, Tho SUNDAY
school most potent in the development
of character Is the teacher.
-. The supreme lack in the pres
ent day Sunday school Is the lack OF
a sufficient number Of thoroughly
equipped teachers.
"5. The chief teacher Of the teach
ers and trainer Of the trainers Of the
Sunday school is the pastor"
According to this creed the pastor
is the logical man to whom we shall
look for improvement Of the teach
ing force.
But what IL the pastor is himself
not equipped by special training In
modern Sunday school development to
direct the Sunday school teachers In
their efforts to measure up to mod
ern requirements? And 1t Is no re-
Election, here, to say that the great
majority of our pastors are not equip
ped in the way which has been indi-
Gated, for until quite recently none OF
our theological seminaries offered
such a course to young men preparing
themselves for the ministry. Even
such a course Is the exception rather
than the rule. If the pastor has not
had such training he owes 1t to him
self and to his Sunday school that ne
shall prepare himself by an inde-
pendent course of study and by care
fully reading such of the splendid new
books on Sunday school Improvement
as may be necessary to accomplish the
desired end. The pastor, having cause
to recognize the responsibility which
rests upon him in training his teach
ers, and having equipped himself as
best he can to do this work, what can
be done in the way Of improving the
teaching in his school?
2. He can inspire his teachers TO
self-improvement. Let us frankly ad-
nit that many of the teachers need
special training. Some one must In
spire them to take the steps necessary
to secure the needed training. Many
teachers need to be impressed with
the Importance Of the Sunday school.
1t is a big thing, doing a big work and
needs to be considered in a big way.
The Sunday school army, numbering
25,G1U,00O: has in 1t many of the
greatest and choicest spirits on earth,
who think it worthy Of the best service
which they can bring to 1t. Not only
is 1t a tremendous organization, claim