Sunday School

Sunday School is an organization within the Mormon Church that is offered to youth in each age-group starting at 12 years old, as well as for adults. Each Sunday, classes are held which last for approximately one hour during which a lesson on a Gospel topic is presented. Ideally, classes are to be interactive with every member participating and the teacher leading the discussion, preparing the outline of the class, providing explanations and clarifications where necessary. In a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in May of 1831, the Lord declared:

Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? And if it be by some other way it is not of God. And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? If it be some other way it is not of God. Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth? Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.

D&C 50:17-22

This passages shows that the things of God are to be taught by the Holy Ghost so that both teacher and student are edified. In a later revelation given about one of the first Sunday schools organized in Kirtland the Lord said: "Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege" (D&C 88:122). Therefore, every member should share his or her views in turn as guided by the Holy Spirit until all have an opportunity to share and be taught.

Sunday School was held in Kirtland, Nauvoo, and England in the early history of the Mormon Church. These were often done for set period of time to prepare missionaries or others for a specific duty, or were done spontaneously and often out of doors. It was not organized and practiced consistently, however, until the 1840s, when a young man named Richard Ballantyne joined the Church in Scotland and journeyed to Utah. He had been a Sunday School teacher in a different Church and saw the importance of gospel instruction on a regular basis. In 1849, with permission from his bishop he organized the first Sunday School in Utah.

The first Sunday School was specifically for children. Richard Ballantyne recorded, "There is growth in the young. [...]I wanted to gather them into the school where they could learn not to read and write, but the goodness of God, and the true Gospel of salvation given by Jesus Christ" (quoted in Sunday School, Encyclopedia or Mormonism, Vol 3, p 1424).

In 1858 Sunday Schools were disbanded, because the U.S. government had sent troops to Utah in response to false reports that the Church was planning an insurrection. In 1864, Sunday School was reinstituted, and quickly grew to have a membership of thousands. In 1872 Sunday School was officially unified as an auxiliary of the Church and has continued as an important part of Church services ever since.

To learn more about Sunday School in the Mormon Church or to find ideas about teaching the Gospel see LDS.About.com.