Sunday School has a “brand name” that communicates something important in Southern Baptist churches, and Sunday morning groups remain a key to discipleship.

That’s the encouragement Ken Braddy, director of Sunday School and network partnerships for Lifeway Christian Resources, brought to Alabama Baptist leaders gathered for the Sunday School Essentials Conference at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions facility in Prattville on March 11–12. Attendance was limited to some 40 senior pastors, student pastors and laypeople serving in Bible study ministries in their churches.

Many names

Today, “what the morning Bible study adjacent to Sunday morning worship is called is all over the map,” Braddy said. “It’s called ‘life groups,’ ‘connect groups,’ ‘journey groups,’ ‘small groups’ or simply ‘groups,’” he said. “Especially in the Western states, the traditional Sunday School name isn’t used as much. But whatever we call it, the Sunday morning group Bible study is our primary tool of discipleship.”

Braddy noted the current interest in discipleship among Baptist churches is a great thing, although the focus is different from the traditional Sunday School.

“Intentional discipleship groups are closed groups, and they can foster accountability, Scripture memory and growth in prayer,” he said.

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This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org.