Spiritual Service and the Spiritual Servant (6)
Spiritual Service and the Spiritual Servant (6)
The Problem of Large Numbers
The Desire for Large Numbers: Some servants in Sunday School measure their success by the number of students in their classes, rather than by the spiritual benefit those students gain. Therefore, at the beginning of their teaching service, they strive to manage large numbers by all possible means… It is good that the number of students increases so that God may be glorified in them, not so that the teacher may boast and take pride in their number!
Problems Caused by Large Numbers:
When the number becomes very large—sometimes reaching fifty students—the teacher often finds it difficult to maintain order in the class.
Consequently, the teacher cannot provide true spiritual benefit. He may be unable to convey information effectively, or give time for discussion, questions, and answers to ensure that students understand.
With a large number, pastoral follow-up becomes a problem.
It also becomes difficult for the teacher to offer personal attention through private meetings to understand the students’ circumstances, problems, and personal spiritual needs. He ends up merely lecturing!
Sometimes, sadly, the teacher does not even know the names of his students except through the attendance book. Thus, the personal relationship between teacher and students is lost, and genuine care disappears.
The teacher may not notice the absence of some students. If he tries to check attendance by reading the names, a large portion of the lesson time is wasted.
At the same time, some new children may join and get lost among the group. The teacher may not notice them—or he may notice but not care—and the class becomes a place of internal change and confusion.
A state of indifference may arise toward the number once the teacher feels inwardly satisfied. The number then becomes a source of personal gratification rather than a means for building the Kingdom!
Generally, the larger the class, the louder the teacher’s voice becomes, and the greater the noise from the students—until the Sunday School class turns into a scene of noise and disturbance. This not only spoils the image of service but also disturbs other classes, whose teachers are forced to raise their voices to be heard over the noise! All this may cause discomfort to the priest, the church council, or any visitor who observes the chaos.
Meanwhile, the teacher whose class has fewer students delivers his lesson calmly. His tone, demeanor, and meekness reflect peace, and this quietness is mirrored in his students, who imitate his spirit.
Discussing the Problem and Its Solution: We cannot prevent many children from coming to Sunday School; in fact, we rejoice greatly when the house of God is filled with worshippers, believers, and catechumens. But we must distinguish between a large number of children in a Sunday School branch and a large number within a single class. It is possible for a branch to have a great number of students, provided they are distributed among many classes, each not exceeding about twenty students. This is a number that allows the teacher to care for each one with special attention.
Naturally, a class will grow in size over time. There is no problem with this, as long as whenever the number grows, it is divided again into smaller groups. Thus, the total number of classes increases, but each remains limited in size.
Increasing the number of classes introduces another issue: the need for more teachers to serve these classes. This brings us to another topic—the preparation of servants. When the number of servants increases, the problem disappears. It is simple to have two servants per class. When the class is divided, each takes responsibility for one class, and since the students are already accustomed to them, the transition is smooth. A new teacher can then join, and the process continues naturally…
We welcome your suggestions on this issue of numbers.
The Importance of Having Few Students per Class: Overcrowded Sunday School classes can cause many problems, especially for young children. Therefore, we recommend keeping class sizes small whenever possible, for the following reasons:
To Maintain Order: It is often difficult for a teacher to maintain discipline in a crowded class, especially since children’s nature inclines toward movement and talking.
To Give Attention to Each Student: It is hard for one teacher to care for many students individually. In a small class, the teacher can ask all the students questions, ensure that each understands the lesson, and confirm that they have absorbed the teaching. In a crowded class, individual attention is often lost, including the ability to monitor each child’s spiritual life.
To Facilitate Pastoral Care: A small number of students can be personally known, visited, and cared for by the teacher, who can remember each one’s name and situation.
To Allow for Growth: A teacher with 10–20 students will work to grow the class. When it reaches 30–40 students, it can be divided into two. But if a class already has 40 or 50 students or more, it is unreasonable to expect the teacher to seek even more students while already exhausted by the current number.
To Preserve Quietness: With fewer students, the teacher can speak in a calm and low voice, and the students can respond in the same manner. But with large numbers, both teacher and students must raise their voices, and noise fills the church space—especially if it is small.
To Preserve the Teacher’s Humility: The teacher will not boast about large numbers while the spiritual level of the class remains weak and his service lacks faithfulness.
To Maintain Faithfulness in Service: In a small class, the teacher can assign homework and organize special notebooks to review each student’s work. This is difficult with large numbers. The same applies to various activities under the teacher’s supervision—memorization, hymns, competitions, and all artistic, academic, and spiritual activities.
Since keeping class sizes small requires having enough teachers, this inevitably leads us to care for the training and preparation of more servants—a topic we will leave for another opportunity, as the Lord wills…
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- Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani Newspaper on April 1, 2007.
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