Elementary Department

Definition and Meaning

The elementary department is the division within the church's educational organization, the Sunday school (church school), that serves elementary school students. It is also called the children's department. It falls between the kindergarten department, which serves preschool children, and the youth department, which serves middle and high school students.

The name and the range of grades covered vary from church to church. Smaller churches group first through sixth grades into a single elementary or children's department. Larger churches sometimes divide these grades into several departments, such as a primary department, an elementary department, and a junior department. In that case, "elementary department" takes on a narrower meaning, referring not to all of elementary school but only to the middle grades.

Biblical and Historical Background

The following passages are frequently cited as the basis for the Christian education of children:

• Deuteronomy 6:6–9, which instructs parents to teach their children diligently
• 2 Timothy 3:15, which speaks of having known the Scriptures from childhood
• Ephesians 6:4, which calls for bringing up children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord"
• Mark 10:13–16, in which Jesus tells his disciples not to forbid the little children to come to him

The Sunday school as it exists today is generally understood to have its roots in the Sunday school movement, which began in late eighteenth-century England. The movement originated as an effort to teach reading and the Bible to poor working children. It was introduced to Korea through the work of missionaries and, as churches grew, became established as a system of age-based departments.

Practice in Korean Churches

The elementary department usually holds its own worship service on Sunday morning. After the service, the children meet in small classes, each led by a teacher, for Bible study. Many churches use lesson materials known as gonggwa published by their denomination's education department, while others use materials from interdenominational organizations such as Paidion Ministries.

Responsibilities for running the department are typically divided as follows:

• Pastoral staff: Often an evangelist (ministerial assistant) or an associate pastor.
• Department head: An elder or deacon oversees the department's affairs.
• Teachers: Lay volunteers serve as teachers.

Major annual events include Vacation Bible School, Children's Sunday events, Christmas programs, and retreats.

Differences among denominations appear mainly in connection with the sacraments (the formal rites of the church).

• Presbyterian, Methodist, and similar churches: Children who received infant baptism later undergo the rite of confirmation, in which they personally profess their faith. Confirmation usually takes place after the child has completed the elementary department, and many churches traditionally do not admit children to the Lord's Supper before then.
• Baptist and other denominations that do not practice infant baptism: Children receive baptism by immersion when they personally profess their faith. The age at which a child may be baptized is determined by the local church.

In recent years, observers have noted that a growing number of churches are unable to maintain a separate elementary department because of the declining school-age population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches continued meeting through online worship.