Gone are the days of adults regularly worshipping and actively participating in the total life of the congregation. Gone are the days of a broad familiarity by most adults of major stories, characters and themes of the Bible as well as basic history and doctrines of the Church. The times have changed.
A snapshot of many congregation members and visitors to the church these days includes life-long Presbyterians, former Roman Catholics or former Baptists, interfaith married couples, people exploring Christianity as one of many religious “options,” and people who happen to find their way into our churches sporadically, not sure what they are seeking or why they are there. Almost all have completed a high school education, with a majority holding college degrees. Few attend our Sunday Church School classes. Many have not opened a Bible in years, intimidated by their unfamiliarity. Joining a book study at Barnes & Noble or Borders, chatting on-line, or participating in para-church studies and groups are more appealing than what many churches offer. The times have changed.
Adult Education faces a new set of realities. The systems, structures, demographics, and expectations have changed. In many churches, pastors, educators and church leaders waste their energies wringing their hands and mourning the loss of “the way things used to be.” Rather than facing our current challenges creatively and living into the future, the Church either turns a blind eye to the current reality, insists on living in a past reality that no longer exists, or feels helpless and paralyzed in its ministry.
Adult Education in the post-modern era requires church leaders to address current realities. Pastors, educators and lay leaders need to be energized, excited and creative about the opportunities inherent in our challenges. Perhaps at no other time in recent history have we had such a dynamic and diverse gathering of people in our pews. Coming from all Christian traditions, they help us experience the breadth of the Body of Christ in concrete ways. While joyfully and proudly sharing our own Presbyterian heritage, we must recognize and celebrate the ecumenical nature of today’s Church.
People seeking meaning and purpose in life present us with the possibility to partner with them in their spiritual journeys – what a blessing and a gift. Relationships that allow for meaningful engagement, guidance and pastoral care are essential in Adult Education. This reality will push us to explore mentoring relationships, covenant partners, spiritual directors, and peer ministries in addition to (or in many cases in place of) more traditional schooling/classroom models of education.
Given the overwhelming availability of books, periodicals, websites, chat rooms, media, and other technology, the Church has an opportunity to guide people to and provide materials of importance to our understanding of what it means to be a Presbyterian Christian in these days. We need not apologize for our theology and heritage, nor do we need to limit ourselves to a parochial view of Christianity. Our Presbyterian/Reformed voice is an important and valid one, but we need to offer it with a humility that recognizes it as but a part of the Church catholic.
Because people experience postmodern life as a series of choices, we must be careful not to treat our Adult Education ministries with a “one size fits all” mentality. Just because we’ve always met on Sundays from 10:00 – 10:45 for Sunday School doesn’t mean it is the only or most effective meeting time. Just because we have always used a lecture format or a free discussion format doesn’t mean it is the only or most effective method. Just because we have always kept the material at a simple, basic level doesn’t mean that is the best approach.
Adult Education today and in the future must be adaptable and fluid, yet well planned. Classes, small groups, covenant groups, home studies, coffee house conversations, retreats, and peer/mentoring relationships all need to become venues for Adult Education. Opportunities for engagement in these venues need to be available at a variety of times – early morning, mid-day, evening, weekends, weekdays – and for a variety of durations (one- time events, weekly gatherings, longer-term commitments.) Engagement levels need to range from introductory and basic to advanced. Adult Education must move from program to ministry. All of these opportunities are chances for meaningful, relational ministry.
The formats, venues and settings will be as unique as each of our communities of faith. However, Adult Education ministries should include several components in order to be relevant and useful for the post-modern era.
One component is that of fostering Christian identity. The formation of Christian identity occurs in the living out of our faith in the context of a Christian community. Adult Education is dependent upon the larger life and ministry of the church. Worship, mission, study, prayer, fellowship, hospitality, and pastoral care are all part of Adult Education’s desire to form Christian identity. Adult Education treated as a program somehow distinct or separate from the full life of the community of faith cannot form a vibrant, holistic Christian identity.
Spiritual Formation is another essential component of Adult Education in our times. Particularly transforming and powerful are the historic spiritual practices of the church. Contemplative prayer, meditation, lectio divina, daily offices, journaling, fasting, acts of compassion and others from throughout the ages are powerful experiences of the Spirit. In addition to these practices, spiritual formation is enhanced by engaging, and being engaged by, the wisdom of our mothers and fathers in faith. Augustine, St. Francis, Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa, and many others continue to speak to us as they journey with us. They also provide a powerful witness to the Church catholic.
Study of the Bible has been and always will remain an essential component of Adult Education. The exciting challenge we face is to be increasingly engaged and appropriate in our study of Scripture. In addition to learning the content of the Bible, we must be ever more intentional about teaching skills for interpreting the Bible. Historical- Critical, Literary, and Reader-Response methods for interpreting Scripture should all be utilized and explored. Presbyterian understandings of Scripture and interpretation should be woven into the experience of Bible study. Application of the Bible to daily life should be practiced. Bible study, in whatever setting, should be engaging, challenging, and transformative.
A final component that is crucial for Adult Education is Critical Theological Reflection. Every adult needs to become a theologian. Living out a life of faith in our day demands that from us. We need to be in dialogue with Christian tradition, personal experience and our culture on a daily basis. When our nation goes to war, when the national press puts Terri Schiavo on the front pages, when a denomination studies human sexuality, when our local school board reviews science curriculum, and when our congregation plans an after-school program with at-risk children, we need to make informed, thoughtful, faithful responses.
The times have changed. One size won’t fit all. Adult Education must move creatively and passionately into the present and future reality. Pastors, educators and lay leaders must work together in new and important ways in order to be relevant and meaningful in the lives of those whom God has placed and will place in our midst. These are exciting times, full of opportunity. May we be bold, courageous, and excited about the future of Adult Education ministry.
DR. MICHAEL WASCHEVSKI, a Certified Christian Educator, is an associate pastor of First Church of Fort Worth, Texas and lecturer in Christian Education at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
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