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Christian Education: What’s it take?

What's it take to build an effective Christian education program these days? 

That question is being asked in virtually every Christian education committee in every church everywhere. Curriculum publishing companies are asking it as well. Their answers could help congregations become centers of vital Christian education. 

That first question is the biggest: So how do you build an effective Christian education program these days? The one word that arises repeatedly is relevance.  

 

Voices

Curriculum Resources

The following publishers provide a variety of age-appropriate curricula for use in the churches:

 

Akaloo by Augsburg/Congregational Ministries Publishing

Bible Blitz® by Group Publishing

FaithWeaver® by Group Publishing

The Kerygma

Living Inside Outâ„¢ by Group Publishing

We Believe: God's Word for God's People by Congregational Ministries Publishing

Workshop Rotation Model Sunday School by Potter's Publishing

Voices

Making God’s Word REAL

No matter what level of student you're teaching--pre-school, adult, or anyone in between--your goal is not only to get through the lesson, or even for your students to get information, but to have actual learning going on in your classroom. You want your students to understand God's Word, and to be changed by a relationship with Jesus.

Statistics tell us that people retain only about ten percent of what they hear or read. And with the best of intentions many, if not most, Christian-education programs still teach this way, by reading and/or by the teacher doing all the talking. But those same statistics tell us that people remember up to 90% of what they experience. So how can you bring real-life experience into your classroom?

Voices

Upholding the integrity of the Workshop Rotation Model

©2001, Potter's Publishing, adapted with permission

 

The Workshop Rotation Model is spreading like the flames of the Holy Spirit across the country. Churches embrace the model as the most exciting Sunday school study method in a long time.  As it spreads it is important to ensure and preserve the integrity of the model, to maintain consistency with its educational philosophy.

The model's initial attraction is its varied and exciting activities and decorative room interiors. If the model were to rely only on attractive workshops, however, the flames soon would burn out. 

Theological and educational underpinnings support the Workshop Rotation Model providing the possibility of creative and sound Bible study.   

Voices

Transforming ministries of adult discipleship

Stephen Prothero has confirmed statistically what we had perceived anecdotally. His book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't says that Americans are biblically illiterate. George Barna's Growing True Disciples: New Strategies for Producing Genuine Followers of Christ reinforces that assessment. It's no wonder that publication after publication today calls us to re-think our approaches to adult discipleship and the Christian Education that enables such discipleship to develop.

The challenges facing our work in adult discipleship parallel the challenges facing the entire ministry of our congregations. In our high velocity society, we can ill afford to follow the traditional practice of simply repeating last year's program. We need to experiment with ministry designs aimed at developing adults as Christian disciples.

Voices

Challenges to Christian Education in a less Christian American culture

 

The Church in North America finds itself in a culture that is no longer Christian. Those attending church are getting older while younger people increasingly stay away. The "dropout rate" for college sophomores raised in the church is astronomical (by one count 90 percent). Furthermore, the received wisdom that these adrift youngsters will find their way back to church and faith as parents seeking baptism and nurture for their children no longer bears itself out. (Jim Singleton calls this the "Little Bo Peep" strategy--"Leave them alone, and they'll come home, wagging their tails behind them.") They aren't coming home!

Increasingly the word "missional" is used to describe both the situation in which the church finds itself, and the strategy for us to follow in this "post-Christendom" era.  Eddie Gibbs gives a succinct definition: "Missional refers to those congregations who see Western culture [because it is no longer Christian] as a field ripe for mission engagement, thus acknowledging that the period known as Christendom is over." In the congregation I serve as Associate Pastor for Adult Education I have the challenge to reshape one of our denomination's largest adult education programs in light of these realities. Here are some reflections on the issues we face and the steps and changes we're beginning to make.

Book Reviews

Ecstasy and Intimacy: When the Holy Spirit Meets the Human Spirit

by Edith M. Humphrey. Eerdmans, 2006. ISBN 0-8028-3147-8. Pb., 295 pp. $21.

 

This is an exciting book. It links the doctrine of the Trinity with the spirituality of ordinary Christians. Humphrey, who teaches New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, organized her book around three triads: love, light and life. In keeping with the Trinitarian motif, each triad has three sections.

The heart of Humphrey's work is her understanding of the Triune God and how this God relates to believers. For her, the Trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living in a perfect community of love and sharing. The Triune God is not self-contained but stands outside the divine self. This is the meaning of ecstasy. The purpose of this ecstasy or standing outside of the divine self is to have an intimate relationship with men and women. This is the "holy tryst" that Humphrey defines as "a holy meeting in which God, through his very own love, brings humanity (spirit, soul, body) to himself" (p. 17). This occurs especially through the action of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, for Humphrey, Christian spirituality is "the study of what happens when the Holy Spirit meets the human spirit" (p. 17).

Book Reviews

Dreams Where Have You Gone? Clues for Unity and Hope

 

 

by William G. McAtee. Martha Gilliss, editor. Louisville: Witherspoon Press, 2006. ISBN 1571530657.  Pb, 434 pp.  $24.95.

 

Dreams Where Have You Gone? is several things: a survey of Presbyterian history, a chronicle of the Union Presbytery Movement, an oral history of that movement, a memoir of a Presbyterian pastor, and a probing assessment of where the Presbyterian reunion of 1983 came from with questions about where we are going. It is a wonderful book that can be read at several levels and will provide wisdom and insight for all its readers.

Movie Reviews

The Lookout

Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) had it all: he was a star athlete, young, handsome, and charming. He's driving a convertible at night along a country road, and wants to show his date, and his best friend in the back (with his date), how amazing it is to drive with the lights out and watch the luminescent fireflies. They are at once enchanted, thrilled, and frightened. As he speeds up to heighten the sense of danger, the others start "freaking out," begging him to turn on the headlights, and as he does, they all see the combine inexplicably parked on the road, just before they hit it head-on.

Voices

Paintball with a purpose

How many church members know what paintball is, and how many churches have a paintball ministry?

One answer is families in the Santa Ynez Valley Church in Santa Ynez, Calif., and their church. When members started playing paintball, they had no idea it would turn into the church's most highly attended outreach ministry.

"About two and a half years ago my sons were wrapping up the school year and we wanted to do something to celebrate," relates the church's paintball coordinator Jack Drake. The Drakes decided to play paintball and figured it would be more fun if they got a group of people to join them. After passing out some fliers around school and church, their anticipated group of 15 became a group of 40 who traveled the two hours to the commercial paintball field. They had so much fun that day they decided to make their own paintball field, closer to home.

Uncategorized

GAC renews emphasis on traditional evangelism

(PNS) The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s General Assembly Council (GAC) adopted a new emphasis on traditional evangelism at its meeting in Louisville March 14-16.

Led by newly-called Deputy Executive Director for Mission Tom Taylor, the Council's Evangelism and Witness Goal Area Committee adopted the following goal for 2007-2008: "We are called to invite all people to faith, repentance, and the abundant life of God in Jesus Christ, to encourage congregations in joyfully sharing the Gospel, and through the power of the Holy Spirit to grow in membership and discipleship."

One of its two objectives under the goal is to equip Presbyterians to reach out to "those with no active church affiliation."

Uncategorized

Presbytery task force publishes recommendations for disaffiliating Montreat Church

MONTREAT, N.C. -- A task force of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina has recommended that the Montreat Church be divided into two congregations, one to remain in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the other to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.  The recommendation comes as an initial response to a vote of the congregation, taken on January 21, to disaffiliate from the PC(USA) and affiliate with the EPC.  The congregation's vote was 311 to 27.

The task force report will be considered at a special meeting of the presbytery to be held on the Montreat Conference Center campus on April 25. 

Uncategorized

Stated Clerk Commends the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and McDonald’s Corporation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stated Clerk Commends the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and McDonald's Corporation on Forging an Historic Agreement to Advance Farmworkers' Human Rights

 

On behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) I commend the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the McDonald's Corporation, and McDonald's suppliers on the historic agreement that they have forged to improve wages and guarantee human rights for farmworkers harvesting tomatoes in the fields of Florida. The farmworkers have carried forward their campaign for fair food with integrity and dedication and the McDonald's Corporation has taken a leadership role in moving the fast-food industry toward more just way of doing business. The Presbyterian Church is particularly grateful for the role that the Carter Center has played in fostering dialogue among the parties that led to this significant agreement.

Uncategorized

N.Y. church pledges $1 million for fellowship program through MIJHH

 

Madison Avenue Church in New York, N.Y., is pledging $1 million to Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to endow new a Global Ministry Fellowship program

The gift will establish the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Global Ministry Fellowship, a permanent, endowed fund to provide outstanding recent seminary graduates with an immersion experience in the dynamics of the Christian Church in the "Global South." According to the church's newly adopted policy document, the Global Ministry Fellowship will "help ensure that the emerging leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) understand the dynamics and opportunities for ministry and partnership in a globalized context."

Uncategorized

Ottati accepts post at Davidson College

Douglas F. Ottati, the M.E. Pemberton Professor of Theology and a member of the faculty at Union Theological Seminary-PSCE in Richmond, Va., for nearly 30 years, is going to Davidson College in a newly endowed chair in religion.

Beginning in the fall of 2007, Ottati will occupy the new Craig Family Distinguished Professorship in Reformed Theology and Justice Ministry.

"It was not an easy decision to make, but it's exciting," said Ottati. "It comes at a classic time of life when my two children have left the house, and I have an opportunity to do something different. Part of it is as simple as a guy being an auto mechanic for 30 years who gets a chance to work on another machine."

Ottati added that another incentive was to work within a broader scope of academic disciplines. "Seminaries like Union-PSCE have as a strength their focus on the clerical education of ministers," he said. "But at the same time that focus is their significant limitation. Seminaries don't have arts and sciences departments, so it's more difficult to study in the context of other disciplines. Coming to Davidson gives me a chance to have those conversations."

Uncategorized

Hartford Seminary online seminar April 23 — April 27

Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn., is offering an online course April 23-27 reporting findings from the latest national survey of U.S. congregations and the implications of these findings for church leaders.

The Faith Communities Today 2005 national survey of congregations will be discussed as it focused on growth, conflict management, interfaith relations, engaging youth and young adults, and stewardship.

Leading the discussion will be David Roozen, professor of religion and society at Hartford Seminary and director of its Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Advance registration is required; there is a fee of $50. For further information, contact the seminary at www.hartsem.edu/events/events.htm.

 

Voices

When a Particular Church needs to Leave: A Gospel Centered approach to property

Although I am a cradle Presbyterian, I had the wonderful experience of serving in a Episcopalian/Anglican parish for 3 years.  Maybe a decade ahead of us in the arguments over what scripture teaches about human sexuality, quite a few of their congregations are now transferring to other parts of the Anglican Communion.  To be sure, these are happy days for nobody involved in that process.  I am most grieved for how hard they are fighting over property, when they didn't seem to put that kind of energy into protecting the unity and purity of the Church.   I am ashamed and heart-broken over what I am seeing in that part of Christ's body.  I am unfortunately seeing the same patterns emerge in our denomination.

 

We need to realize that our conversations about human sexuality are out-of-step with the vast majority of Christians in the world.  Living in a 21st century world, where the church is mainly Southern -- as in Nairobi not Atlanta -- most Christians in the world are viewing these issues of human sexuality from traditional points of view.  I am not arguing that this is right or wrong; I'm simply saying this is the way things are currently in the world.  It is interesting that the Anglicans in America who are joining the Anglican Church in Nigeria are joining a much bigger entity than the Episcopal Church.

Voices

So what’s driving the New Wineskins?

Much has been said and written over these past months in the Outlook and other media outlets about the New Wineskins Association of Churches by a variety of interested and concerned Presbyterians.  I was delighted to receive my brother Jack Haberer's invitation to share my perspective on things as the Co-Moderator of the NWAC.   It is not my intention in this space to respond to or counter any arguments that have been given so far, there are better people than I to do that.  What I hope to do is communicate some observations that may inform an understanding of our particular "missiological context" as evangelical Presbyterians in the United States of America.

Uncategorized

Hearts & Hands financial, mission situation reported

LOUISVILLE -- About six months ago, the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands fundraising campaign was in trouble -- finding some success at getting donations for international mission and new church development, but not having enough money on hand to continue to pay its staff through 2007.

The basic problem was that most donors were restricting their gifts -- offering money for specific causes, but not providing funds to pay the operating costs of the campaign.

Uncategorized

Christians arrested as war protest draws thousands

20070317_44.jpg
Peace marchers gather at a barricade in Lafayette Park across from the White Housesinging and waving their candles and flashlights. They called for the end of the war in Iraq, observing the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More than 220 Christians, including Rick Ufford-Chase, executive director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, were arrested Friday night as they knelt and prayed at the gate of the White House.

Their action was part of the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq demonstration planned to protest the war on its fourth anniversary. Several thousand Christians also worshipped in the National Cathedral, and marched to the White House.

Ufford-Chase said Saturday morning that a final number was not yet available, but dozens of Presbyterians were among those arrested and charged with failure to obey a lawful order. Marchers were told they could not stop while passing by the White House and participants wanted to pause and pray.

Editorials

Ecclesiastical divorce

Divorce is hell. Amicable divorce is an oxymoron. When a church divorces its denomination, it can be just as painful as a marital dissolution. Sometimes it's worse.

You know how divorce happens. The aggrieved party looks back over recent history, shudders over the hurtful things the spouse has done, and remembers all the unrequited steps he or she took to try to bring reconciliation. The aggrieved party transitions from trying to save the marriage to building a compelling case to justify ending it.

In the process, the accused party reacts and does things that are really, really stupid, reinforcing the anger of the aggrieved. Soon each party can't stand the sight of the other.

I've been participant in or immediate observer of a dozen congregational splits and denominational separations. Every one of them has followed that divorcing pattern.

We can do better.

Uncategorized

GAC names new staff, re-elects officers at March meeting

LOUISVILLE -- Most Presbyterians don't sit around thinking about how the top levels of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are organized. But just understand this:

·         The reorganization of the denomination's national staff is continuing with the recent announcement of a key appointment in communications and funds development.

·         The General Assembly Council, which met March 14-16 in Louisville, is itself in the midst of a major reconfiguration: becoming smaller and reorganizing its committee structure. Past evaluations showed that members thought the council was too big and lacked vision, and that its work felt disconnected from the concerns of congregations and presbyteries.

·         Linda Valentine, who was named the council's executive director in June 2006, spoke of how she hopes the new alignments will allow the council to focus more on big issues and less on day-to-day administrative matters. Valentine spoke of the need for "adaptive thinking, generative thinking, strategic thinking" in the PC(USA).

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