CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND FORMATION MINISTRY

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
PATHWAYS TO CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY NO. 2
SERVING THE NEEDS OF LEADERS IN FOUNDATIONAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND FORMATION MINISTRY
Christian never graduates,” claims a long-time member of Towson United Methodist Church in Towson, MD. This congregation has a commitment to life-long learning and this ministry is a ho-listic one within the entire church. The pastor and lay leadership are engaged, and all ages participate, both in “come” ministries and “go” ministries. They model a vital ministry of Christian education and formation.
A THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
One need not look far to find biblical sup-port for religious education. Every Hebrew father was required to teach his child the Law, and as soon as the child could walk and hold his hand, he attended or ob-served the major festivals. We see this reminder in Deuteronomy 6: “Now this is the commandment…that the LORD your God charged me to teach you to ob-serve…, so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his command-ments…so that your days may be long…, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as…God… has prom-ised you” (6:1-3).
This charge from God, by way of Moses, indicates not only what they are to do (teach the commandments) but why (so you and your descendants may have a long, prosperous, and fruitful life). The Commandments we teach are not just a set of rules to be enforced, but guides to an abundant life.
The New Testament offers the best exam-ple of all: Jesus, the master teacher. After all the parables, lessons, and personal examples, Jesus paused before his ascen-sion for one last teaching moment: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the na-tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spi-rit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Again, Jesus offered the What (go, make, baptize, teach) and the Why (to transform the world by making disciples of all the nation).
Knowing that even faithful followers are frail and forgetful, Jesus pledged both spi-ritual and practical help. In his final meal with his disciples, Jesus made a fantastic promise: “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Lest his disciples waver, he also assured them the “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you” (14:26). The entire Trinity is engaged in helping us fulfill a ministry of religious education for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children.
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WHAT DOES VITAL CHRISTIAN EDUCATION LOOK LIKE?
First, Christian education and formation is BIG! It includes education, of course: those classes, groups, and activities that teach the Scriptures, the life and times of biblical people, biblical history and tradi-tion, denominational information, doctrine and theology, and other knowledge-based information. Study is vitally important; an ignorant disciple is not a very good dis-ciple.
A Portrait of a Vital Christian
Yet “knowing” or “knowing about” is only part of the whole. Christian education properly includes formation. We are edu-cated for something and to be some-thing—mature Christian disciples. So, a ministry of Christian education includes those relationships, experiences, events, and mystical encounters that shape us as Christians in relationship to God and one another. We forge an identity and cultivate the traits that demonstrate our active, in-grained love of God. We learn the holy ha-bits that develop and sustain us as mem-bers of the body of Christ.
Members of the household of faith, in age-appropriate ways, will value, learn, and apply the word of God. We will behave in ways that demonstrate a commitment to justice for all people. We will be generous. We will want to serve others and will find ways to do it without thought of reward. We will show patience, forbearance, com-passion, and love. In short, we strive to have the mind in us that is in Christ. All of this must be valued, taught, and modeled. The ministry of Christian education and formation is an important venue for that learning and mentoring.
Vital Educational Ministry
Dan Dick’s research into vital congrega-tions in Vital Signs,* revealed similar cha-racteristics in six key areas:
Focus: integrating spiritual, theoretical, and practical knowledge in daily living and Christian service; study of Scripture, the-ology, cultural and sociological issues highly valued.
Commitment: high level of commit-ment by majority of congregation to life-long learning: learning and discipleship are closely related.
Forum: small groups, both inside and outside the congregation; formal classes with clear objectives; integrated program.
Participation: widespread throughout entire congregation.
Leadership: interplay of teach-er/student role where almost everyone is both; a good deal of outside expertise brought in; majority of congregations see themselves in teaching role.
Impact: high impact; lives changed, hearts transformed; people integrate faith, learning, and daily living.
Congregations do not have to be large or wealthy to be vital. They have to be faith-ful, thoughtful, intentional, and diligent.
Everything Teaches
All congregations will have some kind of Christian education and formation pres-ence, even if it’s done informally. The question is not whether there is any Chris-tian formational ministry going on, but how well it is being done. EVERYTHING teach-es; everything forms us, either positively or negatively.
The entire Trinity is engaged in helping us fulfill a ministry of religious educa-tion for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children.
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Teachers, as one might expect, are promi-nent examples and models for persons who participate in the organized classes and study groups at the church or spon-sored by the church. Are they present to welcome people, particularly the children, when they arrive? Are they prepared? Do they create a safe place to be and to bring up important questions? Do they listen? Do they care about their students? Are they present for worship and engaged in service?
Responses to these questions (and many others) speak volumes about the per-ceived value of Christian education and the people who participate in it. But adults in the classroom are not the only teachers and leaders in a ministry of education and formation. Anyone, of any age, who claims the name of Christ is an example to others about who God is, what God is like, and the life God calls us to lead. We are, after all, created in the image of God. Every Christian’s life, as it is lived moment by moment, is a testimony for (or against) the knowledge and practice of the love of God. Everything teaches.
THE PASTOR AND EDUCATION
The pastor, including one on a two-point charge who is conducting worship at Church A while Church B is having Sunday school, is a key leader in educational min-istry. Sunday school may be “prime time” for Christian education (with over a million people engaged any given Sunday), but it is not the only place where the pastor’s participation is helpful.
The Teaching Pastor
The pastoral leader of a congregation, es-pecially in smaller churches where the pastor is the entire staff, is often the only one with a formal theological education. While we as a Church wring our collective hands over the lack of biblical and theo-logical literacy in our congregations, it seems clear that the person with a theo-logical education should share it in what-ever ways are possible. The most obvious way is in leading classes or groups, whether on Sunday morning or other time.
The pastor is limited only by his or her im-agination, because everything is a teach-ing opportunity. At a fellowship dinner? The pastor can offer a biblical/theological explanation for the gathering of the body for nurture. In a meeting? The pastor can spend a moment teaching something of the history and tradition of that area of ministry or offer biblical examples or prin-ciples that should undergird it. All that the church does should have a bibli-cal/theological reason, otherwise the church may not need to do it. The pastor can be a front-line teacher and interpreter of this (though it’s a good exercise for the laity).
The Book of Discipline of The United Me-thodist Church specifically charges the pastor to teach parents the meaning and responsibilities of baptism when they bring a child for the sacrament. Further, they are required to teach or to guide the teaching of confirmation for youth and adults. This is not to be taken lightly: “The pastor shall diligently instruct the parents or guardians regarding the meaning of this sacrament and the vows they assume” (see ¶216 and ¶226, 2008).
Pastoral leaders will want to instruct per-sons who wish to join the church by pro-fession of faith or by transfer, particularly from a different denomination. Indeed, the pastor may be the chief repository for all things Wesleyan. John and Charles have
Every Christian’s life, as it is lived mo-ment by moment, is a testimony for (or against) the knowledge and practice of the love of God. Everything teaches.
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left a marvelous legacy, and that should be shared with persons who unite with a United Methodist congregation.
The Preacher as Teacher
The pastoral leader has an opportunity every week to teach from the pulpit. Re-sponsible preaching relies on sound ex-egesis, and at least some of that research can make its way into the spoken mes-sage. This is the perfect setting in which to introduce not only some of the historical and theological background of the Scrip-tures, but of the elements of worship as well.
The liturgy is intended to illuminate the flow of influence and response of the con-gregation as they receive, incorporate, and respond to God’s presence. When the elements of the liturgy are “unpacked” and the congregation is taught what each part of the worship service is to do and why we do it, they are more engaged as participants. (Worship is not a “spectator sport!”) Learning the flow of the Christian year and its parallels with the life and min-istry of Jesus enhances the worship expe-rience, and the congregation is much more likely to know and understand this if the pastor is deliberate about teaching it. One result is more enlightened worship-pers. Another is disciples who are better able to integrate the life and ministry of Christ with their own education and ministry.
Pastoral Leader as Advocate
Teaching is a skill and a gift that is not universal (though it behooves the pastor to develop teaching skills). Pastors can certainly bring their biblical/theological expertise into a partnership with someone more gifted in teaching.
Even if the pastoral leader never gets di-rectly involved in a small group or class, he or she can and should be the number one advocate for those who do teach and lead groups. What the pastoral leader val-ues, the congregation is likely to value.
The pulpit may be the most effective fo-rum for promoting the value and practice of Christian education and formation. Pleading from the pulpit for teachers and helpers is generally an ineffective method of swelling the ranks of teachers, but the pulpit is an ideal place to celebrate the ministry of Christian education and forma-tion. Regular updates or comments on the wonderful things that are happening in classes and groups tell the congregation as a whole that their children, youth, and adults are being nurtured in the faith and how that is happening.
Consecrating the teachers and small group leaders each year at an appropriate time (such as the beginning of the school year) highlights the importance of Chris-tian education and the people who lead it. Christian Education Week* includes ar-ticles, worship resources, a consecration liturgy, workshop, and a list of resources to support congregational awareness of this ministry.
Vitality Supported by the Pastor
Recall the key areas for vitality: focus, commitment, forum, participation, leader-ship, and impact. The pastor’s participa-tion in and advocacy for effective Christian education is crucial. Worship time and class or group time can be planned to form an integrated whole, linking focus and forum so that themes and lessons in the curriculum are supported by what happens in worship. The expectation
The pastoral leader can and should be the number one advocate for those who do teach and lead groups. What the pastoral leader values, the congrega-tion is likely to value.
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voiced from the pulpit (and the church council, committees, and other venues) that all persons should study and grow encourages a congregational value of life-long learning and lifts up participation as a necessary practice. The pastor’s personal involvement in leadership and as an ad-vocate for other leaders creates a suppor-tive community within which all the lead-ers can develop further skill and expertise. Being intentional and thoughtful about a whole-congregation involvement opens the door to a greater possibility of lives formed and transformed.
LAY LEADERSHIP
While much has been said so far about the involvement of the pastoral leader, clearly he or she is just one person. The ministry of Christian education relies on many more laypersons for all the classes and groups offered.
Equipping the Saints
If the congregation is serious about vital ministry in general and vital Christian edu-cation and formation ministry in particular, it must also value appropriate training of its teachers and leaders.
In a short study of congregational Chris-tian education practices,* it was discov-ered that while most of the churches had clear expectations of the teacher in the classroom (be on time, be prepared, know the age group, be theologically responsi-ble), not so many stated expectations about the character or practices of the teacher otherwise. Perhaps that was as-sumed, but only a few specifically stated that teachers or group leaders were also expected to attend worship, practice the spiritual disciplines (at least) of prayer and personal study of the Scriptures, partici-pate in regular training and support groups, and otherwise demonstrate the marks of mature discipleship. If these en-tirely reasonable requirements are ex-pected of the teacher, the teacher should expect the church to provide a means to fulfill them.
To do so, you need a supportive infrastruc-ture in place. Persons invited to teach will have significant influence with the child-ren and youth of the congregation. They want to know what is expected of them (both inside and outside the classroom) and what support is available. Congrega-tional leaders in education must define the requirements, equip their teachers and group leaders for the task, and expect them to participate in training as a condi-tion of their acceptance. When the infra-structure is strong before people are re-cruited, the assurance of help is a gift, not an empty promise.
SMALL GROUPS
Vital ministry depends on the intimacy that small groups, including classes, offer. Ex-periential worship is essential, but by its nature, does not afford the opportunity for the personal, real-time give-and-take in-terchange of a small group in a safe place.
Every congregation has small groups; some of them are a small group. Think broadly about “small group”—it can be any group that is small, not just a group formed for the practice of spiritual discip-lines. That means that the choir, or the Finance committee, or the Wednesday night knitters, or the Saturday morning aerobics class could all be a part of a small group ministry. Any group, not just
Congregational leaders in education must define the requirements, equip their teachers and group leaders for the task, and expect them to participate in training. When the infrastructure is strong before people are re-cruited, the assurance of help is a gift, not an empty promise.
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the Sunday school or mid-week classes, offers an opportunity for faith develop-ment and disciple making. Any group can be an entry point to the church, the de-nomination, and/or to the Christian faith.
Adopting an Expansive View
Rather than expect groups to change, en-courage them to think more expansively about themselves. The knitters may also pray for anyone who will receive what they make. The choir may also engage in a brief reflection time on the text of the an-thems and hymns so that the theological import of the music seeps into their souls. The aerobics group may use contemporary Christian music so that they hear the Word while they exercise.
In addition to keeping an expansive view, small groups will work together systemical-ly. Group leaders and teachers will be aware of how people come and go through this system. This is easiest in the class structure for children who logically progress from one grade to the next. Ideal-ly, the elementary and teen teachers and group leaders understand what is needed to help prepare students to make the transitions from one age-level to the next and talk and plan with one another for a seamless process.
Of course, real life is not like that, and it only accounts for a portion of the partici-pants in a congregation where everyone is expected and encouraged to engage in life-long learning. The system needs to at-tend to what adults need to help them continue growing in the faith so that there are opportunities for people all along the faith development continuum. In addition, the system must consider not just “us” but those who are not yet “us” or who may never be “us,” yet can be participants in or beneficiaries of the church’s ministry.
ESTABLISHING MEASURES
If vital congregations are thoughtful and intentional concerning the focus, com-mitment, forum, participation, leadership, and impact of their ministry of Christian education and formation, then they have identified a way to measure it. Quantita-tive measures—how many people attend classes, VBS, or DISCIPLE Bible Study—is one measure, but numbers are only a small part of the answer. Numbers do not tell us what is actually happening to the people who do come.
Vision and Goals, Then Measures
Before measurement must come an un-derstanding of the results you want. First, the vision. If our ministry of Christian edu-cation and formation is producing the fruits that please God, what does that look like? So, we return to the image of the ma-ture, faithful disciple mentioned earlier. That’s what we want to accomplish; that’s who and what we want people to become.
Then, who do we need to be, what kind of environment must we create, and what do we need to do to have a sustainable, fruit-producing ministry that, in partnership with God, makes disciples of Jesus Christ who can transform the world? (Remem-ber- “greater things than these will you do…”?) The strategies come next. The measures are based on the strategies. In what specific ways were the strategies ef-fective or not? In what particular ways can you determine if people are growing in their own discipleship? How can you assess what impact various practices, relationships, and experiences have on congregational members?
How can you assess what impact various practices, relationships, and experiences have on your participants?
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND PRACTICAL HELPS
Use these questions and activities to engage your church leaders in reflection and action toward congregational vitality.
A Theological Foundation
1. Use a Bible concordance to find pas-sages that refer to teaching or instruc-tion in the biblical community. What is the overall value placed on instruction? What is the purpose of the instruc-tion? The expected results? How well are these values taught and practiced in your congregation?
Vital Christian Education Ministry
2. In small groups of two or three, give each group a different activity related to all the different things that go on during an average Sunday in your church. Discuss these questions in the small group, then come together to share insights. What evidence do you see for the six key areas of vital ministry: focus, commitment, forum, participation, leadership, and impact? If everything teaches, what is being taught in your activity? What is miss-ing? What would you like to be dif-ferent?
The Pastor and Education
3. The pastoral leader is, or can be, a key leader in Christian education. List cur-rent areas in which the pastor can teach or advocate for a Christian edu-cation ministry. No pastor can do everything or be everywhere, so how would you priorit-ize these areas? How can the con-gregation assist? What opportunities are afforded the pastoral leader to continue his or her own education and development? How does (might) this opportunity en-hance the pastor’s role as educator?
Lay Leadership
4. Appoint a small group to assess the infrastructure into which persons are invited for leadership. Are opportunities for personal, spiri-tual growth in place? For specific training in teaching or leading groups? Do you have a job description ap-proved by the church council that helps teachers and education lead-ers understand what is expected of them and what they can expect? If not, select a small group to work on them.
Small Groups
5. Discuss these questions: If every small group is a potential place of faith formation and disciple making, how might you encourage existing groups to hold this view? What is the system that holds your classes and groups together? How might it be done more systematically and with specific goals?
Establishing Measures
6. Distribute copies of (The First) 80 Guiding Questions to Assess the Edu-cation Ministry of the Church.* Assign a different segment to persons or small groups. How well do you do with the ques-tions raised in your segment? How might these ideas help you es-tablish specific measures for your ministry?
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RESOURCES
*Christian Education Week is a free, downloadable resource published each year by the General Board of Discipleship to support the annual emphasis of Chris-tian Education Sunday. This day is one of the officially recognized Sundays within the United Methodist calendar, but the date is determined by each annual confe-rence. CEW is available early in the year, usually posted to the GBOD website in March. (The 2010 issue)
*Congregational Christian Education Prac-tices: For more information and a series of reflection questions for the congregation’s Christian education ministry, see the study report Survey on Basic Christian Education in the Local Church.
*Vital Signs: A Pathway to Congregational Wholeness, by Dan R. Dick. Nashville: Dis-cipleship Resources © 2007. ISBN 978-0-88177-495-5. The chart on pages 142-143, produced here in part, provides a summary of findings related to Christian education for each of the four types of congregations identified in his research.
*(The First) 80 Guiding Questions to As-sess the Education Ministry of the Church
Foundations summarizes the theological statement of The United Methodist Church in regard to Christian education. It is pre-pared by the staff at the General Board of Discipleship.
Writer in this issue:
 Diana Hynson, Director of Learning and Teaching Ministries; dhynson@gbod.org
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This pamphlet is prepared by the Leadership Ministry Division at the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church and may be reprinted for use in the local church © 2011 GBOD.
For more information about the needs and requirements in specific ministry areas, see the leadership series Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation, which includes
 Christian Education  Small Group Ministry Visit our websites:
 Evangelism  Stewardship  www.gbod.org/education
 Finance  Worship  www.gbod.org/evangelism
 www.gbod.org/stewardship
Go to www.cokesbury.com or call 1-800-672-1789.  www.gbod.org/worship