Under-girding Christian Education
/I struggled with the right first word for this blog’s title. After visiting my denomination’s theological schools’ websites last week and doing some digging, I was dismayed that the lay education certificate programs and Master of Religious Education are no longer offered. The MRE at my alma mater was cut shortly after I graduated. Regional staff positions designated for Christian education (CE), children and youth have been mostly slashed from my own and other denominations. Our resource centre closed and our denominational magazine ceased publication fairly recently.
These cuts due to shrinking financial resources, happening in many mainline denominations, are concerning for a number of reasons. The key people who advocated for lay staff and volunteers in CE are no longer easy to find. The demise of many Christian bookstores and resource centres means that we are now mostly relying on websites rather than physically handling items and having recommendations from a known commodity. Larger denominations may offer training in CE but it’s not always reflective of our theology, resulting in leaders at odds with the vision and even beliefs of churches. We are losing a professional base of Christian educators trained within their own tradition and able to inspire and support our congregations. While clergy may have a passion for CE, they are typically pulled in other directions and often few CE courses fit into the MDiv. Finally, fewer and fewer opportunities seem to exist for those passionate about doing CE well, especially those who are not well-suited to post-secondary academia.
How do we reinforce and lift up CE in our congregations when so many of the outside supports have been slashed? Hopefully the following will encourage you and offer some ideas:
Raise the profile. Make sure that CE - the programs, oversight committee, leaders, participants and vision - are regularly prayed about and mentioned in bulletins, newsletters, websites, powerpoints and announcements. Fight for the awareness and support of the congregation just as much as for mission and other ministries. Better yet, get participants and leaders to share about what is happening in CE and what it means to them through speaking in worship, bulletin boards, websites and photo slideshows. Share about the importance of CE in growing disciples.
Create your own networks. Denominational and regional staffing is usually too strapped to assist with this, so reach out to other churches in your area and brainstorm ways to build skills, confidence and creativity in your leaders. Find people doing the same sorts of ministries as you and suggest meeting for coffee monthly. Gather together people, in person or online, from within or outside your denomination and commit to praying for each other and sharing resources and best practices. Build relationships and knock down assumptions and stereotypes about other churches.
Make your own PD. Meet regularly with your team - your oversight committee, leaders and volunteers. Troubleshoot, talk through vision and challenges, and dream together. Make sure that people feel supported and build community together. Do searches for resources to help fill in any gaps in knowledge. Do some digging on your denominational website to see what opportunities exist. If these don’t meet your needs, give feedback about what would be helpful to the relevant staff person and offer to assist with making it a reality.
Build people resources. Talk or write to people in your denomination’s geographic area about who is in the region with skills in Christian education. These could be lay staff, clergy, previous congregational and regional staff, or educators. Try to go for coffee or at least connect with a few to pick their brains about ideas. See if they might be willing to do a workshop or refer you to current resources and websites that align with your church’s needs and identity.
Don’t be afraid to invest. So many congregations have bequests and other funding sources earmarked for conferences, children, youth or CE. Ask your treasurer about what monies exist and talk with your team about how to use these resources to build CE and your congregation. Too often the money just sits generating little if any interest and is never leveraged to positively impact your ministries. Building up your CE team is always worthwhile, especially as numbers dwindle and people feel frustrated and afraid for the future. Helping people to realize they aren’t alone and to find ways to be rejuvenated and renewed in purpose helps everyone.
It can seem like the world of Christian education is under-valued, and it often is. For those who feel investment should be only in where the numbers are, we need to remember that money follows mission. If the church is to survive and thrive for generations to come, then CE is a crucial part of this and well worth the energy and priority.
My hope that this blog and website is a small reminder that you aren’t alone. May God help you to find whatever you need so that your ministries can thrive.