Teaching in the 21st Century
31/07/14 05:08
When I was a seminary student, Christian Education was a kind of second-class area of the seminary. The school still had a masters in religious education degree that it offered alongside the masters of divinity degree. The masters in religious education degree was a two-year program as opposed to the masters of divinity. It didn’t require the advanced systematic theology courses and was seen as a somewhat lesser degree. In those days the masters in religious education was seen as a path towards service in the church that did not involve ordination. Masters of divinity was seen as the basic requirement for ordination. None of that was terribly relevant for me because I was enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program, but I found that I was very attracted to the courses in the religious education program. I found Ross Snyder, the professor of religious education, to be among the most challenging and forward-thinking teachers in the institution. By the time I finished my degree, the seminary had eliminated that position and has not since had a department of religious education.
For my entire career, I have been active in Christian Education programs, groups and activities. After graduation I became certified as a specialist in Christian education. I was very active in the Association of United Church Educators, serving on its national board and publishing and editing its first website. I attended every national and regional youth event during their first half of my career. I counseled at camp and served as director of youth camps. I have written for five major curricula of the church, including writing more sessions for 15-18 year olds for Seasons of the Spirit than any other author. I also have served as a curriculum editor and edited the first (an to date only) on-line curricula published by the United Church of Christ. I served the national setting of our church as an educational consultant for the entire tenure of that program.
I’ve always seen myself as a sort of education person.
But I have never seen that as different from the work of every pastor. In our denomination, we are ordained as “pastor and teacher” and we promise to “preach and teach” the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The role of teacher is not somehow secondary to that of preacher in our theology. It is in our practice. Quite frankly, we could not have raised my family and sent our children to college on the salaries of Christian educators. My salary as senior minister is about double th salary of a Christian education specialist with similar experience and education. That inequity in salary, however, never really bothered me, though I have done a lot of advocacy to have educator’s salaries and benefits raised. I wasn’t bothered, because I saw the work of senior minister to be the work of education. I have always seen worship as the primary Christian education experience offered by the church. Knowing that parents and grandparents are the primary teachers of faith to children, worship was our primary way of “teaching the teachers.”
Along the course of my career, the language has changed. Christian Education, Sunday School, and even teaching are no longer terms that are employed much in the national settings of the church. The current buzz words are “Faith Formation.” I like to continue to add the word, and refer to it as Christian Faith Formation. As an old school teacher, I still see value in the use of teacher. Jesus, after all, was given the title “rabbi” which means teacher. But I can live with the changes in language.
Revising my thinking about worship as the primary faith formation experience of the church, however, is a bigger challenge for me. There are contemporary speakers and authors who are getting a lot of attention in church circles who are questioning the relevance of worship in the 21st century church. They speak of online community formation and see social networking and other tools of the Internet as replacing traditional gatherings. “Why drive a half hour for a meeting, followed by another half hour drive, when you can sit in the comfort of your own home and connect with others on your computer or tablet device?”
I can still answer that question. Because the time driving is time available for thinking and face-to-face meeting is not filled with the distractions of multi-tasking on your device. I see no particular reason to offer a form of Christian faith that doesn’t involve commitment and the invitation to always go for the form of faith with the lowest commitment is not appealing to me. I don’t see the future of the church as a community that doesn’t care who is and who is not participating and has no concern for really getting to know one another.
I can’t fathom a community that is unable to respond to grief with a hug.
Still, there are some excellent examples of online community. Caring Bridge is a very supportive and prayerful way of staying connected with those going though major medical procedures and recovery. I have treasured the ability to offer prayers and support through that forum and have been able to remain connected with those in distant locations through the media. Most of my connections with my colleagues in Christian Education are over the computer in these days when we don’t have the funding to get together in person.
Educators need to embrace new media and use it inappropriate ways for teaching. Just as the printing press, radio and television have become important tools for teaching and learning, soo to is the Internet. We must, however, continue to see the difference between the media and the message. Marshall McLuhan non withstanding, the stories of our people existed before printing. Some of which existed before written language. The computer is no more the content of our faith than was the blackboard on which my professor wrote. It is a tool for our work.
And, as old school as it may be, I will still see face-to-face, in the same room worship as the primary opportunity for sharing that faith with others. And, I am confident, ours isn’t the last generation to recognize the importance of worship.
For my entire career, I have been active in Christian Education programs, groups and activities. After graduation I became certified as a specialist in Christian education. I was very active in the Association of United Church Educators, serving on its national board and publishing and editing its first website. I attended every national and regional youth event during their first half of my career. I counseled at camp and served as director of youth camps. I have written for five major curricula of the church, including writing more sessions for 15-18 year olds for Seasons of the Spirit than any other author. I also have served as a curriculum editor and edited the first (an to date only) on-line curricula published by the United Church of Christ. I served the national setting of our church as an educational consultant for the entire tenure of that program.
I’ve always seen myself as a sort of education person.
But I have never seen that as different from the work of every pastor. In our denomination, we are ordained as “pastor and teacher” and we promise to “preach and teach” the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The role of teacher is not somehow secondary to that of preacher in our theology. It is in our practice. Quite frankly, we could not have raised my family and sent our children to college on the salaries of Christian educators. My salary as senior minister is about double th salary of a Christian education specialist with similar experience and education. That inequity in salary, however, never really bothered me, though I have done a lot of advocacy to have educator’s salaries and benefits raised. I wasn’t bothered, because I saw the work of senior minister to be the work of education. I have always seen worship as the primary Christian education experience offered by the church. Knowing that parents and grandparents are the primary teachers of faith to children, worship was our primary way of “teaching the teachers.”
Along the course of my career, the language has changed. Christian Education, Sunday School, and even teaching are no longer terms that are employed much in the national settings of the church. The current buzz words are “Faith Formation.” I like to continue to add the word, and refer to it as Christian Faith Formation. As an old school teacher, I still see value in the use of teacher. Jesus, after all, was given the title “rabbi” which means teacher. But I can live with the changes in language.
Revising my thinking about worship as the primary faith formation experience of the church, however, is a bigger challenge for me. There are contemporary speakers and authors who are getting a lot of attention in church circles who are questioning the relevance of worship in the 21st century church. They speak of online community formation and see social networking and other tools of the Internet as replacing traditional gatherings. “Why drive a half hour for a meeting, followed by another half hour drive, when you can sit in the comfort of your own home and connect with others on your computer or tablet device?”
I can still answer that question. Because the time driving is time available for thinking and face-to-face meeting is not filled with the distractions of multi-tasking on your device. I see no particular reason to offer a form of Christian faith that doesn’t involve commitment and the invitation to always go for the form of faith with the lowest commitment is not appealing to me. I don’t see the future of the church as a community that doesn’t care who is and who is not participating and has no concern for really getting to know one another.
I can’t fathom a community that is unable to respond to grief with a hug.
Still, there are some excellent examples of online community. Caring Bridge is a very supportive and prayerful way of staying connected with those going though major medical procedures and recovery. I have treasured the ability to offer prayers and support through that forum and have been able to remain connected with those in distant locations through the media. Most of my connections with my colleagues in Christian Education are over the computer in these days when we don’t have the funding to get together in person.
Educators need to embrace new media and use it inappropriate ways for teaching. Just as the printing press, radio and television have become important tools for teaching and learning, soo to is the Internet. We must, however, continue to see the difference between the media and the message. Marshall McLuhan non withstanding, the stories of our people existed before printing. Some of which existed before written language. The computer is no more the content of our faith than was the blackboard on which my professor wrote. It is a tool for our work.
And, as old school as it may be, I will still see face-to-face, in the same room worship as the primary opportunity for sharing that faith with others. And, I am confident, ours isn’t the last generation to recognize the importance of worship.