Christian Education in the Small Membership Church
Karen B. Tye
Chapter Three Review by The Mustard Seed
“When we think about where and when
we educate in the church, our mode seems to be the hour on Sunday morning we
have labeled “Sunday School.”…Assuming that Sunday School is the primary
educational context prevents us from seeing other possibilities for the where
and when of education in the church.” (p. 41)
As we learned in earlier chapters,
Christian education in the small membership church often occurs in various
times and places other than traditional Sunday School. “Christian education
happens whenever and wherever the church meets, eats, worships, works, learns,
plays, cares, and serves.” (p. 42). So, let’s discuss three contexts,
including Sunday School, where education is happening in the small membership
church (and hopefully in churches of all sizes): Sunday School, Worship, and
events in the life of the church and community.
Sunday School
In Chapter 2, the author mentioned
that the small membership church must creatively structure Sunday School to
accommodate smaller numbers of students. How do we approach this? Keep in mind
that lack of numbers or limited space does not have to be a problem, especially
if we imagine school in different ways, such as the one-room school and homeschooling.
“Older children learn by helping the younger ones. The younger children learn
by observing the older ones…The likelihood of personal attention increases as
the teacher has more time to move among the students and interact with the
children who need it.” (p. 43)
The one-room school model requires
space, but not a lot of space. The space needs to be open and have flexibility,
be colorful and visually interesting. Teachers are necessary, but consider
forming a teaching team rather than a single adult overseeing everything. Older
children can be paired with younger children as a “faith buddy” (p. 43) and
work together in class. When it comes to resources, continue to think
creatively. In a church, no matter its size, “there is a wealth of gifts and
talents waiting to be tapped. There are storytellers, artists, musicians, good
cooks, carpenters, jacks- and jills-of-all-trades…Once we stop thinking about
what we don’t have and begin to see what we do have, we will find the resources
we need!” (p. 44)
By using a homeschooling model for
Christian education, we are reminded that “parents are the primary religious
educators of their children and that we need to help them with this privilege
and responsibility.” (p. 45) Often, existing curriculum can be adapted into
take-home packets for parents and grandparents to use with their children when
discussing our Faith at home.
Worship
Worship and education cannot be seen
as two separate functions. “Because worship is sometimes the only time a small
membership church gathers, being aware of the educational opportunities in
worship and how to make the best use of them is critical.” (p. 46) An
important task for educators in a small membership church is to help our
students understand the symbols (often seen in icons or inside the altar) and
gestures they will see in the worship space, and what these symbols and
gestures represent. Next, educators should recognize that “the way we worship
is teaching us, too.” (p. 47) Students need to understand why we participate in
the Liturgy in the ways we do so that they will intentionally participate based
on firm knowledge of the Faith. For more information on how to encourage student
participation in the Liturgy, visit the Antiochian Orthodox Christian
Department of Education's blog, Orthodox Christian Parenting, for a full
article and additional resources. “The Orthodox
Church considers all of its members, including children, to be an important
part of the Church’s life. Therefore it follows that even the children are
needed to do this work/give this offering. So, if it is important that every
member of the parish participate in this work/offering, but if it is a
challenge even for adults to be fully present and engaged, what can be done to
help the children?” https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/on-helping-children-to-participate-in-the-divine-liturgy/
Events
“Core events [represented in the
Liturgical calendar], unique congregational events, transitional events, and
wider community events are all places in the life of the small membership
church where education is happening, whether we realize it or not. Taking
advantage of these natural gatherings and groupings, we can be more intentional
about these contexts as places of education.” (p. 52) We can teach formally and
informally during these events. It’s important to note that these events
naturally allow inter-generational involvement, which we have learned is a
strength of the small membership church. Being aware, being mindful, and
being intentional of the educational opportunities present at these events will
offer many possibilities for meaningful and creative Christian education.
Further Reflection (p. 54)
Pick an event important in the life
of the congregation.
- In what ways are you currently
educating through this event?
- What might be done to enhance
the teaching and learning?
- What steps need to be taken to
help this happen?
Summary
- We must look beyond Sunday
School as the only time for Christian education to take place and instead
see that the where and when of Christian education in the small membership
church is everywhere and all the time.
- Yes, we should strive to
improve our Sunday School, perhaps by considering non-traditional models
such as the one-room school and homeschooling, while at the same time
becoming aware that other natural settings in the context of Christian
education in the small membership church are worship and parish events.
Up Next...
Are you now wondering in what ways
we can apply the what, who, where, and when for a result of how to correctly
and effectively do Christian education in the small membership church? There
are many factors to consider and the next post will introduce new, necessary
components of successful Christian education and discuss how these components
build upon what we've already covered to produce a Christian education model
that can be fine-tuned for your parish's unique and individual needs.
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