I recently had a discussion with a youth Sunday School teacher concerning his frustration with how youth Sunday School was going. He was out of ideas about how to engage the youth and maintain their interest and attention. During our discussion, he admitted that the activities the class had done consisted mostly of presentation of a topic and discussion, with an occasional video thrown in. This didn’t surprise me. First of all, I know this teacher well, and these methods are his preferred learning styles. (I don’t fault him or any teacher for favoring activities that appeal to his or her learning methods. It is a natural tendency, but one of which we must be aware.) Secondly, many youth and adult classes use these methods of learning.

The public library is one of the best resources available to a Christian educator. In fact, there are so many good reasons to use your local library that I think it's worth scheduling a weekly or bi-weekly time to work from there, as I do most weeks. (My wife, though, firmly believes our library needs to have a smaller limit on the number of items one can have checked out!) Here are some of the reasons I hang out there so frequently.

Regardless of whether you are teaching a story from the Old or New Testament, it is important to keep in mind that the story was not originally written down for you or me or our students. The intended audience for the Bible when it was written was different from us in many ways. They lived in a society with different customs, lifestyles and expectations. They wore different clothes, ate different foods and had different occupations (no computer programmers back then). For these reasons, it is important when teaching Bible stories to keep context in mind.

What makes Sunday School at a progressive church different than Sunday School at other churches? It is not necessarily the curriculum that is used in Sunday School, but the manner in which it is taught that sets a progressive Sunday School ministry apart from its counterparts.

Our motto at Different Voice is: “Embrace life. Nurture Spirituality. Inspire change.” These are also worthy goals for a progressive Sunday School ministry. In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, I explored ways that progressive Sunday School ministries embrace life and nurture spirituality.

A progressive Sunday School ministry also inspires change.

What makes Sunday School at a progressive church different than Sunday School at other churches? It is not necessarily the curriculum that is used in Sunday School, but the manner in which it is taught that sets a progressive Sunday School ministry apart from its counterparts.

Our motto at Different Voice is: “Embrace life. Nurture Spirituality. Inspire change.” These are also worthy goals for a progressive Sunday School ministry. In Part 1 of this series, I explored ways that progressive Sunday School ministries embrace life.

A progressive Sunday School ministry also nurtures spirituality.

Many congregations offer only one worship service, preceded or followed by a Sunday school hour. Those who have two services generally hold Sunday school between them. Either way, when the time comes to add a new class for adults (something you really should be doing regularly!), the assumption tends to be that it should meet during the Sunday school hour. However, you might want to experiment with adding that class at another time: the hour before or after the service that is not already dedicated to Sunday school. Why? Here are 6 reasons. 

A few weeks ago, I was asked by a long-time Christian educator what trends were emerging in Christian education. Little did he know that trend-watching is a subject I took a significant interest in many years ago, so I was more than happy to respond with a list of some of the trends I am watching or expecting to develop. Each of the ten trends below has implications for faith formation in your congregation, so I encourage you to take this list and discuss it with your ministry boards and staff.  In truth, some of these trends have been around for several years now, I'd say, but they are beginning to move from the larger congregations to the mid-sized and smaller churches. 

After you read my list, post a comment and tell me about the Christian education trends you are noticing in your corner of the world. Agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your opinion! (I'll run a Part 2 with some additional trends based on your feedback and ideas.) 

What makes Sunday School at a progressive church different than Sunday School at other churches? Given that there are limited options available for progressive curriculum, particularly for children, in many cases progressive congregations are using “mainstream curriculum”. (We await, with anticipation, the children’s curriculum being developed by The Center for Progressive Christianity.) Therefore, it is not the curriculum that is used in Sunday School, but the manner in which it is taught that sets a progressive Sunday School ministry apart from its counterparts.

Our motto at Different Voice is: “Embrace life. Nurture Spirituality. Inspire change.” These are also worthy goals for a progressive Sunday School ministry. In this three part series, I will explore in more depth what this might look like.

Several of the programs on my computer open with a pop-up window informing me of the “tip of the day”. Every time I use the program I am offered short, concise information about the program’s capabilities, possibilities or time-saving shortcuts. Some of these tips contain information that I either already know, or do not need. However, many times, I am reminded of something that I knew at one time or I learn something new! I admit that I usually don’t watch the tutorials or read the “getting started” information when I put a new program on my computer, but I do read these tips. It only takes a short amount of time to read the tip or to close the window when the information does not apply to the way I use the program.

The start of the year is a perfect time to evaluate your Christian education model. You'll need plenty of time to make significant changes, so starting an evaluation process in January will help you to be ready to launch something new in August or September. Your Christian education model is composed of several parts, including your:

• assumptions about and theology of faith formation
• plan or process for “doing” the ministry of Christian education
• curriculum you use or develop
• training plan for your teachers and leaders
• process for the administrative details of communication, tracking involvement, and evaluation