It never fails. As soon as I plan a Teacher Training Event for Sunday School teachers, one of the teachers approaches me and asks, “Is it really necessary that I come to this meeting?” The reasons that they seek to be excused vary from, “I have taught Sunday School for 25 years,” to “I don’t want to come to another meeting.” No matter which words they use, I hear the underlying question, “What’s in it for me?”

I’m guessing that anyone who has planned a Teacher Training Event has had this same experience. I’d be interested in hearing how you respond. (You can leave a comment here.) I respond by informing the teacher that he or she is an adult and must make the decision about whether or not to attend. (I refuse to give anyone permission to miss the Teacher Training Event.) Then I follow up with reasons I believe his or her attendance would be beneficial.

As the end of July approaches, a Christian Educator’s thoughts turn to Fall Sunday School, which entails ordering curriculum, recruiting Sunday School teachers and scheduling a teacher training event. Of those three things, the first two must be done, but it may be tempting to leave out teacher training or postpone it until life is less busy. (And when would that be?) I encourage you to resist this temptation. A teacher training event can be a helpful and positive way to equip your teachers for a new Sunday School year.

Here are some “back-to-basics” essentials that may be included in a beginning of the year teacher training event. Note that I have avoided calling it a teacher training meeting. Few of us want to attend another meeting!

In last week's Monday blog/email, I suggested you reflect on two images or metaphors of the youth ministry leader: counselor, and coach. In general, the coach imagery is probably better for most youth leaders. Today I'll share with you a 4-step process a coach-like leader might use in his or her ministry: Prepare - Act - Reflect - Return.

A great coach makes use of each of these four elements in his or her job and expects that the players will make them a regular part of their experience, too. Players learn fundamentals, watch films of practices or games, study play books, do their strength training and conditioning, and so on. All of this comes together during the game, as an athlete does what they are trained to do. As Dennis Waitley, a sports psychologist who has worked with many US Olympians has said, Olympians don't try to win when they compete; they already know how. Instead, they simply repeat what they have practiced time and time again. Afterwards, they will study video footage to further improve their technique, then return to play again.

We too can follow this pattern in our ministry with youth.

Are the youth ministry leaders in your congregation blessed with a meaningful image for their ministry? By that I mean, what is the dominant "picture" you want them to have of their ministry role, and is it an expressive one? Two common ones are youth leader as counselor and as coach.

The term counselor is a common one at many summer camps (where the relationship is short-term), but it may not be the one you want to use in your congregation. Many youth associate the term with school guidance counselors or therapists, and the youth leader who thinks of herself as a "Youth Counselor" may understand her dominant role to center around listening, giving advice, or helping youth deal with personal problems. All of these are certainly elements of the youth leader's ministry, and a good youth leader will want to develop her skills in attentive listening, asking thoughtful questions, and assisting youth to make good choices. However, unless a leader is a professional, "counseling" youth can easily cross emotional boundaries and lead to an abuse of power if leaders try to "fix" youth or get too close to the youth.

A child comes bursting out of the Sunday School classroom proudly waving tissue paper flowers in one hand. “Look what I made!” the child exclaims. The parent responds with suitable admiration.

At lunch that day, with the tissue paper flowers residing in a place of honor on the table, the parent asks, “Why did you make tissue paper flowers in Sunday School today? What was the lesson about?”

“I don’t know,” is the reply, accompanied by a shoulder shrug.

I've had food on my mind lately, and not just because I'm counting calories. When you live in a state dominated by agriculture, it's hard to avoid the topic. Conversations about the state of the crops fill the noon hour on the radio (did you know that global warming may be reducing wind speeds, which in turn causes crops to overheat?), and the two CSAs I belong to give me weekly opportunities to connect with people who are passionate about local food.

But the primary reason I'm thinking about food is that I'm leading a team that is planning an event called, "All Ames Eats Together." The idea came about when the fundraising committee of an assistance organization in my town started talking about the dip in donations that happens this time of year. Since we give out Healthy Food Vouchers, we are aware that talking about healthy food is very important when thinking about poverty issues. And indeed, any community that talks incessantly (as Ames does) about "progress" towards a new mall, if the city should buy up houses to add turn lanes at a major intersection, and whether or not to cut recess and art from the school schedule certainly should engage in a vigorous conversation about the most basic topic around: food security.

Many new (and even experienced) teachers find it hard to view silence as an ally. I remember my first experiences as a teacher, and my tendency was to jump in very quickly if no one answered my questions. I would either restate the question ("Surely they must have just not understood me!" I thought) or I would just provide the answer, much like the iconic teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (though hopefully I was at least less boring!) Silence, I believed, was the enemy of good conversation. In truth, it was produced out of my own anxiety.

Over time, I have grown to recognize that silence is valuable in the classroom. After I ask a question, I am not anxious when an answer is not immediately forthcoming. The silence gives students time to think before responding, and it tends to lead to better discussion because answers come from a deeper place within.

I have been visiting quite a few churches lately, and I've been struck at how many did an incredibly poor job of publicizing their Christian education/faith formation opportunities the week that I visited. For example, a few congregations that had their Sunday school hour before their worship hour did not give any hint in their bulletin about what options were available, the topics had been studied that week, what was coming up next week, or even where the classes met. 

For many congregations, summertime is a bit more laid back where Christian education is concerned, making the months of June and July ideal for fall planning. As you work on your teacher recruitment or curriculum choices, be sure also to put some thought into your publicity plan—with attention both to how you'll reach your "regular" members and those who are simply checking out the congregation. Here are some questions to get you started.

Names

Many teachers are not aware that biblical names for people and places (especially in the Old Testament) have significant meanings that are not obvious in English. Our translations contain the proper names for the persons and places, and as a result we can easily miss much of the humor or irony present in the original Hebrew.

One way to demonstrate this to teachers is to read through a section of Genesis, such as Genesis 25:19-28 or 29:31-35 together, and have them learn to use the footnotes to identify the meaning of the names. Once they see the connection, reread the passage aloud, substituting the meaning of the name for the name itself. For example, Genesis 25:25 in the NRSV is, "The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau." but you would instead read this as, "The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Red and Hairy." Encourage the teachers to read the text this way in class settings for fun!

Do you have your Sunday School teachers lined up for this fall? Yes, I know you just wrapped up a year of Sunday School. I know you are busy planning summer activities, including Vacation Bible School. But spending a little bit of time now thinking about fall Sunday School can result in a lot less stress come August. Here are three ideas for recruiting Sunday School teachers.