Most Christian educators understand that the members of their congregations do not learn in the same way, have the same developmental and spiritual needs, or have the same level of moral reasoning. Stage theories of development are useful tools for tailoring teaching methods and making sure you offer a variety of different kinds of activities. I have also found that in progressive congregations, there are frequently several groups of adults, each with their own familiarity with and acceptance of progressive spirituality, and their educational needs or interests vary as well. Here are 7 of them...

December is an exciting time to teach Sunday School. The Christmas story is familiar to most children and they enjoy celebrating Christmas. Part of the reason that children enjoy Christmas is that they like getting presents. I had a second grade boy tell me this week, “The best part of Christmas is getting new toys!” Although some of this behavior is age-appropriate, it does present a challenge for Sunday School teachers. How do you keep the “gimmes” under control and help the children in your Sunday School class realize that there is more to Christmas than getting presents?

Have you ever been in a church meeting that went on and on with little being accomplished? Meetings like that are often evidence that the members are afraid to fail. Ever seen a teacher who literally reads every classroom instruction directly from the curriculum? Again, that behavior is frequently rooted in a fear of failure. "Failure sucks, but instructs" is a motto that Bob Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, often tells his students. But just what does failure teach us, and how do we ensure that our teachers and leaders a) know it's OK to fail and b) learn the right things from their failures?

"Failing forward" is a popular term in business circles. The idea is that you aren't learning anything if you keep making the same mistakes again and again. (Sounds a lot like my golf swing!) But if you make new and different mistakes, then that's evidence that you are doing and learning something new, because failure is a natural part of life. So, we need to "fail forward," to be ready to goof up and then learn—quickly—from our mistakes.

Going off on a tangent. Chasing rabbit trails. Veering off course. Whatever the terminology, all teachers are familiar with the reality that discussions often get off topic. What's a teacher to do when that happens? Go with the flow, ignore the off-topic comments, force the conversation back to the main topic, or something else entirely? Knowing how to deal with tangents is a skill that is acquired with experience.

Sometimes, tangents take the conversation in a more serious or personal direction, such as when a youth group begins to open up and share personal stories and raw emotions. When that happens, the wise teacher may, if time allows, set aside the planned conversation in favor of the more pressing need. At other times, tangents are clearly superfluous, and a good leader will recognize that and redirect the conversation.

But often, teachers may have a valid reason for wanting to keep a group on topic in order to keep discussions from becoming frivolous or argumentative. In addition, tangents can take a discussion in a direction for which a teacher has not had adequate time to prepare, such as when someone brings up a question about a biblical passage or topic that the teacher has not studied.

In the minds of many, Christian Education is synonymous with Sunday School. Certainly Sunday School is one place that Christian Education takes place. But many more opportunities for Christian Education exist! Besides the Sunday School classroom, where else does Christian Education occur?

To consider this question, it may be helpful to begin by defining what Christian Education is and reviewing its purpose. It is likely that every person involved in Christian Education would offer a slightly different definition and purpose. Here are my ideas. (I invite you to offer your own ideas by posting a comment.)

Many churches give their Sunday School teachers (and other volunteers) a gift at Christmastime. If your church does this, now is a good time to begin thinking about the gifts you will give this year. If your church has not given Sunday School teachers a Christmas gift before, this year is a good time to begin. By Christmas, your teachers have been giving of their time on Sunday mornings for four months. Christmas is a good opportunity to remind them their efforts are appreciated!

In this final part of this series (if you missed them, here are part 1 and part 2) I'll offer some tips for engaging men in educational settings, in a quick list form. As with any ministry, there is no one approach or ministry that will work in every setting or with all men. This list hopefully will get you thinking about your own educational ministries—both what you're already doing and what you could easily add.

• Use physical educational methods. Give men opportunities to be active.
• Don’t call your Sunday morning learning opportunities “Sunday school.”
• If something is going to be longer than 60 minutes, consider adding an “intermission” in the middle. Likewise, remember that men tend to have shorter attention spans than women.
• Don’t be afraid of competition.
• Encourage mentoring relationships with youth, young adults, and new Christians.
• Emphasize projects more than programs.

In the first part of this series, I provided some discouraging statistics about the gap in presence and participation between women and men, and I encouraged you to begin thinking about your own Christian education ministries and who you most reach. This week, I'll touch on the theological concepts that might undergird your men's ministries. Obviously this space is limited, so I encourage you to do further reading on your own in the recommended books listed below.

There are not a lot of Christian education books that adequately address gender differences between men and women and how to effectively minister equally to both groups. Those who go looking for information on male spirituality will undoubtedly quickly come across David Murrow's Why Men Hate Going to Church, a book with some interesting and useful research and ideas but a rather simplistic theology about gender. Murrow contends that the decline in men in the church is because the church has been "feminized" and that the best way to get men involved in the church again is to emphasize risk, reward, accomplishment, heroic sacrifice, action, and adventure in its programming (which of course derive from his simplistic understanding of Jesus' life.)

One of the defining characteristics of progressive Christianity is its inclusiveness. Following Jesus’ example, we attempt to remember that God’s love is extended to everyone, regardless of gender, race, age, political affiliation, economic status, sexual orientation, intellectual ability or any other classification that we, as humans, use to describe ourselves. All means all. Finding resources that reinforce this message can sometimes be challenging. (See Questions to ask your curriculum to evaluate how your current curriculum measures up.) Today and tomorrow I will be sharing two excellent resources that are available for use by congregations and Sunday School teachers to encourage acceptance of persons with special needs.

Like many children, I grew up with a masculine image of God. For the first twenty years of my life, I only heard God referred to as Father or He. It is true that God is like a loving and forgiving father. The image of God as a father figure allows us to understand a part of God. Yet God is so much more! God is an incomprehensible mystery; no image can adequately describe all the characteristics of God.