What is Christian Education? Susan Reed is spearheading our Children & Family program development and reflects with us on this topic.

3 children working with the story of Jesus' baptism. Why do YOU think the River Jordan needed a tributary here? Who knows for sure...

Often I see parents who expect that the instruction their children get at church in the stories and traditions of faith will be enough to see them through life. Unfortunately, this is just not true. No matter what program or curriculum you have or how good your teachers and staff members are, it is just not enough. Real Christian education occurs on a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis as you raise your kids with strong values and an openness to how you live out and struggle with your own faith.

Of course, I’m a Sunday School teacher and a leader in our “Christian Education” program (we call it our Children & Family program) at FCC Pomona, so I obviously believe in the importance of having a structured program within the life of the congregation. However, it can not, nor should it attempt to, replace or fulfill all the needs for faith development in your child’s life.

For the average Christian, however, only about 1/7th of your life is spent in corporate worship & your church community. Maybe a bit more if you’re really active, or less if you’re not. What about the other 6 days of the week? How do you learn (and teach your children) what it means to worship God in your daily life? How do you live our your values of non-violence when the school bully has made you lose all your friends? How do the books and television and friends and family and society that you expose yourself (and your kids) to encourage them to grow in their faith? This kind of ‘on-the-ground’ Christian Education can only happen in the moment.

Instead, the structured education that happens in Church for children and teens should be (in my opinion) around how to BE Church. Why are the banners sometimes purple and sometimes blue? Why and how do we pray? How do I learn to worship? Learning how to worship God, learning and hearing the stories of faith, learning how to participate in the Body of Christ, learning how to relate with people of all ages and background with love. These are the things that I believe Christian Education in a church setting should, in its best moments, teach.

The best part is that children get this stuff at an instinctual level. Give them the tools and the space to develop and the level of theological depth they can display will astound you.

I love so much to watch as kids in the Worship & Wonder program “get it” as they work with the stories they’ve heard.

One kid has a favorite story, the parable of the Good Shepherd. The bulk of the story’s material comes from Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd”).

When he first started to work with this story, the ‘rails’ that make the sheep fold were train tracks, and his action figure (a Transformer named Bumblebee) was a part of the sheepfold. These were things that were important to him and foremost in his mind at the time, so it was natural for him to include them in his story. I loved seeing how he would “blast” Bumblebee out of the “Places of Darkness” and back to the sheepfold. He got it even then.

Over time, the way in which he works with the story has changed, without any need for intervention by teachers. Occasionally he’ll ask questions about the story, but mostly he just works with it on his own.

Now, as he works with this story, he starts by identifying and naming each sheep (one for each member of his family, plus one for whoever else is on his mind that day – and it’s always someone different). Then the Good Shepherd leads them through the story- green pastures, cool waters, through places of darkness – and back to the sheepfold. Then each sheep is tucked safely away. Occasionally a sheep is ‘lost’ or left behind by the water or in the places of darkness and must be found, but they all make it safely back to the fold before he puts the story away.

Talk about prayer. And worship.

Another, older, child in the group’s favorite story is, of all things, the story that talks about the different seasons of the church year. It’s my LEAST favorite story because I find it boring. However, she’s worked with this story so much, I KNOW she knows more about liturgical colors, seasons and the meaning of both of those better than 99% of the adults sitting in the pews. Do YOU know why Advent and Lent are the same colors? Do YOU know how many (at most) weeks occur between Christmas and the beginning of Lent? (9)

Neither did I. She taught me that. Talk about Christian Education.

...Wondering questions…

I wonder what your experiences of Christian Education have taught you about what it means to “BE Church”?

I wonder who (or what) taught you about God?

Marc Roark is a member of FCC Pomona and a teacher of law at University of La Verne Law School. He is working on a research project and needs our help. Please read his request.

Thank you for considering this short 8 question survey.  The survey is considering how people remain over long periods of time in certain church seats, and the impact of doing so culturally.  These survey responses are part of a wider study on how people designate areas in which they have no legal interest, but treat those areas as if they had a protectable legal interest.  Congregants choosing their seats in a sanctuary are just one group that I am considering in this wide ranging study.   I am asking you to take this survey which can be completed online. The survey is one page and can be found through the link below.

I am happy to share the results of my study once completed.  Thank you for your time.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WQC25QP

Marc L. Roark

Assistant Professor of Law

University of La Verne College of Law

320 East D. Street

Ontario, CA 91764

Office: (909) 460-2059

Cell: (909) 433-1537

mroark@laverne.edu

marc.roark@gmail.com