Value versus Cost

What is the connection between the value we assign to something and its cost?

Some might think that the more something costs (a diamond ring, for example, or an oil painting), the more valuable it will be to the person who possesses it.

For all too many Sunday School leaders today, I fear that the reverse is true: the less the Sunday School material costs, the more value it will have for the leaders in question.

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't believe that trends toward black and white reproducible student material and free curriculum available on the Internet are all about improved educational experience for the students. It seems to be about cost.

No one needs multi-carat diamonds or Van Goghs to teach God's Word. The ideal, it seems to me, is to find the best material (in theological and educational terms) that you can afford.

Sacrificing educational and theological quality for lower cost has significant negative potential.

God bless you with wisdom to make good curriculum choices as you teach His children His Word.

Music's Place in the Sunday School

The music of Christmas is ringing in my ears, literally and figuratively.

On this eve of the Nativity celebration, I've been to church every day for almost a week. I've heard traditional hymns accompanied by piano, organ, and orchestra; I've heard contemporary renditions of familiar and unfamiliar Christmas music sung by a guitar-led praise band and by a throng of children singing to a contemporary recorded accompaniment track. As I type this blog post, I'm listening to an eclectic list of Christmas music used as part of "The Advent Project," a devotional site produced by Biola University.

Where Are You Headed? Where Are You Going?
Note that these are two very different questions. The first is very intentional. The second allows considerably more latitude and indifference; the place you arrive is not necessarily your intention.

Have you considered what your congregation intends as it offers music in the Christian education program and opportunities for worship led by or for its children? It occurs to me that, for all too many families in our churches, the breadth of exposure to sacred music is extremely narrow. Music, especially the Church's music, may rarely be heard in the home, except as required in this season as sound track for the seasonal episodes of one's favorite TV series or program. This puts the Church in an interesting position on Sunday morning as it forms the perception and practice of sacred music for this generation and the next.

I will leave for another time the rationale for one kind of content over another. (I do caution though that, whether by design or accident, the Sunday School's choice of music will lead somewhere.) Let me offer though at least three things to consider as you choose Sunday School music, in this season and others.

• Variety: Through the centuries, thousands of musicians and song-writers have expressed their faith through music, in all kinds of settings, cultures, and circumstances. Use at least some of your Sunday morning music time to acquaint children with music expressions that are not new, but are new to them. 
• Accessibility: Provide opportunities for music participation that are geared to every age level and ability. Teach small children refrains and short segments of liturgy. Let those who cannot sing accompany music with percussion, hand chimes, and other musical instruments. Encourage participation by everyone, and join in with the children as they sing.
• Quality: Seek always to provide the best possible music experience, and challenge children to always contribute their best vocal and musical talent. Emphasize beauty, not just volume.

Martin Luther is quoted as saying, "He who sings prays twice." Let music express the Gospel, and remind the children you teach that our music is a gift of praise to God.

God's blessings as you teach God's children to sing His Word.

Choosing Curriculum (with a nod to Pastor Pete Jurchen)

I follow Pete's blog (Parish Education Group) because Pete does his homework and then distills what he has learned in a way that make sense for us in the Church. His focus is often adult Christian education, but his recent post could be very helpful to Sunday School leaders for all age groups. Pete highlights and comments on "5 Considerations When Choosing Curriculum"; you can read the whole post here.

I'd like to comment briefly on these considerations.

1. Best Practice for Knowledge. "The curriculum should be chosen by a team of people who know what they're doing and know something about what is the best content out there." It strikes me that the definition of best content may be crucial here. Sunday School is, at its heart, theological education, so the involvement of the congregation's theologian-in-residence (the pastor) would seem important. Curricula that are relational and interactive but teach heresy are not the best choice.

2. Collaborative Within the Community. "Get the stakeholders involved," not to hijack the decision, but to inform the decision makers and to inform the constituents through the decision-making process. From my perspective this can be an opportunity to educate the parents, students, and congregation members about the goals for Sunday School and the criteria being used to make the choice.

3. Focus on the Essentials. "There's way too much to try to learn in the time allotted, especially in the parish. If you had to focus on just a few essential learning goals, what would they be?" I would ask, does the curriculum seek to teach what you desire that the students learn? For Lutherans, this would seem to beg for a focus on the Gospel of salvation through Christ in every lesson, and on the Means of Grace through which God promises to share that Gospel.

4. Results Orientation. "Whatever is chosen to do should be measurable." If this is to really be a focus, I suspect the average Sunday School has a long way to go. How does the learning that takes place in the classroom become visible to those outside . . . parents and congregation members? Open houses, bulletin boards, hallway displays, Sunday School art shows . . . . What other great ideas do you have?

5. Continuous Improvement. "What's now needed  . . . is an ongoing commitment to that excellence." This presupposes a level of evaluation by teachers and leaders that, I fear seldom takes place. The simple question would seem to be "Based on this week's experience with this curriculum, how can we make next week even better?" Our culture today would seem instead to ask only, "How could this be easier?" The questions seem to be at odds.

Thanks, Pete, for helping us think on these things.

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!

Doctrinal Review, a Huge Asset

From time to time, I am asked about the impact of doctrinal review on the products we produce at Concordia Publishing House.

For those who are unfamiliar with the process, every thing that we publish at CPH is reviewed to ensure its faithfulness to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions before it is published.

• The reviewers are appointed by the office of the president of the synod. They are chosen for their theological credentials and assigned reviews for material that is within their area of knowledge and expertise; the reviewers for children's material are different from those who review our Concordia Commentary Series, for example.
• The process is completely anonymous; the reviewer is not given the names of the authors or editors of the material they review and the editor does not know who the reviewer is. All communication is handled through a highly discrete doctrinal review clerk at CPH. 
• Material can be determined to be "in agreement with Lutheran doctrine," "in agreement, but here are some suggestions for improvement," or "not in agreement" with specifics noted, suggestions made for correction, and a requirement that the reviewer see the material after it has been corrected.
• Material is never subjected to "second opinions." Once approved, the material (a hymn text, for example) may be used many times, but it is not resubmitted each time; reviewers are not invited to critique one another.
• Finally, a reviewer's decision can be appealed, but only to Synod's doctrinal review commission. Such appeals are very rare and are almost never made by the publishing house. Our goal is always to bring our material into compliance with the reviewer's decision.

It can also be noted that CPH has an internal "doctrinal review" system for artwork we commission for use in our curricula and books. Editors familiar with biblical culture ensure that illustrations depicting biblical or liturgical people and scenes do so accurately.

I've worked under this system for over twenty years, and have grown to appreciate it. On a few rare occasions, I have chaffed at having to revise an activity to accommodate a reviewer's concern. Far more often, I have given thanks that a reviewer helped me speak clearly or rescued me from putting material in print that could mislead someone or teaching something in error. The doctrinal review process guarantees that what our material teaches is the truth according to God's Word, not the truth according to Tom Nummela.

Far from having a negative impact on our ability to produce excellent material, the doctrinal review process guarantees that the material you purchase from us is the best we can make it.

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!

Thanks!

Thank You, God, for . . .

• Thousands of volunteers who teach Sunday School each week.
• Parents who bring their children to church each Sunday for worship and Bible study.
• Parents who teach the Christian faith to their children as part of their daily family routine.
• Dorothy and Carl Felten, neighbors who reached out to my brother and me during our childhood to make sure we had the opportunity to attend Sunday School. Dorothy taught my Sunday School class for at least five years in a row; Carl provided transportation and regular incentives to keep us coming back (yea for Dairy Queen!).

Thanks, God, for the blessing of teaching Your children Your Word.

What Is the Small Sunday School Problem?

It strikes me that the small Sunday School does NOT have a student population challenge.

Small can be good. Public schools complain about class sizes being too large, not too small. Children, generally speaking, thrive in one-on-one interaction with adults. Even the Sunday School that has one three year old, one third grader, and one sixth grader on Sunday morning is not too small for the Gospel to shared enthusiastically and in an age-appropriate manner.

The small Sunday School does NOT have a curriculum challenge.

Even the best curriculum in the world cannot work miracles in overcoming developmental differences among a diverse but small student population, but a curriculum that works effectively to teach thirty or forty Sunday School students can teach three students.

The small Sunday School has a teacher enlistment challenge!

To teach the one three year old, one third grader, and one sixth grader most effectively, you should probably have at least two or three teachers. The high teacher-to-student ratio, often one to one, seems extravagant to some. But, looked at from an educational perspective, it is right and necessary. (For some enlistment assistance check this previous post: http://teachgodschildren.blogspot.com/2011/08/five-steps-for-enlisting-teachers.html.)

The answer?

Make effective, Christ-centered Christian education a priority for your congregation. Impress on parents and congregational leaders the challenging reality that sometimes is does take three teachers (and three sets of teaching materials) to teach three students effectively. Refuse to take shortcuts that will short-change the education of one-third or two-thirds of your students. And know that it really is worth the effort.

Some suggestions:

• Warm up each week with student-teacher conversation. Get used to talking one on one with your student and get him or her used to talking one on one with you.
• Use activities that match your student's preferred learning styles. If he or she like to draw, use drawing as a frequent means of reviewing the Bible account. If he or she likes drama, use it, even if you both have to take several roles.
• Have extra activities in mind to extend the lesson, since one-on-one discussion often takes less time that the teacher guide allows. Look for craft activities that relate to the lesson.
• Allow the teacher (especially if it is you) to flex the lesson schedule. If you prepare this week and have no student to teach, use the lesson next Sunday. Skip next week's lesson, or in the interest of good stewardship drift behind the scope and sequence as needed. Eventually you may be able to skip buying a quarter's worth of the curriculum.
• Give one or two students all the energy and enthusiasm you would give twenty students. No whining about small class sizes.

God promises to bless as you teach His children His Word!

Why Teach the Old Testament?

The arrangement of lessons in Sunday School materials published by Concordia Publishing House incorporates four quarters, 52 lessons, from the Old Testament. Given the duplication of a few key lessons in the New Testament (especially lessons around Christmas and Easter), nearly one-half of our lessons are from the Old Testament.

Why?

It gets us in trouble with some customers, those who would really prefer that we align fully with the three-year lectionary. The Old Testament is not presented chronologically in the lectionary. Readings are usually chosen to connect in some way with the Gospel lesson and theme of a Sunday in the Church Year.

So why?

I see at least three reasons:

• The Old Testament, along with the New, is the historical account of God's relationship with His people, especially the unfolding of His plan for our salvation. Those who wish to understand and appreciate the Bible need to know the Old Testament.
• The lessons in the Old Testament are important, not because they teach about wonderful, faithful people of God, but because they point us to Jesus Christ and the salvation God accomplishes for us through Him. We study these people not as examples of their behavior, bu as examples of those with faith in Christ.
• Every account in the Old Testament can and should be tied to that salvation history and studied to see how it points us to Christ.

We are nearing the end of the current cycle of Old Testament accounts. Next fall we will return to the beginning, to the accounts of the creation of all things and especially the creation of humankind as the crown of creation.

Do you think our current scope and sequence includes enough Old Testament? Too much?

Which Old Testament accounts do you think are missing and should be included?

God's blessing as you teach His children His Old Testament Word!

All in One Room?

Our Sunday School team here at Concordia Publishing House gets occasional requests for "all in one room" Sunday School material. We talked about it again last week. We are generally not inclined to pursue it. It's not that we are insensitive to the needs of small congregations. Small Sunday Schools face many challenges and we want to help.

But we are, first and foremost, sensitive to the needs of children. Preschoolers and sixth graders in the same class just doesn’t work very well. The learning opportunities for one end of the age spectrum or the other will be lost.

We have experimented with models that test the limits of age-appropriateness. Our 2013 summer material offered just two levels: non-readers and readers; it seems to have been well-accepted. Cross Explorations and Growing in Christ can be combined to serve three levels: Early Childhood, grades 1-3, and grades 4-6. These seem to be the “functional minimums” for effective Christian education that uses volunteer teachers in the setting common to most congregations. They are the minimums our Sunday School team would like to strive for.

We have decided to work instead to provide resources (free ones if possible) that can support the small Sunday School in emphasis, volunteer enlistment, and student recruitment. Too often "all in one room" is a last resort of a congregation that is not pursuing the better, but more difficult options of emphasizing Christian education, enlisting volunteers, and reaching out to unenrolled students. The better alternate is to accept the burden of small classes that still provide age-appropriate instruction for children.

What pushes congregations you know toward "all in one room"?

What help do you think congregations need to overcome the barriers to a more robust Sunday School?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

God at Work: Changing Lives by Teaching Law and Gospel

(Following up on my last post, check out this new resource from Concordia Publishing House. TN)

YOU can change lives by teaching Law and Gospel!

This collection of 34 articles offers practical direction to help you understand God's Word of Law and Gospel and use it in your teaching, your relationships, and your life. For personal or group use, this book helps you to do the following:

• Learn the difference between Law and Gospel and why every person needs to hear both messages.
• Get better at communicating why we need a Savior, who Jesus is, and what He did for us.
• Teach lessons that move beyond facts to the heart of God and His purpose for our lives.
• Improve your biblical teaching and see it change students' attitudes and behaviors.
• Teach and model repentance, forgiveness, and service to others to show students how to live the Christian life.
• Find out what motivates your students (and you) and engage them.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

 

Teach Both . . .

We teach two basic doctrines in every Sunday School lesson, because God's teaches these two basic doctrines throughout the Bible, the Scriptures God has given us for our instruction and salvation.

Sin and grace. Law and Gospel.

A lesson that teaches only law can be curiously difficult to identify at times. It is the lesson that holds up Abraham and David and Peter as sterling examples of good people, people we should model our lives after because of their behavior instead of their faith in Christ. It is the lesson that leaves us uncertain of our salvation because we may not have learned enough, or done enough, or loved enough.

A lesson that teaches only Gospel can also sneak in. It is the lesson that lets us wallow in our self-righteousness, confident in God's love because we are better than other sinners in the world, or in our school, or in our class, when our confidence in God's love should result from faith in His Son, in the knowledge that, though we are the chief of sinners, God loves us because of His action, the sacrifice of His Son, not our action.

Sin and grace; law and Gospel. Each time you teach, teach both.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Another Once-a-Year Sunday School Building Task

Here's another step you should take to build up your Sunday School, and other schools as well.

Once a year, you should take a close look at the Sunday School material offered by your denomination's publisher.

• If you don't use their material already, you should give them an opportunity to win you over.
• If you already use material from your publisher, you should check out other material that you don't currently use, and you should look closely at the material you do use, asking how this material could be improved to serve you even better.
• In either case, you should write your evaluative comments into a letter or e-mail and send it to the publisher.

Why should you do this?

• Your Sunday School will grow through the new resources you discover, the discussions you have about what's important in your material, and the conviction that your curriculum is the best you can find.
• Your publisher is part of your church family. They are your friends. They deserve your support if you are able to give it, and they deserve your help in improving their product.
• Things change. The material you checked out in 2006 or even last year has certainly changed, hopefully for the better, based in no small part on feedback just like what you will provide.
• If the publisher is missing the mark, they deserve an opportunity to improve.
• You will almost certainly see something great that you hadn't noticed before.
• The material they publish will teach the theology that your church believes and will avoid the errors your church body seeks to avoid.
• The improvements you suggest will help your congregation. They will also help hundreds of other congregations who have the same needs.

Will they listen?

• If your church publisher is Concordia Publishing House, they will!
• Your feedback will be acknowledged within twenty-four hours.
• Your suggestions will become part of our "Voice of the Customer" database, used to guide product development.
• While not every idea can be implemented immediately, every idea has impact.

CPH has samples of both Growing in Christ and Cross Explorations available through our Web site, cph.org/sundayschool. If you want an even boarder look, a full set of samples can be sent to you for examination. We want your business; even more, we want your feedback. Click the envelop icon on our Web page, write to sundayschool@cph.org, or write to me: tom.nummela@cph.org.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

How Is Your Sunday School?

Is it dead?
About twenty percent of the congregations in our church body report having no Sunday School at all.

Is it small?
About twenty percent of the congregations in our church body report having 1 to 25 students in Sunday School.

Is it average?
About half of our Sunday Schools have 100 students or less.

Is it worthwhile?
God has promised to bless His Word wherever it is taught; He is at work blessing your Sunday School.

One not-quite-simple step each congregation should every year is to contact every family with children of Sunday School age with an invitation to Sunday School. By mail is okay; by phone or in person is even better. If you visit, take along an extra leaflet from the appropriate grade levels. Show how the Gospel is central to every lesson.

Three other important ways to support your Sunday School:

1. Hold it at a separate hour from worship; don't place these two vital ministries of your congregation in competition.
2. Offer visit-friendly adult Bible studies at the same time as Sunday School; not all your parents will be willing to volunteer in the Sunday School all the time.
3. Maintain contact with each family from the time of Baptism until the time you begin Sunday School with a Cradle/Nursery Roll program; let them know that you care about their children and are looking forward to seeing them in Sunday School when the time is right.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Have you set your VBS dates yet?

No, it's not too early. The best time to set and announce your VBS dates for next summer would have been during your VBS this past summer. Kids and adults are excited about the experience; get them to put it on their family calendars for next year. The benefits may be small but tangible. You'll have a nucleus of attendees and volunteers who will be planning their summer around those dates, guaranteeing fewer scheduling conflicts.

Have a great VBS and know that God blesses you as you teach His children His Word.

CPH's VBS for 2014 is "Gangway to Galilee!" You can get the flavor here.

Who Does the Work?

The lesson for this Sunday in the CPH Sunday School materials is about Elijah and the prophets of Baal. It teaches clearly how our students can tell whether they are hearing the Gospel or a false religion. It is all about who does the work.

Baal
The worship of Baal and all other false god's is easy to recognize. Idolatry requires me to do a lot of work. Baal's prophets sang and danced and prayed and even cut themselves with knives, seeking to gain their god's attention and favor. They did all the work; Baal did nothing. If your students leave your classroom with a larger burden than when they arrived, they didn't hear the Gospel.

True God, True Gospel
The Gospel is good news because it tell us who really does the work. Not us. We are sinful. Our work is flawed, half-hearted, selfish, or nonexistent. We do not love God with our whole heart or our neighbors as ourselves. God does not require our work, our compliance with His Law, our sacrifice. God provides the sacrifice that will fulfill His righteous Law, and His provides the gift of His means of grace, His Word and Sacraments, that we might believe and trust in Him. He shows and tells His love, sends Jesus to pay for our sins, He gives us the gift of faith in His Son through His Spirit, and through His Word and Spirit He keeps us in that faith.

Lift Their Hearts
You have the opportunity this week to lift the hearts of your students, to lighten their burden. Help them leave their load of sin at the foot of the cross. Tell them the truth of God's love and forgiveness. Send them away with His peace and joy.

What a privilege! God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

Callahan's Fifth Key to an Effective Church: Strong Leadership

(Back in 2011, I started a series of posts based on Kennon Callahan's 1983 volume, Twelve Keys to an Effective Church. My contention then, and now, is that these keys can be directly applied to your Sunday School in beneficial ways. You can see the first four posts in this series by typing the work "Callahan" into the search line above.)

Callahan calls the first six of his twelve keys "relational keys"; these characteristics impact the connections church and Sunday School participants establish with the church and with one another. He also calls them "satisfiers," things that contribute to the learner's sense of well-being and success.

Strong Leadership Resources
The strength of leadership in the Sunday School is demonstrated in three significant ways.

1. The presence of capable volunteers to lead the institution and to teach in its classrooms.
2. The existence of strategic objectives that guide those leaders.
3. Complementary relationships between the volunteer leaders and the pastors and staff.

Capable Volunteers
I've written before in this blog about the enlistment of volunteers. Let me just say here that ideals leaders are (1) able (that is predisposed by temperament, background, and ability to do the job they are enlisted for), (2) trained (no leader or teacher has all the skills and knowledge necessary from day one; training opportunities suited to the individuals interests, needs, and schedule are vital), and (3) supported (that is, given the tools, appreciation, and feedback that will ensure success).

Strategy
Teachers and leaders benefit immensely when they know the specific goals toward which they should strive. Two or three objectives are better than ten. The best objectives are those that are written, owned (constituents have input as they are formed and are offered a chance to "buy into" them), specific and measurable, and realistic (that is, theoretically possible in the time frame allowed). (Check out the first post in this series to hear more.)

Staff Leadership
The pastors and other staff called to or employed by the congregation are vital to every organization that seeks to be effective in carrying out the church's mission. The Sunday School will succeed only to degree to which the efforts of the staff and volunteers are aligned. It is important then that the pastor know and care about the Sunday School, understand and guide its mission, and support its effort . . . and that the Sunday School leaders and volunteers be aligned with and support the pastor.

Strong leadership does not happen accidentally. If you're reading this blog, you have an interest and at least some influence for Sunday School in your congregation. You can identify an area that needs improving and work, through your resources and relationship, to see it happen.

God bless you in those efforts to see that His children are taught His Word.

What is the best way to involve your pastor in your Sunday School?

How does your congregation enlist leaders and teachers for your Sunday School?

Dear Lord . . .

Hear our prayer on behalf of the Sunday School. In Your grace and mercy . . .

• Grant that all churches find children in their midst with whom to share Your Word.
• Grant to all churches willing servants to teach and direct the Sunday School.
• Bless pastors with both the desire and ability to make Sunday School a high priority in the congregation's ministry.
• Bless congregations with an abundance of gifts to support Sunday School with excellent resources.
• Teach discernment to Sunday School leaders to recognize the errors of moralism and works righteousness and to seek an appropriate balance of Law and Gospel as they choose curriculum for their teachers.
• Give parents both the desire to see their children in Sunday School each week and the willingness to attend Sunday School each week themselves.
• Give all who teacher Your Word wisdom and understanding, both of the Word and of the students they teach, so that their lessons might be effective in building Your kingdom.

We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

Just One Minute

How long would it take you to improve your Sunday School experience next week? To engage your students a little better in the study of God's Word?

Just one minute! Really. Try it. Spend one minute right now. Here are some possible one-minute "tasks" to consider.

• Pray for one of your students, the first one who comes to mind.
• Think of an activity that always seems to perk up your students and make a note (written or mental) to incorporate it into your next lesson.
• Type an encouraging e-mail to a teacher, student, or parent. (A phone call would be good too, but that might take three minutes.)
• Read the key point for your next lesson and try to commit it to memory.
• Read a Bible verse, one from the lesson text or a favorite, and consider how it applies to you and your students. "What does this mean?"
• Write one sentence about the importance of Sunday School and send it to your pastor or church secretary for inclusion in the bulletin.

Yes, even a little bit of effort can make a difference.

I'm curious, though. What did you do with your minute?

God bless you, every minute, as you teach His children His Word!

What Are You Teaching? or What Are They Learning?

Too often Sunday School teachers and leaders focus too much of their attention on the question "What shall I teach?" than on the question "What will/did my students learn?"

The "teaching" question is admittedly an important question. It is the starting place. It is where so much can and does go wrong as churches make choices about curricula or teachers make choices about activities. Without a great plan for "what I will teach," any lesson has a low chance of success.

But the "learning" question is really the crux of the matter. If I don't take time to know, to assess, what my students learn, I may well have wasted my time as a teacher. The students may have been overwhelmed, bewildered, and clueless, unable to make sense of the material, but too polite to say so. They may have been bored to tears and tuned out completely.

How do I know what they've learned? One of the easiest ways is to ask them. Dialog is a time-honored and reliable method of assessment, but it is not the only one. "Draw me a picture." "Tell me the story." "Let's take this simple quiz." All are possibilities.

How do you know they learned what you intended to teach?

What is your most successful means of assessment?

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!

How Is Your Sunday School Investment Like Buying a New Car?

There is at least one congregation out there that, over the past several years, has invested in a Sunday School curriculum that was published on CDs. Each quarter, for each level, for the length of time it took to cover the "scope and sequence" of this curriculum, the congregation invested several hundred dollars. Once they had purchased the entire set, however, their price dropped dramatically. The apparent cost of the material went to nearly zero (not counting local copying costs, but most congregations seem to count such copies as free).

Then the congregation decided to look at another curriculum, one published by my employer, Concordia Publishing House. A very obvious problem arose; they would have to go back to the days when they were paying several hundred dollars per level per quarter to purchase the new material. It looked like they would go from $99 a quarter to $1500 a quarter. I have been bugged by the price differential and struggled with how it could make sense.

This analogy came to me.

I can buy a car, finance over four years, and then pay upkeep and maintenance until it falls completely apart. I probably feel that I’m saving money for a few years when I’m not making payments. But I don’t get anything new and all the freshness that I get from the car after the first year is what I create by cleaning, waxing, and detailing the car. And eventually, I have to buy a new car. Then taking on the payments again stings a bit.

Or I can lease a car at about the same monthly payment and, after two or three years, turn it in for a new car. Or I can buy a car, finance it for three years, and, when it is paid for, buy another new car and continue the car payments at a level amount from year to year. In either case, I have to maintain level payments, but the car is newer and fresher over the long term.*

Which is better, the first scenario or the second? Perhaps neither, but they are very different. The congregation with the CD-based curriculum strikes me as that first scenario; they invested for a few years and then have taken the savings instead of getting something new. Buying Growing in Christ or Cross Explorations is a bit more like that second scenario; the investment is level year to year, more or less, and the product is continually freshened up by the editors.

There are reasons why a congregation might choose to make an ongoing investment in excellent Sunday School material. I'd say that you really do get what you pay for, but I'm paid by a publisher. Each congregation will make its own choice.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.
 

Tom

*By the way, I buy my cars that first way, and it’s time to replace my aging cars. I know that taking on the payments again is going to pinch the budget. Oh, well. The new cars will be worth it.

Are you getting the latest CPH news?

Someone forwarded a great idea to me last week: a digital newsletter about a wonderful product; both the newsletter and the product were published by a published other than the one I work for. "Why doesn't CPH do something like this?" the writer asked. "It would be so helpful!"

Of course, we do! We offer regular e-mailed newsletters to our customers in 14 different categories of resources. You can also receive information through Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, and news releases. Buttons for these by categories of information services can be found on our Web site, cph.org, in the upper left corner of the gray information box that occupies a large chunk of real estate at the bottom of each page on the Web site.

You can go directly to the "sign up for e-mail" screen by clicking this link: http://www.cph.org/t-topic-newsletters.aspx.

Visit "CPH Sunday School" on Facebook. We'd love to be liked and to hear from you.

Blessings as you teach God's children His Word.

I Wonder If Sunday School Is Destroying Satan?

A couple of weeks ago, I saw this blog post highlighted on a FaceBook page for Christian education professionals in our church body: "I wonder if Sunday School is destroying our kids?" You can read the blog post here: http://beliefsoftheheart.com/2013/07/23/i-wonder-if-sunday-school-is-destroying-our-kids-2/.

I'm irked by the post's sensational title, but I hope those who are lured to the post will read it thoroughly and digest its message, because it points to flaws in many Sunday School curricula that I also fight against, the failure to teach Jesus Christ and God's gospel message in every lesson.

At Concordia Publishing House, we are all about producing Sunday School material that nurtures the faith of children, and destroys the power of Satan, through God's Word of Law and Gospel. I pray that you will never find the errors touted in the referenced blog post in our material, and I urge to to contact us if you ever do.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

Have You Visited Yet?

I've been fascinated over the past few weeks to "watch" people like you visit our relatively new Sunday School Web site, cph.org/sundayschool. Okay, I can't really watch you literally, but as a tool to facilitate communication with our customers, visitors who download samples of our Growing in Christ or Cross Explorations material leave behind their name and e-mail address.

I can tell that we are in the heart of "it's time to choose our Sunday School curriculum for the fall." Visitors are downloading samples five or six times a day, compared to just two or three times a day last spring when the new Web site was launched.

In addition to viewing samples, there are several other reasons you might want to visit.

• Complete overviews of both curricula
• A handy comparison of the features of each curriculum
• Access to the weekly "Seeds of Faith" podcast, offering Bible background for next week's lesson
• Access to the scope and sequence of lessons
• Access to W5Online, contemporary event openings for junior high and high school classes (offered for the school year only; the next new posting will be on August 23rd)
• Quick order forms

So, check out the new Web site. I'll be watching for your.

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!

The Problem with Non-Lutheran Material

I'm sad at how frequently I hear leaders in Christian education---directors of Christian education, pastors, even synodical and district folks---freely admit to using or recommending non-Lutheran Sunday School material. Their admission is usually coupled with the assurance that they "correct the theology" in the material before allowing it to be used.

I wonder what that "correcting" looks like? Do they write a document pointing out the theological errors and suggesting ways the teacher could include the Gospel and teaching about God's Word and Sacraments? Do they hand-write clear Gospel statements onto each of the student leaflets? Do they use a black marker to cross out each activity that teaches moralism or points students to a source other than God's son as the answer for sin and the power for Christian living? Do they conduct training sessions with each of the teachers to show what is specifically wrong with the material? Do they re-write the teacher guide material so that the heterodox material is not available for the teacher to use?

I know from twenty-plus years of experience how difficult the task of correcting theology in curriculum material can be. I suspect that the assurances I hear about such correction is more wish than reality.

My advice? Don’t put non-Lutheran material into the hands of your volunteers and, for heaven’s sake, don’t send it home with children. You know the proverb that says, "One picture is more powerful than a thousand words." Non-Lutheran printed material (the picture) placed in the hands of teachers, children, and families will speak more loudly than any “theological correction” (the words) you give verbally or in other written material. It will actually teach them bad theology both in the classroom and afterward as the material finds its way into the home.

God bless you as you teach His Word, His clear Law-and-Gospel Word, to His children!

The Worship-Education Dilemma

Twice in the past week, I was reminded of the challenges that churches create for themselves by scheduling worship and Christian education simultaneously.

I gave this advice to a DCE (who, as it turned out, did not need it): "Do not schedule worship and education simultaneously. Even when the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. Families will be tempted to cut back to one hour. Adults miss Bible class, children miss worship, everybody loses.  I know that facilities cost money and when attendance grows that middle hour looks attractive for worship as well as education. My advice is don’t do it."

And I heard our senior pastor at the congregation where I am a member, during the sermon at the 9:30 a.m. worship service (and all others), the admonition that parents should not choose to worship at a time that precludes their own attendance at Bible class or deprives their children of the opportunity to be in both worship and Sunday School. (I'm sure he did not miss the irony that he was preaching in a service that take place during the congregation's Sunday School hour.)

Wise congregational leadership will address the issues raised by a crowded sanctuary in ways that will not have a negative impact on Christian education for adults and worship attendance for children. How else will children learn to worship than by doing so with their parents? What kind of example for valuing the study of God's Word is given by parents who do not study God's Word along side of, at the same time as, their children?

There will be a definite cost to keeping the hours of worship and Christian education separate. In spiritual terms, however, I believe it will be less than the cost of placing worship and Sunday School in competing time slots.

God bless you as you enable God's children, children and adults, to study God's Word.

What Is Sunday School For?

How's that for a basic question? How would you answer? The answer you give, and the answers the members of your congregation give, to that question will say a lot about the philosophy behind your entire Christian education ministry.

I can think of three significant purposes for Sunday School.

Evangelization
The Sunday School is, first and foremost, a weekly opportunity to share the "evangel" (Greek for "good news") about Jesus Christ with adults and children. It is a vital message for Christians and non-Christians alike. If the Good News is not shared, if the material used teaches moralism or works righteous or only law, you are wasting everyone's time and doing more harm than good.

Education
It is not without reason that we call is "Christian education." The more we know about the Bible's message, and the better we understand it, the more our faith is nurtured and our vocation encouraged. Biblical literacy is a great defense against false doctrine and spiritual ruin.

Socialization
For children, just as for adults, the habits of weekly attendance at worship and Bible study and daily devotion and prayer are encouraged through the social and service connections we find with other congregation members. Children who know and enjoy being with their Sunday School class mates will attend more frequently, and even urge their parents to take them to church. Studies reveal that member who have at least five points of connection in the congregation will be more active and contribute more time and treasure to its welfare.

What other purposes come to mind for Sunday School?

Sunday School is not the only place that these purposes can be achieved. The family has a "first line" responsibility for nurturing children in the faith, teaching the Holy Scriptures, and bringing children to worship. But nearly every family I've encountered looks to the Church for support and assistance in these tasks.

God bless you are you teach His children His Word!

What Drives Technology Adoption?

A long discussion in a business meeting today prompts me to ask: "What drives adoption of technology in the local Lutheran Sunday School?" That answer to that question will obviously vary by location. It will also change depending on whether you talking about technology that serves the Sunday School leader, the teacher, or the student.

But here is the central issue: is it better for Concordia Publishing House to meet the customer's current preferences in terms of technology? Or should we work to move the customer to new levels of accepting and using technology, knowing that it is in the customers best interests?

Should we push our customers into using technology?
It is likely that we can provide better resources for less cost to the customer through technology: by offering product in downloadable form rather than print, or on CD, or on DVD. We can, and occasionally do, point the customer to resources available from Internet sources that enrich the educational process. But much of that is not cost-effective until there is a certain level of acceptance is reached within our customer base.

For example, in 2011, CPH offered our annual children's Christmas service products as "download only" resources. Sales fell below the previous year's, and we have numerous customers who complained of inability to access the services through the Internet; we even wound up duplicating CDs by hand of the "downloadable" product and mailing them to some customers. A sizable percentage of our annual sales of this product still come from people who order CDs rather than download the files from our Web site.

Should we wait until all our customers are ready?
One thought is that if the customer really likes and wants the product, and we offer it as downloadable only, the customers will eventually come around. They will learn the technology and processes that allow them to have the product. Of course, some of them may just go elsewhere for a comparable product.

Now in 2013, most computers sold this year will probably not even have a CD-drive. New data for that computer is almost always downloaded, and often wirelessly at that. It seems that our customers will eventually come around to downloadable resources. Do we do them any favors by delaying our own adoption of that technology?

So, I wonder . . .

Given a choice, would you rather receive a CD of music and printable files or download those resources directly to your computer from our Web site? Why?

If a product you are interested in is available only as a downloadable resource, would you buy it or would you look for something else?

How long do you think it will be until you'll be comfortable with download? Today? Next year? Never?

God bless you as you use technology to teach God's children His Word!

Who Is My Neighbor?

Okay, so here's another "Gospel" question: "Who is my neighbor?" That's the right question!

A lawyer in Jesus' day (that is, one who studied Mosaic law) asked Jesus this question in Luke 10:29. The episode begins in verse 25 with the lawyer "putting Jesus to the test."

What Jesus teaches through this familiar parable is all Law. It was told to teach this lawyer, who Luke says "was seeking to justify himself." It is told to show the man his need for a Savior from sin. No one loves God with all her heart; no one loves his neighbor as himself. We are all in need of a Savior.

Jesus does a neat job, though of showing that "neighbor" is a two-way word. The man who fell among robbers needed a neighbor ("one who shows mercy" according to the biblical lawyer). The Samaritan we call good was a neighbor ("one who shows mercy") to the man. But that Samaritan also needed a neighbor, as did the Samaritans who rejected Jesus' ministry in Luke 9:51-56. They needed the "One who shows mercy."

To one who is seeking to justify himself or herself, the parable of the Good Samaritan reads as pure Law; he or she will be condemned. But to the one who, by God's grace, is looking for neighbor, who knows the impossibility of keeping the Law, and who asks "Who is my neighbor? Who will show mercy to me?" God sends His Son.

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word of mercy and grace!

What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?

He asked the wrong question! This account of Jesus' conversation with the rich ruler appears in three of the four Gospels. The title of this post quotes the Mark and Luke accounts (Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:17-27). But the rich ruler who addressed this question to Jesus asked the wrong question.

"What must I do!" Jesus makes clear to the man, and to us, that this asks the impossible. Human beings do not have the ability to do their own salvation. We have inherited a sinful nature from our first parents. We sin in what we do and in what we do not do. If we seek to merit eternal life, we have already failed.

Jesus' response sends the man away sad.

This question is a key to teaching God's children His Word. Don't send the children you teach away sad, seeking to earn eternal life through moral living, trying to be like Jesus, and failing. Point them instead as Jesus does, to God's strength as the source of eternal life. “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

It's not what we do. It's God's amazing grace! God has done it! He sent Jesus to earn our salvation. He gives us His Word and promise. He washes us clean through our Baptism. He forgives and strengthens us through the Sacrament of the Altar.

Does the curriculum you use teach clearly about Jesus in every lesson, about God's gifts of Baptism and the Lord's Supper? Or does it send children away sad?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Advancing Grades in Summer Sunday School

Two questions:
1. Do you continue Sunday School through the summer? I think you should; you can find out why here and here.
2. Do you promote students to their next grade at the beginning of the summer or at the end?

If you don't have Sunday School during the summer, there's only one advantage to promoting early: that's if the students get the opportunity to meet their next year's teacher before the summer break. But then, when the excitement is at a high, you send them home for the summer to let the new interest die away? That doesn't make sense.

If you do have Sunday School during the summer, I think it makes sense to promote at the beginning of the summer quarter.

• Students have just been promoted in their day school or public school, some (like kindergartners, sixth graders, and eighth graders) may have actually graduated! It's a big deal! "I'm not in second grade anymore, I'm in third grade. Why does the church make be go to second grade all summer?"
• You'll have a Rally Day or Christian Education Sunday at the end of the summer. (You will right?) That's another opportunity to give your Sunday School a boost, attempt to corral those non-attending families and get them back into the Sunday School habit. If you promote at the beginning of the summer, you'll get two opportunities to make Sunday School a big deal.

Summer can be a "low" season. Use any excuse to infuse a little excitement.

(What's that you say? "Tom, why didn't you mention this a few weeks ago?" My bad. So do it on the first or second weekend of July. You can still give Sunday School a little boost this summer.)

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word this summer!

Time for a Change?

A marketing study I reviewed recently, including a broad range of denominations using curriculum from a multitude of publishers, reported an interesting finding.

Christian churches seem to change Sunday School materials about every two years on average, with many of them changing every year!

Why?

Those who prepared the report did not ask that question. What do you think?

• Is it just for something new?
• Is it because things are not working and changing the curriculum seems the best, only, or easiest fix?
• Is it because leadership changes and wants to make the change?

It makes me wonder, how many Sunday School curricula are there that would really meet the needs of a congregation seeking material that clearly teaches the Bible from a Lutheran perspective? (I know of at least two. : )

How often has your congregation changed Sunday School material?

What prompted the change?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Looking for a Change in Sunday School? Try Cross Explorations!

Last year Concordia Publishing House introduced a new form of Sunday School curriculum. It has been a hit with many congregation, but not a widely adopted as we expected. I think the news of this hybrid "large group/small group meets site rotation" just didn't get out.

If you're looking for something new for your grade one through six students check out Cross Explorations. The curriculum shares the exact same scope and sequence as Growing in Christ, so early childhood children and youth classes can still study identical Bible accounts each week. (Note: this is a September through May curriculum; for this summer check out "I Spy Salvation's Story.")

Scroll down a bit on the CE link above and view an informative video about this material.

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!

What's the Most Frequently Remembered Sunday School Curriculum?

A research report recently crossed my desk with the sad news: when asked to name a Sunday School curriculum they remembered, the most frequently mentioned was . . .

Veggie Tales!

Yes, that's the one where the talking and singing vegetables teach children to be moral citizens.

I'm sad.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word of forgiveness, life, and salvation!

Where's Jesus?

In the past two weeks, the Church has marked the festivals of Christ's ascension and the birthday of the Church on Pentecost. It has been nearly two thousand years since our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to the Church He left behind.

We know, of course, that Jesus has not left us really. He is truly in heaven, but He is also truly present with us here. It is a great comfort to know that Jesus has fulfilled the promise He made to His disciples to be with them always.

So, where is Jesus today? He is ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God. He is present with us, fully human and fully divine according to His promise. He is present in His Word and Sacraments. Wherever His Word is preached and taught, and wherever the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are administered according to His Word, Jesus is present.

He is with us in the Divine Service. And He is with us in the Sunday School classroom.

Does your Sunday School curriculum teach God's children about the Means of Grace? about Jesus' presence through Word and water, bread and wine, according to His promise?

I pray that the children you teach are not missing out on this "sweet comfort."

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

WOW! CPH Has All That?

I've heard that some congregations are looking for new Sunday School material, something that is family-friendly, recognizes the Church Year, is experiential and relational, is easy to prepar, and contributes significantly to biblical literacy.

I have good news: Sunday School material from Concordia Publishing House does all that and more!

Family Friendly: For thirty years, CPH has produced Sunday School material that is unified across all age levels. Everyone in the congregation, from the youngest to the oldest can study the same biblical text each week, each using materials and techniques that are age-appropriate. The materials incorporate take-home materials that promote family discussion and further study about the lesson. Especially, check out the "Explore More Cards," published with our Cross Explorations material but useful with either curriculum. Our materials assume that families will worship together each Sunday and we incorporate elements of the Church's worship in the lessons.

Recognizes the Church Year: CPH Sunday School material is rooted in the Church Year; major festivals are recognized and often the focus of lessons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, the Baptism of our Lord, Transfiguration, Holy Week, and Easter lessons are taught on appropriate Sundays; Reformation Day, All Saints' Day, and other festivals are noted and often incorporated into the lesson. About half of the Sunday School lessons each year teach the Bible account that is read as the Gospel in the Divine Service in congregations using the three-year-lectionary.

Experiential and Relational: CPH recognizes that children learn best by applying Scriptures to life experience. The youngest children spend time each week in activities that provide a real-life experience to which the Scriptures can be applied; lessons for older children use role play and discussion to help student apply what they learn from the Bible to their lives between Sundays.

Easy to Prepare: Each lesson has a one-page study of the theological and bibical content of the lesson, handy materials lists, scripted teacher talk (so you know what to say, even if you put it in your own words), and a simple four-part outline. In addition, a 30-minute podcast about the lesson is available each week.

Biblical Literacy: the sequence of lessons in Growing in Christ and Cross Explorations materials has been carefully designed to teach the entire narrative of salvation history over a three-year-plus period, with the most significant parts of that history (Advent, Christmas, and Easter) taught every year. Lessons repeat every third or fourth year, so that as student grow they encounter God's Word again and again in age-appropriate learning.

In addition, CPH offers consistent instruction using both Law and Gospel, lessons that are truly centered in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin, two choices of material (check them out at our new Web site: cph.org/sundayschool), realistic full-color Bible art, varied modes of instruction and story presentation, and a wealth of supplementary material.

What are you looking for in Sunday School material?

What do you think we are missing?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

What Is at the Center?

Why do some folks take so much time choosing a treat from a box of chocolates?

It's because it's all about the center, the heart, the core, the inside. We want the center to be the very best among the many choices in the box.

Sunday School lessons are also about the center! What the lesson is designed to teach! Everything else either supports the central truth of the lesson, or it is window dressing.

But I heard it again this week, that some folks actually don't care about the center of the lessons in the material they purchase for Sunday School. "It's easier to fix the theology than to add the window dressing!" Forgive me for being blunt, but that's not my experience.

If the center of the lesson, the theological point that it intends to teach, is wrong, everything essential in the lesson will be wrong as well. The introduction will introduce the error. The discussion questions will draw out the error. The activities, if they are chosen carefully, will continue to teach the error.

A moralistic lesson with a kernel of Gospel tacked on will still be, at its heart, a moralistic lesson. Unless, of course, the lesson was all window dressing in the first place.

A Sunday School teacher has twenty, or perhaps thirty, opportunities a year to teach a child about the saving truth of the Gospel, which God shares with us in Word and Sacrament. I challenge you to make each of the opportunities count. Don't settle for material that is not centered in the Gospel.

Thanks for all you do to teach God's children His saving Word!

Put on Wings with the Gospel

Nearly forty years ago, I learned a beautiful text from a rock musical by John Fisher, called The New Covenant.

"Do this and live," the Law demands,

But gives me neither feet nor hands.

A better way [the Gospel] brings:

It bids me fly and give me wings.
(© 1974 John Fisher)

This is the essence of a great Lutheran Sunday School lesson. Our sinful nature has neither the ability nor the inclination to live according to the Law; therefore the Law condemn us. Those who would trust in the Law for salvation are doomed to failure in a Romans 7:18 existence. But our salvation comes not from the Law, but from the Gospel. That which is impossible under the compulsion of the Law, God accomplishes for us through the proclamation of the Gospel: forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.

God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!

Faith in a Post-Boston World

A colleague, Mark Sengele, is teaching his high school Bible class using Life's Big Questions, God's Big Answers (CPH 203486 $7.99 on sale). He made this relevant point to his students yesterday in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombs.

Your worldview will dynamically affect how you view the event. Those who come away from the Boston news with Christian views will see a fallen world and look to their Savior for comfort, forgiveness, healing, and eternal rest. Law and Gospel.

Those without faith in Christ will seek comfort in better regulation (and perhaps tighter controls on pressure cookers). But we know that the Law is not an answer for sin. The Law cannot eliminate sinful behavior; though at times it can be an effective curb, the Law's purpose is to reveal sin, to demonstrate our shortcomings and prepare us for the Gospel promises.

We can and should support the efforts of the civil authorities to promote the health, safety, and welfare of all citizens. But we cannot trust in civil authority alone to solve the problem of sin in our world. Dealing swiftly and justly with those who hurt and kill others is a good thing. But the only antidote for sin is God's grace, shown in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, for the sins of all humankind.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word of grace!

What Can We Teach about the Boston Tragedy?

Questions may come up on Sunday from your students about the startling attack on the Boston Marathon, and the explosion in West, Texas, this week.

What is a teacher to do? 

• Point students to their very big God, who promises to care for us, His children, in all circumstances. We don't always see how He is working, but we know from the promises in His Word that this is so. Point out that God has given His own Son to ensure a joyous eternity for all who trust in Him, including victims of terror and perpetrators of the same (recalling Jesus' promise to the thief on the cross).
• Pray for those touched by this event: loved ones of those who died, those who have been hurt and are in need of healing, the first-responders, the doctors and other health care providers, and all who are touched by fear. Pray that God will heal broken lives and use every circumstance to extend His kingdom.

Concordia Publishing House has a couple of good resources you might want to consider for purchase or recommend. My thanks to Pam Nummela, my wife and colleague at CPH, for suggesting them.

• For children, a book called “I Will Not Be Afraid” by Michelle Medlock Adams (Item 562423; on sale for $4.) The book leads off with a list of fears children have, including troubles events like war. It says “God is bigger than anything, lots bigger than my fears” and reminds us about God’s presence, protection, and grace now and forever. Pam likes that it speaks in first person so a kid can say the poems rhyme and take it in. There is also a Bible verse on every page pointing to God’s Holy Word. A couple of tips for parents are at the end. Gives good words to kids and parents in the face of unspeakable tragedy.
• For adults, there is “Where Is God Now?” (513004; $2.60 and there’s quantity pricing). It’s a pocket-sized sixty devotion book written especially for those suffering disaster and includes prayers, hymns, and Scripture.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Sunday School and Sexuality

In my role as senior editor for Sunday School materials at Concordia Publishing House, I get a bit of mail. Today brought an anonymous letter from a concerned retired teacher. Her concern is that Sunday School not teaching sufficiently what the Bible says on the issue of homosexuality.

We more often get correspondence on the other side of this issue, from teachers who are uncomfortable with teaching lessons that touch on sexuality issues (David's sin with Bathsheba, for example, or Joseph fleeing the advances of Potiphar's wife).

What age is an appropriate time for Sunday School lessons that include discussion of things things? I suspect it might be different for different topics: adultery, homosexuality, dating and marriage, and others. I also suspect that there might be some regional a differences, congregations more comfortable teaching such things at different ages.

What would your teachers be comfortable with?

I will confess that to considerable caution. The best place for these discussions is in the Christian home. A child's parents have a responsibility, as well as the most natural opportunities, to teach these things.

At most any age, the Church can teach about sin, including sins of a sexual nature, in the most general way: these are reasons that each of us needs a Savior, and sins for which Christ died. Beyond that, I'd be willing to stay out of the sexuality subjects completely.

This is another area where teachers will need to be the final editor. You know what your students need to know, and you know what their parents will expect of you in your role as the Sunday School teacher for their children. A curriculum's inclusion of such topics, or their omission, does not intend to force you into uncomfortable discussions.

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!

Is Sunday School Necessary in Your Congregation?

• Not if all families in your congregation are fulfilling their vocations and living as God's children twenty-four seven.
• Not if your children are continuing as lifelong Christians through their teenage and young adult lives, attending the Divine Service regularly and immersing themselves in God's Word.
• Not if the children in your congregation are immune to the temptations of the devil, the world, and their own sinful flesh.
• Not if your students never encounter a skewed teaching that distorts the Gospel and proclaims instead a need to earn salvation through personal effort.
• Not if your students are already biblically literate and knowledgeable about the doctrines of the Lutheran Church.
• Not if your pastor's sermons are equally helpful to children and adults.
• Not if your church never has visitors who are eager to learn more about Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior from sin.
• Not if there are other programs of Christian education that are more convenient for and utilized by all the families of your congregation.

For congregations that are not quite there yet, Sunday School remains a time-tested opportunity for children, youth, and adults to study God's Word using age-appropriate materials that are centered on Christ.

God bless you teach His children His Word!

Who Is Most Important to Sunday School Health? Children or Parents?

Who do you focus on to promote Sunday School health? Children or parents?

This a long-standing question, much like "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

Lots of factors favor the parents as having the key role.

• It is self-evident that most students rely on their parents in order to participate in Sunday School.
• Parents set a powerful example for their children when they are active in adult Bible study while the children are in Sunday School.
• Parents, at least in theory, have the power to enforce an "our family goes to Sunday School every Sunday" rule.

In practice, I observe many parents abdicating their responsibility for leadership in this area. They go to great lengths to get their children into activities that compete with Sunday School for precious weekend time. They let their children choose whether to attend Sunday School or not. They seem always ready to accept at face value their child's claim that Sunday School is boring and is not fun.

Each Sunday brings proof that "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

One possible response is to accept as status quo that children are now in the power position. Our goal then becomes one of marketing to the children, or marketing to the parents' desire to please their children. That seems to me to be a losing battle. Much effort will be expended in that which is not at the heart of the Sunday School experience.

Another possible response is to focus again on why we have Sunday School in the first place. Sunday School exists to help parents fulfill their goal of teaching the Christian faith to their children. We provide an experience in God's Word that the Sunday morning tournament game, the restaurant breakfast, or the extra hour of sleep cannot provide. The Sunday School's unique "product," the benefit that only God's Word can provide, is the Gospel, the good news of forgiveness, life, and salvation. God promises that His Word will accomplish the purpose for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11).

God bless you are to teach His children that Word!

Is This Material Age Appropriate?

That's an important question, both for the curriculum writer/publisher and for those who teach the material.

Several things deserve to be considered.

• Age-appropriateness is a sliding scale; material that is too simple for some kids among its target group may be too advanced for others.
• This scale will slide even within a class of 4 students.
• Age-appropriateness can be physical (reading level, eye-hand coordination), social, or even cultural. (At what age, for example might a teacher feel comfortable teaching students about David's sin with Bathsheba? For some teachers and classes, the answer might be "never.")
• It can create as many problems for the teacher for material to be to simple as may arise when material is too difficult for the students. Discipline problems increase when students are bored rather than challenged.
• The publisher, by necessity, is shooting for a hypothetical average class; that class quite simply does not exist. Each teacher has a very specific set of students (as well as a specific room, and access to other specific resources) about the publisher has no knowledge.

What does this mean?
The teacher is in the driver's seat. He or she is going to be the final editor of the lesson. That will mean decisions about necessary adaptation of every aspect of the lesson.

Sure, you can shop around for a curriculum in which the theology is exactly what your denomination teaches, the material always bright and cheery (or thoughtfully somber) as you desire, the activities always doable in your classroom and building, the supplies required always just what you have on hand, and the level of difficulty always spot on for all of your students. And, you should know, that we editors here at Concordia Publishing House do our best to make this happen for you each week; we really do! But, in my heart, I know that you will have to make some choices and revisions.

So what can you do?

• Be thoughtful in your lesson planning. Note the alternatives offered by the publisher. Think back to what has worked for your students in the past. Be alert for the ways you can revise your lesson.
• If your class is consistently frustrated by "too hard" or bored with "too simple," consider moving down or up a level in the curriculum.
• Don't sacrifice theology, the very reason you are teaching Sunday School classes in the first place, in a chase for the "perfect lesson."

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

What Is Life Application?

I occasionally hear the criticism of our CPH Sunday School materials that they lack “life application.”

For too many customers this means “telling the students how to act and live.” That's the Law! Some would have us present the love that God shows to the world through His Son Jesus and then say to the students, "Go and do likewise." The problem, of course, is that they can't . . . not perfectly, not all the time, and maybe not at all. Our students don't need to hear more Law. They need to hear about Christ's forgiveness.

A good Sunday School lesson is one that teaches Law and Gospel. The Law is taught first; it shows the students the reality of sin, for God's people and for themselves. It points to the need for rescue from sin. Then the Gospel is presented in all its grace and mercy; God loves us, forgives us through Christ, and makes us His children.

A typical Sunday School lesson can also be outlined this way: an attention getter or introduction to focus the students on the lesson, a presentation of the Bible account with discussion that "unpacks" the meaning of the Bible text and the Law and Gospel truths found there, and an opportunity to discuss or express how the Bible account impacts our life.

If the life application section of the lesson focuses on how the students should live, it should avoid negating the Gospel message and leaving the students condemned by the Law or stuck in works righteousness.

Teach Law, then Gospel; not Law, Gospel, Law.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Can Non-Lutheran Material Teach Lutheran Students?

Does the publisher of your Sunday School material teach that God creates saving faith in Christ through the Word and water of the Sacrament of Baptism? What a blessing for those little ones who face temptation or guilt over sin to be reminded that "I am baptized!"

Does the publisher of your Sunday School material teach that we cannot earn our salvation or merit God's favor though our human effort? What a comfort for your students to know that Jesus has paid the full price for our sin and earned forgiveness, life, and salvation through His work! God loves us despite our sin and sees us as saints, righteous in His sight, because God sees us clothed in Christ.

Does your publisher teach that all of the Bible is God's inerrant Word, that God has the power to do all the wonders the Bible describes, even those that we cannot comprehend in our limited human brains? What joy that the children you teach do not have to guess whether this miracle of God is one that really happened!

Does your Sunday School material teach that Jesus is important because He is the Son of God and our Savior from sin, death, and the devil? How wonderful that your students don't see Jesus as just a moral example of how they should act and live, or a wise teacher, one of many.

If your Sunday School curriculum comes from Concordia Publishing House, you can be sure of these things. If you use material from a non-Lutheran publisher, no matter how good their marketing or flashy their material, then you have no guarantees. Why would you expect a non-Lutheran publisher to teach accurate Lutheran theology?

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!

CPH Sunday School Comes to Facebook!

Sunday School at Concordia Publishing House now has its own page on Facebook: facebook.com/cphsundayschool. Visit regularly for news, information, and teaching tips.

"Jesus in Every Lesson" What Does that Mean?

I see this tag line used frequently in curriculum advertising. It makes me wonder . . .

What do they mean?

It's possible to have Jesus in every lesson you teach and still teach moralism.

• Some religions teach that Jesus was a great prophet but not as great as Muḥammad.
• Some religions teach that Jesus was a great teacher.
• Some religions teach that Jesus is our best example of how to live a God-pleasing life.

These religions could teach Jesus in every lesson, and still leave the students stuck in sin, condemned by the Law. They teach children to trust in the wrong Savior. They urge us to earn our own salvation through works done by our own human effort. But the Bible tells us clearly that no one be good enough to earn salvation, and no other name will save us except Jesus.

So, yes, teach Jesus in every lesson. Teach Him clearly through both Law (we have failed to live according to God's will; we have done things He forbids and failed to do the things He commands) and Gospel (Jesus suffered for our sin, died in our place, paid for our sin, and conquered death on our behalf; those with faith in Him have forgiveness, life, and salvation).

Teach Old Testament lessons that point your students to Jesus as their Savior from sin, death, and the devil.

Teach New Testament lessons that show God's love for your students in the life and work of His Son, Jesus.

But don't settle for "Jesus in every lesson" if the full truth of God's Word is not clearly present.

God bless you as you teach God's Word . . . Law and Gospel . . . in every lesson!

Let's Sing?

Do your Sunday School children sing? Your preschoolers? Your elementary students? Your junior and senior high students?

What do they sing? Hymns? Popular Contemporary Christian Music songs?

To what style of music do they respond? Live piano accompaniment? Live praise band? Full-production recorded songs? With vocals or just accompaniment tracks?

I'd love to really hear your answers to those questions, but I expect I'll have to do a survey to really get the answers. It is enough if I can get you thinking.

The Lutheran Christian congregation spends a lot of time in worship singing! Garrison Keillor says it is one of the things Lutherans do best. He claims Lutherans are trained from birth to sing hymns in four parts.

There was a time when the epitome of Lutheran worship experience was accompanied by pipe organ. My guess is this may no longer be the case.

Thesis: One goal of a child's Sunday School experience should be to prepare the child to enjoy full participation in the worship of the congregation as an adult. (Note the emphasis on enjoy.)

So . . . think about these things:

• Are your congregation's children in worship each week with their parents? If so, they are learning how adults worship and growing into that practice. How can you help them?
• Is the musical experience the children have in Sunday School (1) similar to, (2) complementary to, or (3) distinctly different from the worship experience they will have as adults? If you pick door number three, how will they ever make the transition? Are they going to enjoy full participation in worship as adults?

How you choose to do music and singing in your Sunday School will have an impact on the future worship life of your congregation.

God bless you as you teach His children to sing!

What You Are Is What You Were When You Were Ten

More years ago than I care to admit, I was challenged (near the end of a 16mm HR training film) to reflect on the impact that my life at age ten had on my "after age ten" existence. The premise of the film was that a lot of our attitudes, beliefs, and practices are imprinted at about age ten. From that time on, we don't change all that much.

Maybe that's a stretch, but as I hear it today, it has a ring of truth, at least in matters of spiritual formation. A child's attitudes about church and Sunday School, his or her beliefs about what God is like and what life with God is all about, and devotional and worship disciplines at age ten may predict where that child will be in ten, twenty, or fifty years later.

What if this is true? What would you like that ten-year-old child to be hearing, learning, and experiencing?

• Opportunities for service in the church and community?
• Sunday School lessons filled with forgiveness for sin and assurance of God's love and mercy?
• Weekly participation in worship and Sunday School as a family?

What was life like for you at age ten?

What specific attitudes, beliefs, and practices would you like to imprint on the children you teach?

God bless you as you teach His children (and their families) His Word!