What's It Worth?

What is a solid, Lutheran Sunday School worth to your congregation?

Sadly, for too many Lutheran congregations, the answer seems to be, "Not very much." They run what Seth Godin calls "the race to the bottom," choosing just-barely-good-enough material for the lowest possible cost.

Color printing? Never mind that realistic biblical and life-application art contributes significantly to student engagement and the message that the stories in the Bible are not just stories, but historical events. Color printing is too expensive.

Sound doctrine? That's nice, but theologically trained editors and careful publication processes add measurably to the cost of material. I'm not sure that the children, parents, educational leaders, or pastors care all that much.

There are a few things for which people are still willing to pay more for the quality of a known brand over the lower-priced generic. A cell phone. An engagement ring. Coffee. Is Sunday School among them? It depends on what you value.

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

Teaching God's Children

The task of teaching God's children His Word is shared. Certainly parents bear the primary responsibility for providing for this Christian education of their children through their personal instruction at home and by bringing their children to the Divine Service, participating in Sunday School, and enrolling their children in a Lutheran school if one is available to them.

And of course, the Lutheran congregation shares this responsibility as it administers the Sacraments, especially Baptism, operates a Sunday School for all ages, and institutes a Lutheran school for the education of the children of the congregation and community.

It is a partnership. It involves mutual accountability. The congregation may at time need to remind parents of their responsibility to take advantage of the Christian education opportunities. And at times, the parents may need to remind the congregation of its responsibility to maintain high standards of instruction and curriculum in the Sunday School and other Christian education agencies.

At the end of the day, at the end of time, I doubt that excuses will serve. We didn't have enough money. I was too busy to volunteer. The material they used in Sunday School was boring. God commands that His children be instructed in His Word (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). And He promises to use such instruction to bless His children (Isaiah 55:10-11).

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

The Impact of the Children's Christmas Service

The annual Children's Christmas Service is a wonderful tradition. (This year CPH has released To Us a Child Is Born, a classic service by Lisa Clark and organized around the gorgeous new Christmas song. Check it out!) It provides an opportunity for in-depth instruction about the Nativity during preparation, and for children to share the Gospel with family, congregation, and community.

Plan carefully, though, to ensure that preparing for this service does not detract from Sunday School's chief purpose, to instruct children in that Gospel. Limit the use of Sunday School time for rehearsal; never skip the Sunday School lesson completely. Use the songs the children will sing in the service as part of your Sunday School openings or closings for several weeks before the service. Encourage parents to step up, helping their children learn songs and speaking parts at home.

Then smile as those lambs, angels, shepherds, Wise Men, and Holy Family speak and sing the Gospel in the days before Christmas, sharing "the blessed gift of heaven!"

God bless you as you teach His children the Christmas Gospel.

Things You Won't Hear from a Lutheran Educator

Lutheran educators are those who truly understand Lutheran theology and care about teaching the Bible accurately according to the Lutheran Confessions. You will not hear them say . . .

• "This is good material, but use your Lutheran filters." Material for Lutheran Christian education will be fundamentally Lutheran, created with a Lutheran world view.
• "I use XXX Publisher's material, but I tweak it to be more Lutheran." Lutheranism is not a tweak. Heterodox material with a little Lutheranism added is still heterodox material.
• "The material we use is not Lutheran, but it is solid Christian material. It is good enough for Sunday School." Where will Sunday School students learn about discerning Law and Gospel, understanding their vocations, and the benefits of the Sacraments? What will they gain from a steady diet of moralism and works righteousness?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Be Careful What You Promise Your Volunteers

I've heard it said in a business context, "Under-promise and over-deliver." That's, of course, to counter the natural tendency of some to "over-promise and under-deliver."

"Over-promising," when it comes to volunteer enlistment is deadly. "It's easy!" "The curriculum does the work for you!" "You can just show up and teach." "The kids in this class are all angels."

Nor is "under-promising" a road to successful enlistment.

It seems that your mother was probably right: be honest, do your best, take responsibility, and forgive failure.

Be honest. Tell your potential volunteer exactly what you think the task will take. Tell them what skills and abilities you see that they have to do the task successfully. And be honest about what you will do to help them.

Do your best. Do everything you can to help your volunteer succeed. Provide orientation and training. Stand alongside the volunteer and coach through their first couple classes. Check back to see how they are doing. Don't short-change them in terms of providing all the necessary resources.

Take responsibility. If things don't go well at some point, be ready to support and defend the volunteer, and to assist in getting things back on track. If the volunteer decides to step down, offer sincere thanks, free from guilt, and learn from the experience what you can do better next time.

Forgive failure. Both in the volunteer, and in yourself. In this fallen world, things don't always work out. God forgives our failure; so should we.

Know that every minute and every dollar you invest in a volunteer to help them succeed is worth it, because the task you share has eternal results: forgiveness, life, and salvation for God's children.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Hidden Costs of Free Material

I know that churches face tight budgets. I pray fervently that congregations would be spared making choices between increasing the sub-standard pay for their church workers or purchasing quality material for their Sunday School. The lure of free Sunday School material may be hard to resist.

But consider these hidden costs of free material.

• Loss of color art. Free material is usually all black and white. Gone is the full-color art work, craft pages, and stickers found in material that costs something. Loss of art results in less realism, and less comprehension.
• Cost of photocopies. Most free material is available through Internet download or perhaps as files on a CD; it offers exclusively reproducible student material. The local church is on the hook to print no only the teacher guides, but also all the student material. And, as most church workers know, copies on the church copier are not really free.
• Expectation of quality. There is a subtle price we pay in what we expect of free material. "Okay, there are some typos, but it's free." "Well, no, it's not really Lutheran, but it's free." "It's a little more work for our leaders and volunteers, but it's free."
• Weak theological content. This one deserves to be mentioned again. I have yet to see free Sunday School material with strong biblical, Christ-centered, truly Lutheran content.
• Lack of doctrinal review. This is the reason, of course, for weak doctrine: no free Sunday School curriculum offered today goes through the doctrinal review process used by all entities of The Lutheran Church---Missouri Synod.  

Is it truly worth using free material if it fails to teach God's clear Word of Law and Gospel? Near the end of his reign King David was moved to offer a sacrifice in thanks for God's compassion in the face of David's sin. Ironically, the sacrifice was made in the spot that would eventually become the location of Solomon's temple. David bought both the place of sacrifice and the wood and oxen from a Jebusite named Araunah, though Araunah had offered to give them to David for free. David's response? “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24).

God bless you are you teach His children His Word.

What Is the Best Price for Sunday School Material?

I hear it all the time. "We can't afford to buy that curriculum for our Sunday School."

So, I have to ask, "What is the right price for Sunday School material?" For too many churches, pastors, DCEs, and Sunday School leaders the quick answer will be "Free."

The question behind it all is "How much is it worth to you? How much do you value it?" For a small Sunday School, the cost for each child could amount to $12-$15 dollars each quarter. A larger Sunday School may have a slightly lower per pupil cost with more children in each classroom. That price has not changed dramatically over the past 20 years, though it has increased some as costs for other things have risen.

If Sunday School is perceived only as an expense, the cost will always be too high. But if Sunday School is seen as an investment in the spiritual lives of children, your children, the value would seem to be priceless, worth any cost. That argument will never convince an accountant, but it might be worth discussing with those whose responsibility it is to provide Christian nurture for children. Does the Sunday School material you use bring eternal value to children?

Therein lies the real cost of free material, or low priced material. It that material is not rich in the Gospel, the pearl without price, it may be "worth less," that is, worth every penny you didn't pay for it.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

How Does Video Fit?

It seems more and more that video is an integral part of the Sunday School experience in some churches. What can video do?

• It can tell the Bible story or part of the story.
• It can introduce a concept.
• It can provoke critical thinking.
• It can prompt discussion.
• It can illustrate life application.
• It can explain content.

It seems there would be some obvious rules guiding the use of video in Sunday School.

• It should present Scripture accurately.
• It should support clear teaching of Law and Gospel.
• It should assist the teaching role, not replace it.
• It should be integrated into the lesson through introduction and follow-up discussion. 
• It does not need to be long; usually 2 or 3 minutes is enough.
• It should not be used merely to entertain.

Our current Sunday School materials are supported in the middle school and high school levels by carefully selected, brief video clips. You can find them on the Concordia Publishing House channel on YouTube, or you can access easily through our Sunday School website (browse to cph.org/sundayschool, click "Tools," and scroll down to "Middle/High School Videos"; they are arranged by Old Testament units). And it is likely that video will be a component of the next generation of Sunday School material from CPH.

How do you use video in your Sunday School?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Equipping Teachers

What kind of training and support do you provide your Sunday School teachers? Your answer to that question will speak volumes about how willing people are to volunteer for that position.

Do you . . .

• provide a job description?
• have a prospective teacher shadow an experienced teacher?
• walk a new teacher through his or her first lesson preparation?
• provide informative material?
• offer regular teacher meetings for discussion and preparation?
• host quarterly or annual workshops for teachers?
• send teachers to training events?
• follow up after the first lesson to encourage and assist?

Fear of failure is one of the biggest deterrents for most first-time volunteer teachers. If you offer a teaching position to a new volunteer, promise to do everything in your power to help him or her succeed, and then keep your promise.

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

Let the Children Come to Me

Jesus said to them, "Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14

Not, "Let the children come to soccer." Not, "Let the children come to have fun." Not, "Let the children come when we feel like it."

"Let the children come to Me." The Church wastes its time when it tries to entertain children on Sunday morning; the world offers far better entertainment. The Church wastes its time when it fails to point out the eternal, spiritual difference between participating in sports and hearing the Gospel. The Church wastes its time when it offer Sunday School material that does not consistently teach the Law and the Gospel each week, showing students their sin and pointing them to their Savior.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word, as you bring them to Him!

Simple Steps to Combining Classes

Occasionally, low attendance or absent teachers make it necessary to teach a broad range of children in a single group.

 

Since Growing in Christ and Cross Explorations are unified curricula, you can successfully teach a broadly-graded group of children when attendance is low. Here's what I would suggest to accomplish this.

 

Give each student the lesson leaflet appropriate for his or her grade/age.

• Teach from the teacher guide that matches the leaflet used by the majority of the students, or the guide that hits the middle of your age-range.
• Prepare your lesson ahead of time using this guide, but have the guides for the other levels handy to switch out or adapt activities to best suit your students' needs.
• Accommodate varying reading ability by assigning reading only to volunteers; be alert for words that need to be defined for younger children.
• When the guide directs students to do activities in the leaflet, have the students work in groups that share a common leaflet, or adapt the activity so that it can be done without the leaflet.
• If you have extra time in class, allow the students to complete any leaflet activities that they did not get to do during the lesson. Or, encourage them to do these at home.

God bless you as you teach His children is Word.

Seeds of Faith Podcasts

Many teachers are using Seeds of Faith podcasts as part of their lesson preparation each week. The podcasts are usually recorded in the week prior to the lesson's “normal” use. So congregation who are running ahead of that schedule won’t be able to access the latest podcast. In addition, only the “Recommended” quarter is getting new podcasts.

However, you can access archived versions from previous years. Here’s how:

•             Click on “Tools” on the cph.org/sundayschool website.
•             Scroll down to display the “Seeds of Faith Podcast” link and click on it.
•             Click on any podcast in the list on the right half of the page; it does not matter which one.
•             When that podcast’s page displays, there will be a “Search for” box under the Growing in Christ logo. Type the title of the lesson or the Bible passage you are teaching in that box and search.
•             The podcasts related to that title or passage may be “stacked” in the resulting page. If the lesson you are teaching is not the first one, you can probably scroll down a ways to find it.

 If you have difficulty, one of the editors will be delighted to assist; just send a note to sundayschool@cph.org and we’ll send you a link.

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

Sunday School on Labor Day Weekend?

Did you have Sunday School this past Labor Day weekend? If you did . . .

• You shared God's life-giving Word with some children.
• You demonstrated a commitment to life-long Christian education.
• You showed visitors your church's commitment to children's ministry.

You didn't have Sunday School? Plan on it for next year, and on other holiday weekends, for all the reasons above. Sure, you can . . .

• Combine classes as needed.
• Rotate teaching responsibilities so that some teachers always get a break.
• Organize something special, like strawberries and ice cream after class. 

But don't miss an opportunity to teach God's children His Word!

What Can You Improve?

Sunday School success is rarely a result of wholesale revision. It is more often achieved through incremental progress.

What change might you consider this year in your Sunday School to make it better?

• Re-stock the supply cabinet?
• Give the Sunday School rooms a face-lift? (refresh faded and torn bulletin board contents, paint the walls, wash windows, remove broken or unused toys and furniture)
• Recruit parents to "just be present" in the classroom, one parent each week? (It gives parents a glimpse of what goes on in Sunday School, supports good student behavior, and may lead to some substitute or full-time teaching.)
• Establish a Sunday School e-mail newsletter?
• Purchase those Teacher Tools packets for your teachers?
• Push for a 10% increase in the Sunday School budget?

What one thing could you do this year?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

Who Is My Neighbor?

Luke 10:25-37 is one of the most compelling of Jesus' parables, and one of the most difficult it seems for Sunday School teachers and Christian educators to "get right." At the heart of the difficulty lies one of the central doctrines of Lutheranism, the correct distinction between Law and Gospel.

In its biblical context, this account is all Law.  A "lawyer," that is a Jew who was well-versed in the Jewish religious regulations, wants to test Jesus, and asks a law-based question: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" We are quick to condemn the priest and the Levite for their failure to do what is right for the beaten man. And we marvel at the loving actions of the despised foreigner who is willing to do the right thing. Then, God forbid, we are tempted to teach our Sunday Schools students to go and do likewise.

Dividing Law and Gospel is all about who is doing the work. We see clearly that the lawyer is looking to the Law for his salvation. "What shall I do"---and later, "desiring to justify himself"---these are Law questions. And Jesus' responds to the lawyer with Law answers: "Do this, and you will live"; "Go, and do likewise."

But Jesus is not teaching salvation by works here. He is making it clear that those who seek to justify themselves by their works are setting themselves up for failure. If salvation is a matter of loving one's neighbor as much you love yourself, and if everyone is your neighbor, you're sunk.

Jesus also gives us the opportunity to see a beautiful Gospel truth in this passage. The lawyer asks, in essence, "Who must I be a neighbor to? Who must I love? Who must I show mercy to?" After telling the familiar story, Jesus asks a very different question: "Who proved to be a neighbor? Who is your neighbor? Who loves you? Who has shown mercy to you?"

There is the Gospel! It's not about what we do! It is about what Jesus has done! He was despised by men in our place; He paid the price for our healing and care.

Go and do likewise? Yes! But before we can be the good Samaritan, we must see ourselves as the man who fell among robbers, the one who needs and receives mercy that we do not deserve, cannot earn or repay. Before we are neighbors to those around us, we are neighbors with Jesus.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

"I Have Decided to Follow Jesus"?

I would think that even the most novice pastor, teacher, or DCE in the LCMS, and---by God's grace---our Christian education teachers and leaders as well, would know there is something wrong with this song, something fundamentally un-Lutheran and therefore spiritually dangerous about using it in Sunday School or VBS to instruct children. Lutherans understand that before our conversion by the Gospel, through the proclamation of the Word and administration of Baptism. The Bible describes this in two ways. We are dead in sin (Ephesians 2), unable to love or "decide" for God. We are "enemies of God" (Romans 5), unwilling to love or choose Him. But God is love chose us. Our salvation is completely God's work.

And make no mistake, the songs we sing, the materials we send home to parents, and the signs we post in our buildings teach theology just as much as the words the teachers say.

Christian education material that fails to teach the Gospel clearly is not appropriate for use in a Lutheran congregation.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Two Things Times Three

Two things I heard today on the radio:

1. Adult obesity is formed through simple, early habits like preschoolers going to bed early (a habit that reduces late night snacking).
2. Retirement plans require retirement planning.

Two things every parent wants for their children:

1. To live a happy, healthy life.
2. To exhibit lifelong faith and have eternal life.

Two things every congregation should build into their vision statement and the fabric of their ministry:

1. Strong faith in youth and adults is formed through lifelong---cradle to grave---participation in worship, study of God's Word, and service to my neighbor.
2. Sunday School is a tool---yes, only one tool among many, but a strong tool---to assist families and individuals grow in faith.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

What Shall We Teach about Government?

The upcoming American national holiday on July 4 and the daily outpouring of media coverage of the United States presidential election raise the question of how a Lutheran Christian should react to, and teach about, the role of government in our lives.

St. Paul makes it clear in Romans 13:1-7 that government is established and holds its authority by God's gracious provision. Christians are called upon to uphold, obey, and pray for those who rule over us in all things, unless those in authority seek to require us to act against God's will. Even corrupt or inept authorities can act as God's agents for the protection of society and citizens.

So we teach, by word and example, that those in authority should be respected. We live as good citizens, seeking to improve our neighborhood, city, state, nation, and world; we vote, serve on juries, and hold elected office when called to do so. And we pray for health, safety, wisdom, and grace for all those in authority over us, even when we do not agree with their words or actions.

We can look to the examples of Joseph, Daniel, and Esther who sought the welfare of those who imprisoned and enslaved them, even as they served the one true God.

God bless our nation and its leaders! And God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

Fall Preparation Checklist

It's the middle of June. It's time to be thinking about "rallying" your Sunday School troops. Here are some points to consider.

• Set your "Rally Day" or "Christian Education Sunday." Plan with your pastor to emphasize Sunday School, recognize and commission teachers for their service, and (if you have not already done so) advance students to the next grade. Resources for Rally Day can be found at cph.org/sundayschool under "Sunday School Tools."
• Choose your curriculum (Cross Explorations or Growing in Christ, check them out at cph.org/sundayschool) and verify your order. The fall material is available on July 1.
• Choose your "path." New CPH customers can choose either a "Recommended Path" (Old Testament in the fall, followed by two New Testament units in the winter and spring) or a "Chronological Path" (starts in the fall with Old Testament 1 and continues straight through the Bible). Continuing customers should be aware that the Old Testament 2 unit was recently offering in fall 2016; if you choose the chronological path, these lessons may be overly familiar to your students.
• Enlist teachers for the fall. Work to have two adults in each classroom; it's easier than you think.
• Contact every eligible family by phone, mail, or email to encourage enrollment in Sunday School.
• Tour your Sunday School classrooms and list physical improvements: painting walls, new flooring, cleaning the windows, repair/repaint/replace tables and chairs, remove faded/torn posters, etc.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Is the Bible God's Word?

A major flaw in the curriculum produced by many publishers, including some Lutheran publishing companies other than Concordia Publishing House, is their view of Scripture.

Orthodox Lutheran Christians believe that the entire Bible is God's inspired, inerrant Word. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV). The entry of sin into the world came through a denial of the authority of God's Word ("Did God actually say . . . ?" Genesis 3:1 ESV).

It makes a difference in virtually every Sunday School lesson we teach that we affirm the authority of God's Word, for if the Bible cannot be trusted in some details, how can it be trusted in the matters of forgiveness, life, and salvation through the God-man Jesus Christ?

God bless you as you uphold His Word and teach it to His children.

Teachers Two-Deep, Even in the Summer

Those familiar with this blog will know that I have long recommended that Sunday Schools staff two deep in each classroom: two adults present each week throughout the class session. Not only is it helpful in the event of unforeseen events (such as bathroom trips), but it helps maintain discipline, and it is often recommended or required by your church's insurance carrier.

This summer, assuming you continue your Sunday School, two deep is still a good idea, for all those reasons, and one more. As family schedules flex through the summer it will be far easier to maintain a nearly full staff. Yes, on a given Sunday one or more classes may wind up with just one adult in the room, but that's a lot better than none.

And remember, the second adult is WAY easier to recruit than the first since that person can be assured of a partner for support, leadership, and assistance.

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

Will Your Sunday School Have Visitors This Summer?

Let's hope so! When they come, is this what they will find?

• Information about Sunday School, including where first-time attenders should sign in, was in the worship folder.
• The Sunday School registration location was well marked and easy to find.
• Visitors are greeted warmly when I arrived.
• Enough information was requested to make me feel my children would be well cared for. My cell phone number was requested so that I could be texted if anything came up during the study hour.
• I was escorted to my child's classroom and introduced to the teacher.
• Lesson material was available for my child, just as for the regular attenders.
• Someone invited me to attend the adult Bible class and offered to help me find the class I was interested in attending.
• Someone followed up by phone later in the week to see how things went and invite me to return.

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

Yes, Summer Sunday School

Sunday School is hard work!
Summer Sunday School is even harder.
But it is worth it.

• Student will continue to learn about God's Word.
• Visitors will know your congregation is serious about Christian education and have points of connection.
• Families will not "get out of the habit" of Sunday School each week.

Do you want to hear more? Check out this previous post.

CPH's summer release is "Pray, Praise, and Give Thanks" and the material takes a look at the Lord's Prayer using a State-fair theme. Check it out at cph.org/SundaySchool and click on "Our Programs"!

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Pray, Praise & Give Thanks: Jesus Teaches Us to Pray

Ah, summertime! What could be more fun than going to the county fair? From riding the Ferris wheel to participating in pie-eating contests, there’s so much to do, see, and learn. With a fun county fair theme intertwined into each lesson, Pray, Praise & Give Thanks helps students search thirteen Bible stories to learn about the Lord’s Prayer.

• Daniel and the Lions' Den
• Jesus Heals the Centurion's Servant
• Peter & John Heal a Lame Man
• Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray
• The Baptism of Jesus
• Zacchaeus
• Paul & Silas in Prison
• Job
• God Provides Mann & Quail
• Joseph Forgives His Brothers
• The Temptation of Jesus
• Three Men in a Fiery Furnace
• The Saints in Heaven

Lutheran Veneer?

I regularly hear educators, who I would think might know better, talk about Lutheran doctrine as a veneer, a coating that can somehow be applied to material that would otherwise be objectionable in terms of theological content to make it Lutheran. Does that work? Or does that merely disguise heresy?

My first supervisor in the editorial business, Rev. Dr. Earl Gaulke, once asked me how much I would want to dilute a poisonous substance before I would be willing to ingest it. Would coating it with chocolate be good enough? Of course not! If I knew it was poison, I would discard it and start fresh, right?

The key teachings of Lutheran doctrine are fundamentally different than those of other major Christian education publishers. They refuse to teach about the Sacraments, which are chief among our Means of Grace, because not enough customers want to buy that kind of material. They fail to correctly discern and teach Law and Gospel. They confuse good works and works righteousness.

Yes, there are attractive features in many non-Lutheran materials. ("So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." Genesis 3:6) But sadly, applying a Lutheran veneer is not enough.

God strengthen you to teach His children His Word!

Is Confirmation Christian Education?

Or is it something else? In the Bible, it is not really mentioned. In the Church, we call it a "rite." And in most congregations, it is---among other things---a time when young people are received into a new level of membership in the congregation. The rite includes a public confession of faith, agreement with a body of doctrine, and a promise to behave in specific ways as a child of God. And from the first years of the Christian Church, confirmation has been preceded by thorough instruction, Christian education.

It strikes me that confirmation has both a cognitive aspect and an affective aspect. We don't, can't, measure faith, but the young people whom we confirm need to be able to stand their ground in an increasingly hostile world. Confirming those who lack a strong Christian-Lutheran worldview---or who have no interest in life-long participation in the Church's Word and Sacrament ministry---may not serve your church or the Church well.

So what will a church or pastor do if one or more prospective confirmands seem cognitively unprepared for confirmation? (Let me acknowledge, though, that late April is not a great time to be asking this question. Most reasonable alternatives will require advance thought, discussion, and "corporate approval" [that is, approval by "the body," the church].) You could simply not allow participation in the rite, but alienating families and kids is not a great option. Is there a win-win?

Here's what I would probably work for:

• Acknowledgement that the "minimum standard" for confirmation could be very low, as it is when we confirm those with certain disabilities and cognitive limitations.
• Understanding that the promises one makes in the rite of confirmation should not be made falsely or lightly, but rather that they can be made honestly and eagerly. Even confirmands who demonstrate excellent cognitive understanding of the Small Catechism should not be confirmed on that basis alone.
• A decision that, if public questioning will not be a positive, helpful experience, seek the church's permission to skip it or alter the process---even in a congregation where this has been a long-standing practice.
• Commitments by family and young people who seem cognitively unprepared to continue in instruction after confirmation. Accept that this may be a lost cause, but publicly affirm that it is an expectation of all confirmed church members, as they promise during the rite to "hear the Word of God" and "live according to [it]."

Confirmation instruction is indeed Christian education. It is for many the epitome of their instruction in the Christian faith.

God bless you as you teach His children, and these young people, His Word!

How Can Your Sunday School Improve?

I heard again last week an interesting correlation: what we look at, what we measure, what we give attention to tends to improve.

Do I mean that looking closely at your Sunday School will actually bring about improvement? Well, yes! When you look, your mind will raise questions. When you seek answers to those questions, you will raise questions in the minds of others. When people ask questions, they tend to seek answers and solutions.

Imagine then the impact of looking at these questions about your Sunday School.

• How many families attend every week? What are those families like?
• How many parents of Sunday School children attend adult Bible class? How does that affect their children's attendance?
• How many families in your church never attend Sunday School? Why not?
• When was the last time your pastor mentioned Sunday School in his sermon, announcements, or prayers? What might be information he could share?
• How attractive are your Sunday School classroom? How could they be improved?
• How well-trained are the teachers? How do they improve their teaching?
• Which teacher in your Sunday School seems to have great teaching ideas each week? Where do those ideas come from? How could they be shared?
• What part of Sunday School do the children most enjoy? Why?

There are lots of ways to focus more attention on (and thus improve) your Sunday School. Too often the only way too many Sunday School leaders think of is to change to a different curriculum. (Many congregations actually make such a decision every year!) And it can work! Changing your curriculum focuses lots of attention on Sunday School, which could be a good thing, provided you are not sacrificing a core value for your Sunday School (such as teaching the Gospel clearly each week, teaching children about the Means of Grace) and not introducing heresy. But remember that the improvement in your Sunday School comes as much from the focused attention as from the new curriculum.

So, I invite you to look closely at your Sunday School. Think about what you wish were different. Then imagine what could help it to happen. Wishing might actually contribute to making it so!

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

A Fatal Flaw

Let's assume that you have Sunday School classes in order to teach God's Word of love and grace to children in your church and community, Let's even assume that you recognize that your Lutheran church exists because it teaches a distinctively different understanding of how God comes to His people than other religions and most other Christian denominations.

Then would you choose material for your Lutheran Sunday School that was published for use in another denomination? Or material that deliberately avoids any mention of the Sacraments of Holy Baptism or the Lord's Supper in order to appeal broadly to church's of many denominations? Would you choose use, and recommend to others, material that failed to teach the things that makes the Lutheran faith Lutheran?

Do you see the fatal flaw in doing so? What we teach through the material we distribute to children and volunteer teachers in Sunday School directly impacts their understanding of God's Word. If we fail to teach a clear understanding of God's Law and Gospel, if we fail to teach about the Means of Grace, the ways in which God has chosen to reveal Himself to His people in our time, we may deprive a burdened soul of the sure knowledge of God's forgiveness in Christ.

It is for this reason that among the conditions for membership in The Lutheran Church---Missouri Synod, as set forth in the Handbook 2013, include, "Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and catechisms in church and school." It is why all doctrinal material published by Concordia Publishing House is submitted to synod for doctrinal review. We want to teach nothing but God's Word of life.

God bless you richly as you teach that Word of God to His children!

Using CPH Sunday School Material in a Small Sunday School

So your Sunday School has just a few students and, most weeks, just one teacher. How can you use CPH's material, which is created for use in congregations with multiple age-grouped classes?

Here's the approach I would take.

If your group does not include young children (aged 3 through first grade) it is tailor-made for Cross Explorations Explore Level 2 ; you can supplement that 20 minute lesson with and opening from Church Year Connections and a couple of the Express resources (your choice of crafts, skits, music, or activities) and you would have enough for an hour and resources that suit a range of ages.

If you want to use Growing in Christ, what I usually suggest is:

•           Buy the age-appropriate student pack for each student expected, even if they are different. Keep them to review each week before class, don’t distribute them all at once.

•           Buy the teacher guide and teacher tools for the biggest cluster of students. Make notes in the Teacher Guide about activities that don’t apply to all student leaflets (“Shelly won’t have this puzzle; she has a craft activity instead.”)

•           As needed during the lesson give the students time to work individually or in age-level groups to complete leaflet activities.

With just a little bit of adaptation, each child can participate in age-appropriate ways.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

 

The Case of the Disappearing Sunday School

It's a great mystery! All across our church, Sunday School students are disappearing. In the past 20 years, Sunday School enrollments have dropped by half (325,000 students preschool through grade 8 in 1994; just 153,000 students in 2014). Where have they gone?

Well, obviously, those 1994 students have grown up, but where are their younger siblings and children?

It is not just a global problem. I'll bet that, for you, it is also a local problem. It's not someone else's Sunday School that is disappearing, it is yours. What can you do?

Don't say, "Oh, well. It's just the way things go. Families are having fewer children." Even if it's true, there are still lots of families and lots of children out there.

Do tend the garden. Things improve when we give them our attention. Start a conversation with your friends in church, with parents, with church leaders, with your pastor. Encourage them to talk about, and advocate for more attention on Sunday School.

Continue to ask God's blessings on the teachers, students, families, and community, so that your Sunday School can be a place God's children are taught His Word!

Christ Is Arisen!

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

Offer your thankful praises!

The Lamb the sheep has ransomed;

Christ, who only is sinless,

Reconciling sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended

In that combat stupendous;

The Prince of life, who died,

Reigns immortal.

God bless you richly as you teach His children His Easter Word!

Video: What Is Holy Week?

Consider sharing this video with your students (or congregation) this week.

God bless your Holy Week and Easter as you teach His children His Word!

A Lectionary-Based Sunday School?

I'm feeling some heat this week for decisions CPH made over a year ago to remove dates from our Sunday School lessons. This move ended more than thirty years of dated Sunday School lessons from CPH. Some of our customers, looking back, remember our curricula as lining up with the Church's lectionary far more closely than it actually did. But the criticism is deserved to some degree, because a lesson that has been edited so that it can be taught on any Sunday of the year will not resonate well on Easter or Christmas.

Why did we remove the dates? Because basing Sunday School lessons on the lectionary is perhaps the most expensive way to produce such material. Every component of the curriculum has to be carefully edited, re-written, and printed each quarter to match the shifting Church Year calendar. Sunday Schools, and church budgets, are shrinking, and complaints about rising costs of material were increasing.

Enter Church Year Connections!

This book and CD product provides resources that equip the Sunday School Director in openings, or the teacher in his or her classroom, to help students connect each lesson with what is going on in the Church Year. The Bible study for a Sunday in March may be about Jesus being anointed, but the student also learns about the approaching Passion of our Lord through hymns and songs, prayers, object lesson, and teaching points.

For less than 60 cents a week, you can have a lectionary-based Sunday School experience that meshes well with the Growing in Christ or Cross Explorations materials you love.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Teach God's Children His Word

Not values, except as God's Word prompts us in holy living.

Not history, except as God's Word reveals God at work through history to unfold His Story, His work for our salvation.

Not relationships, except as God's Word declares us one with Him through Christ and brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Not what we should do, except as God's Word teaches us who we are through Baptism into Christ and therefore, how we live as His children.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Is Lent Law?

On the face of it, Lent strikes us as Law.

"Unless you repent, you will all . . . perish." (Luke 13:3)

And what does it mean to repent? First, that that we confess our sinfulness. Second, that we believe in the work of Christ to pay for our sins. And third, that we turn from our sin to lead a godly life.

More Law? No. All three parts of repentance (confession, faith, and godly living) are God at work in us by His grace. God works in us the desire to confess, else we would not recognize our sin. God works faith in us through His Word, else we would trust only in ourselves. God works in us to will and to do that which pleases Him.

Lent is a somber season, for it forces us to see clearly that our sinfulness required Jesus' sacrifice. But, Lent is also a vivid revelation of God's love and grace. "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

God bless you as you share His Lenten love with His children through His Word!

Demographics? Or Something Else?

I have heard recently that research shows a direct correspondence between birthrates and Sunday School attendance across the United States, as if to say, "The reason our Sunday School is declining is that our members are having fewer children."

I don't buy it. That sounds to me like an excuse.

Arnold C. Mueller, synod's editor of Sunday School materials from 1933 to 1966, prepared a document titled "The Sunday School Standard" that suggested five characteristics of a strong Sunday School:

1. A sound educational program (classes for all ages, doctrinally sound materials, each teacher receives all desired materials, classes weekly all year round for at least an hour a week)
2. Adequate and trained leadership (teachers are carefully selected, well trained, well prepared, and publicly recognized; teachers meetings are held twice a month; training courses held each year)
3. A planned mission endeavor (mission work is stressed, students and teachers are trained to be personal missionaries, mission offerings are gathered regularly, at least 80% of eligible students are enrolled, all members are contacted annually to enroll, absentees are contacted by phone or visited, plans are made to improve enrollment and attendance each year)
4. Good administration and equipment (Sunday School is administered by a board of the congregation, adequate space and furnishings are provided, sufficient funds to operate the Sunday School are budgeted annually by the congregation)
5. Vital home and church relationships (Sunday School students also attend church with their families, parents are frequently contacted by teachers and administrators, parents are encouraged to discuss lessons at home)

Where the characteristics Rev. Mueller describes are evident in a congregation and its Sunday School, the Sunday School will thrive because God's Word will be shared in and through it. God promises to bless our efforts to spread His Word (Isaiah 55:11).

The truth is that Sunday School is now, and always has been, hard work. Are we truly making an effort?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Ashes, Dust, and the Gospel

We started Lent Wednesday evening with the Divine Service preceded by imposition of ashes and the solemn reminder, "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return." It is a helpful reminder of our mortality and our sinful nature. It is Law.

The essence of excellent Lutheran education is a right teaching of Law and Gospel. At times, I suspect we may fail to get the right balance (letting the Gospel predominate) or the right order (Law followed always by Gospel). It is a failing from which humorist Garrison Keillor has often drawn his material, such as this verse from his poem Habañera.

Well, if you’re shy and from the Midwest

And grow up Lutheran, it’s always Lent

He wanted music, laughter and music

But guilt was his mother’s favorite instrument

I would desire that we make the Gospel, rather than the Law, our ultimate goal even during Lent. Let each lesson we teach in this solemn season "show us our sin," yes (Law), but also "show us our Savior" (Gospel).

May God bless you this Lent as you teach His children His Word!

 

Help! CPH Changed My Sunday School Material!

"The lessons no longer align with the Church Year!"
"They forgot the Easter lesson!"
"No wonder! They forgot to put dates on the lessons."

Yep. CPH changed things up in September 2015, and our customers are beginning to notice. Lessons are now organized into 9 themed units, four Old Testament and for New Testament, and the 13 lessons in each unit are organized chronologically. There are no dates to be found. And each unit as it is published will be stocked in the warehouse for purchase in any quarter of the year.

Would you like to teach the Bible in your Sunday School chronologically from Genesis to Revelation? Starting with fall 2016 that becomes a possibility.

Why? It turns out that the most expensive way to publish Sunday School material is by pegging it to the liturgical calendar, which then requires that every quarter of material be re-edited every year to accommodate the shifting calendar. As most Sunday Schools decline and congregational budgets get tighter, it was getting harder and harder to provide material without large increases in prices.

There are some major positives that result from this change.

• Congregations have greater flexibility to start the fall quarter on a date other than the first Sunday in September.
• They can choose the order in which to teach the nine units.
• They can save teaching material and unused student material to use in two or three years when that unit comes up again. The material will not change, so everything will still work together.
• They can stretch out each quarter if there is no Sunday School due to weather, or holidays, or other special occasions.

A couple of things become a little harder:

• It is harder to keep all teachers on the same page. (We have provided several tools for noting when lessons are scheduled by your congregation to be taught, but someone needs to decide those dates and publish them to all the teachers.)
• It is harder to teach children about the Church Year. Church Year Connections is a new annual resource that provides material for opening worship (either with the entire Sunday School or in your classroom) that is focused on the current Sunday of the Church Year. A feature of this resource is a complete set of "Teaching Points for Children" that can be woven into your lessons.
• Each winter and spring, CPH will provide free lessons for Christmas and Easter (more savings!) to supplement the material you purchased.

CPH understands that after 30 years of dated Sunday School material, this change will take some getting used to. We apologize for your frustration. Please know that some things have NOT changed.

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is still central to every single lesson.
• Law and Gospel are correctly taught at all levels.
• The Small Catechism and hymnal are integrated into our curricula.
• The Bible is accurately taught through the text and images in every lesson.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

When Was the Last Time?

When was the last time you heard the pastor say to your congregation (or, Pastor, when was the last time you said to your congregation), "Sunday School is an important tool for teaching your children more about Jesus"? Or "Sunday morning Bible class is an important tool for equipping yourself to live as God's person in the world and an important example to your children about the value of life-long Christian education."

The pastor is your congregation's single most influential advocate for a strong Sunday School. It is worth encouraging him to speak up, regularly, often, about Sunday School.

God bless your congregation as it teaches God's children His Word!

What Do You Assume about the Students You Will Teach This Week?

A customer comment this week makes me wonder. The customer challenges our apparent assumption that every student starts from ground zero in every lesson. "Students are capable of so much more!"

I certainly agree. It is not because we who publish Sunday School material think all students are below average that we make very few assumptions about where students will begin regarding the next lesson. It is because we know that some students will be starting at or near zero.

Some students will not have been present last week, or the last time this Bible account was taught in Sunday School, or many of the lessons in between. Some students may have never opened the Bible before. Some will have only a vague recollection of the account, but be fuzzy on the details. Some students may confuse this event with another from Scripture. Some students may have even learned it all wrong for one reason or another.

Even more challenging, any of these conditions might exist for the person who has been enlisted to teach the lesson.

As a result, the Sunday School lesson you get from Concordia Publishing House will, to the best of our ability, reflect the general developmental characteristics that are expected of children within a year or two of the grade for which it is prepared, But we will assume very little Bible background.

That, of course, is where you, the teachers, come in. God willing, you will know your students, or at least know that you don't know them. You can judge whether some of the material in your lesson can be skipped, reviewed lightly, or expanded in order to meet your students where they are in terms of biblical literacy. You create the final edition of the lesson!

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Everyday Faith Family Pages---A Free Resource

Are you looking for ways to help families connect to God's Word? Check out this free weekly resource from CPH: Everyday Faith Family Pages. (Click the title to go find these downloadable PDFs.) Pages for the current unit for Growing in Christ, New Testament 1, are located at the bottom of the page.

Each page is designed to engage parents and families in concepts related to that week's Sunday School lesson. They are organized to match our Concordia Sunday School scope and sequence, but they can be used in any congregation with any family. They don't rely on Sunday School content, and they don't assume Sunday School attendance. You can print and distribute these pages to students as a take-home resource, or you can attach them to a email to every family. Use these pages to . . .

• Inform parents of what their children are learning in Sunday School.
• Stimulate faith discussions in the home.
• Encourage families that don't currently attend Sunday School.

Try this resource today! Your families will be glad you did.

Thanks for teaching God's children His Word!

Time for a Census?

Once every ten years, our nation undertakes a census, a count of citizens and an investigation into who they are, what characteristics they exhibit.

Once a year, your Sunday School should also undertake a census. List by name all the children of Sunday School age who are baptized members of your congregation. Then note, to the best of your ability, what characteristics they exhibit.

• Do they attend Sunday School? How frequently?
• Do their parents attend Bible class?
• What other church connections do they have? Worship? Day School attendance? Participation in choir? Other activities?
• Who are their friends within the congregation?
• What challenging circumstances do they face?

What value is there in such a list?

• It is a prayer list. Pray for each family and child, personally and corporately.
• It may suggest social connections that could encourage more frequent attendance.
• It can be a source of incremental improvement. The Smiths have never been to Sunday School; what entry level event might attract them? The Jones attend only once in a while; what strategy or incentive might help them be more faithful? The Roberts children sometimes come but their parents are never in Bible class; what class might appeal to them?
• It can be a aid to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's a plan that has been used before! "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration . . . ." (Luke 2:1-2 ESV)

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