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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

My Car Won't Run! It Must Need New Paint!

Or I could address the real problem. My car may deserve to have its paint job touched up, but a new coat of paint is not going to help it run. Since my car has a specific purpose, which is providing transportation not decoration, I would be better off spending my time and money identifying and fixing the issues that keeps it from running.

"Our Sunday School is losing ground. We must need a new curriculum." Or you could address the real problem. Too many churches would rather focus on stuff that is visible, tangible, and seems easily remedied, than to do the hard work---train the volunteers, educate the parents, fund the mission. Contacting families who are finding other things to do on Sunday morning, building relationships with parents so that your spiritual encouragement does not fall on deaf ears, convincing church council members that Sunday School is worth allocating budgeted funds for. These are not easy tasks. They will require patient effort over a period of weeks, months, and years to accomplish.

But the mission of your Sunday School, to share the Gospel with the children and adults of your church and community, is truly worth the effort. And how much more beneficial it will be in the long run if you focus on finding and fixing the real issues behind low Sunday School attendance.

Unless, of course, your curriculum truly is the problem---the real reason (not the excuse) that families are not attending. If your curriculum fails to teach God's Word of both Law and Gospel, if it ignores the Sacraments God has provided for our spiritual nurture, if it seeks to entertain rather than instruct, perhaps it is time for a new coat of paint.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

We Don't Need Sunday School?

"Our children go to our Lutheran Day School."
"We go to church as a family every Sunday."
"We have mealtime devotions."
"We read and discuss Bible stories every night with our children before going to bed."
"We don't need to participate in Sunday School do we?"

My coworker Peter said it well, "Can we ever get too much of God's Word?"

Thanks for teaching God's children His Word in Sunday School!

Is There Value in Sunday School?

Suppose your congregation was a perfect congregation.

• Your members attend church every Sunday.
• Your pastor preaches excellent sermons that reach old and young people equally well.
• Your congregation supports a day school in which all eligible children are enrolled.
• Your parents are comfortable in their roles as the primary influencers of their children's spiritual life and growth and engage in daily family devotions and faith conversations with their children.
• Young and old members alike are avid readers of the Bible and do so daily.

Would there be any point in having a Sunday School?

I would argue that even in that amazing congregation, Sunday School would be a valuable opportunity for all families. It would provide:

• age-appropriate interaction and instruction for each child
• comprehensive coverage of the entire scope of the salvation narrative
• a place to build relationships with Christian peers
• outreach opportunities for friends and others from the community
• another chance to hear the blessed Gospel

Of course, your congregation and my congregation fall woefully short of that perfect standard. Sunday School then helps fill the gaps. It is surely worth every moment, and every penny, we invest in it.

God bless you as you provide opportunities for His children to study His Word!

How Big Is Your Sunday School?

Stop! Before you read on, classify your Sunday School based on enrollment (the number of children who attend at least once each year). Is it "Big"? "Small"? "Average"?

I'd bet you have underestimated your size, based on enrollment figures in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In 2005 (I know, 10 years ago! I'm working to get better figures, but I don't think the situation for Sunday School has improved), here's what things looked like.

• 1 in 6 congregations reported no Sunday School at all!
• 2 in 6 reported fewer than 10 students enrolled.
• Half of the congregations reported fewer than 20 students enrolled.
• The average enrollment was 37 students.
• Only 1 in every 20 congregations reported 100 or more students.

I heard last week of a congregation where the Sunday School teacher (yes, the only one) faithfully prepared her lesson every week so that she would be ready if even one student arrived to hear God's Word! I am profoundly grateful for congregations who persist in providing Sunday School for children who show up on Sunday, even if it is just a few.

In the same breath, I give thanks to God for you.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

What Do You Teach about Angels?

A customer inquired about the art used to illustrate Gabriel's appearance to Zechariah (not sure why the question, since that art is not used this year due to the shifting position of the beginning of Advent). The question was why Gabriel appeared with a sword. (The sword is also visible in our art for Gabriel's visit to Mary.) Here's how I responded:

Our culture takes its image of angels from cute porcelain figurines and Valentine’s Day cards. A biblical study of angels reveals an entirely different picture.

Angels (cherubim) barred Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden with flaming swords (Genesis 3:24). Angels guided Lot and his family from the sinful city of Sodom (Gen. 19). Angels protected Israel throughout the Exodus (Ex. 23:23, 32:34, 33:2 and others). An angel, invisible to God’s prophet Balaam but visible to his donkey, prevented Balaam from prophesying against God’s people, blocking his way with a sword (Numbers 22:23). In 1 Chronicles 21, God nearly allows an angel to destroy Jerusalem with a sword. In 2 Kings 19:35 and again in Isaiah 37: 36, God’s angel “strikes down” huge armies who oppose God’s people. Revelation 12 describes a great war in heaven with Michael and loyal angels fighting against “the dragon” (Satan) and his rebellious angels. Angels are warriors, guardians, protectors, fighters.

It is no wonder that an angel’s first words when appearing in the New Testament were often “Do not be afraid!” It is that statement and all the fearsome angel attributes behind it that led the artist to depict Gabriel with the sword.

In fact, we do not know exactly what Gabriel looked like. Angels sometimes appeared in human likeness (Abraham describes God and two other heavenly beings as men in Genesis 18), but not always. Ezekiel and Isaiah both describe very different heavenly beings. But the picture of the angel and Zechariah is a helpful representation, faithful to Scripture, and approved through our internal art doctrinal review process.

Other important correctives about angels? We do not become angels when we die. Angels were part of God's creation (though not mentioned specifically in Genesis 1). Not all angels have wings, though some apparently have more than one pair of them. The linguistic root of our word angel means "message" or "news"; they are God's messengers, as well as warriors and worshippers.

We do children no favors if we do not teach God's Word accurately. And we and they can take great comfort from the vast army of angels deployed to protect us.

God bless you as your teach His children His Word!

The Best Class Ever!

You didn't use the suggested worship. Your students joined several other grades in a joint opening devotion led by the Sunday School director.

You didn't use the opening activity. A local news story had captured the interest of your students, so you allowed them to share their thoughts, offered some comments, and led the discussion into the Bible account for the day.

You didn't present the Bible account using drama like the guide suggested. Most of your students are not very outgoing, but they like to draw, so you had them line up at the board and have each one illustrate one paragraph of the text.

You didn't use the scripted teacher talk. Instead you phrased questions in your own words and followed up on insights your students shared.

You did remember the key point and general thrust of the lesson from your review earlier in the week, and you kept to that outline, more of less.

You didn't use the suggest application activity, but instead tied the Bible text back to the local event with which you started.

You didn't sing the suggested hymn in closing, but the text was right on target, so you challenged your students to listen carefully as you played the recording.

You didn't use the closing prayer, exactly. Your students are generally willing to pray petitions expressing their spiritual concerns, so you allowed each of them to offer a short prayer and closed with just a couple of phrases from the printed prayer.

You didn't use the leaflet this week, but you passed it out, and you noticed a couple of the students tucked it into their Bibles. Maybe they will use those daily Bible readings this week.

It was one of the best classes you've taught this quarter. The students were engaged. The Gospel was clearly shared. And the lesson material provided just enough structure and substance to get you started and keep you on track. You were the final editor, making choices and adjustments based on local conditions the publisher could never have anticipated.

Thanks! God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

He Did It for Me!

Surely that's the goal for the Sunday School lessons around this Easter celebration, the key point we want children and adults alike to take home from their Easter worship and education participation. He did it for me! Christ came in human flesh, lived a perfect human life, gave His body and blood, suffered a human death, and rose in victory over death and the grave . . . for me!

So that I would not be dead in my sins, beaten down by trials and woes, or frightened by the grave. And so that I live as God's child, serve my neighbor in his or her need, forgive those who sin against me, and find Christ in word and water, bread and wine.

Some of the most difficult Words of Scripture will assault our ears and hearts this week, detailing the suffering and death of our Lord. What a blessed joy that we can know for certain, He did it for me!

God bless you as you teach His children these words . . . He did it for you!

The Best Material for Lutheran Congregations

The best Sunday School material for a congregation is material that is aligned with the beliefs and practices that the congregation confesses to be true and valuable. An LCMS congregation that uses material from a different denominational publisher will encounter teachings that are contrary to our understanding of Scripture, teachings that are deeply embedded in the central premise of each lesson and supported in each of that lesson's elements. These errors are not easily removed or covered over with a layer of correct language. The best material is material in which such errors do not exist.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!