"The only things we spend time and money on are things that we believe are worth more than they cost." Those words were written by Seth Godin in his blog, who describes himself as "a writer, speaker and an agent of change"; you can read the whole post here.
Essentially, he says that when we claim things cost too much, we are really saying we don't believe they are worth what is being asked in payment.
In my opinion, Mr. Godin has put his finger on what is looming as a crisis for Christian education in the LCMS. Sunday School is no longer valued as it once was as an institution for teaching the Gospel. Perhaps there other models for Christian education that will flourish, that is, be seen as worth the cost in dollars, staff time, volunteer commitments, and parental investment. I'm not seeing it however.
Your challenge is clear. If you want to build up your Sunday School, you need to strengthen its reputation for value. You need to convince others---your pastor, parents, church leaders, budget-setters---that Sunday School is worth it!
God bless you as you work to make a priority of teaching God's children His Word.
Showing posts with label priorities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label priorities. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Friday, March 13, 2015
A Sunday School Crisis
It strikes me that we have a crisis. Sunday School ministry in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has decreased nearly every year for the past twenty, from nearly 650,000 students and teachers in 1993 to fewer than 350,000 in 2013. In 1993, 93 percent of our LCMS congregations conducted Sunday School; in 2013 only 83% did so. We are not trending well!
Such a crisis merits attention at every level of our synod: national, district, and, of course, congregational. I suspect that most of my readers tend to Sunday Schools at the congregational level, so let me suggest three facets of our Sunday School crisis that might deserve attention.
God bless you as you teach His children His Word!
Such a crisis merits attention at every level of our synod: national, district, and, of course, congregational. I suspect that most of my readers tend to Sunday Schools at the congregational level, so let me suggest three facets of our Sunday School crisis that might deserve attention.
- We have a "Crisis of Mission": How do we connect Sunday School to the mission statement, the basic purpose, of the congregation? How can it become known as integral to that mission?
- We have a "Crisis of Action": How do we get the child or adult who does not attend to attend once? How do we get the first-time attender to return? How do we get the occasional attender to attend more frequently?
- We have a "Crisis of Focus": How can Sunday School be elevated in the eyes of the congregation's leaders and people? What voices in the congregation will be most readily heard when they speak in support of more family focus in Christian education?
God bless you as you teach His children His Word!
Monday, October 6, 2014
What Would You Do Differently?
It has been a while since I asked for a response on this blog, but I'm doing so today. The team I lead here at Concordia Publishing House will make some significant decisions this month about what our Sunday School material will look like for the next three years.
For nearly forty consecutive years, CPH Sunday School material has been
We are, however, faced with a consistent decline in Sunday School students across our church body and erosion of support for Sunday School is many congregations (less priority, lower Sunday School budgets, fewer volunteers).
So, I wonder . . .
What would you do differently? What changes make sense if we are to provide Sunday School resources in a sustainable manner (that is, offering a product valued enough by the customer to be purchased in sufficient quantity at a high enough price so that it returns to the company the dollars invested in its production)?
Undated material? (The material would be less expensive to reprint for future reuse, and possibly usable at any time.)
Broadly graded? (Designed for use by students of a broad range of, or perhaps even any, age.)
Reproducible student material? (The customer pays for local printing of student material, either black and white or color.)
Fully digital? (The customer downloads reproducible material through the Web and prints it locally as needed.)
Other options?
Obviously, we are not looking only to the readers of this blog for answers to these questions, but your input would be particularly valuable at this time. I hope you will take time to share your thoughts.
God bless the preparation of material to teach His children His Word.
For nearly forty consecutive years, CPH Sunday School material has been
- unified (all grades studying the same Bible account),
- dated (written to be taught on a certain Sunday and available for purchase only in the quarter for which it was intended to be used),
- closely graded (developed for groups of children who are nearly the same age), and
- offering full-color student materials.
We are, however, faced with a consistent decline in Sunday School students across our church body and erosion of support for Sunday School is many congregations (less priority, lower Sunday School budgets, fewer volunteers).
So, I wonder . . .
What would you do differently? What changes make sense if we are to provide Sunday School resources in a sustainable manner (that is, offering a product valued enough by the customer to be purchased in sufficient quantity at a high enough price so that it returns to the company the dollars invested in its production)?
Undated material? (The material would be less expensive to reprint for future reuse, and possibly usable at any time.)
Broadly graded? (Designed for use by students of a broad range of, or perhaps even any, age.)
Reproducible student material? (The customer pays for local printing of student material, either black and white or color.)
Fully digital? (The customer downloads reproducible material through the Web and prints it locally as needed.)
Other options?
Obviously, we are not looking only to the readers of this blog for answers to these questions, but your input would be particularly valuable at this time. I hope you will take time to share your thoughts.
God bless the preparation of material to teach His children His Word.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Quality versus Cost
It is unanimous! Everyone would like our Sunday School material to be less costly. That includes us here at the publishing house.
I work for a nonprofit organization. We don't pay dividends to shareholders or big bonuses to upper management. For nearly all our products, we charge a price that returns to the publishing house only enough to sustain our ministry at a level that fulfills our vision: to be the "publisher and provider of choice for products and services that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions." We want to be good enough so that you, and others, come to us first.
So what does it mean when a congregation says, "We can no longer afford to purchase your Sunday School material?" Our prices have not skyrocketed. The economy is relatively stable. But, I'm sure that many congregations, probably all congregations, struggle to allocate limited financial resources to a limitless number of ministry possibilities.
How then do congregations respond to tight finances? Probably the same way a family does.
I work for a nonprofit organization. We don't pay dividends to shareholders or big bonuses to upper management. For nearly all our products, we charge a price that returns to the publishing house only enough to sustain our ministry at a level that fulfills our vision: to be the "publisher and provider of choice for products and services that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions." We want to be good enough so that you, and others, come to us first.
So what does it mean when a congregation says, "We can no longer afford to purchase your Sunday School material?" Our prices have not skyrocketed. The economy is relatively stable. But, I'm sure that many congregations, probably all congregations, struggle to allocate limited financial resources to a limitless number of ministry possibilities.
How then do congregations respond to tight finances? Probably the same way a family does.
- They buy the best quality (in personnel, equipment, and materials) that they can afford, but they don't overspend.
- They prioritize to get those things that they value most and do not purchase those things they don't really want or need.
- Is there a lower quality, lower price, at which more congregations would buy our material?
- Or would even fewer congregations buy our material if it were cheaper, lower in price and quality?
Monday, June 23, 2014
Who Is Your Sunday School For?
Don't just blow past the title of this post. It is a serious question! For whom do you conduct your Sunday School on a week by week basis?
The student, right? Sunday School is all about delivering the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to the students in each class. That's not as easy as it might sound. It gets complicated because we must balance delivering the best content with making sure that the students and, in the case of most of our students under the age of 16, their parents desire to have this Sunday School experience of themselves or their children.
Then, assuming that you buy into the "it's for the students" mindset . . .
Sunday School is not for volunteer teacher. ("What is the easiest material to prepare and teach? I want something I can pick up and teach without spending my time studying the lesson and getting ready for class.")
Sunday School is not for the church finance board or treasurer. ("What is the cheapest alternative out there? Can we find something with reproducible student material? What about this stuff that is available free online?")
Sunday School is for the spiritual health of the student. ("Well, yeah, the theology is a little off, but the activities are really fun. And the material is cheap. And the teachers don't have to prepare.")
Forgive me if I sound harsh, but it seems to me that some congregations get off track on this at times.
Teaching Sunday School is a high calling with a vitally important goal. It truly is worth giving it our best!
God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!
The student, right? Sunday School is all about delivering the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to the students in each class. That's not as easy as it might sound. It gets complicated because we must balance delivering the best content with making sure that the students and, in the case of most of our students under the age of 16, their parents desire to have this Sunday School experience of themselves or their children.
Then, assuming that you buy into the "it's for the students" mindset . . .
Sunday School is not for volunteer teacher. ("What is the easiest material to prepare and teach? I want something I can pick up and teach without spending my time studying the lesson and getting ready for class.")
Sunday School is not for the church finance board or treasurer. ("What is the cheapest alternative out there? Can we find something with reproducible student material? What about this stuff that is available free online?")
Sunday School is for the spiritual health of the student. ("Well, yeah, the theology is a little off, but the activities are really fun. And the material is cheap. And the teachers don't have to prepare.")
Forgive me if I sound harsh, but it seems to me that some congregations get off track on this at times.
Teaching Sunday School is a high calling with a vitally important goal. It truly is worth giving it our best!
God bless you as you teach God's children His Word!
Monday, April 7, 2014
Don't Miss Easter!
The most casual Christian seems reluctant to skip Easter.
What a marvelous opportunity to encourage Sunday School attendance and teach the "real reason for the Easter Season!"
Will your church see Easter egg hunts and pancake breakfastson April 20? Or will they see Jesus in Sunday School?
God bless you as you teach His children His Word!
What a marvelous opportunity to encourage Sunday School attendance and teach the "real reason for the Easter Season!"
Will your church see Easter egg hunts and pancake breakfastson April 20? Or will they see Jesus in Sunday School?
God bless you as you teach His children His Word!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
What Is Your Goal?
The goal of a Lutheran Sunday School is not to entertain the
children or go easy on the budget. It is to share the truth of God's Word
through balanced teaching of Law and Gospel.
The world will always be better able to entertain and please. Let's focus our efforts each Sunday on the one thing that that world cannot provide: forgiveness, life, and salvation through Christ.
- How well does the material you use support that goal?
- How clear is that task in the minds of your teachers and how well have you prepared them for that task?
- How do you highlight that goal and its importance for your congregation and community?
God's blessings as you teach His children His Word!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, February 18, 2013
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?
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!
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 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!
Monday, April 9, 2012
What Do You Do with a Very Small Sunday School?
I'm getting hungry for some fresh statistics about Sunday School in the LCMS. I guess I'm going to have to bug our marketing people for some survey data.
The trend that I'd like to test with some research is that I'm hearing more concerns and comments these days from very small Sunday Schools, congregations where Sunday School is often one group of mixed-age children studying with just a single adult.
Needless to say, this often requires a high degree of flexibility in all areas: a teacher who can "roll with the punches" and teach a lesson for preschoolers or preteens, or perhaps one of each in that day's class; students who will endure the awkward initial moments when there are no friends in the class and no else his or her age; a curriculum that can shift with the flow of students and still work effectively.
Here are some things I know in my heart will be true about such a Sunday School.
* The teacher will be the key to its success. I know this because it is true of every Sunday School classroom. The personality, preparation, and practice of the teacher will outweigh other variables. What should you do? Invest the position of Sunday School teacher with high honor and importance. Pursue the very best candidate, even if it means enlisting the person who might otherwise be an elder, choir member, or leader of the women's group. Make Sunday School the highest priority.
* This Sunday School will require significant investment. It will more expensive to provide materials; the cost of the teacher's resources will be divided among just a few students. It will require people resources. What should you do? Don't short-change this critical ministry. It will be tempting to cut back and try to get by without good materials, especially if attendance is sporadic.
* Attendance will fluctuate. And the impact of even one family being gone may be huge. What should you do? Emphasize good communication, so that teachers have every opportunity to prepare for those who will be attending, rather than those who didn't come this week. Send unused student material to absent families to review at home; this is a great excuse to encourage and educate parents.
* God will be present and bless the study of His Word! The class that consists of just one teacher and one student, even if it lasts only 20 minutes because many activities are skipped or go quickly, is still the opportunity to teach one of God's children His Word. What should you do? Give thanks, make the most of even the smallest opportunity, and pray that God will send more children next week who are hungry to hear the Word.
God bless!
The trend that I'd like to test with some research is that I'm hearing more concerns and comments these days from very small Sunday Schools, congregations where Sunday School is often one group of mixed-age children studying with just a single adult.
Needless to say, this often requires a high degree of flexibility in all areas: a teacher who can "roll with the punches" and teach a lesson for preschoolers or preteens, or perhaps one of each in that day's class; students who will endure the awkward initial moments when there are no friends in the class and no else his or her age; a curriculum that can shift with the flow of students and still work effectively.
Here are some things I know in my heart will be true about such a Sunday School.
* The teacher will be the key to its success. I know this because it is true of every Sunday School classroom. The personality, preparation, and practice of the teacher will outweigh other variables. What should you do? Invest the position of Sunday School teacher with high honor and importance. Pursue the very best candidate, even if it means enlisting the person who might otherwise be an elder, choir member, or leader of the women's group. Make Sunday School the highest priority.
* This Sunday School will require significant investment. It will more expensive to provide materials; the cost of the teacher's resources will be divided among just a few students. It will require people resources. What should you do? Don't short-change this critical ministry. It will be tempting to cut back and try to get by without good materials, especially if attendance is sporadic.
* Attendance will fluctuate. And the impact of even one family being gone may be huge. What should you do? Emphasize good communication, so that teachers have every opportunity to prepare for those who will be attending, rather than those who didn't come this week. Send unused student material to absent families to review at home; this is a great excuse to encourage and educate parents.
* God will be present and bless the study of His Word! The class that consists of just one teacher and one student, even if it lasts only 20 minutes because many activities are skipped or go quickly, is still the opportunity to teach one of God's children His Word. What should you do? Give thanks, make the most of even the smallest opportunity, and pray that God will send more children next week who are hungry to hear the Word.
God bless!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Benefit of Color Printing
I had occasion at least twice this month to defend the use of full-color printed material in our Sunday School curricula at Concordia Publishing House. It seems that some churches, maybe many churches, are looking for materials for Sunday School that are completely reproducible locally on the church's copier or the teacher's home computer printer.
The Logic
From one perspective, this seems to be an attractive alternative. The publisher provides everything in one book or on one CD. The teacher makes only as many copies that he or she thinks will be needed that week (and, I guess, runs back to the copier if one extra student shows up). The church saves money, because they don't have to buy extra student material that they might not need.
The Reality
The publisher has to increase the price of the book or CD, because most of the cost of developing the material (thinking, writing, editing, producing, and even printing) still exists even for the black and white book pages or digital files on the CD. The church pays the office supply store for the student pages (paper and toner) instead of the publisher. The teacher makes a couple of extra copies, just in case, and still has extras, resulting in more cost not less (but not directly to the Sunday School budget line, I suppose).
And the students miss out: no full-color, realistic Bible art; no full-color activity pages; no stickers; no full-color posters.
The Question
Am I the only one who cares?
Would teachers, parents, students, and church leaders rather just have a mono-chrome curriculum?
Isn't this a matter of priorities for the congregation? How much is Christian education worth?
Is the educational contribution provided by full-color materials not worth the investment?
How much does color help you as you teach God's children His Word?
The Logic
From one perspective, this seems to be an attractive alternative. The publisher provides everything in one book or on one CD. The teacher makes only as many copies that he or she thinks will be needed that week (and, I guess, runs back to the copier if one extra student shows up). The church saves money, because they don't have to buy extra student material that they might not need.
The Reality
The publisher has to increase the price of the book or CD, because most of the cost of developing the material (thinking, writing, editing, producing, and even printing) still exists even for the black and white book pages or digital files on the CD. The church pays the office supply store for the student pages (paper and toner) instead of the publisher. The teacher makes a couple of extra copies, just in case, and still has extras, resulting in more cost not less (but not directly to the Sunday School budget line, I suppose).
And the students miss out: no full-color, realistic Bible art; no full-color activity pages; no stickers; no full-color posters.
The Question
Am I the only one who cares?
Would teachers, parents, students, and church leaders rather just have a mono-chrome curriculum?
Isn't this a matter of priorities for the congregation? How much is Christian education worth?
Is the educational contribution provided by full-color materials not worth the investment?
How much does color help you as you teach God's children His Word?
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