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

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

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

This analogy came to me.

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

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

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

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

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.
 

Tom

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

Are you getting the latest CPH news?

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

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

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

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

Blessings as you teach God's children His Word.

I Wonder If Sunday School Is Destroying Satan?

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

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

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

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

Have You Visited Yet?

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Problem with Non-Lutheran Material

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

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

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

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

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

The Worship-Education Dilemma

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Is Sunday School For?

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

I can think of three significant purposes for Sunday School.

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

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

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

What other purposes come to mind for Sunday School?

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

God bless you are you teach His children His Word!