Count the Cost?

"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.

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!

Where Are the Champions?

Two recent comments about Sunday School stick in my mind as I return this this blog after a bit of time away. (Nothing wrong, just too much to do and too little to say.)

First, my friend and coworker Loren commented that a renewal of Sunday School in our church body had to come through training and invigorating pastors, especially new pastors, about the vital importance of Sunday School in the life and health of the local congregation.

Then, Darryl Wilson (The Sunday School Revolutionary) said it perfectly: pastors need to be champions for Sunday School.

If the pastor is not firmly behind Sunday School in his congregation

• good teachers will be hard to find.
• good material will be a expensive burden instead of a valuable investment.
• good families will find other ways to spend their time.

Yes, pastors have a lot of important responsibilities in their congregations---supporting Sunday School is one of them.

Are you a pastor? Know that God, through His Word and Sacraments as well your members prayers and assistance, is your source of strength. Be a Sunday School champion.

Are you a church leader? Encourage and empower your pastor to actively lead and support your Sunday School. Help him be a Sunday School champion.

Are you a Sunday School teacher or parent? Thank God in prayer for your pastor, and thank your pastor in person for his leadership in the congregation. Encourage him and offer your tangible assistance and support. Pray for your Sunday School champion.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Choose Your Dates

The most visible change in Concordia's Sunday School materials starting this fall is the absence of assigned dates. In the long term, this is a boost to good stewardship, both for the customer and for the publisher.

With a little planning, there can be

• No unused lessons.
• Flexibility in scheduling.
• Fewer purchases of teacher materials.

You can:

• Teach the lessons in order. In the winter 2015 quarter, the Church will celebrate Christmas while SS is studying the events leading up to Christmas. If they start on the first week of September and teach every week, The Birth of Jesus will be taught on January 10th. The Sunday School can use the Church Year Worship Kit and Church Year Connections to connect to the church’s worship and simply say “We’ll study that event in a couple of weeks.”
• Skip a couple of lessons in the “before the Nativity”sequence. Most congregations probably skip a Sunday or two each year anyway.
• Start a couple of weeks early. School starts in many places in mid-August. If SS starts on August 23, the Christmas lesson would hit on 12/27.
• Save a couple of the Old Testament 2 lessons to be taught later.

Use a chart like the one below to inform teachers of the best dates to use the lessons. Watch this space for more about the changes you'll see in the fall.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Sunday School Material Without Dates

What would your Sunday School material look like without dates?
When would you use it if nobody told you?
What would be the advantages to "date-less" curriculum?
What drawbacks would need to be overcome?
What additional resources would you need?

These are not rhetorical questions. Starting this fall the popular Sunday School material from Concordia Publishing House, Growing in Christ and Cross Explorations, will no longer have dates. I'll unpack some of the rationale and reality around that decision in future blog posts.

Change is not always comfortable however, so I'm devoting the next few weeks to talking through this exciting change in our material and what it will mean for Sunday School teachers and directors.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Go with the Generic? Or the Real Thing!

Perhaps my biggest frustration as a curriculum editor is the apparent willingness of some Christian education leaders to go with substitute curricula, "off brand" materials published by non-Lutheran companies. Seth Godin got me thinking last week about why and when we are willing to go with substitutes, or not.

Mr. Godin's point is that we are generally ready to accept substitutes when we perceive little added value in "the real thing"; bottled water and generic canned vegetables, for example. We are perfectly willing to pay a little less, or a lot less, for the substitute. But for some things---such as first-run movies or "designer label" clothing---saving money is not the point. We are willing to pay for the real thing. We recognize the value and are willing to pay for it.

So, what about your Sunday School curriculum? In this case, I'd like to think that "the real thing" is a curriculum that clearly present the Gospel and teaches the Lutheran distinctives of Word and Sacrament, Christian vocation, and life under the cross.

There are lots of substitutes in the Sunday School curriculum world. Whether you are willing to choose them or not depends on whether you know what distinguishes them from, and how much you value, the real thing.

God bless you as you teach His children The Real Thing.

Summer Is Here!

Children universally look forward to summer! It is a time of warm days, increased free time, and, often, new adventures and discoveries. No doubt you have summer plans---short or long vacation trips, great activities, and family outings.

I hope that Sunday School is part of your summer plans. Summer will bring visitors to your church, as well as families that are using the summer months to move from one job or city to another and are seeking a new church home. Your summer Sunday School can show your congregation’s commitment to Christian education, even as it provides an opportunity for these new folks to get to know others in the church and community.

Concordia Publishing House’s new summer quarter will be a wonderful adventure: 3 in 1: Discovering Our Triune God. Using a summer camp environment (that will compliment this summer’s VBS theme, Camp Discovery), these thirteen lessons will review what we confess about God in the Apostles’ Creed. Along the way, students will dig into 3 Old Testament Bible accounts, 7 events from the Gospels, and 3 lessons from the Book of Acts. The material offers two levels of instruction---one for non-readers and early readers, and one for accomplished readers---and our popular “Search and Find” lesson leaflets, plus a Director CD packed with additional resources.

May God bless your summer as you help children discover their three-in-one God!

3 in 1: Discovering Our Triune God

1. God Made Us: God Creates the World           Genesis 1–2
2. God Made Angels: An Angel Rescues Peter  Acts 12:4–17
3. God Cares for Us: Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath           1 Kings 17:8–24
4. God Protects Us: God Rescues Israel            Exodus 12:1–28; 13:14
5. Jesus Is True Man: Jesus Is Born       Luke 2
6. Jesus Is True God: Jesus Rebukes the Storm           Luke 8:22–25
7. Jesus Is Our Savior: Jesus Suffers, Dies, and Rises  Matthew 27:27–54; 28:5–6
8. Jesus Is Our Lord: Jesus Ascends to Heaven            Acts 1:9–11
9. Jesus Will Return: The Parable of the Ten Virgins     Matthew 25:1–13
10. The Spirit Creates Faith: Jesus Teaches Nicodemus             John 3:1–16
11. The Spirit Renews Us: Mary Shows Her Love for Jesus        John 12:1–8
12. The Spirit Produces Good Works: A Widow’s Offering           Mark 12:41–44
13. The Spirit Makes the Church Grow: Philip and the Ethiopian             Acts 8:26–39