Topics of interest to those in educational ministry
At the 2015 Association of Presbyterian Church Educators annual event I conducted a hands-on workshop that explored internet collaboration through the use of low-cost video and audio teleconferencing tools. These could be used to enable virtual meetings, classes, and webinar presentations in your congregation. Participants explored the basics of Skype, Google Hangouts, and join.me. We also explored best practices for a virtual teaching presence. Continue reading
We struggle to find volunteers to teach Sunday school. Excuses are fired in rapid succession: “My children play soccer,” “I grocery shop on Sunday mornings,” “Sometimes we go away on weekends,” “Sunday’s are my day to sleep in,” “I don’t know enough about the Bible.” Yes, we are busy, but our excuses reflect the low priority of teaching Sunday school. After all, often we say, “We just need a volunteer.”
We need to reframe our teaching ministry. We need to move our volunteers to disciples, where volunteers see themselves as disciples of Jesus. When we make this shift, our goals change, we add clarity to our motivation, and we more accurately define our purpose. We revitalize our teaching ministry with movement and make a transformative impact on those we teach. Continue reading
From time to time in these postings, I’m hoping we can take a step back and explore new models for educational ministry. This is one of those days. Several years ago, I was privileged to hear the attached paper presented at the Religious Education Association’s annual meeting. I hear a lot of academic papers presented, but this particular one has stayed with me and sparked creative ways of thinking of our process of Christian education and the roles that we play in guiding others in faith. Continue reading
Today I wanted to talk about a teaching model that my home church, Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia is using for all youth and adult classes this month. The RED (Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity) group of this multicultural congregation created a series of storytelling panels around the topic of schooling (something that both age groups share). Each week of this month a different mixed race panel of congregation members will talk about what school was like when they were growing up in the South. Continue reading
There are man
y fine Facebook Groups connecting those doing Christian education in churches and other settings. Here are links to some of my favorites:
These all have the potential of ecumenical conversation. There are also groups that are specific for denominations, schools, and different roles, such as certified educators or doctoral students.
What are some of your favorites?
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