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MINISTRY LEADERSHIP
Faith Nutrition Matters
Cook Up a Healthy Diet of Learning for Your Congregation
by David Cassady
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. —Deuteronomy 32:2
Today’s church is called to be a center of learning. Adults, youth, children and families are each searching for information and insight for living in a changing world. They need a solid foundation in the scriptures, but also are eager for a place where they can freely ask questions and explore issues that are significant in their lives. More adults are involved in ongoing education today than in any time in history. It is no surprise that Christian education is experiencing a revival in many churches, due to the realization that growth and learning go hand in hand.
While the church has long been an educational institution, the nature and shape of its efforts are evolving. Just twenty years ago, the denomination provided a suite of programs that offered a good balance of Bible study, discipleship training, and missions education. Sunday morning meant Sunday School, Sunday night brought discipleship education, while Wednesday evenings and other weekday meetings provided missions education. The denomination offered solid curriculum materials and training for each of these programs, and churches only needed to supply volunteers and space, and follow the plan.
In recent years, educational efforts in the church have moved toward being "locally centered" rather than guided by the denomination. Only twenty years ago, most churches received the benefit of planning and resources from a denominational agency. The role of the church was to put these plans into place (find teachers, provide space and order materials), not to develop their course of study.
Today, churches are more aware of what makes them unique, and more reluctant to accept cookie-cutter plans from a central institution. Many churches are taking an active role in creating learning opportunities for their congregations and communities.
Special studies, usually short-term in nature, have appeared in many church schedules. The church is re-claiming a key role in choosing how it educates, and the sort of content that is offered.
Churches that are intentional about how they plan for learning can not only enhance the spiritual development of their members, but also create a powerful way to attract new persons to the relevancy of the Christian faith.
The Changing Role of Educational Leaders
Just twenty years ago, the role of the minister of education was largely to coordinate and manage the denomination’s programs in a particular church. They gathered volunteers to teach, coordinated training, supplied materials, and promoted the programs.
As a new kind of learning church emerges, leaders (ministers and volunteers) in local church educational ministries are being called upon to make new sorts of choices. What is the learning strategy of the church? How do we choose the studies we offer? How do we train volunteer leaders? Where do we go to find resources that fit our theology and approach to scriptures? How do we balance the need for foundational learning with more popular themed studies?
Making Healthy Choices
The freedom to make choices is good. Churches can shape learning opportunities that match the needs of their congregation, current issues, and their community. Many churches have a wealth of leadership capable of leading groups in special studies. When choices are wisely made, the church becomes more effective in encouraging growth.
The freedom to make choices also carries with it responsibility. Much like a person standing in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet, the church can choose to eat a healthy, balanced diet, or can load up on desserts. If our educational efforts are working toward a healthy faith… we need more than just the freedom to choose, but also the ability to choose wisely.
How does a church create a solid foundation in core areas such as Bible study and basic beliefs? How does the church preserve its history and heritage? What might a balanced diet look like for today’s church? How is learning for growth in faith different than being educated toward a career or science?
Most persons are aware of the value of eating a balanced, healthy diet. We also understand the dangers of a poor diet. The food nutrition pyramid is a well-known way to see what a balanced diet looks like.
A basic “faith nutrition” pyramid (much like the well-know food pyramid) might appear this way:
Without a commitment to a balanced "faith nutrition" diet, it’s easy for churches to mostly plan learning events around the top of the pyramid (life management issues). A healthier approach will provide learning in all of the areas shown in the diagram. But how does a church develop such a diet?
Create a menu
Just as a chef creates a "menu" of selections for diners, church leaders can create a healthy menu for a congregation. A chef chooses high-quality ingredients that offer nutrition and taste. Why not use the same principles as you develop learning events at your church? By planning ahead, at least 6 months at a time, a balanced and ?tasty? set of learning events and options can be provided. Without advance planning, however, it is unlikely that the resulting menu will have much balance.
Choose quality ingredients
A chef understands the importance of choosing good ingredients. Learning resources also vary in quality, and it takes attention to select the best ones. Teaching guides, book studies, Bible study curriculum, and other resources each take a particular approach to theological issues (examples: what is God like, what is the role of Scripture, how should the church organize and minister?) and to the scriptures (example: does the resource simply use a verse or two of Scripture as a "jumping off" point, or does it really try to understand the context and setting?).
Choosing resources that support your church’s approach to theology, the Bible, and polity should be as important to a church as the freshness of vegetables to a chef.
Use a good cookbook
A new resource designed to help churches create a healthy "learning menu" is The Annual Learning Guide, from Smyth & Helwys. Just as a good cookbook helps busy families prepare healthy meals, this free guide helps churches create monthly plans for learning opportunities.
What does the guide do? The Annual Learning Guide provides consistent attention to foundational issues such as biblical studies and theology by recommending the use of ongoing curriculum resources during Sunday School. Suggested elective studies provide options and variety, and can be scheduled during Sunday or Wednesday evenings, or as weekday studies. But the strong learning church will move well beyond the classroom setting, and be actively involved in “doing” ministry. Often learning is deeper when meaningful actions precede study, dialogue and reflection. The Annual Learning Guide further includes ideas for including ministry activities that spur learning and growth beyond the classroom.
The Annual Learning Guide also regularly suggests resources, and works to ensure that they meet high standards for quality content.
Whether you refer to the Annual Learning Guide as a roadmap, or simply use it as a source of ideas, remember to balance learning opportunities using the "faith nutrition pyramid". With a balanced diet, your congregation will grow as a faithful people.
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