# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1981_S302 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) PARISH SERVICES 283 Share with teachers Sunday school ideas that they can take back and use in their home congregations; Offer teacher-training models that can be adapted for subsequent teacher-training events in congregations, Circuits, and Districts. Further assistance to Sunday schools is offered through bulletins published by the Board of Parish Education. Current bulletins include No. 37077, “Evangelism for Sunday School Growth”; No. 37177, “Organizing and Maintaining the Sunday School”; No. 37277, “Measuring Sunday School Strength’; No. 37377, “The Small Sunday School”; No. 37479, “Sunday School Teacher Selection, Training, and Support’; No. 57580, “Annotated Bibliography for the Sunday School Teacher’s Library”; and No. 57680, “Sunday Schools of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod on the 200th Anniversary of the Sunday School Movement.”’ Twice each year Program Re- sources for Church School Conferences is published for circuit Sunday school associations and other teacher-training events. Weekday Schools As indicated in another part of this report, new materials for Lutheran weekday and day schools will be published over the next several years. Many congregations have had a weekday school for seventh- and eighth-grade youth (confirmation class). The challenge is to broaden this time-honored weekday school to include younger children as well as youth and adults. Weekday learning groups might be held after school hours, in evenings, or on Saturdays. Through the weekday school, Sunday school students can obtain a richer understanding of their Christian faith ina relaxed setting and with more time for learning than is usually possible on Sunday. Weekday programs of Christian education need renewed attention. Until 1973 weekday schools in the Synod enjoyed steady growth. Subsequently they have experienced a decline. The following enrollment figures are of interest: Year K-12 Adult Total 1968 ........ eee, 109,101 34,729 143,830 1969 ..........00.. 123,863 33,985 157,848 1970 .............. 135,381 93,184 228,565 1971 oo... eee 141,706 87,275 228,991 1972 1.0... ee. 146,393 96,683 243,076 1973 wo... cee eee 148,021 104,985 253,006 1974 wo. eee 142,390 116,499 258,889 1975 J. ee 136,509 122,246 258,755 1976 .............. 130,195 133,373 263,568 1977 eee ee 118,966 140,967 259,933 1978 ...... eee 110,255 145,957 256,212 1979 2.0... 104,123 146,281 250,404 This tabulation suggests that we have the challenge to continue to involve adults in weekday Bible study and to interest many more youth and children in weekday programs of Christian education. Resources from the Board of Parish Education for the promotion of weekday schools include No. 55076, ‘Planning Weekday Programs in the Parish”; No. 55179, “Successful Weekday Schools” (tract for educational] leaders in the parish); No. 55278, “Weekday School Plus” (promotion tract for con- gregational distribution); and No. 55374, ““Weekday Schools That Succeed” (filmstrip and cassette tape). Vacation Bible Schools As might be expected, vacation Bible school enrollment trends closely parallel those of the Sunday school. Since 1965 our vacation Bible schools have experienced a steady enroll- ment decline, but in 1979 this trend was reversed as the following statistics demonstrate: Year Number Pupils Nonmembers Teachers 1977 ........ 4,145 299,892 100,566 37,831 1978 ........ 4,156 292,040 97,323 37,420 1979 ........ 4,228 299,070 105,828 37,956 Approximately one-third of our VBS enrollments consist of nonmember students—an indication of the potential of the vacation Bible school as a potent agency of the church for reaching out to the unchurched and for sharing the Gospel with those who may not have heard it. For this reason alone it would seem that all churches would want to sponsor a VBS. Another important reason is that the VBS provides the congregation with the opportunity to expand the Christian education program held on Sunday morning. Several weeks of sustained learning during the summer offer an excellent opportunity for nurturing and deepening the faith of God’s people. Yet more than 30 percent of our congregations still fail to conduct an annual vacation Bible school. All congregations need to be encouraged to conduct creative summer programs for adults and youth as well as for children. The synodical Board of Parish Education seeks to support congregations in this important ministry in several ways. During the spring of each year, personnel from the Board of Parish Education and Concordia Publishing House conduct vacation Bible school workshops in Districts requesting this service. In addition to the fine promotional materials offered by Concordia Publishing House, the Board of Parish Educa- tion offers several helpful publications: No. 50179, “Evangelism Through the Vacation Bible School” and No. 50279, ‘“‘Creative Summer Programs in Christian Education.” Every congregation is encouraged to employ this time- tested agency for the Christian nurturing of members and for evangelistic outreach to nonmembers. Directors of Christian Education A growing ministry of Christian education in the Synod is that of the director of Christian education. Churches withouta Christian day school, as well as many with a school, find the director of Christian education a useful staff person for providing leadership for the congregation’s educational and youth ministry. Within the past decade the number of directors of Christian education in the Synod has increased from less than 100 to nearly 400. The Board of Parish Education, in addition to supporting DCEs in their ministry, also seek to assist Districts and congregations as congregations explore the possibility of engaging a director of Christian education. Current publica- tions that may be helpful include No. 14078, “The Director of Christian Education”; No. 14275, “Have You Considered Sharing a Director of Christian Education?”; No. 14375, “Sharing a Director of Christian Education through Multi- parish Cooperation”; No. 14475, “‘General Qualifications fora Shared Director of Christian Education”; and No. 14580, “1980 Salary Survey.” To support the director of Christian education in his or her ministry, the Board of Parish Education publishes a quarterly journal, The Directors of Christian Education Bulletin. In cooperation with the Coordinating Committee for Cooperative Projects in Congregational Life, the Board of Parish Education sponsors seven regional Conferences for Professionals in Education and Youth Ministry each year. These conferences involve 200—250 professionals annually. VII. Adults Move Forward in Remembrance More adults are studying the Bible together in groups sponsored by local congregations than ever before in the Synod’s history. That means that more men and women are getting the help they need to work through the difficult situations they face. As Christians trying to communicate to others the meaning of God’s love in Christ, they are receiving from God’s Spirit at work in His Word new insights into God, themselves, and their mission in the world. They are building on what they have learned in the past so that they are becoming better equipped to witness in the future. In the process they are learning that adult Bible classes deserve a high priority on the list of activities in their congregation. To assist congregations in strengthening their adult educa- tion program these information bulletins have been published by the Board of Parish Education in the past two years: “Eight Steps Toward Better Adult Bible Classes,” “Ministry with Older Persons,’ “A School of Religion for Adults,” “A Diagnostic Instrument for the Adult Bible Class,” and “16 Ways to Distribute and Use the Bible.”