# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S284 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 7. PARISH SERVICES AND YOUTH 7-01 Report of Board of Parish Education The Commitment: “Ever, Only, All for Thee!” “Ever, Only, All for Thee.” —A commitment present in bap- tism, a goal for all of life, a reality in the death of a Christian. “Ever, Only, All for Thee” —the goal of Christian education. “Ever, Only, All for Thee” —the atmosphere in which Chris- tian teachers and learners interact. “Ever, Only, All for Thee” —the context in which the Board of Parish Education has viewed its work since the 1971 conven- tion. At baptism every Christian is commissioned a missionary — a witness to the Christian faith. The task of Christian education is to equip the Christian for this high calling. The individual, the calling, the commitment have been the focal point of another 2 years of work by the members and staff of the Board of Parish Education. Conscious that God’s judgment and grace intersect with every aspect of existence, and conscious of the basic com- mitment ‘Ever, Only, All for Thee,” the Board of Parish Educa- tion has built its work around the 10 specific commitments articu- lated in this report. I. THE BOARD OF PARISH EDUCATION IS COMMITTED TO EDUCATION THAT IS CHRISTIAN The Context All education has a religious dimension in that the learner is directed either toward or away from God. He is equipped for service which will either honor God’s name or profane it. Ulti- mately all education seeks salvation—either by works or by grace. And so the education that takes place all around us has eternal dimensions. In this context the church is called to teach —to provide an education that is Christian. The Gospel Orientation Christian education is rooted in the Gospel. Every other type of education is Law-oriented, while Christian education centers in the good news of the forgiveness of God through His Son Jesus Christ. Where there is no Gospel, Christian education doesn’t happen. Where Law and Gospel are properly under- stood and used, with due emphasis on the Gospel, Christian education can take place. The Teacher The Gospel influence goes beyond words. It is evident in the love, the warmth, the acceptance, the forgiveness expressed by the teacher—and by the learners one for another. That is why relationships are so important in Christian education. While the Word of Reconciliation has power within itself, this Word is communicated by the Spirit through the words, actions, attitude, and touch of the Christian teacher. Modern emphasis on the person of the Christian teacher finds its model in the Master Teacher, who was both the medium and the message of God’s great plan for mankind. The Process Beyond the teacher, yet largely dependent on the teacher, is the process. Christian education is a basic process in renewal of the church. This process requires more than just active teach- ers and passive learners, much more than just passively accept- ing a body of knowledge into one’s consciousness. Where Chris- tian education is really taking place, one will find a process of mutual sharing, of dialogue, of discovery, of questions and an- swers, of individual and group activity, of laughter and tears, of confessing sins and of hearing absolution. Because the Spirit of God is always present in true Christian education, the process is alive, vibrant, powerful not only in the content but also in the process. The Content Christian education is rooted in the Word. It is dependent on the Word. This Word is the inspired Holy Scriptures. This Word is the Word made flesh, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This content is wide, is deep, is complex, is simple. All of God’s truth forms the content of the curriculum. And since in Christ 285 are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Christ himself is the central content of all education that is worthy of the name Christian. The Board of Parish Education is deeply concerned that the Word be the content. That kind of education—Gospel centered, Christian in word and in person, experienced in Spirit-directed processes, and rooted in the Word—is the education to which the Board of Parish Education is committed. Il. THE BOARD OF PARISH EDUCATION IS COMMITTED TO CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL PEOPLE OF ALL AGES Jesus Invites Everyone In the Scriptural account of Jesus’ life and work, nothing is more apparent than Jesus’ love for all people, children and adults, church leaders and followers. The woman taken in adultery was as important to Him as Nicodemus, the law-abiding member of the Jewish Council. In feeding the five thousand, He fed them all, adults and children. The children whom He took into His arms for a special personal blessing were equally im- portant with the adults whom He taught individually or in groups. In the Great Commission He included young and old. After His resurrection, in reinstating Peter, Jesus commanded him ‘Feed My lambs,” “Feed My sheep,” young and old. Our Lord Jesus is still sending out His invitation “Come to Me, all of you” (Matt. 11:28) through His church. His concern continues for all people. No one is to be left out. His promise of rest and forgiveness is for all. He knows the needs of each of us and in the good word of His Father's grace He speaks to those needs. As Jesus’ love is all-inclusive, so our love is to be all-inclusive, motivated by our love for Him. The Objective of Christian Education Includes Everyone As we listen to the Word of Christ and trust Him for the for- giveness of our sins and eternal life, our role becomes obvious. Our task is to proclaim His invitation so that people in every cir- cumstance and condition of life may listen and understand His message. He reveals the Father’s anger over our sin. He shows the Father’s love that alone redeems and restores us to life eternal. He is our hope now and always. All things become possible to us when we live through faith in Christ Jesus. The Synod’s Board of Parish Education participates in Christ’s work through its ministry of God’s Word among all people, as does the entire Synod. We are committed to excellence in Christian education for all adults. youth. and children, always mindful of their needs and interests as individuals. We have tried to say this in our goal: that, through the Word and Spirit of God, the individual may know God, especially His seeking and forgiving love in Christ, may respond in faith and grow up into Christian maturity; and that as the individual sees himself a reconciled redeemed child of God and member of Christ’s body, the church, he may live happily in peace with God, himself, and his fellowmen, and may express his joy in worship of God and in loving service to others: and that in love of God he may value all of God’s creative work in His world and church, may participate actively in God’s mission to the church and the world, and live in the Christian hope. “Something for everyone!” Sound like an advertising gim- mick for an amusement park or a discount department store? Not this time. Rather, a brief description of the process by which the church selects priorities for its ministries. Our task is to plan how best to devote our God-bestowed gifts to serving the needs of people that they may see and believe and share their faith with others. The "Everyone Whom We Serve Is Really EVERYONE In the worship services, in the average schoolroom or re- ligion class, the “everyone” is largely the normal, responsive