# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S290 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 290 PARISH SERVICES AND YOUTH (2) church school curricular materials today contain much more help to aid the teacher in lesson preparation than they did formerly: (3) the trend in church school curricular materials provide new forms and patterns of teacher education for our volunteer church school leaders. Elements in a Volunteer Teacher Education Program The following elements ought to be included in any volun- teer teacher education Program that seeks competent teachers of the Word. 1. The teacher ought to be a committed Christian who dem- onstrates his or her faith through a Christian life. The teacher of God nourishes Christian faith and life. 2. Because a teacher teaches as much by the kind of person he is as by what he says, the teacher needs to grow in Christian faith and life. Again, through the teacher’s devotional study of the Scriptures he receives the Spirit’s power and gifts for such growth in Christian personhood. 3. As a teacher of the church, the volunteer church school teacher needs to grow in understanding of the Scriptures and tion). Certainly our volunteer teachers also need to grow in theological understanding. 4. The teacher needs to understand the students he teaches and the world in which they live. Courses in psychology and sociology are valid aspects of any comprehensive teacher train- ing program. 5. The teacher ought to be able to teach (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24). Also our volunteer church school teachers need opportunities to develop their teaching skills. New Forms of Volunteer Teacher Education Churches of our Synod are experimenting successfully with forms of volunteer teacher education other than the traditional weekly teachers meeting. Some promising forms are: 1. Many congregations subscribe to Interaction. a basic teacher training tool for all teachers of the congregation. Articles from Interaction are available for the private reading by the teacher and for discussion in teacher education meetings. 2. Individual congregations, or groups of congregations, sponsor a short-term Adult School of Religion with courses of value also for the church school teacher. Much more emphasis ought to be given this form of adult education as it is a promising Setting of the future for the in-service education of volunteer teachers. 3. Teacher education courses one night a week for a period of 6 or 8 weeks attract many teachers. 4. Some congregations are fortunate in having a double teaching staff. A teacher teaches for 3 months and attends an adult education group for three months. 5. Some congregations encourage teachers to follow a pri- vate reading program. Such congregations often maintain a library to make useful books and periodicals available for the teacher's private study. 6. Some congregations join sister churches in area teacher education events. This may be a semi-annual circuit institute, a 6-week Adult School of Religion, or a periodic meeting to introduce new curricular materials. Interparish cooperation offers many possibilities also for teacher education. 7. Some congregations offer new teachers an orientation bility for a class. New study books and audiovisual materials are available for these sessions. These classes may well be held on Sunday morning (during the Sunday school session). 8. Individual congregations, or groups of congregations, offer 1-day or weekend retreats. A substantial block of time for sus- tained teacher education is an important advantage. For ex- ample, the Eastern District has annually offered a retreat over the Labor Day weekend for volunteer teachers. 9. In some instances, synodical colleges and seminaries, in Cooperation with the synodical Board of Parish Education, offer in-service programs also for volunteer church school teachers. Services Provided by the Board of Parish Education To assist Districts and congregations in the in-service educa- tion of volunteer church school teachers, the synodical Board of Parish Education provides a variety of services. We shall list but a few of these. 1. Interaction is now our basic teacher training tool. This monthly periodical includes articles for the teacher’s growth in his faith and as a Christian person, for his growth in understand- ing of the Scriptures and Lutheran theology, for his understand- ing of his students and the world in which they live, and for his improvement in teaching skills. In addition, the periodical con- tains ideas and identification of promising resources for the church school administrator. Congregations would do well to provide every church school administrator and teacher with a subscription of this significant magazine. 2. During the past biennium the Board of Parish Education produced two new teacher training courses. Teach-Life. a multimedia course, is particularly helpful for the orientation of understand the nature of their ministry and how to improve it. 3. As an “idea starter” for circuit and other area church school teachers institute program committees, the Board pro- duces the semi-annual publication Program Resources for Church School Conferences. This bulletin is free on request from the respective District boards of parish education. 4. North American Lutheran Church School Conventions are sponsored by the board to (a) inspire teachers in the realiza- tion of the importance of their work; (b) provide a setting for teachers to enjoy the fellowship of fellow-teachers from various parts of the Synod; (c) offer meaningful teacher education experiences; (d) enable teachers to gain new ideas and insights from the experiences of church school workers in different Parts of the Synod: and (e) give teachers and synodical educational leaders an opportunity to share their insights and to minister to one another. The fifth North American Lutheran Church School Conven- tion will be conducted in St. Paul, Minn., July 27-29, 1973. 4 y 26—28, 1974, and for Los Angeles, Calif., July 18—20, 1975. 5. Because “teachers of teachers” (pastors, directors of Christian education, day school teachers, and others) have indi- cated a desire to gain added skill for their leadership tasks, the Board of Parish Education offers to serve conferences of our professional ministers. During the latter part of 1973 the staff will conduct a series of area workshops on “‘The Teaching of the Faith to Sixth-, Seventh-, and Eighth-Graders.” 6. Upon request, staff members of the synodical Board of Parish Education will Participate in teacher education events sponsored by district boards of parish education. The commitment of the synodical Board of Parish Education to help Districts and congregations train teachers of the faith is based on the conviction that thorough teacher education de- Serves a priority rating in the ministry of every congregation. VI. THE BOARD OF PARISH EDUCATION IS COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE FAMILY IS A BASIC TEACHING-NURTURING UNIT One of the Synod's Strengths —Its Emphasis ona Ministry to Families “What is the future for the family?” is a question frequently asked by responsible people. “Does the family even have a future?” is being asked by some who are skeptical about its survival in an era of rapid change. And some who claim to be prophetic say, “The family is obsolete.” Families have problems because its members are human. Modern life and culture exert pressures which cause unusual problems even for the Christian families. Yet the family is God’s creation, and to serve and strengthen the Christian family is one of the responsibilities and privileges of a Christian congre- gation. The word “family” has numerous meanings. The Scriptures often use the word in a broader context than the one to which we and our culture are accustomed. The word “household” comes close to the root meaning of the word. While we recog- nize the prominence of today’s nuclear family, it is good to keep in mind that in the household of faith each person is related to every other person.