# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S364 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 364 PARISH SERVICES Education and Concordia Publishing House are joined together in a team ministry in which each team member seeks to accept the challenge and faithfully serve as messengers of the Lord. V. Curriculum Resources for Equipping Messengers of the Lord In Handbook 7.25 ¢ the Synod charges the Board of Parish Education to “plan and direct the production of textbooks and other printed materials necessary to carry out an effective program of parish education.” During the past biennium the board has again devoted much of its staff time to developing curricular plans and materials centered in God's Word and in the confession of Jesus Christ as Lord. Curricular plans and materials, of course. are only means to an end, not ends in themselves. Accordingly. the board through its staff has at- tempted to devise plans and materials that will lead users through Word and Spirit to a bold and active confession of Jesus’ lordship. In all this the board and staff have been con- scious of the presence of God's gracious Spirit and confident that He uses the best as well as the faltering efforts of His people to accomplish His own good purposes. Because the board is committed to providing first-rate study courses usable in the various schools and programs of local congregations, its staff has carefully monitored the church's needs to determine which programs need revision and what kinds of new lesson materials might be desirable. The following, then, are specific projects undertaken by the board through its staff in fulfillment of Handbook 7.25 ¢: A. The Mission:Life Program The first courses in the Mission:Life program were intro- duced for congregational use in the fall of 1971. By God's grace the program is now into its fourth year. Since its introduction the program has gained in popularity until. at present, approxi- mately 60% of the Synod's congregations are using all or parts of the program. With this in mind. the Board of Parish Education at its September 1974 meeting resolved to “reaffirm its endorsement of and commitment to the total Mission:Life curriculum and give thanks to God for the many blessings that have accrued through the instrumentality of this curriculum and its faithful witness to the Gospel.” The Mission:Life program, of course. has not been without criticism. Accordingly. the Board of Parish Education has attempted, through its staff, to satisfactorily answer all criticisms. The board feels it has been preeminently successful in dealing with questions about the program. It is also worth noting that the Mission:Life program has managed to maintain itself financially. Reports or rumors regarding its supposed financial failure are incorrect. B. New Mission:Life Materials Since the 1973 convention of the Synod new Mission:Life courses have been published on schedule. New Orange (VBS and camp) materials have appeared annually on eight levels, including youth and adult. VBS packets for mentally retarded persons have also been prepared and offered to the church. Eight new Green (Sunday school) Christ-Style minicourses for youth classes became available in the past biennium. Several Red (weekday) adult courses were published to complete that program. The Gate. the Green (Sunday school) study guide for adult groups. has continued to offer a variety of courses on a quarterly basis. In response to a significant number of requests. a booklet entitled Memory Selections from Mission:Life was produced to provide a memory selections plan for Mission:Life users who desired such a plan. A supplement to the Green 8 (Sunday school) courses was also prepared to explain how these courses could be used with the new Epistle and Gospel readings sug- gested by the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship’s Church Year Calendar and Lectionary. None of these materials would have been possible except for the dedication and skill of an excellent staff of Board of Parish Education editors working in close cooperation with artists and craftsmen from Concordia Publishing House. In Mission:Life, Board of Parish Education editors and Concordia Publishing House employees have together been able to prepare one of the most extensive and attractive curriculums ever produced by a Christian denomination. C. Revisions of Mission:Life Revisions of Mission:Life materials continue to be made as specific courses come up for reprinting. A thorough revision of the Green 7! ‘Sunday school) course titled “The Case for God's Power" has been completed by the Board of Parish Education staff. Other such revisions and improvements will be carried out as funds are available and a definite plan of action can be established that will allow for needed revisions while at the same time protecting the investments of both the Synod and the local congregations as much as possible. D. Life in Christ Because not all congregations have been able to use Mission: Life. the “Life in Christ’’ series of study materials has con- tinued to be offered. This series, too, has needed occasional revision, but only minor revisions have been carried out at this point. A modest but important survey of selected “Life in Christ" users was conducted by Concordia Publishing House and the Board of Parish Education early in 1974 to determine the future of this curriculum and to identify strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum that could be considered in future planning. As a result of the survey and other contacts with congrega- tions, the need for a thorough revision and update of the “Life in Christ’’ materials became clear. Accordingly. the Board of Parish Education has begun work on another Bible-story-based. easy-to-use, elementary-level curriculum for Sunday schools that will, in effect. be a continuation of the “Life in Christ” series. This curriculum has been scheduled for initial use in the fall of 1976. E. Materials for Special Classes In the past biennium the Board of Parish Education has devoted staff time to the development of materials for special classes of handicapped persons. Series II and III of Lessons for Special Classes continue to provide congregations with outstand- ing resources for educational ministry with mentally retarded persons. Series I has gone out of print, but will ultimately be replaced by Series IV, which will contain lessons on basic Chris- tian teachings for trainable mentally retarded persons. No firm date for the issuance of Series IV has been set at this time. There is a growing need in the church also tor materials for deaf persons. A steady increase in the number of Sunday school classes for deaf children has been noted in the past 2 years. In response to this reality the Board of Parish Education and Concordia Publishing House have begun to explore what kinds of materials might be needed, and how and when these materials can be produced. An advisory committee of persons in the church who are directly involved in education ministries with the deaf has been appointed by the Board of Parish Educa- tion to work with the editorial staff in developing these materials. F. Mini-Curriculum in Christian Doctrine Board of Parish Education editors have completed four elementary-level courses in Christian doctrine for use in various church school settings. The courses are group-graded, that is. one course each for Grades 1-2, 3-4. 5-6, and 7-8. At this writing the Board of Parish Education is attempting to arrange with Concordia Publishing House for the publication of these courses. Therefore no date for their issuance or avail- ability can as yet be indicated. Once again, the development of these courses came in response to the call of congregations for simple courses in Christian doctrine that could be used as an “elective” option in the Sunday morning program. G. New Early Childhood Materials A series of field workshops was conducted this spring to introduce to the church the first quarter Green Sunday school nursery and kindergarten materials. These materials have been designed for beginning use in the fall of 1975. Other courses in this series are in various stages of production. The pre- kindergarten materials will appear in time for fall 1976 use. The new nursery and kindergarten materials will fill the curricular needs of the growing number of early childhood classes being established throughout the church. Lesson plans follow a Bible story approach and feature home and parent involvement, more so than any previous resources on this level. Take-home leaflets and a Bible story book are designed specif- ically for the use of parents and children in the home.