LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 287

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PARISH SERVICES AND YOUTH 287

unique situation. The church says today to as many who will
hear, “Listen to this Word from God, all of you.”

lll. THE BOARD OF PARISH EDUCATION IS
COMMITTED TO CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN
A VARIETY OF SETTINGS

A. The Wide Variety of Settings

Learning occurs in all of an individual’s experiences in life.
Christian education can take place, therefore, in a variety of
experiences in many different settings.

The Christian Home

In a more narrow sense, Christian education happens when-
ever and wherever the ‘means of grace” are used. The Chris-
tian home, in which the people of God minister to one another
for mutual growth in Christian faith and life, is the most effective
setting in which the church (i.e. the people of God) educates.

The Christian Day School

The church as a congregation in a given locality educates
through a variety of more formal, congregation-sponsored
settings. The most promising formal setting for the Christian
education of God’s people is the Christian day school, whether
that school be an elementary school, a high school, or a univer-
sity. In the setting of the Christian day school more time can be
given to formal religious instruction than is ordinarily available.
Above all, the entire environment of the Christian school can be
utilized for Christian education through the interpersonal rela-
tionships of God’s people.

Weekday Settings

For many reasons most children and youth of our church
do not attend a Christian day school. Yet the Sunday school as
the sole educational agency of the church is severely limited.
Weekday programs of religious education allow more time than
the Sunday school for formal teaching of the faith and for the
nurturing of the bonds of fellowship of God’s people. Therefore
congregations of our Synod are strongly encouraged to provide
weekday programs of Christian education for all children and
youth not enrolled in a Christian day school.

Traditionally our churches have offered weekday classes
in Christian education for youth of junior high school age.
Through these classes pastors prepared their youth for the rite
of confirmation. Our challenge today is to expand these study
groups to include younger children as well as older youth and
adults.

Weekday programs of Christian education can take many
different forms. For preschool children, nursery schools, and
day care centers can provide excellent opportunities to assist
small children develop Christian attitudes that will be significant
for their entire future life, and also to aid parents in their under-
standing of child training. Release time classes, Saturday
schools, and weekday classes after school are promising settings
for the formal Christian education of elementary and secondary
school students.

Summer Schools

The summer months offer an excellent time for weekday
educational programs, particularly for children and youth on
vacation from school. Such summer programs as the vacation
Bible schoo! can provide a period of intensive Christian educa-
tion that would be impossible to offer during the school year.
Moreover, summer programs reach many unchurched people.
For example, each year approximately 30% of the vacation Bible
school enrollment of our churches are nonmembers.

Settings for Youth and Adults

A wide variety of settings may be utilized for the continued
Christian education of youth and adults. Camps, retreats,
Sunday night groups, breakfast prayer or study groups and
home groups offer possibilities. Parish leaders might well assess
the situation in their specific place and creatively plan settings
for Christian education that meet the needs and circumstances of
their fellow members above the children’s level.

As has been previously mentioned, the Adult School of Re-
ligion is one setting for a weekday Christian education program
for youth and adults that deserves serious consideration. Many
adults prefer short-term courses to an ongoing study group.

Similar short courses, perhaps several at a time, are equally
suitable for Sunday morning study.

The Sunday School

While emphasizing the value of weekday programs of re-
ligious instruction, it would be wrong to downgrade the Sunday
school. In spite of its limitations, the Sunday school will likely
remain the most promising agency for reaching the maximum
number of people. The Sunday school is so deeply embedded in
American culture that more people will be willing to attend this
educational agency than any other. Rather than deplore the
Sunday school’s inadequacies, let us recognize its potentials
and improve its quality.

Young Adults

A major challenge is to minister to young adults who leave
their home parish after their high school graduation for college,
the armed services, or work in a distant place. These young
adults also need to continue their spiritual growth through
Christian education experiences. Our ingenuity is challenged to
provide Christian education settings in colleges and universities,
in military installations, and other nonparish environments.

Intergenerational Groupings

We also need to experiment with new kinds of settings. For
example, traditionally we have provided educational settings in
age groupings. A growing realization is emerging that there is
value in intergenerational grouping for Christian education in
which representatives of different generations may share their
experiences, insights, attitudes, opinions, and needs, and, above
all. their commitment to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF ENROLLMENT IN TRADITIONAL
EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS*

Nursery Day Weekday Summer Sunday
Year Roll School School Programs School
1969 ____ 92,859 154,235 123,863 379,057 813,719
1970 _____ 90,264 150,980 135,381 376,299 786,374
1971 __. 87,371 146,214 141,706 363,018 750,482
Year Lutheran High Schools Weekday Adult Bible Classes
1969 «22,561 99,173
1970 __ «212,776 97,811
1971 _— 12,543 91,297

B. Moving Toward a Deeper Commitment

Aware that Christian education in its narrow sense takes
place wherever the Gospel is taught and the Sacraments ad-
ministered, the Board of Parish Education, in partnership with
the respective District Boards of Parish Education, seeks to
assist congregations in identifying and using a variety of settings
for their ministry of Christian education. During the past bien-
nium the Board has sought to stimulate a deeper commitment to
Christian education and a more widespread use of the oppor-
tunities inherent in the wide variety of settings in which Chris-
tian education can take place. The Board has:

1, Stimulated congregations to evaluate their present settings
for Christian education, encouraged them to improve their
current agencies, and suggested possible new forms for Chris-
tian education, as well as a strengthening of existing forms.

2. Provided congregations with information and assistance
in establishing, administering, and conducting a variety of edu-
cational experiences. In particular, a heavy emphasis was given
to early childhood education, weekday programs of Christian
education, youth and adult education, and family life ministry.
The board encouraged Districts to appoint District education
consultants in the areas of adult education, family life education,
youth education, and weekday schools.

3. Encouraged congregations to consider the engagement
of a director of Christian education to provide the congregation
with professional educational leadership as it explores and
utilizes various settings for Christian education.

4. Provided a wide variety of curricular materials to enable
congregations to choose those materials best suited for their
specific educational needs and settings.

5. Pointed out the downward enrollment trend in most

* Note the downward trend in all but the weekday school.