PALM / PASSION SUNDAY April 5, 2009

REV. OLIVERIO P. PINEDA- Celebrant

Or consider the apostle Paul, an ardent and faithful Jew who devoted all his energies to putting an end to the Christian movement (Acts 8:3; 9:1-2)—until God intercepted him on the road to Damascus. Saul, or Paul, was stunned and temporarily blinded by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who claimed Paul’s life as his own (9:3-16). From that moment on, Paul could not do anything other than preach and teach Christ. He met God as if struck by a lightning bolt in the middle of a highway, and Paul’s life was never the same again.

Take a brief inventory before exploring Teachers Know Their Place in the Faith Story .

Read each statement; then circle the number that best describes your situation.
1 = Not at all; 2 = Somewhat; 3 = Mostly; 4 = Definitely

1   2   3   4     I know about our foremothers and forefathers of the faith and feel confident about telling others that information.

1   2   3   4     I have a variety of images of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

1   2   3   4     I feel confident in explaining to people completely new to the Christian faith who we are as Christians.

1   2   3   4     I understand what we mean when we call someone a disciple and understand my place in the disciple-making process.

Taking a Place in Telling the Story

God takes initiative to be known, as in the burning bush; but God also relies on us to share in that initiative. Telling or teaching others about God is one of the central tasks of education and is at the heart of your call as a teacher.

Passing along the faith has a long history. How else could we follow what the earliest Hebrews or Christians taught so many centuries ago? We may thank our forefathers and foremothers in the faith for taking seriously their responsibility to teach their children and others about God. Now you have joined that long procession to teach the faith to others.

Not Just to Moses and Paul

Throughout all time, God has demonstrated ways of self-revealing and has instructed the faith community to pass along their faith through their own means. We receive, learn about, understand, incorporate, feel, see, and come to know God because God chooses to be known and because others have intentionally taught us about God. We may think of passing on the faith as Christian education, and all Christians have a stake in the success of our educational efforts. As a teacher participating in generation after generation of this long heritage of faith, you have a key role to play with the congregation and other teachers in the spiritual formation and well-being of the people in your care.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Think about who passed on the faith story to you. How did they share stories and beliefs about God? What are your initial thoughts about how to pass on the faith to your students?

2. Think about the way you came to this teaching ministry. Did you volunteer? If so, why? Were you invited? If so, by whom? What were you invited specifically to do? What made you decide to accept?

3. Did you have serious reservations about the task, like Moses did? If so, what were—or are—they? Are you eager for this ministry in spite of whatever concerns you may have, like Paul? What excites you the most?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Study Exodus 3—4 and Acts 8—9 with the other teachers and education leaders. What do these stories reveal to you about your own calling for the teaching/ learning ministry?

2. Make your own historical faith timeline, and invite others to do so with you. Start with the date that you first remember anything regarding the Christian faith (perhaps bedtime prayers or giving thanks at meals as a child). Mark along the timeline significant people, events, feelings, experiences, and so on that have formed you as a person and as a person of faith. Note times when you may not have realized that God was at work at that moment. What has been the cumulative effect of this faith journey? Discuss or journal your reflections.

God Known by the Ancients

God, of course, is revealed and known in different ways throughout the Bible. Some people feel that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are somehow different. They reason that God has changed between the Testaments, or even that there are two different Gods or versions of the same God. Not so. God is One. God is the Only God (see Deuteronomy 6:4), but God has an infinite number of ways of being known. Indeed, to try to describe God with just one set of words, images, or descriptors is to underestimate and under-characterize God woefully. In order to share God’s story with others, we must first have an understanding of how we ourselves conceive of God. For that, we look back.

Each of the Testaments employs a different type of literature. The Hebrew Scripture (the Old Testament), includes historical, prophetic, legal, and poetic writings. God is revealed through the Hebrews’ long period of development as a people, their captivity and release from Egypt, their acquisition of land, and their fortunes (and misfortunes) at the hands of neighboring nations.

The ancient Hebrews likened God to a rock (Isaiah 26:4); a stronghold (Nahum 1:7); an eagle (Deuteronomy 32:11-12); a shepherd (Ezekiel 34:15); a refuge (Jeremiah 17:17); a mother (Isaiah 42:14); and many more images from life and nature. The Psalms, for example, offer a rich source of images and characterizations of God and God’s interactivity with humankind.

These images, of course, were not just in the imagination of the faithful. These images and characterizations were drawn from the Hebrews’ experience of God’s activity on their behalf. They affirmed, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). We agree because in our life experience God cares for us, protects us, and guides us to “safe pasture” and “still waters.” God is described as righteous and just because the oppressed have found vindication in God’s commands to the faithful to work for justice (see, for example, Isaiah 61).

God Revealed Through Christ

The New Testament reveals God chiefly through the life and ministry of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ. Much of the writing is narrative and story, as in the Gospels, or is in the form of correspondence, such as the many letters attributed to Paul. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is shown as a teacher (3:1-21); a prophet (4:7-42); a healer (5:2-18); a friend (11:1-44); and a servant (13:1-20), to name a few characterizations.

In the writings attributed to Paul, Jesus is also seen in a more “cosmic” role, as an exalted figure in the heavens (see 1 Corinthians 15 or Colossians 1:15-23), and as one who brings unity and peace (Ephesians 2:11-22). Jesus Christ frees humanity for fullness and reconciliation (Galatians 3:23-29) and models unity and grace for individuals and for the church (1 Corinthians 12).

God as Spirit

A third important way to understand God is as the Holy Spirit. Christians are Trinitarians, which means that we accept the idea of “God in three persons, blessed Trinity” (from the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy!” by Reginald Heber, 1826). The third person, though not an individual in the human sense, is the Spirit. John 14 speaks eloquently about the identity and work of the Holy Spirit, referring to the Spirit as the Advocate, or Comforter, whom God will send after the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Perhaps the most helpful and important thing Jesus taught his disciples about the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit “will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). You can claim that promise as you pass on the teachings of Jesus to your students. You are never alone when you do God’s work. The Spirit is always there to guide you and to help you remember what God would have you do.

Who Is the God You Know?

Think back now to the experience of Moses or Paul. Some of us have had “burning bush” or “road to Damascus” experiences in which we have dramatically come to know, to know better, or to know differently this awesome God. In those moments, we may have received a clear call to a specific ministry or need. We also know God through a long stream of quiet practices and assurances, such as having grown up in a household that regularly offered prayer and modeled generosity as acts of devotion to God.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Choose one of the Gospels or one of the Letters and skim several chapters, such as Matthew 5–7, Mark 2–3, or Colossians 1–3. What does the passage show you about God? about Jesus Christ? Read John 14:18-31. What do these verses teach you about the Holy Spirit? As you consider these ways of understanding the persons in the godhead, how do they help you to teach your students about these ways of knowing God?

2. Search through The United Methodist Hymnal (or other denominational hymnal) for a few of your favorite hymns (and sing them, if you wish). What do they reveal about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit? Then look at the affirmations of faith and creeds (UMH, 880–889). What do they tell you about God in each person of the Trinity?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Join with other teachers or education leaders for a weeknight course on Christian heritage, using the set The History of Christian Thought (www.cokesbury.com) or other reference material on the subject.

2. Use An Eclectic Almanac for the Faithful: People, Places, and Events That Shape Us, by W. Paul Jones (www.upperroom.org/bookstore) through the year in conjunction with your daily devotions. Consider forming a small group. The almanac is dated, includes background on one of the saints or faithful forebears, historical reminders of contemporary happenings for the day, and a printed prayer.

When Your Students Ask

First we come to know God in many ways. Then we share the story, pass on the faith, and teach others. Consider how the Old Testament community understood this responsibility.

Our “Marching Orders”

The Hebrews understood themselves to be wholly in God’s care. Their identity as a people and as a nation was first communal, not individual. They were the people of God, to whom a land and a faith had been given. This faith is understood through the Law—the first five books of the Bible, known to the Jews as the Torah. The Law taught the Hebrews how to be a holy people, set apart for God and for fulfilling God’s purposes. For them, all teaching was religious instruction, teaching them about God and how to be in relationship with God, with neighbor, and with others.

All adults were required to know and observe the Law. They were also expected to teach the Law to their children: When your children ask you in time to come, “What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?” then you shall say to your children, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.” (See Deuteronomy 6:20-25.)

From the time a boy was able to walk and take his father’s hand, he was expected to attend the religious festivals and to learn their importance from his father and the extended community. It was through this teaching, experience, and modeling that the boy’s entire life, not just his faith, was formed. By agreeing to teach in the church school, you, in effect, become a “faith parent” to your students, regardless of their age.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Your students will ask you, as their teacher, “the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances” of God. How do you feel about carrying on the task of your ancient forebears? What do you think and feel about the command to teach for God?

2. Do you feel equipped and ready to explain the “meaning of the decrees”? How well acquainted are you with basic Christian beliefs? with the Bible?

3. What help do you need to feel well enough acquainted to do a good job as a teacher? What helps are available from your church education leaders? (Workshops and training opportunities are typically offered in your district or conference, so be sure to ask your pastor to help you discover these options.)

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Work with the other teachers on the workshops in A FaithFul Future, Vols. 1 and 2 (www.upperroom.org/bookstore).

2. Build a library (or a wish list) of reference materials that will help with the history of the church and of the faith. Look through www.cokesbury.com, a local Cokesbury store, and www.upperroom.org/bookstore for reference material. Check with the pastor or church council to start a church / education library if your church does not have one.

Goals of Education in the Faith Story

We already mentioned that one goal of religious instruction is to know God, and another is to teach the Law; that is, to help learners understand, know, and incorporate into their own religious identity the basic tenets of the faith. This is a fancy way of talking about faith formation.

A third goal of education is disciple making. Consider this instruction from Jesus to his own disciples and all disciples through the ages: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18-20)

He further added the comforting reminder, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus does not ask his followers to do anything without providing them with help and assurance.

Disciple Making

The word disciple means learner. Jesus’ disciples were his inner circle of learners, who taught and modeled the faith both with him and after him. When they moved into a more active role, they were referred to as apostles. Apostle means one who is sent. These first disciples helped gather other disciples, who taught and inspired other disciples, who invested themselves in forming other disciples, who through the generations later touched your life and made you a disciple. Now you have joined this generous line of learners in order to teach, lead, and nurture new disciples.

It is amazing and marvelous enough to imagine oneself in a two-thousand-year heritage in the history of Christianity, but it is even more amazing to realize that our ancestral line of faith goes back much, much farther than even that. The urging in Deuteronomy 6 to teach one’s children was put in written form in about the ninth century b.c.  over the course of several hundred years, beginning around the mid-6th century. It refers to the teachings of Moses, several centuries before that. While no one can date when Moses lived or received the Law from God, our faith tradition suggests that Moses lived around 1250 b.c. God instructed the community to hand down the faith from their earliest days as a people—over thirty centuries ago!

Being a Disciple

Here you are, a teacher of Bible and faith, in a long line of others who have given of themselves to make disciples. What does that mean? First, look at the model of ministry of the first-century church. The earliest Christians following the Crucifixion and Resurrection devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. (Acts 2:42-43)

As a result of this new, faithful way of living, the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
(Acts 4:32-35).

The teaching of the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, now apostles or leaders, inspired the converts to a new life that was shaped by

• teaching
• fellowship
• a common table and sharing of food
• corporate worship
• benevolent giving
• concern for the needy

Making Disciples

When we make disciples, we have a task greater than simply ensuring that our students know the Bible and what it means. The teaching task is a part of a wider, broader life that places each individual learner in a community that worships together, enjoys being together, extends itself on behalf of others, and seeks the welfare of the most marginalized and needy among them.

When either Jew or Gentile converted to Christianity, he or she had to learn not only the doctrines (core Christian teachings), but also the behaviors of this new community of faith. Many of them had to unlearn one way of life and learn a whole new way of life. As the early church forged new patterns of worship, of faith sharing, of relating to one another, they taught it all to newcomers.

The marks of this new life of discipleship were described and commented on often in the Bible, especially in the letters of Paul. Paul encouraged the congregation at Rome, for example, to let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. (Romans 12:9-13. See also verses 14-21 and Ephesians 4.)

For some people this orientation to life was quite foreign; they had to be taught by seasoned mentors. Paul also observed that this community of faith is like a body with many members, each of whom has his or her own gifts, all to be used for building up the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 4:1-16). In accepting an invitation to education ministry, perhaps you are acknowledging or exploring your gift of teaching. It may be that someone else sees this spiritual gift in you and has named it for you.

As a teacher, you have the opportunity to observe, nurture, and name the spiritual gifts you see in others. As you do, you help others in the household of the saints identify their gifts and role in God’s human family. The whole congregation, offering their gifts for God’s purposes, works together in harmony to preserve the faith, grow the faith, and transmit the faith to future generations.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Think about the context from which you make disciples—the community of faith, the church. How does your church nurture, inspire, and challenge you to be a faithful disciple? How do you see teaching and education in relation to worship, fellowship, giving, and service? (Remember the early church model in Acts 2 and 4.)

2. How does your participation in worship and fellowship opportunities help you grow as a Christian? as a teacher? How does your contribution of gifts and personal service help you grow as a Christian? as a teacher?

3. If you are older than your students, think about yourself when you were their age (particularly if you teach children). How well did you understand various elements of worship, including what seem like the simple things, such as when to stand and when to sit, and what the special words and symbols mean? In what ways might your teaching extend beyond what is in the printed lesson to help your students learn, at their own age level, what worship, fellowship, and service are all about?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Disciple making involves growth in faith. We agree with that, but we don’t always have a specific learning plan for ourselves, our classes, or the over all Christian formation ministry. If you do not have these kinds of plans, work with your teachers and other education leaders to begin formulating them. What are the aims and goals of Christian formation in your church’s ministry? Who are your other partners? With what “out of the box” ways can you expand the plan and the ministry with intentional partnerships and focus?

2. With your education/ Christian formation partners, consider using Equipped for Every Good Work (www.upperroom.org/bookstore) or other discernment tool for identifying spiritual gifts. As you gain greater clarity on who has what gifts, how might you assign or change roles in your Christian formation ministry to allow all the leaders to work from their gifts and strengths? When your assessment seems clear, what gifts does this ministry need that are lacking or are under-represented?

Your Place in the Story

“If you can’t preach like Peter, if you can’t pray like Paul, just tell the love of Jesus, and say he died for all” (from the hymn “There Is a Balm in Gilead,” African-American spiritual). You, like countless others through the centuries, have accepted the call to tell the story of Jesus. Remember, you are the latest participant in a history of over thirty centuries!

The story is rooted in the Bible and has numerous chapters. The entire history of Christian education through the centuries fills volumes, but here are a few brief highlights to help you see how your efforts contribute to the whole work.

Early Christian Primers: The Gospels

The Gospels are among the earliest documents for Christian education. Each of the Gospel writers had his own target audience and teaching agenda. The many long discourses and stories in Matthew serve a catechetical purpose; that is, they were a primer for new converts. Mark’s tone is sometimes abrupt, typically concise, and usually urgent. In Mark’s report, Jesus often acts “immediately.” Luke shows a great concern by Jesus for the oppressed, the overlooked, and the outcast, and is often cited as the Gospel in which women play the most prominent role. One of John’s emphases is on the signs or miracles, and he uses the most symbolism of the four Gospels.

As you teach from each of the Gospels, look for how the writer

• describes Jesus
• characterizes the disciples
• refers to other people
• uses stories
• uses symbolic language
• describes the relationship of Jesus with the Jewish authorities and non-Jews

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercise

1. How might these details help you explain the lesson better to your students?

Church Education

In the first several centuries of the Christian era, church leaders strongly emphasized catechism (core religious content). Converts were considered catechumens, learners who were to receive a particular religious instruction leading to baptism, inclusion at the sacrament of Holy Communion, and participation in the wider fellowship of the church. Prior to the serving of Holy Communion, these learners departed the worship service for private instruction in the beliefs and creeds. Instruction was oral and relied heavily on memorization. When the learners had mastered a certain core of beliefs, they were welcomed, typically on Easter, in the sacrament of baptism followed by Holy Communion.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercise

1. Think about the purposes of the lessons you teach. (The purposes are often stated in the lesson, especially for children and youth.) How can you both teach the lesson material (content) and see the activity in the context of making disciples?

Teaching Through the Arts

For many centuries, most average citizens were illiterate. This was particularly true during the Middle Ages in Europe. As a consequence, passing on the faith relied greatly on artistic, rather than literary, means. This era brought the advent of the Passion play; narrative decoration in church windows and architecture; and icons and symbols in altarware, clergy vestments (ministerial garb), and paraments (church furniture garb). Music and ritual were important educational tools as well, as both helped establish memorized patterns and beliefs.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercise

1. You and your students have your own preferred learning and teaching styles, which are discussed and described in other writings. In looking at your lesson material, how much does it draw on music, drama, and the other arts? How can you use or add those creative methods to enhance your lessons? If you feel like you “aren’t creative,” who can you enlist to help you?

Teaching the Bible

People in religious orders (monks and nuns) were more likely to be literate. Bibles were painstakingly copied by hand and elaborately decorated and illustrated. Eventually, Europe lifted itself to greater levels of education and literacy. The invention of the printing press, no doubt one of the most valuable contributions in the world’s history, opened the way to widespread ownership and readership of the Bible.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. How much of your lesson material prompts the direct use of the Bible? Do you have group members refer to it themselves? Is everyone encouraged to have and use a Bible?

2. Think about Scriptures you have learned and memorized. How have they helped you cope with various situations in your life? How can you help your students, at their age level, learn foundational Bible verses that carry them through the trials and joys of life?

The Protestant Reformation

The church has grown through the centuries but has experienced its own low spots, weaknesses, and lapses in following biblical teachings. Church leaders, such as John Calvin and Martin Luther in the sixteenth century and John Wesley in the eighteenth century, called for various reforms to return the church to a closer alignment with the Gospel. In some instances these reformers and change agents rebelled against Roman Catholic belief and practice and encouraged greater reliance on reason, rather than emotion, in the practice of their faith. One consequence was a reduced emphasis on ritual and a greater emphasis on the Bible. Unfortunately, one thing sacrificed on the altar of reform was much of the artistry of the teaching and worship.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercise

1. Look at your church sanctuary. Is the room plain, or does it use banners, altarware, or other visual means of conveying God’s presence? Look at your classroom. Are there ways to enhance the space with art or other tangible items that will also help you teach your lessons? What might you add?

The Sunday School

Since the late 1700s the British church and community have benefited from the creation of the Sunday school, led by Robert Raikes in Gloucester, England. (Other efforts were begun, at least sporadically, in the American colonies in the mid 1700s.) Originally intended as a means to teach poor children to read and thus to learn their catechism (remember the early church catechumens?), the Sunday school movement eventually moved from secular instruction to only religious instruction. The church, however, has been heavily invested in both Christian and secular education for centuries. Many schools, colleges, and trade schools owe their beginnings and current support to church or synagogue. An important function of much mission work around the world involves teaching, whether the instruction is in the Bible, village management, farming, economic development, health care, or a wide variety of other subjects. From before God’s call to Moses, God has urged the people of faith to learn about God and to carry on God’s message and work throughout the world. And so we come to you.

Your Place

You have a place in this heritage; and in your own way, you make your mark on human history. Recent research on the sufficiency of curriculum resources suggests that the teacher is seven times more important to the success of a class than are the resources used in the class. Remember that there are several millennia’s worth of ordinary people who precede you. They took up the task of teaching with the gifts and tools they had at their command and did the best they could. Since the church continues, obviously they had significant success. You can, too. God desires to be known, and thus desires your success. Jesus instructed his disciples in the essential story, and the Holy Spirit strengthens us and reminds us of all Jesus taught. You don’t have to regard yourself as Moses or Paul; you just have to be faithful and diligent. Even those heroes of the faith had to start at the beginning and learn at their own parents’ and teachers’ knees.

In these brief pages it is possible to mention only a few of the people and events that have been instrumental in our Christian heritage. As you seek to learn more, one place to begin is your local congregation. If you ask questions and listen to the experiences of others, you will find a rich local heritage of stories of how people in your community have lived as God’s people. As with the ancient Hebrews, these stories will tell of times when God’s covenant was kept and times when it was broken.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercise

1. A few questions about your own congregation you may want to explore are

• How and why did my congregation start?
• What are the stories that are told when the congregation gathers?
• What symbols are present in my church? What do they represent?
• What events are held each year? How did they start? Why are they important to the congregation?
• How has the congregation been in mission and ministry in the past? How have these ministries changed over the years?
• How are the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion celebrated in my congregation?
• Who are the saints, both alive and dead, who have helped to form the disciples in my congregation?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Take an inventory for what sorts of arts resources are at hand for your Christian formation ministry and who knows about them. Survey the congregation (or look at the gifts inventory in Goals of Education in the Faith Story to see who is gifted at art, dance, music, and so on. Plan with other teachers and leaders for how those gifts might be better incorporated into the Christian formation ministry.

2. Work with other teachers and leaders on Start Here(www.upperroom.org/bookstore) or other resource about the multiple ways persons learn. Study the various methods, what your preferred methods are for learning and teaching, and then review how you choose what activities you will use when you teach a lesson. Is there a balance among the multiple intelligences? If not, how can you practice other methods to make your teaching more balanced and more appealing for every learner?

3. Study with other teachers Loving God With All Your Mind, by Thomas Hawkins (www.upperroom.org/bookstore) or Our Spiritual Brain, by Barbara Bruce (www.cokesbury.com). Both books are on brain research and the effect on learning. How can these insights enhance your teaching?

The United Methodist Church in 2008 has nearly 8 million members in the United States and an additional 4 million + members across the globe.

Take a brief inventory before exploring Teachers Understand The United Methodist Church.

Read each statement; then circle the number that best describes your situation.
1 = Not at all; 2 = Somewhat; 3 = Mostly; 4 = Definitely

1   2   3   4     I know the history of The United Methodist Church and can teach this rich legacy to others.

1   2   3   4     I know and live out the mission of the church.

1   2   3   4     I understand the meaning and impact of our connectional system.

1   2   3   4     I understand and can explain to others the organizational structure of The United Methodist Church.

1   2   3   4     I appreciate the uniqueness of The United Methodist Church and its role in making a difference in the world in the past, for today, and into the future.

Early British History

John Wesley was born in 1703 in Epworth, England. He was one of many children of Samuel Wesley, an Anglican priest, and Susanna Wesley, a strong, caring Christian woman. John Wesley studied at Christ Church College, in Oxford, England. In 1728, at the age of 25, John Wesley was ordained as a priest in the Church of England.

Charles Wesley wrote thousands of hymns during his ministry. This short list contains some of the best-known and well-loved of Charles Wesley’s hymns that are still sung in The United Methodist Church and churches of many other denominations today:

O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
I Want a Principle Within
O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done
A Charge to Keep I Have
Jesus, Lover of My Soul
And Are We Yet Alive

While John and his brother Charles Wesley studied at Oxford, they organized and led a group of Oxford students who became known as the Holy Club. The members of the Holy Club met regularly for Bible study, prayer, social work, fasting, and Holy Communion. They practiced their faith by visiting those in prison, by taking care of those who were poor, and by showing concern for the social issues of their day.

Other students made fun of this group by calling them such names as “Bible Bigots,” “The Bible Moths,” and “The Enthusiasts.” As The Holy Club continued to follow John and Charles Wesley’s lead to use their time wisely and to live methodically, studying, praying, and serving others according to carefully laid plans, the name “Methodists” was added to the taunts of those who ridiculed them. The name Methodist stuck, and that name has remained a part of the church’s name from the days of the earliest Methodist societies in England until the days of The United Methodist Church all over the world today.

In 1735 John and Charles left for America with dreams of becoming missionaries. But their efforts failed. They returned to England after less than two years. Both of them returned searching for something more in their own faith.

May 24, 1738, marked a turning point in John’s faith. After attending a religious service on Aldersgate Street in London, John Wesley wrote in his journal:
I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate-Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

John Wesley’s heart-warming experience came only three days after his brother Charles had found God’s peace in a similar experience. Soon John; Charles; and George Whitefield, their friend from the Holy Club, began preaching to the poor in England. Since their preaching was not encouraged inside the Church of England, they preached in the streets, meeting in abandoned buildings, homes, mines, and in open fields.

The World Is My Parish

These words are a popular paraphrase of John Wesley’s words. John Wesley did not set out to start a new church. In fact, when he first started preaching in the streets and fields, he questioned whether it was the right thing to do. He wrote that at one time “I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin, if it had not been done in a church.”

But when John was no longer allowed to preach in the church, he decided that “seeing I have now no parish of my own, nor probably ever shall…I look upon all the world as my parish; …This is the work which I know God has called me to.” Today United Methodists join John Wesley in declaring that the whole world is our parish.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. There are a number of short booklets about John Wesley and Methodism that come in packs of 10. Obtain one or more packs and share them with other leaders and teachers in the Christian education ministry. OR do some further research on Charles and the rest of the Wesley family. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/search_page.asp

2. The text of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church begins (after the listing of the bishops) with an “Historical Statement.” Review our Wesleyan heritage. What information surprised you? What was new to you? Was anything disappointing or discouraging? Why? Of what are you most proud?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Form a book study group to read and discuss Wesley and the People Called Methodist, by Richard Heitzenrater. This provides a thorough and readable history of the Wesleys and Methodism, mainly in England.  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=445766

2. Engage a group to study together A Perfect Love, by Steven Manskar. This is a modern language version of John Wesley’s A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, which includes annotations to persons and other references in the original text and a study guide for individuals and groups. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/description.asp?item_id=155181

The Growth of Societies

Wesley organized the converts into societies. These groups were based on Wesley’s experience with the Holy Club at Oxford, on his observations of the Moravians who had influenced his faith, and on other Anglican religious societies. The societies met weekly for preaching, prayer, hymn-singing, Bible study, Christian conversation, and mutual accountability for their spiritual growth.

Anyone who wanted to “flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins” was welcome to join a Methodist society and lead a disciplined Christian life. Each person was required to follow three General Rules, which are still expected of United Methodists today: Do no harm; Do good; Attend to the ordinances of God.

The ordinances of God are those things that help us to experience God’s presence. They include worship, prayer, Scripture study, Holy Communion, and fasting, among others. In addition to these “acts of piety” or “means of grace,” Wesley enjoined his Methodists to include acts of mercy; that is, those specific actions that worked for justice, advocacy, or other service that alleviated the situation of others (see Matthew 25:31-46, for example).

Later, the societies were broken up into even smaller groups called classes and bands. In these smaller groups, members talked about their lives, confessed their sins, prayed for one another, encouraged one another to be more faithful Christians, and collected what money they could for the relief of the poor.

John Wesley never intended for the societies to become a new church. He himself remained a priest in the Church of England until his death. The members of the societies, classes, and bands were encouraged to attend the services of the local Church of England and to receive Holy Communion there. However, as the Methodist societies grew, they took on more and more of the feel of a separate church. Although Wesley had originally intended that the Methodists should remain members of the Church of England, a new church seemed inevitable.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Read the excerpt from the General Rules in the Book of Discipline (a subhead within Part II: “Doctrine and Discipline in the Christian Life”). How well are you “doing no harm”? How well are you doing all the good that you can?

2. The discipline of the Methodist communities included accountability, confession, fellowship, and works of mercy. What if you were to use those disciplines as the foundation of any and every group within the church in which you participate?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. If you are not already in an accountable discipleship group (Emmaus 4th Day, Covenant Discipleship group, Companions in Christ group, for example) seek out five or six others with whom you might form such a group. Check The Upper Room website for resources. www.upperroom.org.

Methodism in Early America

Methodist societies developed in America as a lay movement. Robert Strawbridge started what Francis Asbury described as “the first society in Maryland—and America.” Barbara Heck and Philip Embury began a society in New York at about the same time. Thomas Webb introduced Methodism on Long Island, in Philadelphia, and in other places.

John Wesley sent missionaries to America in 1769. During the Revolutionary War, however, John Wesley supported England. As a result, all of the British Methodist preachers—except Francis Asbury—returned to England. Asbury continued to preach in America, riding thousands of miles each year to organize new churches. By1784 the Methodist movement in America had grown to 15,000 members.

In 1784 Wesley began to ordain lay preachers to spread the work of the Methodist movement in the United States. It was not an easy decision for John Wesley to make. He knew that by ordaining ministers for the United States church he would be sanctioning a new church, no longer a part of the Church of England.

In that same year a conference of Methodist preachers was held at Lovely Lane Chapel in Baltimore, Maryland, on Christmas Eve. At this conference the name Methodist Episcopal Church in America was adopted; Francis Asbury was elected as superintendent and joined Thomas Coke, the superintendent sent from England by John Wesley (superintendents were later called bishops); and the first Book of Discipline was adopted.

The new Discipline stated that the new church would bring John Wesley’s goals for England to America— “to reform the continent and to spread scriptural holiness through these lands.”

In the years that followed, the Methodist preachers were circuit riders, traveling miles upon miles to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into every part of the United States. These circuits were modeled after the circuit system that John Wesley had devised; he traveled about five thousand miles a year on horseback, spreading his message of “scriptural holiness” throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Francis Asbury brought the circuit system to the United States where it was especially well-suited to the American frontier. The Methodist preachers rode regularly on horseback to establish churches, to organize new congregations, and to preach at each place along the circuits. There is no doubt that the Methodist plan for circuit riders helped to establish the new Methodist Episcopal Church firmly in American soil. (Today the pioneer circuit rider in a circle that represents the world is a registered trademark associated with The United Methodist Publishing House.)

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. If you have a printed church history (or an oral one) and/or a church historian, spend some time learning what you can about the history and heritage of your own church. If you have come to The United Methodist Church by way of a different denomination or faith tradition, note what is distinctive about our Wesleyan heritage.

2. The General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church is in Madison, NJ on the campus of Drew University. The website, www.gcah.org, has a font of information. Click around the site for more stories about our heritage. Look also at the many links to more specialized histories.

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. The General Commission on Archives and History www.gcah.org includes a link to historical sites and landmarks (www.gcah.org/site/c.ghKJI0PHIoE/b.2901385). (Search the site map if the link doesn’t work.) If there is a place related to historic Methodism (or one of the predecessor branches) near you, make arrangements for a trip, such as to the Lovely Lane Museum, Strawbridge Home, or Old Otterbein Church, all in or around Baltimore, MD.

Partners in Other Faith Traditions

United Brethren in Christ Church

Before John Wesley had sent missionaries to America, the United Brethren in Christ Church had its beginnings in America. In 1752, Philip William Otterbein, who had been born in 1726 in the German town of Dillenberg, set sail for America with five other young German Reformed ministers. Otterbein had spent three years in Ockersdorf, where he had gained a reputation for vigorous, direct preaching, especially stressing regeneration (experiencing a new life in Christ).

Several years later, in 1758, Martin Boehm was chosen by lot to be a minister in his American Mennonite congregation. In 1761, he was advanced to the office of bishop. The Boehm revival began as a result of Boehm’s great preaching and testimony.

The meeting of Otterbein and Boehm in 1767 proved to be a decisive factor in the formation of the United Brethren in Christ Church. Otterbein attended a meeting at the farm of Isaac Long in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Martin Boehm’s preaching reminded Otterbein of his own spiritual experiences and struggles. After Boehm’s sermon, Otterbein went forward, embraced Boehm, and exclaimed, “Wir sind Brüder!” (We are brethren!).

Otterbein and Boehm became the first bishops of the United Brethren in Christ Church, which was formed in 1800 and was the first denomination originating in the United States.

Philip William Otterbein and Francis Asbury worked in close fellowship. In fact, Otterbein, at Asbury’s request, participated in the laying on of hands at Asbury’s ordination. However, there were two significant reasons that these men did not join their organizations in the early 1800s: (1) a difference in the concept of authority and (2) a difference in language. Asbury was aggressive in establishing orderly rules and regarded them as having weighty authority. Otterbein was also a man of order; however, he did not impose his authority in a weighty manner, either as pastor of his congregation or later as bishop of The United Brethren Church. And as related to language, Asbury and the Methodists spoke English, while Otterbein and the United Brethren spoke German.

The Evangelical Church

Jacob Albright, the founder of what later became The Evangelical Church, began his ministry by studying the Bible in German. When several of his children died in an epidemic of dysentery in 1790, Albright experienced a crisis in his faith. But in the summer of 1791, he received a conversion experience at a prayer meeting where he is quoted as saying, “All fear and anxiety of heart disappeared. Joy and blessed peace inbreathed my breast. God gave witness to my spirit that I had become a child of God.”

Although Albright was Lutheran, he joined a Methodist class because he enjoyed the Methodist’s orderly approach to religion. However, since Albright spoke little English, he found it difficult to worship with the Methodists.

At the urging of his friends, Albright became an itinerant preacher. During his first four years, Albright gained converts in many places, cautioning people of faith to seek salvation through a genuine change of heart rather than through their church’s traditions, forms, and ceremonies.

In 1800, Albright gathered a number of converts and formed three classes after the manner of the Methodist classes. From this early beginning would later be formed the Evangelical Association. Following a division and then a reunion in 1922, the body later became The Evangelical Church.

Evangelical United Brethren

Otterbein’s and Boehm’s United Brethren in Christ Church and Albright’s Evangelical Church decided to unite as one body in 1946. The two groups joined to form The Evangelical United Brethren Church, known as the EUB Church. The EUB churches were primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska, and so forth).

The Methodist Episcopal Church

Meanwhile, during the years that led to the formation of The Evangelical United Brethren Church, The Methodist Episcopal Church had its own problems and divisions over such issues as church authority and slavery. The Methodist Protestant Church split off over the question of the role and authority of lay people in the church. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South split away over the issue of slavery.

The Methodist Church

The Methodist Church was formed in 1939 when The Methodist Episcopal Church, South; The Methodist Episcopal Church; and the Methodist Protestant Church became one in a historic Uniting Conference.

African-American Methodists

The Methodist Church from its beginning included African-Americans. The first Methodist societies—the one in New York established by Philip Embury and Barbara Heck and the one established by Robert Strawbridge in Maryland—had members who were African-American slaves. After 1786, when membership reports distinguished between white and black members, the numbers were often almost equal.

Although the 1800 Discipline did not record the action, ordination of African-American deacons was approved at the 1800 General Conference. The ordination of African-American elders was later approved in 1812. Perhaps the best known of the African-American preachers of the day was Harry Hosier. Hosier was once described by Thomas Coke as “one of the best preachers in the world.”

Discrimination during the years of slavery and beyond led some African-American Methodists to form new Methodist churches of their own. The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) was founded by Richard Allen and Daniel Coker in 1816. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion) started in New York and became official in 1822 when white elders who had withdrawn from the Methodist Episcopal Church ordained elders for the Zion Church. The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) was established in 1870 by the General Conference of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The organizing delegates dropped the word South from the name that was originally intended for the church. Then in the mid-1950s the name was changed to The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

The United Methodist Church

On April 23, 1968, in Dallas, Texas, the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church united to create a new denomination—The United Methodist Church. On that day these two churches with similar backgrounds and theology—which had historically been separated largely by language differences—became one. Today United Methodist congregations are found not only in the United States but in many countries throughout the world.

The United Methodist Church is a church that celebrates its diversity. It is found in rural and urban areas. Our members include people from all ethnic groups. Though our congregations vary in size, location, and cultural background, they share a common heritage as United Methodists.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Note the different names of the leaders and founders of the Methodist movement (in bold). Search the internet for more information about each one.

2. Read through the Historical Statement at the beginning of the Book of Discipline.

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Print and copy (and enlarge, if necessary) the timeline of churches so that it is the size of a small poster. Place a sticky note over each label so that they can not be read. Use it as a puzzle with other education leaders and teacher or as a refresher for yourself.

2. Read or study together on our corporate history using The United Methodist Primer, by Chester Custer (www.upperroom.org/bookstore/description.asp?item_id=155139) or one of the many other Methodist studies. (Search also on www.cokesbury.com.)

The Ministry of All Christians

It is clear that all Christians are called by God, through their baptism, to be in ministry in the world. Therefore, the term minister is appropriately used to describe any Christian who responds to God’s call to reach out to the world and its people through loving acts of devotion and service. The ministers of the church are called to serve in a variety of ways.

As Laity—From its earliest days, Methodism has been a lay movement. The term laity comes from laos, which means “of the people.” The laity are the whole people of God, who serve as ministers witnessing to the work of God in individual lives and in the world.

As Clergy—Within the body of all Christian ministry, some persons are called to fulfill a specific, “set apart” ministry through the church. Some pastoral leaders are ordained; some are lay. “Clergy in The United Methodist Church are individuals who serve as commissioned ministers, deacons, elders, and local pastors under appointment of a bishop (full- and part-time), who hold membership in an annual conference, and who are commissioned, ordained, or licensed” (Book of Discipline, 2004. ¶140).

Ordained Deacons—ministers called to focus on servanthood. A deacon models the relationship between worship in the community of faith and service to God in the world. Deacons serve in a variety of ministry settings both in the church and in the world.

Ordained Elders—ministers called to lead congregations of Christians in the celebration of the sacraments and to guide and care for the life of the community. Some elders may also serve in ministries beyond the local church.

Local Pastors—licensed ministers appointed to perform duties of a pastor in a specific charge or church.

Episcopal Leaders

The United Methodist Church operates under an episcopal system. Episcopal leaders, called bishops, are not a separate order of the church but are elected from among the ordained elders of the Church to provide oversight and supervision for the spiritual and temporal activities of the Church. Bishops are called to

• Provide spiritual leadership for laity and clergy
• Interpret the faith with a prophetic voice
• Teach and uphold the traditions of the Church
• Strengthen relationships with other faith communities
• Preside over the meetings of the conferences—annual, jurisdictional, central, and general
• Form the districts within an annual conference and appoint district superintendents
• Make appointments within annual conferences
• Consecrate bishops and ordain elders and deacons
• Commission probationary members of an annual conference, deaconesses, and missionaries.

The College of Bishops includes all the bishops of a specific jurisdiction or central conference. The Council of Bishops includes all the bishops, active and retired, of The United Methodist Church.

Itinerant Ministry

All United Methodist clergy are appointed to a place for ministry by a bishop. Elders, however, are appointed as part of a system known as itinerancy, which means that they commit to travel from parish to parish as the bishop directs.

Methodism began with a group of traveling preachers, who went from place to place preaching, baptizing, and presiding over church affairs. That heritage has continued in today’s itinerant system for the appointment of elders. Each year the bishop of an area “fixes the appointments” of the itinerant clergy in the episcopal area, as well as the appointments of the deacons and local pastors, who are non-itinerant clergy. In addition, the bishop may also appoint clergy to an “extension ministry,” which is an appointment other than to a local church, such as elders and deacons who work in general agencies, as chaplains, seminary professors, conference staff, and so on.

Matching the gifts of an elder and the needs of the church or extension ministry is the most important consideration in the making of appointments. When needs change, the itinerant system provides for new appointments to be made smoothly.

Another important feature of the itinerant system is that it provides an opportunity for churches to experience a variety of leadership and ministry styles through the years, strengthening the skills of the laity whose strong leadership is essential to any ministry.

Through a commitment to open itinerancy, the connectional system of The United Methodist Church is apparent. Open itinerancy means that appointment decisions are related to gifts and needs, rather than to race, ethnic origin, gender, color, ability or disability, marital status, or age.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. If you are baptized, you are in some sense a minister. Look again at the vows made in baptism (The United Methodist Hymnal, pages 33—39). Reflect on those vows and how you uphold them. How would you describe your ministry? yourself as a spiritual leader?

2. How does what you do link with the rest of the ministries of the church for a holistic approach to disciple making? What might you want to do that is new or different? When can you start?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Look up the Episcopal address in the journal of the past two or three annual conferences. What is the leadership vision of your bishop and conference? How does the ministry of Christian education and formation fit in that vision?

2. Interview your lead minister and other members of the church staff. How do they work together, divide labor, and advance the ministry of your church? How do, or can, they support the ministry of Christian education and formation?

The Mission of The United Methodist Church

Although making disciples was clearly defined as the mission of The United Methodist Church at the General Conference of 1996, making disciples has been the mission of the Christian faith community, and later church, since Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). Making disciples is a mission that reaches back into the beginnings of the church’s history and also continues to be the focus of the church’s ministry today. But what does it mean to make disciples of Jesus Christ and how does The United Methodist Church approach disciple making?

One Ministry; Four Movements

The Church acts as a partner to God in making disciples of Jesus Christ through four interrelated actions: receiving and welcoming people, relating them to God, nurturing them in discipleship, and sending them into ministry in the world. Then when disciples are in ministry in the world, the cycle begins again as they receive and welcome even more people.

Methodists in Mission

The United Methodist faith is deeply rooted in the Scripture and in the basic beliefs of all Christians. Out of that theology and the faith have grown some specific actions that mark United Methodists as Christians engaged in ministry to the world.

Early Methodists took strong stands on issues such as slavery, smuggling, and humane treatment of prisoners.

• Methodists began to establish institutions for higher learning as early as the late 1700s.
• The United Brethren Church ordained women by 1889. Methodist women were granted full ordained clergy rights in 1956.
• Methodists in America started hospitals and shelters for children and the elderly as early as the 1800s; John Wesley and his British followers had set that precedent earlier.
• A Methodist minister founded Goodwill Industries in 1902.
• Methodists are actively involved in efforts for world peace.
• Methodists have a Social Creed and Social Principles to guide Christians as they relate to God’s world and God’s people.

The Social Creed

“A social creed was adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church (North) in 1908. Within the next decade similar statements were adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church, South and by The Methodist Protestant Church. The Evangelical United Brethren Church adopted a statement of social principles in 1946 at the time of the uniting of the United Brethren and The Evangelical Church. In 1972, four years after the uniting in 1968 of The Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren Church, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted a new statement of Social Principles, which was revised in 1976 (and by each successive General Conference).” (From www.umc.org, the official website of The United Methodist Church; http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1686).

The 2008 General Conference will consider a new statement, which is an antiphonal reading with a musical response. Each approved, updated version replaces its predecessor in the Book of Discipline.

The Social Principles

In addition to “Our Social Creed,” United Methodists seek to create a world of justice. The Social Principles (described in the Book of Discipline) are divided into six parts that explain how United Methodist Christians are called to live in God’s world.

• The Natural World
• The Nurturing Community
• The Social Community
• The Economic Community
• The Political Community
• The World Community

The Book of Resolutions

In addition to the standards found in Our Social Creed and in the Social Principles, the Book of Resolutions is published every four years. The book is a collection of the official policy statements adopted by the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. The statements are guides for the work and ministry of the Church, including developing educational resources, relating faith to daily living, and making public the Church’s official stand on current social issues.

The statements in the Book of Resolutions are not legally binding on individual United Methodists, who may take a wide variety of stands on the issues. However, these official statements of the denomination are a resource for reference and study as church members seek to make faithful disciples related to the topics addressed by these resolutions.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Take another look at the actions that make up disciple making. How does your area of ministry help to accomplish that task? What do you do to ensure that your area of ministry meshes with other areas for a seamless, holistic approach to disciple making? If your ministry area is “siloed” or isolated from others, what might you do to be more integrated?

2. Read over the Social Creed and/or skim through the Social Principles. You probably won’t agree with every word. What challenges you? gladdens you? confuses you? agrees with your own sensibilities? If you have an alternate view, what is it, and what theology and experience support your view?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Look for United Methodist studies through www.cokesbury.com, particularly those geared to the Social Principles. Gather a group to study together.

2. Skim through the Book of Resolutions for a resolution that calls for action and that resonates with your teachers and small group leaders. Take it on together as an action/advocacy issue.

Methodism as a Connectional Church

The United Methodist Church is uniquely structured to carry out its mission of making disciples. All the local churches, the centers where the mission of making disciples is most likely to be fulfilled, are linked through an organization called the connectional system.

What Does Connectional Mean?

Connectional simply means that all United Methodist churches are linked to all other United Methodist churches by organization and by purpose as they go about the work of making disciples.

John Wesley listed Christian conferencing among the spiritual disciplines through which God’s grace may be made known to us. Within the structure of The United Methodist Church are groupings of people or churches called conferences: charge conferences, annual conferences, jurisdictional conferences, central conferences, and General Conference. At these conference meetings, United Methodists gather to discuss important issues for the church; that is, they join together in Christian conferencing to listen for God’s call and to discover God’s will for the Church. The Christmas Conference in 1784 was the first in the United States.

When you hear and see the word conference, remember that it refers to both the actual assembly of people and to the process of seeking God’s grace together. Note this diagram of the structure of The United Methodist Church—a structure that encourages Christian conferencing at every level.

The Local Church

Ministry begins at the local church level. Each congregation has an elected lay leader who works with other lay and clergy leaders to carry out the mission of the church. Each church or charge has an annual charge conference to elect leaders, set the pastor’s salary and the budget, and to present ministry plans. These churches and charges are part of a district.

Districts

Somewhat similar to the way cities and towns are organized into counties, groups of churches in a geographical area form a district. Often churches in a district will work together to provide training and mission opportunities. Each district has a district lay leader who supports and trains local church lay leaders. A district superintendent (DS) is a clergy person who is appointed to provide administrative and spiritual leadership for the churches in a district. The DS typically presides over charge conferences.

Annual Conference

All of the districts in a particular geographical area make up an annual conference. The words annual conference can refer to either the geographical area that make up the conference or to the annual meeting of lay and clergy members of the annual conference.

Each local charge elects at least one lay member of the annual conference. The annual conference includes equal numbers of clergy and lay people. So, if a congregation is served by two clergy, then the congregation would also have two lay members of the annual conference.

A bishop presides over one annual conference (and sometimes two). The geographic conference(s) make up an episcopal area. The bishop in consultation with district superintendents and local churches appoints the clergy who will serve the local congregations within that annual conference.

Annual conferences support the work of the local church and help local churches to be in ministry in the larger community. Many annual conferences operate camps and sponsor other mission opportunities for churches in the conference.

Jurisdictional Conference

Annual conferences in the United States are divided into five jurisdictions; South Central, Southeastern, North Central, Western, and Northeastern. Each jurisdiction has a jurisdictional conference every four years. There are equal numbers of lay and clergy persons who are elected by their annual conference to be delegates at the jurisdictional conference. One of the most important things done at the jurisdictional conferences is the election of bishops for that jurisdiction.

Central Conferences

United Methodist annual conferences located outside of the United States are organized into central conferences. Central conferences are very similar to jurisdictional conferences. There are seven central conferences: Africa, Central and Southern Europe, Congo, Germany, Northern Europe, Philippines, and West Africa.

The General Conference

The General Conference is the only body that has authority to speak on behalf the entire United Methodist Church. The General Conference speaks for the Church as a body and speaks to the Church though the Book of Discipline. The General Conference meets every four years to consider the business and mission of the church. The General Conference is made up of an equal number of lay and clergy delegates, elected from the annual conferences.

General Agencies

The general agencies of The United Methodist Church include a variety of boards, councils, committees, and commissions that are created by and are responsible to the General Conference. These general agencies provide services and ministries beyond the local church, and they enable a common vision, mission, and ministry throughout the connectional system. These agencies are

• General Board of Global Ministries, including the Women’s Division and United Methodist Committee on Relief or UMCOR (office in New York City)
• General Board of Church and Society (Washington, DC)
• General Board of Discipleship, including The Upper Room (Nashville, TN)
• General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (Nashville, TN)
• General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (Evanston, IL)
• The United Methodist Publishing House, often referred to as Cokesbury (Nashville, TN)
• General Council on Finance and Administration (Nashville, TN)
• General Commission on Communication (United Methodist Communications, Nashville, TN)
• General Commission on Religion and Race (Washington, DC)
• General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (Washington, DC)
• General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (Chicago, IL)
• General Commission on United Methodist Men (Nashville, TN)
• General Commission on Archives and History (Madison, NJ)

The Book of Discipline

The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church contains the rules that govern the operation of the denomination. The book also includes the history of the church, and perhaps most important, the Discipline outlines the doctrines and theology of the Church.

The Book of Discipline is revised every four years at the meeting of the General Conference. Petitions from individual church members; local churches; and general agencies, boards, commissions, and councils are reviewed and voted on to determine what changes will be made and what new things will be added to become part of the official Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church. If there are disputes regarding a conference’s or bishop’s interpretation of church law contained in the Discipline, the dispute is sent to the Judicial Council for adjudication.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Do some web research by going to www.umc.org, the official online ministry of The United Methodist Church. At the bottom of the home page, click on “site map” and navigate your way to various pages that link to the boards and agencies, history, structure, and much more.

2. Talk to your church’s member to annual conference to get a better idea of what happens there and how the annual conference provides and supports ministry in your area.

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Consider being a partner in the Christian education ministry in a Central Conference, either through direct work or Advance Special giving. For more information, go to http://new.gbgm-umc.org/about/us/me/programs/initiatives/?search=Resourcing%20Together.

2. Invite your teachers and small group leaders to try this matching game, and use it as an introduction to conversation and planning around how your church is organized to provide its ministry of disciple making.
www.gbod.org/education/wetnk.pdf

In God’s world, people are more important than facts or methods or curriculum. Who you are as a teacher is of primary importance. Your faith in God and love of all God’s people will have the greatest influence on students. This is true whether you teach children, youth, or adults. When asked, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mark 12:28-31a).

Take a brief inventory before exploring Teachers Live the Faith.
Read each statement; then circle the number that best describes your situation.
1 = Not at all; 2 = Somewhat; 3 = Mostly; 4 = Definitely

1 2 3 4     I know I have power in various ways and means, and I use this power wisely.
1 2 3 4     I live as a Christian disciple knowing I am an example to others in all aspects of my life.
1 2 3 4     I regularly follow through on what I say and do and recognize the effect when I do (or don’t).
1 2 3 4     I have good listening skills, and I listen to students in order to know what and how to teach.
1 2 3 4     I am aware of the power of touch and have had Safe Sanctuary training.
1 2 3 4     I have a regular discipline that deepens my faith life and I am comfortable using various means of grace.

The Power of Influence

Jesus’ Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-31a) must inform all that teachers say and do. Jesus’ life shows us how to live this way. Jesus lived in a rhythm of prayerful attentiveness to God for guidance and alert awareness of the people and places he encountered in his life. Jesus lived in right relationship with God and people. His human life is a model for teaching that still influences people two thousand years later.

Many beginning teachers feel insecure about the knowledge and teaching skills they think they lack. While it is important for teachers to prepare by increasing knowledge, learning teaching skills, and planning, even beginning teachers must consider the great influence they have just by being in the teaching role. Teachers throughout history have been respected as influential leaders in communities and cultures. All who have the role of teacher have influential power.

The influence of role models is powerful and often occurs unconsciously. While our actions, both conscious and unconscious, may be based on our own experience, knowledge, culture, and even economic and social situation, we need to remember that God has given humans the ability to make choices about our words and actions. Our choices can add to or subtract from good in the world. Teachers need to think about the power they have and take seriously the responsibility to use their power thoughtfully and wisely.

Our United Methodist heritage provides a guideline for teachers in their relationships with students. Around 1739, John Wesley established the General Rules for all who met together to grow in faith. The first of the General Rules established by John Wesley is to do no harm. The second is to do good of every possible sort. The purpose of doing good is not to earn God’s approval. Rather, when we engage in acts of compassion, mercy, and justice, we allow God to be active in our lives. These actions become channels through which we can receive God’s love. Wesley referred to such channels as means of grace.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Think about a teacher who was significant in your life. In what ways did that teacher influence you? Write a short prayer asking God to help you use your power of influence in ways that honor God and respect the worth of each class member. Pray this prayer before each class.

2. Take a personal inventory about the areas in which you have influence, even if you do not want it or have not previously recognized it. How might failing to recognize your power of influence hurt you or your students? What can you do, in a spiritually healthy way, to heighten and take full advantage of your power of influence? What difference will it make?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Look up the General Rules on pages 71–74 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church—2008. Reflect on the actions that do no harm to the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health of your students.

2. Take an inventory during the week on how well you follow the particular directions for the specific behaviors Wesley encourages (such as ministering “to the least of these,” living with diligence and frugality, and practicing the means of grace) and that Wesley condemns (such as failing to observe the Sabbath, fighting, and self-indulgence).

The Power of Actions

Communication specialists tell us that the most powerful form of communication is our nonverbal actions. Powerful emotions like love, compassion, and hatred are communicated strongly through actions. We know how true this is with babies, with people who are ill, and with people whom society marginalizes. We often forget this power when we teach able-bodied people who seem similar to us. But our nonverbal response to our students has an impact on their lives and on the lives of any other “shadows”—those silent observers—who see us in action and who learn from what we do (for better or for ill).

People disregard or abuse this power when their words and actions do not match. When a teacher says, “I’ll call you this week,” the teacher must make sure to follow through. Integrity means that a person’s words and actions match! A teacher who has integrity not only tells of God’s love but also acts in ways that make that love evident.

Church school teachers communicate a message of God’s love through their actions as they greet students, remember the missing students, follow up on the joys and concerns expressed by students, respond to hard questions, and handle classroom discipline.

Teachers must teach and model “holy habits,” that is, ways of living that bring one ever closer to God and God’s creation. Teachers are not called to be perfect and without sin, but for their students they are role models of how to embody Christian living. Of course, the power of action extends beyond the classroom. As you are involved in mission and ministry outside the walls of the church, you create new opportunities for God to work in your life, and you model to your students that living the faith encompasses all of life.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Read Matthew 25:34-40 slowly, with attentiveness to your reaction to the words. When a particular word or phrase seems important to you, close your eyes and repeat that word or phrase quietly. Ask God to show you how you can live this Scripture today. At the end of the day read the Scripture again. Ask God to bring to your mind actions of your day that have been pleasing to God (the examen). Wait silently and expectantly. Then thank God for being with you during the day, and ask God to guide your actions tomorrow.

2. Do the daily examen by keeping a daily diary of opportunities seized and opportunities missed. Offer these opportunities to God with the prayer for clear vision to see God’s working in daily routine.

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Read Three Simple Rules, by Reuben Job (Abingdon, 2007) for a personal reflection on keeping the General Rules or Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, by Robert Schnase (Abingdon, 2007) for further study on congregational practices that move from “doing no harm” to “doing good of every sort.” Establish a daily practice based in the rules or practices.

2. Consider forming an accountable discipleship (covenant) group with other teachers or church leaders, using these resources.

The Power of Authority

Think back to your own experience as a child. Do you remember believing that whatever your teacher said had to be right, because the teacher had said it? The authority of the teacher is not limited to just teachers of children. Even if you have been a member of an adult class for years, when you assume the role of teacher your words are almost always respected as more authoritative.

As you accept the role of teacher in the church, you step into the role of all teachers before you. Our great teacher, Jesus forms people’s expectations and perceptions. You use your authority appropriately when you create a learning environment that is spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically safe for each student.

For example, a preschool teacher who believes that people should not hit or bite one another uses words and actions to help students learn to verbalize their needs. The teacher knows the church’s policies related to discipline and has decided the consequence of hitting and biting before the class starts. If the teacher responds to a student who hits or bites by using a form of physical discipline, the teacher is abusing his or her authority! Students learn that one with more power and authority can use that power and authority to control smaller and weaker people.

Whether the rules for your class are formal or informal, whether they are set by you or by the class, you must be prepared to follow through with appropriate enforcement. Recall again the General Rule from John Wesley to do no harm. The abuse of authority can cause great harm. Think carefully about how you are using the authority that has been entrusted to you.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Meditate on Paul’s words to the Romans in chapters 12 and 13, especially in Romans 13:1: “There is no authority except from God.” The role of teacher carries a certain authority, an authority that allows you to be listened to as soon as you start teaching. Teaching authority increases in one who humbly yet firmly loves and serves others, showing them how to live. Reflect on how you use your authority as a teacher. Who has been paying attention to that authority? Who might be observing whom you had not considered before?

2. Interview several other teachers or leaders in the church, asking about their understanding of their authority. Do they recognize that authority? Do they implement it well? What stumbling blocks or gifts do they have in common in the exercise of their authority?

• • For Further Study and Reflection

1. Search the Scriptures, using a Bible dictionary or topical concordance, for references to other biblical leaders, such as Moses, Deborah, Peter, Paul, and Priscilla. Do they have any characteristics in common as they exercised their authority? What faults or weaknesses might they have had to overcome to lead? What lessons do they teach you?

2. Read Faithful Leadership: Learning to Lead with Power, by Thomas Hawkins (Discipleship Resources, 1999). Use the questions for reflection for your own study or with a group of teachers or other leaders.

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The Power of Caring

Caring is usually not demonstrated in a one-time, extraordinary manner. It is more often shown in the consistent small acts of compassion and concern that continually remind the people in your class that they are not alone. Sometimes what seems like an insignificant word or action provides the bit of grace that enables a person to envision a hopeful future. True caring does not try to force or control another; caring does not shame or bully a student, whether the student is two years old, or twelve, or thirty-five, or ninety.

A significant way you can care for the members of your class is to pray for them and to provide opportunities for class members to pray for one another. No matter what a person’s age, knowing that someone else is praying for him or her provides comfort and strength.

Listening attentively without interruption or formulating an immediate reply is one of the most respectful things we do to show our care. On the surface, listening appears to be a passive act; but in reality a good listener is highly involved in the communication process. As you listen to someone, you are not just listening for information. You are listening for the feelings, hopes, and dreams that the other person is revealing. You become a safe companion as the person explores new ideas or reevaluates previously held beliefs. Listening is a holy endeavor.

When you listen carefully to another person, you communicate that you value the person. This kind of deep listening conveys understanding so that the other is empowered to grow and learn. As a teacher, you have the opportunity not only to listen to the members of your class but also to help them listen to one another.

Keys to Listening

• Listen not only for facts but for the feelings behind the facts.
• Give the person speaking the gift of a nonjudgmental presence.
• Don’t interrupt or jump in with a comment when the person pauses.
• Avoid jumping to conclusions about how the person is feeling or what the person is thinking.
• Look at the person as you listen to him or her. What the person is saying with his or her body language is as important as what he or she is saying with his or her voice. Listen with your eyes as well as your ears.
• When listening to a child, move to the same physical level as the child. This may mean that you need to sit on the floor or kneel.
• Don’t try to solve the problems of the person you are listening to. Your role is to listen, not to fix.

Caring also takes on a more tangible form. Members of a Sunday school class in an urban congregation receive a voluntary offering each week. Every few months, this gift is sent as a contribution to a different missional ministry. The class includes several persons who are among the working poor. When one of them had surgery, the class used a third of their aggregate offering to purchase a grocery store gift card for that member. Studying about caring for “the least” takes on power and authority only when group members actually do care for others.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Think about the class you teach. In what ways do you care for the members of your class? In what tangible and intangible ways do they care for one another? How does the class care for you?

2. Read Romans 14:13. Recall a time when you thought someone was not listening to you. How was this a stumbling block for you? Consider ways that lack of careful listening might be a stumbling block to a class member’s faith. What does this mean for how you will plan to teach? Invite other teachers or education leaders to review listening skills with you and to practice.

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Read, alone or in a gathered study group, I Knew Them All by Heart, by Myrtle Felkner (Discipleship Resources, 2006).

2. Work with your class(es) and the church council to establish a caring ministry through your Sunday school and small groups in the community, such as taking turns at an area shelter or food pantry or working with an after school tutoring program.

The Power of Curriculum

Curriculum is sometimes described as the interaction of class members with the content of the faith, materials, resources, and one another. Age-appropriate printed curriculum resources geared to the interests of students provide the content for a well-rounded Christian education.

Part of the curriculum is the unspoken culture of a classroom. A warm, welcoming teaching space where all students are appreciated and valued is a powerful statement conveyed without words. This is a positive use of curriculum.

On the other hand, a classroom that has an unspoken rule that declares, “It is better to be nice than honest,” creates an environment where people are not willing to risk asking tough questions. When spirituality is used to judge others, when words and actions in a classroom tear down one person in order to build another up, and when shame is used to get someone to agree, then spiritual abuse is occurring. Allowing an atmosphere in which such statements and feelings are part of the curriculum is a misuse of the power of curriculum.

Another part of the curriculum is the knowledge and experience of people in the group. A teacher with self-confidence to share the teaching role can invite others to bring their knowledge and experience to enhance the lesson. For example, a class member who has traveled to the Middle East can bring insight that illuminates the content of Bible passages. However, singular experience and specialized knowledge can be misused when it attempts to control people. For example, knowledge from a particular trip by one person can be presented with an air of superiority that discourages questions.

It is important for teachers to help students apply the content of each lesson to their daily lives. Finding meaning in life empowers people to share their faith with others and to learn more about faith and life.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Read Matthew 7:24-29. Students have some responsibility for applying the lesson; teachers have responsibility for presenting useful and appropriate lessons; but only God can transform lives. Reflect on the difference between hearing (or reading) the words of a lesson and having the lesson transform a student’s life.

2. Think about your personal learning / growing plan toward a very mature faith. Is there any system or rhythm to it? Do you have a plan or, for example, a personal rule of life (a defined set of standards that you set for yourself regarding your practice of spiritual disciplines, life goals, personal study, and so on)? If not, what would it take to make a plan that you will find compelling?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Work with the other teachers and education leaders to explore your over-all curriculum plans. Are classes isolated, picking and choosing from a “menu” rather that taking a systematic approach with clear learning plans? Is there a flow to the Christian education and formation ministry that helps persons grow to mature faith, or are there recognized “stopping places,” (such as “graduation” for post-confirmation youth or settling in with the now-60 year olds in the “young marrieds” class)?

2. Examine the curriculum you use or are likely to use. How would you describe the theology? the goals of the lesson? the flow of the lessons? the array of learning options? Will that help you and your class achieve your own learning goals? What time and effort are you willing to give to ensure that the curriculum is appropriately adapted to your group or class?

The Power of Touch

Human touch is important throughout the life span. Children need to be touched and hugged in appropriate ways to receive the nurture that allows them to trust and relate to others. Youth touch one another through horseplay and then in affection as they mature and take an interest in the opposite sex. Adults shake hands, embrace, place an arm around the shoulder, and use other physical means to show support and caring to others. Older people living alone or in nursing homes report deep longing for a loving touch and “someone who calls my name.”

Teachers of children, youth, and adults must be aware of the power of touch—and the serious nature of abusing this power. Touching other people in appropriate ways contributes to their well-being and enhances learning. However, punitive and sexual touching can be emotionally, physically, and spiritually damaging to people.

Teachers need to think about the way we welcome, interact with, and say good-bye to students. A handshake is appropriate, but a pat on the arm (for an older person) or a pat on the head (for a child) can be either welcoming or demeaning. The recipient of your touch determines whether the touch is affirming or abusive, no matter what your intentions. It is wise to ask if a touch is ok before you do anything other than shake hands.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Read two stories of healing touch: Luke 8:43-48 (where a woman touched Jesus) and Luke 13:10-17 (where Jesus touched a woman). Reflect on the power of touch, on the controversy it created, and the conversation it generated. What do these two stories teach you about the power of touch?

2. Practice one or more of your spiritual disciplines using something you touch, such as a smooth stone, a small religious figurine, or prayer beads. After gaining some familiarity and comfort with the practice, does it help you focus more on that particular discipline? How does adding (or using) something with texture affect your disciplines?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. If you have not already done so, participate in the Safe Sanctuary training (search the title at http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore)

2. Consider working with other teachers, education leaders, and/or your church council to explore some form of healing touch ministry. This could be as simple as using anointing oil when you pray for a group member or go on to the introduction to the use of anointing/ touch in regular congregational prayer services. See, for example, An Adventure in Healing and Wholeness, by James Wagner (Upper Room, 1993).

The Power of Words

The church has long known the power of words. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer or sing a hymn, we are doing more than simple recitation. What we say over and over again gets in our bones and our souls and influences what we believe and how we act.

Words can build up people or demean them. Teachers need to be aware of the power of words—both the words they speak and the words students speak in their class. Affirming words, sarcasm, friendly words, and teasing words each influence a life for good or destroy self-esteem. If we constantly criticize someone, that person will begin to believe that he or she is not a capable individual. If children are told they are fat, or dumb, or clumsy, they will have difficulty developing healthy self-esteem.

Humor, when used appropriately, can relieve tension and create a helpful environment for dealing with difficult topics or tasks. However, humor can also be used in a cruel manner. Jokes that belittle another group reinforce old stereotypes and contribute to an “us versus them” mentality. Teasing can be painful for the person being teased. Even if the person laughs and appears to be unaffected, that doesn’t mean that no harm has been done. As a teacher you have a responsibility to ensure that no members of your class are being teased by other members.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Ask yourself these questions as you think about what you and others say in your class.

• Do I or other class members ever engage in put-downs?
• Do I affirm class members when they offer an idea to a class?
• What do the words I use to describe God say about my understanding of God? Is my language about God (and others) appropriately inclusive?”
• Do I say things that may exclude some members of the class, for example, telling children to ask their mom something, when some children in the class may not live with their mother; or talking as if everyone in the adult class has a spouse, when some people in the class are single?
• How skilled is my class at discussing differing points of view while still respecting individuals?
• What spoken and unspoken agreements does the class have about what can or cannot be discussed?
• Does my language indicate that everyone in the class is equally valuable? For example, do I ever suggest that quiet activities are more appropriate for girls and that boys should participate more actively?
• What things are said regularly in the class that remind class members that they are beloved children of God?

2. Read John 1:1-3 slowly and meditatively. Scan Genesis 1. Reflect upon the power of words.

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Engage other groups or classes with you in a letter writing or email campaign to advocate for a cause in which you have interest.

2. Encourage your groups and classes to explore Beyond the Roll Book, a workshop model that prepares groups to share the faith with others (evangelism!) through the Christian education ministry. See www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=446551.

<!–3. Explore the Faith Language glossary.

–>

Practicing the Means of Grace

In addition to doing no harm and doing good, there is one more General Rule. In Wesley’s day this was worded, “Attend to the ordinances of God.” Like doing no harm and doing good, the ordinances of God are means of grace, or ways that God has provided for us to experience God’s grace. They include public worship, Bible study, Holy Communion, prayer, Christian conversation, and fasting or abstinence. These are examples of acts of piety or personal and corporate devotion.

In addition, John Wesley advocated acts of mercy, including but not limited to the acts of compassion mentioned in Matthew 25:31-46—feeding the hungry, visiting those who are sick or in prison, and so on. Wesley felt that both acts of piety and mercy were required for a balanced life. One practice without the other was empty and failed to give the proper glory to God.

One way to be intentional about living the faith is to participate in an accountability group such as a Covenant Discipleship Group. A Covenant Discipleship Group is a small group that develops a covenant or an agreement that describes what the members intend to do to grow as disciples. The covenant is based on the General Rule of Discipleship, a contemporary interpretation of the General Rules: “To witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teaching through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” Whether you become part of a Covenant Discipleship Group or find other ways to grow as a disciple, this statement provides an excellent guide for living out the faith.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Develop your own Rule of Life: a standard by which you choose to live that includes the habits and behaviors you find spiritually healthy, such as proper diet and exercise, daily Bible reading and prayer, and regular service to others. This Rule would be yours, and there are numerous ways to practice the classical spiritual disciplines. Prayer, for example, does not have to use any particular vocabulary, nor does it require any certain type of posture. You can pray by singing, when walking, by journaling, and so on.

2. Commit to try a spiritual practice that is presently unfamiliar to you. See the article (http://www.gbod.org/education/articles.asp?item_id=12679): “Uniting Knowledge and Vital Piety” for suggestions.

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Check the website for The Upper Room for numerous resources for spiritual growth, such as the Companions in Christ series (www.upperroom.org/bookstore). If you do not have a Companions group, work with the pastor or other congregational leaders to start one.

2. Consider gathering a small group of people who are willing to become a prayer cell within the Upper Room Living Prayer Center. For more information, go to http://www.upperroom.org/prayer_center/about.asp. Or, organize that group for regular service opportunities of your choosing.

Teachers and small-group leaders are spiritual leaders who pay attention to their relationship with God and others and who seek to live their faith in their daily lives. They have knowledge and skills to create safe, healthy settings for people to seek God, respond to God’s grace, and find support and encouragement for living as disciples in the world.

Becoming a spiritual leader is a transformational experience, which is the work of God. The work of the congregation is to support teachers and group leaders by providing opportunities for spiritual growth, opportunities for ongoing learning, resources, and other materials needed to be effective.

Every sentence of the two preceding paragraphs describes the role of teachers and small-group leaders. Each sentence also makes interpretive statements about teachers: Teachers are spiritual leaders. Teachers value their relationships with God and other people. Teachers experience God’s transforming presence through the ministry of teaching and learning. Teachers talk to others about God, what God is like, what God does or intends. We could spend a lifetime thinking and talking about what it means to be a spiritual leader, our relationship with and beliefs about God, and what it means to describe teaching as ministry. The church word we use to describe this kind of reflection and conversation is theology—the study of God and things related to God.

Take a brief inventory before exploring Teachers as Spiritual Leaders and Theologians.

Read each statement; then circle the number that best describes your situation.
1 = Not at all; 2 = Somewhat; 3 = Mostly; 4 = Definitely

1   2   3   4     I experience God’s love and grace in my life.

1   2   3   4     I know what theology is and how I am a theologian.

1   2   3   4     I understand the “three graces”: prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying.

1   2   3   4     I can help others make connections between their experience, the Bible, and what they think about God.

1   2   3   4     The way I teach is aligned with my understanding of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the church.

1   2   3   4     I understand what Christian discipleship is.

What Is Theology?

Me? Know about theology? Forget it! That may have been your reaction when you think of yourself as a theologian. If so, you’re not alone. The very word theology can transform the most confident teacher into a cowering mass of gelatin. Not to worry. It’s not nearly as hard to be a theologian as you might think. As a matter of fact, as a Christian you are already a theologian. To say, “God bless you” is a basic theological statement because it reveals our assumption and belief that God cares about us and wants us to be whole. (Just think of the theologians assembled or created when we sneeze!)

Defining Theology

In simple terms, theology means the study of God (theos). The way we think about God, how we talk about God, and what we believe about God make up our theology. We can use complex language to express our theology. For example, in the Christian church, theology also includes what we believe about who Jesus is and how we understand Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection (Christology). Theology also explores the nature of the church (ecclesiology), the saving act of Jesus Christ (soteriology), the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), and the communion of saints (hagiography). But all these big words mean is how we think about important “God stuff” and what significance and meaning we attach to it.

Each of us has a theology. We may not spend much time consciously thinking about our beliefs. We may not feel comfortable talking about what we believe. But we do have beliefs, values, and assumptions that have been shaped since our childhood. We respond to the world through the lens of these beliefs, values, and assumptions.

We know that there is great diversity in theological understandings of God, of faith, and of Christian discipleship. This diversity has existed since the church began. Take a look at the Book of Acts for some of the arguments about whether Gentiles had to be circumcised and to follow the Jewish law in order to be Christian. These arguments were not philosophical debates; they were grounded in the theological viewpoints of the various members of the emerging Christian faith. The outcome of the dispute was important to each person involved.

We can easily be swept up in theological debates over issues in today’s church. We are called as individuals and as faith communities to engage in serious study, reflection, and prayer as we clarify, test, and renew our interpretation of the gospel for today’s context. Our deep yearning for God sustains our efforts.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercise

1. What are some of the questions of faith that are facing the church today? As you think about those issues, what knowledge and experience have the greatest impact on what you believe about the issues?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. For a longer term reflection, choose one of the theological issues in our Church, particularly the divisive ones. Commit to do a theological study with a group that will take a serious look at all sides and theological viewpoints. Then assess what your / our theology has to say about the issue, what positions are of a different nature (such as emotional or cultural), and how your study has influenced (or not) your original viewpoint and theology.

Some Basic Theological Beliefs

As stated in the previous section, there are many different expressions of theology. However, throughout the centuries the Christian church has attempted to describe the basic doctrines of our faith. Here is a brief listing.

Trinity

• We describe God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God. Sometimes we use other terms, such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.

God

• We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.
• We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.
• We believe that God is loving. We can experience God’s love and grace.

Jesus

• We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.
• We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.
• We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. (Christ and messiah mean the same thing—God’s anointed.)
• We believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins.
• We believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.

The Holy Spirit

• We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us.
• We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.
• We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.

Human Beings

• We believe that God created human beings in God’s image.
• We believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God.
• We believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully human.

The Church

• We believe that the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.
• We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
• We believe that the church is “the communion of saints,” a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Christ.
• We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.

The Bible

• We believe that the Bible is God’s Word.
• We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
• We believe that Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures).

Talking About God

You may have heard words used to describe God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures contain many words and phrases that people used to name or describe the fullness of God’s nature, Christ’s identity, or the Spirit’s work. The most common Hebrew name for God was Yahweh. We see numerous images for God in the Psalms, for example, such as rock, shield, king, light, Just One, and so on. In the gospels, Jesus is called Teacher, the Good Shepherd, and Lord. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Comforter and the Advocate.

Affirming Our Faith

Throughout the centuries as people discussed and debated matters of faith, various church councils created written statements of belief. These statements, or creeds, provided a concise record of mainstream theology of the time.

Perhaps the most familiar creed today is the Apostles’ Creed. This creed was based on similar statements of faith used in baptism rituals as early as the second century. The current form of this creed was written in the eighth century. Notice how the opening affirmation from this creed reflects the biblical understanding of who God is: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” The creed continues with affirmations about Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the church, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life.

The importance of such written statements of faith grows out of the thought and prayer that goes into their formation. At their best they represent our ongoing dialogue about the reality of God. They are not static definitions, but dynamic thought processes taking shape in our midst and encouraging us to join the dialogue.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Search the Scriptures for other names and images that refer to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Think about which of these words and phrases hold the most meaning for you. How have the words and phrases you use to describe God changed over the years? To what do you attribute the changes?

2. Several Affirmations of Faith are included in The United Methodist Hymnal (880—889). Some of them are taken directly from Scripture; others are based on theological understandings of Scripture. Look at one or more of the Creeds or Affirmations and search out the Scriptures that support the specific statements of faith. Are any of the statements confusing or hard to accept? If so, why? What are the statements that really sustain your faith and sense of discipleship? How can you share them with your class or group members?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Look over whatever curriculum resources you use in your class or group or review the curriculum you have prepared on your own. What images, metaphors, and names do you use for God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit? What might be the effect on your teaching and leading if you used a broader array of characterizations?

How Do We Know What Our Theology Is?

Our theology is shaped by the Bible, by our Christian traditions, by our experiences, and by how we interpret these things. The hymns we sing, the prayers we utter, the rituals we participate in, and the creeds we profess are some of the ways we express our understanding of the Christian faith. We are surrounded by words and symbols that are our attempt to name the reality of God’s love and grace in our lives. Our context influences how we interpret faith language, rituals, symbols, and practices. The particularities of who we are affect the value and degree of importance we assign to these practices.

Reading Scripture

The Bible, of course, is a book about God and God’s relationship with human beings. As United Methodist Christians we believe that Scripture is our primary source for faith and practice. The Bible bears witness to the reality of God in our midst.

Genesis 1:1 begins the story of God’s self-revelation with the words, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. . . .” The story continues in verses 26 and 27: “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness’; . . . in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” This ancient narrative of our origins concludes with the awesome testimony: “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (1:31). As a Christian people we proclaim that before there was anything, there was God. The essence of God’s nature is creative and relational. We have been created in God’s image. What God has created is good.

The rest of the Bible recounts how often human beings failed to live up to God’s image within them; how often they worshiped success, wealth, or power instead of worshiping God; and how often they devalued, oppressed, and killed one another. The Scriptures also witness to God’s steadfast love and forgiveness. Again and again God reestablishes God’s relationship with humanity. Again and again God shows the way to union—or reunion—with God. This witness is most evident in Jesus Christ, who came that we might be reunited with God.

In the church we use the word sin for actions and attitudes that separate us from God and God’s will. We use the word grace for God’s generosity and unconditional love toward us. And we use the words reconciliation andsalvation for God’s action in Jesus Christ. These concepts are basic to the Christian story. Indeed, the story of the church, including today’s church, is the ongoing story of God’s reconciling work through Jesus Christ.

Paying Attention to Jesus

In order to know what God is like, we can pay attention to the life, ministry, and death of Jesus. Take a look at the eighth chapter of Mark’s Gospel (the Book of Mark). In many ways this chapter is a microcosm of Jesus’ ministry. The chapter begins with Jesus feeding four thousand people. It continues with Jesus healing a blind man. Then Jesus has a conversation with his disciples about what people are saying about him, and Peter professes his faith that Jesus is God’s chosen Messiah. The chapter concludes with Jesus calling the disciples to “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (verse 34).

Feeding, healing, teaching, calling—these are the essential elements of Jesus’ ministry. If we agree that we can know God through Jesus, then these actions provide clues to who God is and what God wants from us. God cares about our physical needs as well as our spiritual needs. God provides for our needs. God wants us to live as Jesus did, not focusing on our own needs but trusting that God will provide all we need, and living a life of service to the world in the name of Jesus.

Praising God Through Singing

Think back to the earliest song you remember singing in Sunday school or church. What was the song? What words did it use to describe God? What clues to the Christian life did it hold?

I remember singing a song that went something like, “God is love. Praise God, praise God. All God’s children praise. God is love.” The next verses said, “Love God, love God,” and “Serve God, serve God.” What a wonderful foundation for theology! From the time I was a small child, I was taught that God is a God of love first and foremost. And what, according to the song, should be my response to God’s abundant love? How could it be anything else but praise, love, and joyful service?

Our worship life is rich with hymns and songs that express our faith in God through Christ. Whether we are singing an old hymn, such as “This Is My Father’s World,” or a contemporary praise song, such as “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High,” the words express our understanding of who God is, what God has done for us, and how we choose to respond.

Participating in the Church’s Common Life

Consider a typical Sunday in your congregation. More than likely, there are practices that happen each week. These practices may include

• lighting candles on the altar;
• greeting one another and offering the peace of Christ to one another;
• sharing prayer concerns with the congregation.

Now think about a typical month in your congregation. More than likely, the congregation will observe one or more of the following practices:

• celebrating Holy Communion;
• baptizing a child or adult;
• extending the “hand of fellowship” to a family who desires to take the vows of church membership.

Each of these occasions is marked with familiar words and actions, called rituals. From a practical standpoint, rituals help us know what to do because we’ve done them before. From a theological standpoint, rituals express our faith. Lighting candles reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world. Sharing prayer concerns reminds us that we are the body of Christ, and if any member of the body suffers, we all suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26). Gathering around the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion reminds us what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, and that Christ is present with us through the sacrament.

What you believe about God has been shaped by the practices of the congregations of which you are or have been a part. Since most of the practices are not explained during a worship service, their purpose is most likely understood implicitly. As a teacher, part of your responsibility is to reflect on these practices, to bring their significance to a conscious level, and to provide space and opportunity for your group members to do the same.

Understanding Our Context

Each of us is born into a particular family, community, nation, and culture. These units of society include values, customs, priorities, standards, and expectations. As we grow up, we discover what is appropriate and what is inappropriate in our family, congregation, community, and culture. We learn the “rules” for success, as well as the boundaries that we should not ignore.

In addition to these overarching societal factors, there are additional variables that define our context. Some of these are:

• gender
• education
• income
• race/ethnicity
• location (rural, suburban, urban)

• prayer
• Bible study
• worship
• fasting
• conversation with other Christians

• Matthew 5:43-48
• Matthew 25:31-46
• Luke 10:25-37
• John 15:12-17
• Romans 12:9-18
• 1 Corinthians 13
• 1 John 4:19-21

From these passages and others we can draw several conclusions about what it means to love our neighbors. First of all, loving our neighbors means responding to specific needs—hunger, illness, imprisonment, loneliness, and so forth. Love is more than a feeling; it is behavior. It is practical and concrete.

Secondly, our neighbors include many people. Within the context of the Christian community, our neighbors are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Neighbors may also refer to the contemporary understanding of those who live near us. However, from a biblical perspective, neighbors often include people whom we might not normally consider:

• strangers
• prisoners
• people who mistreat us (who are our enemies)
• people from other cultural and ethnic backgrounds
• people from different religious traditions
• people with different political views
• people who irritate us and push the boundaries of our patience

Therefore, loving our neighbors requires attention and sacrifice. We have to pay attention to what is happening around us in order to see our neighbors and to recognize their needs. We must also consider their needs to be as important as our own in order to live faithfully. Loving neighbor is more than random acts of kindness. It takes time, energy, and commitment. It is a lifestyle carefully cultivated in response to God.

Finally, these passages emphasize that loving our neighbors is not optional; it is mandatory. It is what Christians do and who Christians are. Our lives are a testimony to our love—our love for God and our love for neighbor.

Making Disciples

The last verses of the Gospel of Matthew are known as the Great Commission. They read: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

These words are significant for the church’s understanding of its mission. In this last conversation Jesus has with his disciples (according to Matthew), he sends them into the world to share the good news of God’s love and grace. He calls them to the ministry of proclamation, teaching, baptism, and obedience. He describes their ministry as making disciples.

Back up a few verses to find where and when this conversation takes place. The resurrected Christ meets the eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee. (At this point Judas Iscariot has hanged himself.) Now look at Matthew 5, which is one of the earliest accounts that Matthew gives of Jesus’ ministry. In this passage, known as the Sermon on the Mount, where do we find Jesus? There he is—up on a mountain. And what is he talking about? Discipleship! Jesus speaks to the crowd: “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Jesus is on a mountaintop teaching about discipleship—about loving God and loving neighbor—at the beginning of his ministry and at the end of his earthly life and ministry. Matthew frames the life and ministry of Jesus with these stories to emphasize his theological understanding about who Jesus is.

Think for a moment about who else in the Bible went up a mountain and came back down with a word from the Lord. (Hint: Look in Exodus 19 and 20.) In obedience to God’s command, Moses met God on Mount Sinai after leading the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt. There in the wilderness God gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites through God’s spokesperson, Moses. These commands became the centerpiece of the Jewish law that defined God’s covenant relationship with the people.

Matthew’s Gospel implicitly establishes a parallel between Moses and Jesus as prophets and spokespersons for God. Just as the Hebrews of long ago believed that God acted through Moses to free them from slavery and teach them about life in relationship with God, so we believe that God acted through Jesus to free us from the slavery of sin and death and teach us about life in relationship with God. That life, for Christians, is based first on the love of God through Jesus Christ. The Law matters, of course, but a stringent conformity to rules and regulations yields to grace. Discipleship is our response to this great gift.

The Christian community is a teaching and learning community. Our learning is lifelong and ongoing. Together we develop knowledge and skills. Together we experience God’s presence and the fellowship of Christian community. Together we learn to listen to God. We discover God’s call to us as individuals and as members of the faith community. Together we discern meaning and purpose for our lives.

As a teacher, you have the extraordinary opportunity to provide settings for these experiences to occur. You can lead your group members as they study together, serve in the community, and reflect on what they are learning. You can develop your ability to ask questions, value differences of opinion, and encourage inquiry and exploration. You can help class members examine their values, identify sources of authority, and test their assumptions. You can learn to listen to the hunger for truth in the people of faith you have been called to teach.

How you take advantage of this opportunity will be theology in action. And remember, as you respond to this call, you will be following in the footsteps of Jesus, who was also called Teacher and who promised to be with us always, to the end of the age.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Reflect on how you plan learning experiences for your group. In what ways do these experiences cultivate loving God and loving neighbor? In what ways do you need to deepen these experiences? How might you broaden your concept of neighbor?

2. Read several of the Scriptures cited throughout this section and reflect upon what they mean for your personal discipleship. How does discipline figure in your practice of discipleship? How does your sense of grace and love define and structure your discipleship? How can you share this with others?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Join with other teachers and group leaders to look at how other cultures or thinkers shape their theology and the discipleship that springs from it, such as process theology, liberation theology (from base communities in Latin America, for example), womanist Christian theology (from an African/female perspective), Middle East Christian theology, or Asian Christian theology. (Search the internet with the appropriate phrase to find numerous articles and books.)

2. Examine Part II of the Book of Discipline: “Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task.” This is the official stance of the theology of The United Methodist Church.

3. Find a practical way to explore your notions of “neighbor” by volunteering for a service opportunity in a context with which you are unfamiliar, such as a Habitat build, VIM or other mission trip, local rescue mission, prison ministry, or other. Be sure to do the appropriate preparation so that you are a good neighbor yourself!

Theology in Your Curriculum

As a teacher of children, youth, or adults, you select, adapt, and/or write curriculum resources. You choose which learning activities to use with your group. You decide which teaching methods to employ. You build relationships with class members. You consider yourself to be the group’s facilitator, or mentor, or teacher, or coach, or friend, or all of the above.

Each of these decisions and choices reflects a particular theological understanding of what your purpose is, of who you are in relationship to God, and of how you view your class members. To a certain extent, someone other than you has determined these theological understandings. If you have purchased curriculum resources, the writers and editors have shaped the material from a particular theological viewpoint. However, the way you use the curriculum resources and design the learning environment reflects your theological viewpoint, consciously or unconsciously.

Each of these decisions and choices also has an impact on your class members’ theology. What you teach and how you teach can reinforce or contradict learners’ own understandings of self, God, the church, and so forth. Our life as a faith community shapes and is shaped by our theology.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercise

1. Look over two or three lessons from whatever printed or self-developed curriculum you use. What does the material say overtly about the things of God? What is implied, but not stated?

• For Further Study and Reflection

1. Invite a group of other teachers and small group leaders who incorporate the Bible in the group session to research and analyze the theological approach stated or implied in the curriculum. How do each of you decide what to include and exclude as you adapt curriculum? What does that say about your theological understandings?

You may not even realize that you responded to a call. You may think you merely answered a plea for help, or just knew it was your turn to help the third graders! But God’s call can come in many ways:

• through the voice of a friend
• through prayerful discernment
• from the challenge of a sermon
• by identifying your spiritual gifts
• upon seeing a need and responding
• through the strong movement of the Holy Spirit
• even by a seeming accident as you “fall” into teaching.

Take a brief inventory before exploring Basics of Teaching.

Read each statement; then circle the number that best describes your situation.

1 = Not at all; 2 = Somewhat; 3 = Mostly; 4 = Definitely

1   2   3   4     I understand that my teaching is in response to a call from God.

1   2   3   4     I know I never enter a classroom alone, for God is always present with me.

1   2   3   4     I understand that one of my primary roles as a teacher is to model the Christian faith to the best of my ability.

1   2   3   4     I believe the role of a teacher is not only to share information but also to create an environment where God can transform us into the people God wants us to be.

1   2   3   4     I understand how the primary task of the local congregation relates to my role as a teacher.

1   2   3   4     I know that people prefer different learning styles, and I am able to incorporate these different styles into my lesson plans.

1   2   3   4         I use a wide variety of methods in my teaching, and I am able to adapt them to the preferences of my class.

Why We Teach

You are called. Read the story of Moses’ call to leadership in Exodus 3:1–4:17. Notice some of Moses’ feelings and concerns that you also experienced when first asked to teach or lead. God’s call to you may not be as flashy as Moses’ call through a burning bush, but God’s need of you and God’s promise of support are just as strong as they were in biblical times.

Like Moses, your first reaction to a call may have been reluctance or fear. That’s normal. When God gives us a task, it can seem overwhelming and we may feel ill-equipped. Moses tried to argue with God and pointed out all of his own personal shortcomings. God assured Moses that his gifts were sufficient and that help would arrive when needed. Like Moses, we can be assured that God will use whatever skills we have and that we will find the help we need to be an effective teacher or leader.

God’s Presence

God does not call us and then leave us alone. As a teacher and spiritual leader, you have the promise that God will be with you. Story after story in the Bible tells us that God wants to be in relationship with us and to be present for us at all times. For example, “I will be with you,” God says to Moses in Exodus 3:12, and promises to help. When God sends Aaron to assist Moses, God adds, “I will . . . teach you what you shall do” (Exodus 4:15).

Jesus promised his followers that the Holy Spirit would be with them: “. . . I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever” (John 14:14-16). You can trust that God’s Spirit is present with you in the classroom, enabling you to accomplish things you could not do on your own.

A wise teacher once told a group of people who were learning how to teach that “God goes before me into every classroom I enter. God is present in that room before, during, and after I teach. I don’t have to do it all.” God is already present and working in the lives of the people you lead. God will continue to work within them long after you are no longer around. Thanks be to God!

God’s presence also assumes God’s grace. In church we often hear, sing, and read about the concept of grace. Very simply, grace means God’s loving concern for every person. There is nothing we can do to earn it; God simply loves us. There is no certain number of good deeds we must perform to qualify for it; we just receive it. Grace is the overwhelming, undeserved blessing of God’s love. It is this grace that surrounds us, supports us, and helps us lead and teach. You are not responsible for changing the lives of your students by your teaching; it is the God of grace who does this. You just tell the story of God’s love, and trust God to do the rest.

As a teacher you may encounter the term means of grace. This refers to an action or practice that is a channel for God’s grace. Means of grace are things we do that bring us into contact with God and open the possibility for us to grow closer to God. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, felt that each Christian (especially leaders) should be involved in these practices. The means of grace include (but are not limited to):

• prayer
• Bible Study
• worship
• Holy Communion
• fasting
• acts of service and compassion
• Christian conferencing (talking together about our faith)

• model
• formation
• information

• Audio tape
• Banners
• Bulletin board
• CD-ROM
• Clay
• Collage
• Computer games
• Creative writing:
  • Cinquain poetry
  • Haiku poetry
  • Parables
• Debate
• Discussion:
  • Total Group
  • One-on-one
  • Small group
  • Circular response
  • Question and answer
• Drama
• Drawing/painting
• Field trips
• Fingerpainting
• Group projects
• Guest speaker
• Internet
• Interpretive movement
• Journaling
• Lecture
• Listening
• Maps/charts
• Mock interview of Bible characters
• Movies
• Mural
• Musical instruments
• News report
• Open-ended questions
• Overhead projector
• Pantomime
• Paraphrasing Bible story
• Pictures
• Pipe cleaner sculpture
• Poster making
• Puppets
• Puzzle
• Questionnaire
• Quiz game
• Reading plays
• Reporting
• Roleplay
• Service projects
• Simulation game
• Singing
• Skits
• Slides
• Songwriting
• Storytelling
• Summary
• Timeline
• TV
• VCR
• Videos
• Wire sculpture

What a wonderful list of creative options! The problem is rarely, “What will I do?” but instead, “Which one of my options is better?” Remember, any of these methods can be effective if they are appropriate for the age level and needs of your group members and they are chosen because they will help people connect the good news of God’s love to their own particular life situations.

• Dig Deeper: Personal Exercises

1. Look again at the list of methods and check any activity that you have used in the past. Using a different mark, check any method you want to know more about or might consider using in the future.

2. An alternate list of teaching activities, with a description of each activity, is found at http://www.gbod.org/education/articles.asp?item_id=7680. Check out that list and identify items that would be of interest to the different learning preferences of your group members.

For Further Study and Reflection

1. Ask to have a Disciple or Christian Believer group (www.cokesbury.com) or Companions in Christ group (www.upperroom.org/bookstore) in your church particularly for teachers and small group leaders who desire to deepen their own knowledge and faith life.

2. Start a study group for teachers and small group leaders using one or more of these teacher development resources, from www.discipleshipresources.com unless otherwise noted.

• Start Here: Teaching and Learning With Adults, by Barbara Bruce
• Our Spiritual Brain, by Barbara Bruce
• Loving God With all Your Mind, by Thomas Hawkins
• Teaching the Bible to Children, by Barbara Bruce (www.cokesbury.com)

Note: The United Methodist Book of Worship contains worship resources for Christian Education Sunday (page 429), for the presentation of Bibles to children (page 587), and for the installation or recognition of church school workers (page 601].

Promotion Sunday

Suggested Scripture:

* Luke 2:39-40 (Jesus grew)
* Psalm 71:17 (Taught from youth)
* Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (Teach the children)

Congregations may set Promotion Sunday to coincide best with when the children and youth move into new graded classes. By including this litany (or another prayer of your choice) in worship, we acknowledge the importance of growing and the importance of a congregation affirming classes and small groups that provide opportunities for people of all ages to learn about the faith, practice spiritual disciplines, and explore decisions for living as faithful disciples.

Litany for Promotion Sunday

Pastor: Today we celebrate the growth of our children and youth as they mature in faith and mature in years. Please join with me in prayer:

Congregation and Pastor: O God, you have created us as human beings who mature from infancy, through childhood and adolescence into adulthood. Today we celebrate that growth. We lift up all who move this day into new classes for learning and spiritual growth. We pray for all who teach our children and youth. We pray for all of our congregation’s classes and groups in which we mature in faith. Keep each child and youth in your care. And keep us ever mindful of the promise we make each time we baptize another in faith: That we will assist them to grow in knowledge, in spiritual practices, and in living as disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rally Day

Rally Day is observed in some congregations to celebrate a new start or a renewed effort in involving children, youth, and adults in Sunday morning classes for Christian education. Rally Day may coincide with Promotion Sunday, but it may be observed at a different time. When Rally Day is observed on its own, focus on efforts to involve as much of the congregation as possible in Sunday school or other Christian formation opportunities.

A Blessing for Learners
Gracious God: As we gather today, we remember our role as learners and seekers of the faith. We give thanks for all those — present or away — who support the teaching and learning that takes place through our congregation. Be with all — children, youth, and adults — who will be participating this year in our church school and Christian formation groups. Bless our times of study so that we may grow in faith. Bless our times of fellowship so that we may truly live as brothers and sisters in Christ. Bless our times of prayer and worship so that we may be enriched in our spirits. Amen.

MaryJane Pierce Norton (mnorton@gbod.org) is the Director of Family and Life-Span Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, Tennessee.