How Can we Revitalize our
Religious Education Programs?
by
Paraskevθ (Eve) Tibbs, Religious Education Coordinator,
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco
February, 2003
This
is an important question and a deceptively vague one as well. When the term "religious education" is mentioned, it is
most often assumed that the discussion is about children. But Christian
education is about a lifelong transformation, not just one stage of
life. Although
childhood is a foundational period in life, children are not the only
proper objects of Christian
education. All Christian learning, regardless of age, is a process of
interaction and growth in understanding from one spiritual level of
development to another. Unfortunately, what has been forgotten in the day-to-day living
out of this fact is the most important aspect of religious education:
the Adult. I would like to propose that many of the practical issues of our
youth education programs not to mention many of our parish management issues would
be benefited by a re-emphasis of the adult as learner.[1]
Why
direct our attention to adults? The late Dr.
John Boojamra, who headed the Antiochian Department of Religious
Education reminded us that "Christianity is a religion of adults
presented in adult categories, speaking to the needs of adults
through their life-experiences." We know that all the catechumens were adults, and their
instruction was more "formational" than
"informational". In a similar way, St. John Chrysostom tells us that
children were educated by parents largely from modeling than by formal
instruction. Until just the last generation or so, this was exactly the case -
all
formal educational efforts were directed at adults, and children
were left in the hands of the parents.
There are two ways to grow or learn as a Christian. One way is Mystagogy, in which the Holy Spirit teaches
mystically through participation in the community's liturgical life, and
the other is Formal Catechesis. What have we done? We have typically limited
mystagogy to adults, and formal
catechesis to children. Both exclusions are un-Orthodox. Children need to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in worship
by participating in the worshipping community of the Body of Christ,
and adults need to continue to make efforts to grow in Faith by
education and continual re-commitment.
Another imbalance is the emphasis we give to certain
"teachers" who are assumed to be the select few given the task
of learning about the Faith. St. Gregory Nazianzus writes that "there is no boundary line
between the giving and receiving of instruction" in the Church.
The entire
Church in community - is the educator. In the correct expression, each Christian person is really a
learner. Both teacher and learner are members of the Church; both
share the same sacraments and life. All persons are equally important to the Body of Christ the
Church whether adult or child; clergy or lay person.
By no
means am I suggesting we abandon the child and forget their formal
catechetical education, but that we take a new look with ancient
eyes to the proper way to "educate" a Christian within the
parish community. By inspiring all adults to become active learners, and
active participants in their own Faith communities, I believe the
benefits will extend far into many of the current "problem
areas" of many parishes. For example, teacher recruitment and youth religious education
will immediately benefit by better-informed adults who are living out
the Faith as role models, not just information providers. And this concept will extend into choirs and chanters who
understands the theological as well as musical beauty of what they sing,
and a parish council which appreciates the correct "ministry"
of Christian leadership in its intended application; a Philoptochos
which understands and embodies the Biblical admonition of humble diakonia;
acolytes who experience awe in their service with the Cherubim and
Seraphim at the altar, and a parish family which becomes Christ's arms
and legs, pastorally supporting one another, and reaching out into the
community, rather than relying solely on the Priest to do all the
"religious" work.
A business owner appreciates the "trickle down" effect
that the employees and customers are also beneficiaries of the resources
directed to the sound maintenance of the business. Likewise, in directing resources towards the religious formation
of adults, we certainly reap "trickle down" effects in that
their own children and families will benefit, their friends and other
people's children will benefit (through the Church schools) the
entire community would ultimately be positively impacted by adult
Christians who understand the Christian Gospel and who share it and live
it out within the community of Faith of the Orthodox Church.
Our challenge therefore, is to continue to grow and improve youth
religious education programs, while increasing the emphasis on adult
religious education programs. One of the first ways this can begin to be accomplished is that
there should be regular and frequent opportunities for the training of
lay catechists of our youth not merely in the practical teaching techniques but at the level
of the Christian formation of the teacher as a learner of the Faith.
Suggestions include Bible studies and reading groups for
catechists, and every teacher meeting could include a short
spiritual/educational component. Another important first step would be to offer regular,
formal classes on Orthodoxy for both current adult parishioners
and for catechumens.
Thankfully, the curriculum resources for adult Christian
education are now plentiful. Unfortunately, the human resources are not so plentiful, and
there are just so many hours in the day of a busy Priest. But as adults in the parishes become better informed about the
Faith, and as their commitment to Christ deepens, there would emerge
those laypersons who could assist the Reverend Clergy in teaching and
supporting the religious formation of other adults, as well as youth.
This is undeniably not an instant solution to revitalize our
religious education programs, but is nevertheless the patristic model
for Christian education, and a sound model even today, towards which I
believe it would benefit us to direct our efforts.