One Key to a Healthy Congregation
I recently returned from Oasis 2015, a regional Christian education event in Kansas City, Missouri. The Presbytery Pastoral Care Network had been asked to join with them for the event. Being around so many church educators and listening to their conversation, caused me to reflect on the role of educators in the church. They are frequently a key person in nurturing the community of the church.
Technology Connects by Separating
The church exists in a society that distrusts institutions and is wary of commitment. The church dares to proclaim the importance of physical community in a society that prefers to connect electronically. Worship attendance is falling even as people proclaim the importance of the spiritual. If the sermon is electrifying and the music is lively, many will drop by occasionally for their spiritual fix, but they are reluctant to commit to any regularity that can build community. In a recent conversation, a pastor of a large healthy church was asking his leadership how to connect with the “attendees” without asking them to become members.
A Creative Educator
While good preachers can inspire, it is a creative educator that can address the hunger for spiritual maturity. While I don’t aspire to be a mediocre preacher, my guess is that if I were no better than average but had a dynamic educator, I could still build a healthy church. Despite the competition of travel sports teams, many parents want their children to have a good spiritual foundation. It is not unusual for a person to suggest that a turning point in their spiritual journey happened on a church mission trip or retreat. As we seek to wade through the moral quagmire of our over stressed and ethically thin business and political society, many adults can be stimulated by an opportunity to reflect with others on the ethical and spiritual foundations of life.
Who is at the center of creating such an opportunity in a church—the Christian Educator. Educators recruit and train those who provide a dynamic education program that attracts young parents. They are the ones who organize and frequently lead the retreats and mission trips that alter life’s perspective. While good worship can inspire, it is often the educational experiences in small groups that build community.
Important But Not Respected
As I talked to the educators at the Oasis event, I was aware of the many signs of disrespect an educator experiences as they exercise their call. More on that in the next blog.
