Being a Church for the World

RETHINKINGCHRISTIAN

EDUCATION IN THE CHURCH

FOSTER HALL C

Christian education can include any form of education that better enables believers to serve as witnesses to God’s grace. Relies on and includes Biblical instruction Also:

Social awareness Knowledge of what “unholy systems” hold people captive Motivation to address real needs

A vision that portrays the world as our parish (Wesley) An expectation that our faithfulness will meet with God’s providence

THESIS

“Kim”- age 17- neighbor to a sizeable Nazarene Church Single mother, removed from her family’s home Supporting herself and her child alone

Invitation to church “Services not conducive to making friends without feeling like a

spectacle” What classes are there for her to join?

High School? Young Adults? Singles? Small groups?

Asked CE director “None”

~SOCIAL AWARENESS~ CASE STUDY: KANSAS CITY ~2004

Their CE was modeled after the the circumstances of the people who were already members

The perceived needs of current church attendees informed their SS choices

Consequences of that model: No place for those in the community whose life does not

look like those in the church No comfortable avenue into the church for people who’s life

experiences are different No natural means of outreach to proximate needs of people Unnecessarily limits the mission of the church

OPPORTUNITIES

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization Education, Health care, personal finance

15 years Health care initiative

400,000 for Massachusetts in 2006 ACA for United states in 2013

Moving from Debts to Assets Small groups learning personal finance from professionals within

religious congregations Financing from Mass-based bank - $500 grant per graduate Over 900 graduates

~KNOWLEDGE OF UNHOLY SYSTEMS~

CASE STUDY: GBIO

Interfaith eff ort Catholic, Jewish, Presbyterian, UCC, UU, Methodist, Baptist,

Nazarene

Each congregation recognizes The stress debt and poverty can bring That personal financial security enables believers to

contribute even more greatly to the ministry of the congregation

Testimonies of success bring new participants Some of our deepest and most crippling needs go beyond

boundaries of church walls

LEARNING FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE

75% of credit card carrying college students were unaware of late payment charges.

30% of 18-24 year olds income goes towards debt repayment.

30% of college students with loans drop out without a degree.

In 2010, more individuals fi led for bankruptcy than graduated from college

Only 17 states require a high school course in Personal Finance (OH not one of them)

Source: Council for Economic Education (http://www.surveyofthestates.com/)

~KNOWLEDGE OF UNHOLY SYSTEMS~

CASE STUDY: OHIO

And only 22 states require a high school course in Economics.

Only fi ve states require a stand-alone course in personal fi nance for high school graduation.

81% of college students underestimate how long it will take to pay off a credit card balance.

1/3 of parents are more comfortable talking with their kids about smoking, drugs, and bullying than about money.

Source: Council for Economic Education (http://www.surveyofthestates.com/)

PERSONAL FINANCE CONCERNS

Have standards for content

Districts implement these standards (not State-enforced)

Require student testing, though not to take a course

Source: Council for Economic Education (http://www.surveyofthestates.com/)

OHIO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Instruction in lending and borrowingResume-building/interview skillsReligious literacy (!)Literacy (!)Eating healthy on a budget Internet use and safetyBook club (because it's not just about the book)What other churches have eff orts in place already?

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES:

11  On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12  As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance,13  they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”14  When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean.15  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.16  He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17  Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18  Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”19  Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

LUKE 17:11-19

Some come to faith, and we rejoice when they do.

While 9 out of 10 lepers do not return, all 10 were made well

Unbelievers still suff er, and their suff ering matters When we focus only on conversion, the defiant are counted

as lost

Jesus asked no questions before attending to a serious social concern

LUKE 17:11-19

Wesley The ‘long road’ to holiness May take years to pursue Christian holiness Included the personal behaviors of members, even how they

dress and exhibit wealthNazarene

Earliest Nazarene compassionate ministries were toward Orphans Unwed mothers (think post-Civil war, Spanish American War, WWI) Urban rescue missions

“We want places so plain that every board will say welcome to the poorest.”

P. F. Bresee (1902)

~ENVISION THE WORLD AS OUR PARISH~

OUR HERITAGE:

Looks for sources that tell of the challenges experienced in our local community Can be public information

Looks for ways to understand their neighbors and form healing relationships Across (religious, ethnic, criminal, etc.) backgrounds

Different religions represented in your community Causes for homelessness in your area Causes for violence or abuse in your area

“A church dedicated to changing hearts while leaving them captive to unholy systems is inadequate”

–Carl Leth describing the Spaldings’ papers

THE CHURCH FOR THE WORLD

Believes the Gospel can manifest itself without words

Believes a Gospel community rightly sees unholy systems as a threat to our well being

Believes that the purpose of the Church is to be for the world without expecting any return.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Phil. 2:3

THE CHURCH FOR THE WORLD

To intentionally keep our mission toward the world from becoming a program

To keep our mission toward the world within our regular ecclesial practice

Christian Education demands that we make it a practice to stay familiar with our world in addition to developing a biblical faith

Because it better enables believers to serve as witnesses to God’s grace.

SO … CHRISTIAN EDUCATION?