My friend Marty and I are just finishing up a book project on how to plan and organize congregational Christian education. In a couple of weeks we’ll send off the manuscript for Planning and Organizing for Christian Education Formation: A Community of Faith Approach. It will be published by Chalice Press and should be out in the fall.
In the book we offer methods for planning for Christian education formation, and, offer a model for organzing and assessing the ministry. Additionally, we advocate the use of the Christian Church Year as a framework for Christian education in the congregation. We are convinced that is the singular most effective resource for corporate “formation” through education. The tragedy is that so many Protestant congregations fail to fully appreciate its power for individual and corporate faith formation (indeed, many Protestant congregations we work with seem ignorant of its history and use as a framework for worship and education).
Writer Jessica Snell, in “The Feast Goes On” (Touchstone April 2008) writes about “on living the church year at home.” Her article helps highlight how the Church Year can be a resource for Christian formation in the primary context in which that happens: in the family and home.
This is good news. I just completed a class at Andover Newton Theological School on the Liturgical Year: its history and significance for the church. The themes throughout the Christian church year of time, journey, growth, and transformation just really helped my understanding. To see the challenges that came with the development of the calendar and how its historical perspective is just as important today as it was then, was awesome.
Every week, my mind was going in many directions on how to enhance the Educational programing at my church setting with the liturgical year in mind. So, if you can provide your book as soon as possible, that will be greatly appreciated!! 🙂
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