{"id":170,"date":"2007-04-26T22:02:00","date_gmt":"2007-04-27T02:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/archives\/170"},"modified":"2007-06-08T14:46:34","modified_gmt":"2007-06-08T18:46:34","slug":"basic-rules-for-educational-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/archives\/170","title":{"rendered":"Basic rules for educational planning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently working on a project on educational planning in the congregational setting. The project is in response to the many questions I get from church staff and lay leaders about planning the Christian education programs in their church. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on, but it seems a lot of congregations seem to be at a loss about this fundamental and important aspect of education.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some basic rules I always share with folks looking to get a handle on how to plan their church education program:<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The persons who show up at an event are the ones who need to be there.<\/b> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m continually puzzled at the over-focus on numbers in congregations. If 100 people don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t show up at an event, then the event is considered a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153failure\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (even when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a congregation of only 50 people!). My own rule about events and workshops is, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll work with whoever shows up.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Even if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s two people (I think there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a Bible verse on that, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there?). When you plan and offer an event, the people who will attend are the people who have a felt need for what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re offering. The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153other\u00e2\u20ac\u009d people you imagine \u00e2\u20ac\u0153should\u00e2\u20ac\u009d be there are of no consequence to the effectiveness of the event nor to whether or not the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153few\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who attend get what they need. Focus on the ones who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve invested their time in coming, not on the ones who did not.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Not everything is for everybody at the same time.<\/b> One of the reasons that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never get all, or most, of the people in your congregation to attend any given educational program is that people need different things at different times. As a rule, any effective program will be about ONE thing. And if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so, then the people who will attend are the ones who need that ONE thing. Get clear about the population you are aiming for in the program, and make sure you market and announce what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re offering in the ways and in the venues those people need to hear it. For example, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t market an event on parenting to people who don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have children in the home. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t market a program on divorce to married couples. The people who are interested in the topic of divorce are those who have experienced a divorce.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>If you plan something good and no one shows up, do it again next year.<\/b> Too many church educators give up on good programs and educational offerings because no one\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor \u00e2\u20ac\u0153too few\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dshowed up the first time it was offered. Sure, it takes a lot of energy to create and offer a new program and event. And sure, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disappointing when people don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153get it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the first time. But the fact is that people often cannot appreciate what they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, and likely won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make a connection between a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153new\u00e2\u20ac\u009d program offering and what they need. If you offer a program the first time and people don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t attend, but you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re convinced it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needed, then offer it again the following year. Sometimes people need to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153recognize\u00e2\u20ac\u009d something as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153familiar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d before they embrace it. And the rule is that people need to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153see\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hear\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a new message eight times before actually noticing it.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>If you offer an event that meets people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needs, then offer it again in three years.<\/b> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always surprised at this one. People will offer an event in the church that is well-received, meets people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needs, gets great feedback, and may even be well-attended . . . and they seem to be able to only think of it as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153one-shot deal.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But consider that for all of its success, some people who needed that event were not able to participate for some reason\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d benefit from it being offered again. Another group of people did not need what you offered this year\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut in three years they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be at a different place and will need it then. This is particularly true for events for families. Families go through predictable family life cycles. All those families with only preschoolers at home will not have attended this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s program related to children in the family\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut in three years, those preschoolers will be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153children\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and those same parents will need and want that event. The rule is: when you discover a good program that meets the needs of people, put it on the calendar for three years down the line and offer it again. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll reach a whole other group(s) of people who didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need it now, but will need it then.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>When programming, focus on people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needs and not their predilections.<\/b> A basic principle of learning is that an unrealized or perceived need is a motivator. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Interest\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is not a sufficient enough motivator for learning or change. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a limited amount of resources and energy\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand so do your congregational members. Focus on offering those educational programs that will give you the most on your investment of time and effort\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthose that meet people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needs, not their interests. People \u00e2\u20ac\u0153want\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a lot of things\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand some people want to be entertained and affirmed. But the fact is that people have enough entertainment in their lives (don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe it? Consider how much money your congregational members spend on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153entertainment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in comparison to how much they give to missions or to the church). Entertainment is such an overwhelming element in people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lives that many of them live trivial lives without realizing it. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that? Eavesdrop on your congregational members and see what it is they talk about. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m willing to wager it will mostly consist of sports, movies, television shows, hobbies, or the weather\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll do it ad nauseaum. Additionally, feeling \u00e2\u20ac\u0153affirmed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d feels good, but it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lead to growth or maturation. Challenge is better than cuddling when you want to help people grow. And the goal of education is growth, after all.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>When planning an event, ask, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the theology that informs this?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/b> Christian education must always be undergirded by an informing theology. A Christian theology that frames and informs the educational events at the church is what makes Christian education \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Christian.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d As I mentioned to someone today, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no difference in what the church offers people, then what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the difference?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.galindoconsultants.com\"><img src='http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/06\/galindobanner3.jpg' alt='galindobanner3.jpg' \/><\/a><br \/>\n&#8220;For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently working on a project on educational planning in the congregational setting. The project is in response to the many questions I get from church staff and lay leaders about planning the Christian education programs in their church. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/archives\/170\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-education"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/grace-ed.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}