This book invites pastors to lead small membership churches into an imaginative and holistic vision of Christian Education. Christian Education is part of the vital ministry of all churches, but especially of small membership churches. In a culture that places great value on numbers, however small membership churches often see themselves at a disadvantage. This does not have to be the case. Small membership churches can create wonderful opportunities to form and disciple faithful followers of Jesus Christ. In offering viable Christian Education, the role of the pastor is critical. This book invites pastors to lead their small membership churches to develop an imaginative and holistic vision of Christian Education. Karen Tye is Professor of Christian Education at Eden Theological Seminary. In addition to her own book, Basics of Christian Education, she is also the co-author of Teaching the Bible in the Church.

Christian Education in the Small Membership Church

By Karen Tye

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2008 The United Methodist Publishing House
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-687-65099-6

Chapter One

The Lay of the Land

My husband and I enjoy traveling. When we arrive in a new location, one of our first activities is to get out our maps and begin to orient ourselves as to where we are. Our goal is to get the lay of the land. That's an old idiom first used in Britain in the 1700s that referred to the shape of the physical landscape. Figuratively, we use it today to talk about the nature, shape, or sense of a place or thing.

As we begin to think about Christian education in the small membership church, it is important to get the lay of the land. To do this we need to look at two things. First, we need to reflect on the nature of the small membership church in general. What are some characteristics of these churches that shape their congregational lives? We also need to do a brief overview of education— what it is, why we do it, and what some of the essential elements of Christian education are, no matter what size the church. Once we have developed this lay of the land, then we will have a good foundation from which to explore the ministry of Christian education in the small membership church in ways that are meaningful and appropriate to these congregations.

The Small Membership Church

"When is a church small or smaller? The most common criterion is that it has less than one hundred attending worship. By this standard, two-thirds of the Protestant churches in the United States are small churches." Most discussions about the characteristics of small membership churches begin with numbers. The first defining quality of these churches, then, is size.

But size is not the only quality that shapes small membership churches. In years past, location was another factor. We used to think of these churches as primarily rural or small town congregations.

Today, however, we find small churches everywhere and can no longer think of them as just a rural phenomenon. I personally belong to a small membership church located in the heart of a large city. Many of our older city churches have become small membership churches and are struggling to maintain buildings designed for a much larger congregation.

So, while being small in number of members and located in just about every kind of setting, what other qualities shape these congregations? Most especially, what are the qualities of a small membership church that are particularly important when we think about the work of educational ministry? Six qualities stand out for me as an educator: (1) there's a strong sense of community, (2) it is like a family, (3) traditions run deep, (4) there's a high percentage of participation, (5) organizational structure is simplified, and (6) worship is the primary activity.

As we look at these qualities, we need to remember that all small membership churches are not exact carbon copies of one another. Each congregation, though small in size, will manifest the qualities and dynamics highlighted below in its own unique and particular way. Nor are the following qualities necessarily absent in larger churches. But they seem to be particularly evident in small membership churches and often play a crucial role in the ministry of Christian education.

There's a strong sense of community

Small membership churches are marked by a strong sense of community. What matters most are the relationships among the people, not the programs being offered. People are at the heart of the small membership church, and knowing and caring for one another is central to its sense of mission. Larger churches must give intentional thought to creating within their midst the smaller groupings where people can be known and called by name, but this comes much more easily and naturally in the small membership church.

We all need a sense of belonging, a place where, as the theme song for the TV show Cheers proclaimed, everybody knows our name and is always glad we came. David Ray expresses it well when he says, "There is a crying need for community in a society that has grown too big, too complex, too anonymous, and too disconnected. We as individuals and as the church were created for community." In the small membership church, the opportunity to experience and share in community is one of its strengths.

Educationally, this strength of community, of being small enough that people are noticed and known, means we can focus on people-centered education, not program-centered education. We are able to pay attention to particular needs and interests of the congregational members and give careful thought to how we might address those needs and interests.

To do this, however, we must risk giving up our impulse to do it like the larger church, providing education that looks more like public school education with formal classes and programs. As Ray describes it, "The tragedy for small churches was that when they started trying to teach the faith the way larger schools teach ... they stopped doing what they were the right size to do." Building on a strong sense of community, the small membership church can turn to our ancient Jewish ancestors and the early Christian community for images of what education might look like. In a culture that didn't even have a word for school, the ancient Jewish community knew about providing "intimate, contagious settings" where faith is caught as much as taught. We see this described in the book of Deuteronomy. In 6:4-9, Israel is given the heart of her religious teaching, the Great Commandment: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (vv. 4-5). Then Israel is told how to educate: "Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (vv. 6-9). In other words, surround the people in the daily, intimate settings of their lives with the teachings of their faith, and they will more than likely "catch a serious case of faithfulness."

The early church knew this wisdom too. We hear a description of their educational ministry in these words from Acts: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.... Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved" (2:42, 46-47). In intimate and contagious settings, like around a table in a home, they "caught" the gospel, and God responded to their faithfulness.

A strong sense of community is a vital quality of many small membership churches. It is a strength to be cherished and nurtured. It provides unique opportunity for rich and creative educational endeavors, some of which we will consider in greater detail in later chapters.

It is like a family

The small membership church not only has a strong sense of community but also the shape of that community often resembles a family, an extended kinship system. I am always amazed at the web of family ties that exists in the small...