Beyond Cotton Ball Sheep

Before I start posting lesson plans and talking in detail about the ins and outs of our program here at Smithfield, I’d like to describe what we do on Sunday mornings and how we got here.

I was hired in July 2007 for a brand-new position, Minister of Christian Education, which was created by the church’s new strategic plan. According to the plan, I would be responsible for “developing, implementing, and overseeing a dynamic and innovative education program.” It was understood that this would most likely include a dedicated education hour on Sunday mornings, separate from the 11 o’clock worship hour when kid’s classes had been held in the past.

So, in fall of 2007, we started “Smithfield School,” which takes place each week September-May at 9:45 a.m. At that time, we offer a nursery for the littlest ones, a preschool class for age 3-K taught by a leader from the congregation, an elementary class for grades 1-6 taught by a leader from the congregation, a youth class for grades 7-12 co-taught by two leaders from the congregation, and an adult class with varying leadership. We also have a leader (the “shepherd”) who floats between the preschool and elementary classes. The preschool and elementary classes use the Gather Round curriculum and the youth just started using the Caffeine series.

(You might have noticed that, even when it’s awkward, I try not to use the word “volunteer.” The associate pastor at the church where I grew up, who is now in the business of constructing awesome wooden crosses, once said, “We are not looking for volunteers. We are looking for Christians.” That resonated with me.)

There are lots of pluses to a dedicated education hour. It emphasizes the idea that education is central to the Christian experience. Parents are freed to attend adult classes, since their children have class at the same time. Children and youth can experience the worship service, without leaving to attend classes. It’s easier to find adults willing to teach, since they don’t have to miss worship to serve as teachers.

But, there are some hurdles, too. Some parents, especially those with many and/or young kids, don’t like to come to an early morning education hour, feeling that it makes for a long and stressful morning. When they don’t come, their children then don’t have any access to education at all. And, there is the question of what to offer the younger children — the ones who seem too little to sit through the sermon and anthems and pastoral prayers — during the worship service.

So, in an effort to keep the dedicated hour while addressing those problems, we offer Children’s Chapel and Pilgrim Adventures for kids age 3-grade 3 during the worship service. I leave the sanctuary with the kids after giving the children’s sermon, about ten minutes into worship. Together with a leader from the congregation (the “adventure assistant”), we go downstairs to a big, sunny classroom. First, we sit on the rug for Children’s Chapel, a child-scale worship service that features a story in the Godly Play style and a time of intercessory prayer. Then, we transition to Pilgrim Adventures,  an educational activity period loosely inspired by the workshop rotation model: I choose a theme to follow over 6-14 weeks, and each week we explore that theme in a new way. In the fall, our theme was Paul; between Christmas and Easter, we learned about saints; and now we’re spending 6 weeks with Jonah.

We continue to tweak the program, and there are lots of ways it can still be improved. But I think, on the whole, I think we have the potential to meet the goal of being “dynamic and innovative” within this new framework.

How does Sunday morning work at your church? Do you feel your current system works? Explain your scenario in the comments!