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Three Steps
to Better Adult
Education
A Tool for Congregational
Planning
First Things First
The good news is that important adult learning is
happening in your congregation and it has been
happening for a long time.
News to you? Probably not. Certainly in most
congregations Bible studies happen--with the pastor
on Sunday morning, if nothing else. Other classes
may meet on Tuesday mornings or Wednesday
evenings--at least once in a while. Surely these
provide educational opportunities for adults.
In fact, if we define Christian education as
personal and spiritual growth empowered by God's
Word, then education happens in worship on Sunday
and during the women's group meetings on Tuesday.
It happens at teachers' meetings and fellowship
gatherings and at many other times and places.
Because God's living Word is active by the power of
the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for us to stop
learning from happening. All of us, all the time,
in every encounter with the Word, whether formal or
informal, in the church building or out of it, are
growing by the power of the Spirit. This growing is
learning and learning is education.
All of this learning is part of who we are as God's
gathered and sent people. The ELCA constitution
says that we are called to:
- Proclaim God's saving Gospel of
justification by grace...;
- Carry out Christ's Great Commission by
reaching out to all people to bring them to faith in Christ...:
- Serve in response to God's love to meet
human needs...;
- Nurture [our] members in the Word of God so
as to grow in faith and love...
(Statement of Purpose, ELCA Constitutions,
Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions, 4.02.abce.)
That challenge to lifelong learning and mission impels us to ask: "Are we
presently doing enough to encourage spiritual and personal growth? Are we
equipping people to recognize and to use their gifts? Are we challenging them to
participate in the mission and ministry of the gospel?"
And while the answer may be yes, at least in part, we know we are not reaching
all adults. Surveys and congregational report forms constantly tell us that
adult participation in learning opportunities in Lutheran congregations runs at
about 22%. While it may be true that education is happening in our congregation,
we also know that there are many in the congregation and in the community who
are not involved in learning. Those who actually gather on Sunday morning for
Bible study or on a Friday evening for a fellowship/study group may be few.
Our question is not: How can we get adult education to happen in our
congregation? Our question is: How can we work together to make a variety of
learning opportunities available to many people in our congregation and in our
community? In short: How can we make adult education an effective tool for
personal growth, growth for our congregation and an opportunity for outreach
into our community?
Now What?
So how do we go about it? What do we do to revitalize our adult education
program?
First there are a few things we should NOT do:
- We should not substitute activity for
planning. Running out and buying six or seven new courses and scheduling them
for whenever possible and whoever will show up will probably be only minimally
effective.
- We should not back into a program. Getting a
few new leaders, finding out what they like to teach and then letting them
offer their courses may reach some--but it probably won't come together to
form any kind of a systematic or comprehensive program for adult education.
The place to start planning a new emphasis on adult education is with the
learners.
- We should not use congregational size, lack
of leadership, a tradition of doing nothing, lack of class space, lack of
funds, or anything else as an excuse for inactivity. Excuses may satisfy the
council, the education committee, and even our own consciences. But many who
are seeking new life, strength and the support that only God's Word can give
will not have opportunities for growth that can make a difference in their
lives.
Working Toward a Renewed Program Is Hard
Work, Isn't It?
No doubt about it. It takes some effort to put together an effective program.
But if it is done in a systematic way--a way that starts with the learner and
moves through opportunity to evaluation--it won't be impossible. What will come
from careful planning is not perfection. Certainly no program can meet all
needs. But what will be produced will be a way to offer a variety of learning
experiences that will fit the needs of a variety of people. That's worth the
effort.
How Do We Go About It?
This booklet suggests a straightforward, three step process. This process will
allow your congregation to plan a program of adults learning to meet the needs
of as many people as possible with as many learning opportunities as possible.
This process can work in any congregation. The three steps in this process are:
The remainder of this guide outlines the plan
and provides sample tools that you can use to revitalize your adult education
ministry. You may, however, want to consider a more comprehensive planning
strategy. For that you might use Chapter 8 "Organizing for Adult Education" from
Lifelong Learning--A Practical Guide to Adult Education in the Church,
(Augsburg: 1997).
But First--The Committee
Another committee? Do we really need another committee? Call them what you
will--work group, task force, dream team--but before you can be ready for the
three steps you need someone to do the stepping. The process outlined here can
be done by the Christian Education Committee, or by some other existing group.
In this case, however, it may be best to appoint an ad hoc committee for the
specific purpose of getting this revitalization process underway. That committee
will be able to focus on the task, do the study necessary to form the vision,
and come up with a comprehensive plan that will work for your congregation.
You will need a group of three to eight people. Choose people who have shown an
interest in adult learning and who have some experience in the area. Ask the
pastor to be involved, as an advisory member if nothing else. Meet and set out a
time line with a target date for completion of the planning process. Then send
the group to their task with prayer and a promise of the continued support and
cooperation of the congregation. Expect great things. In this case, with people
working together toward a positive goal that will benefit the whole
congregation, you will not be disappointed.
Step 1: Assessment
To plan effectively for adult education your committee needs two kinds of
information:
- What have we done in the past?
- Who are we trying to serve?
Starting from Where We Are
The first committee task is to list the classes that have been available in your
congregation over the past three to five years.
- Who has been teaching?
- What topics have been studied?
- Who has participated?
- How many and which families are taking part?
Be sure your list includes short term studies,
home study groups, bible topics at organizational meetings, adult forums,
women's or men's group, and the like. All of these have been part of your adult
education program, even if you didn't call it that.
Make a list of those classes that seem to have been best attended.
- What subjects (topics, portions of
scripture) did they cover?
- How many sessions?
- Where the classes meet?
- What time and day?
- What kind of a class: small group? forum?
lecture?
You might make up a chart that represents your
recent adult education history:
|
Courses |
Number of Sessions |
Setting (church, home, retreat, etc.) |
Time and Day |
Average Attendance |
| |
|
|
|
|
After you have completed this history, use
questions like the following to help you draw further conclusions:
- What kinds of classes have been or seem to
be most well attended? Why?
- Does the day or time seem to affect
attendance? How?
- Do people seem to prefer long classes or
short classes? Why?
- What areas or topics seem to have been
missing in these offerings?
- Who has done or does the planning and
teaching of adult education? Pastors? Christian Education committee? A
coordinator? Adult Education team?
Who seems to attend adult education in your
congregation? Check any of the following:
___ Wide variety of participants
___ Faithful few
___ People looking for help with life questions
___ People seeking relationships or community
___ More men than women (or vice versa)
___ More older than younger
___ Those seeking to improve their spiritual life
___ Those seeking to become more effective leaders in the congregation
___ Other?
Before you finish your evaluation, list also the unstructured learning
activities you might have overlooked. How do these events fit into your adult
education history?
Looking at Learners
The place to start planning for future educational opportunities is with the
learners whose needs you have met in the past and those you might reach in the
future.
First get as clear as you can on who has been attending:
- Who are the attendees?
- How many families or households have been involved?
- What are the approximate ages of those who have taken part?
- Who in the congregation is conspicuous by their non-attendance? Young families?
Those with disabling conditions? Those who are single or divorced? Those who
have or have not attended college? The elderly?
- Non-members? Persons from the church's neighborhood?
Try a Phone Survey
You may want to do some more detailed research. For example, each member of the
committee might choose (more or less at random) three people who have not been
in any class or educational activity over the past two years and three who have.
During the next two weeks, call each person. Let them know you are doing a
survey that will help enrich the adult education opportunities in your
congregation.
Ask them:
- Why they have or have not been involved in an adult study. (Make sure the
question is put in a non-accusatory way. You are only seeking information.)
- What kinds of subjects (topics, classes, activities) might they be interested
in?
- What times or days would they be most likely to attend?
- Who would they like to be involved with in a learning experience?
- If they did attend a class, what would attract them? Small group? Forum?
- If they did attend a class, what would they be looking for?
Try a Written Survey
You might, of course, try a more systematic, written survey. You can put a
survey (like the one at the end of this resource) in your church newsletter or
worship bulletin. However, be aware that you will not get a high percentage of
return from this kind of distribution. Consider approaching people personally
and having them complete the survey. Or set up a table in the narthex of the
church at which a committee member will sit on one or two consecutive Sundays to
talk to people personally and hand out and receive surveys.
Keep the survey short and easy to complete. Give a clear deadline for the survey
to be returned and make it easy to return (mail, in the offering plate, at the
door of the church).
Step 2: Visioning
Moving Toward a Vision
Before you jump right into specific programming, you need to create (or discern)
your vision for adult education: What do you want adult education to look like
in your congregation? Spend some time thinking about this with a small group,
perhaps the committee that oversees adult education.
Here are some steps you can take to shape a vision for adult education:
- If your congregation has a mission statement, take a look at it and see where
adult education fits into the mission. Think beyond the boundaries of Sunday
morning or even beyond the boundaries of formal education and look for all the
places where learning occurs.
- Consider where you have been in adult education. What are the good things
that have happened in the past? What needs to change? Why?
- Try to picture what adult education will look like. It may help to actually
draw pictures. What are the desired outcomes you seek? What benefits do you hope
adults will gain from your adult education efforts?
Once you have answered these foundational questions, you can begin to plan the
kinds of opportunities, both formal and informal, that will support the vision.
After you have established your vision, you can begin to look at the information
you collected in step 1. You can now begin to plan the actual structure for
adult education. One way to proceed might be to simply list the kinds of
learning opportunities and subjects people are interested in and then set about
scheduling the types and kinds of classes requested.
A more comprehensive approach would be to use a planning process to look at some
of the possibilities for adult education and then seek a plan that offers the
best possibilities for your congregation.
Keep in mind the five important variables in every adult learning opportunity:
- Audience--Who is intended to be involved in the learning experience? Is the
class or event aimed at a general adult audience or a specific group related by
common interest or need?
- Subject--Including the kind of type of study material.
- Setting--Including the time, place and number of sessions.
- Method--The learning approach including the type of presentation
and the involvement of the learner in the learning process.
- Leadership--Who will lead and how will they be equipped
to lead?
Audience
The most important variable in planning is the audience. If all adults were the
same--if they all had the same interests, the same learning style, the same
motivation--planning adult education would be easy. We could simply identify
interesting subjects, schedule classes and evaluate the learning when they were
done. But we know that adults differ in countless ways.
- Adults differ in their ability to learn in a class setting. Some fit well into a
large class and gain from such an experience. Others need the intimacy of
one-to-one relationship in order to learn. Some may be fearful of a
"class"--afraid they might be embarrassed by what they do not know.
- Adults differ in their ability to receive and use shared information. Not
everyone can listen to a presentation, incorporate and use that information.
Some need to be actively involved in their learning if what they gain is to be
kept and used.
- Adults differ in the stage or place in life. That means that the issues they are
dealing with differ as well. Young parents likely are dealing with concerns
about money, child raising and career. Middle aged people might be struggling
with concerns about aging, grown children, aging parents. Older members might be
dealing with issues around retirement, using their time constructively, and the
like.
- Adults differ in their motivation to learn. Some are curious and simply want to
learn. Others need to have a "course" or goal for their learning. Still others
seek learning that they can apply immediately to the issues they are dealing
with in their lives.
- Adults differ in their place in their faith journey. Some are "children in the
faith"--barely beginning with almost no background in bible knowledge or
discipleship. Others may be "long time" church members seeking help along their
spiritual way.
- Adults differ in the way they seek out help with their issues or questions. Some
prefer to "look it up themselves" to find their own answers. Others are
interested in a class that deals with their concern. Others may learn better in
a one-on-one relationship with a friend or mentor.
- Adults differ in what they seek in a learning experience. Some seek information.
Some are seeking relationships, a chance to get together with others who are
like them or are dealing with the same issues. Some seek a long term
relationship with several others who can offer them support. Some may be
interested in learning in order to become more effective leaders.
These are only some of the ways that adults differ. Differences in interest,
need, and expectation can have an important effect on whether or not a learning
experience engages those for whom it is intended.
Because adults do differ, it is necessary that we "target" the learning
experiences we plan carefully. For example, if the class is meant for young
adults many of whom don't usually go to classes and who may need to be a part of
a community in the church then the "class" we offer will need to emphasize
informal relationships. If we want to engage those who are seeking additional
information in order to become more effective leaders, then we will want to
offer a class that is convenient to these learners and offers them the challenge
and substance they expect in a class.
Identifying the adults in our congregation by their interest, needs, and
expectations is an important first step in putting together a comprehensive plan
for adult education.
Subject
Once you are clear about the audiences you are trying to reach, you can move on
to select the subject of topic of the courses you will plan. Information gained
on formal or informal interest surveys might be of help here. Very likely the
list of subjects from the surveys will cover a variety of interest and concerns.
What can you do with such a variety of responses? How do you plan to offer as
much as possible with your limited resources?
Begin with what you know. Review the list of class offerings in your recent
adult education history. Then review the surveys from your congregation. You
might group the interests under the headings from the survey (Bible study,
Theology, Church issues, etc.). Then check to see which areas of concern drew
the most positive responses and which items under those headings seemed to be of
most interest.
A comprehensive program of adult education will attempt to offer some kind of a
learning experience in each of the content areas as often as possible. Of
course, a small congregation may not be able to offer something in each area at
the same time. But even the smallest congregation can cover the areas serially
according to an ordered plan. Or a congregation might cooperate with other
congregations in the area to offer a special event such as a single's retreat or
a six-week "college" for in-depth study of certain biblical or theological
issues.
Of course, it would be a mistake to depend only on the interest survey for your
planning. Some issues may not come through on surveys. Some groups may be
seeking experiences with others who are dealing with the same life issues they
are, but will only become involved in a learning experience by invitation.
Generally, however, a good place to start expanding adult learning opportunities
in your congregation would be with those topics or interests that seem to
generate the most response.
Setting
Once you have the subject areas blocked out with at least a listing of the
subject areas you want to cover and the audience groups you want to target the
next question is: what settings will best fit the subjects we want to offer?
Basically it is important that the setting fit the subject and the learners. If
the course or class is primarily informational, then a classroom might be the
right place and Sunday morning the right time. If the subject has to do with
relationships, then the learning will need to happen in a small group perhaps in
someone's home. Some subjects and learning experiences lend themselves to
retreats. Others require a long term commitment. Other times for learning can be
connected with activities such as a family night, a potluck, a skit or play, or
even a trip to see a movie, the reading of a book and discussion. All of these
are important considerations as you build your learning plan.
Method
The way learning actually happens in an adult class or educational event can
vary a great deal. Indeed, the way people learn varies greatly. Learning can
happen when people hear a lecture, watch a video, do a skit. Other kinds of
learning include discussion, personal storytelling, sharing experiences in small
groups, writing exercises, brainstorming lists, acting out Bible events or
finishing open-ended stories. There are many more method for learning as well.
For a overview of a variety of methods that are useful in adult education, see
Chapter 4, "Teaching Matters" in Lifelong Learning: a Practical Guide to Adult
Education in the Church (Augsburg, 1997).
The setting, schedule, and study method aren't as important as adjusting those
elements and the content to meet people's needs. A study of Romans, for example,
probably won't work very well if it is a lecture delivered to a fellowship group
at an evening potluck. On the other hand, a study designed to strengthen
marriage relationships might include content lectures in a classroom on Sunday
mornings, if the class also provides time for discussion and activity on the
part of the participants both in the classroom and at home. Making the setting,
schedule, content and method work together to meet the needs of the learner is
the key to effective adult education.
Leadership
Though you may have some trained Bible study or adult education leaders in your
congregation (pastors, directors of education, professors, etc.), in order to
have an effective adult education program it will be necessary of find and train
leaders. Plan to train by finding or offering classes in leadership, and
informally by offering opportunities for leaders to experience the kind of
learning they are going to lead.
It won't be easy. A quick course on being a leader doesn't exist. Learning to
lead is a process that requires experience, reflection, practice and much trial
and error. The principal task of congregational leaders is to discover those who
have the ability to facilitate learning in a group of adults. Then encourage
these people to commit themselves to the task, seek the experiences and the
training they need to be effective, and to stay with it.
Checking in on the Vision
Before you actually begin to plan individual classes, events, and groups, check
in with your vision to see if what you've done so far is actually something that
will help move you toward your desired outcome. There is no scientific way to do
this. There is no way to ensure that what you are planning will be successful,
but the only way to know is to try. It's always a leap of faith, so if it feels
good to you, go ahead and try it.
Step 3: Planning
and Implementation
You have assessed the recent history of adult education in your congregation,
and you have a vision for its future. Now you are ready to develop a specific
plan. The plan may cover a semester, a full year, or three years. The farther
ahead you can plan, the better. But remain flexible enough to make changes when
needed.
Here are the steps to consider when creating your plan:
- Set your schedule of classes or events
- Choose and provide resources
- Recruit and train leaders
- Publicize opportunities and recruit participants
- Evaluate and adjust your plan.
Set Your Schedule of Classes or Events
Work toward a balance of content areas and methods or types of learning
experiences as you begin your plan. If you have a set a biblical course on the
book of Romans that will be a lecture in the library with the pastor, you might
balance that with a small group studying a book on personal spiritual growth in
the fellowship hall.
Since adults vary so much in interest, learning style and life concerns--variety
is the key to success. Though it will never be possible to engage all adults in
"formal" learning, the greater the variety you can offer in type of class,
learning style, content area and setting the greater the number of people who
will likely be involved. Though you may have to start slowly, your aim should be
an array of learning experiences available through your congregation that varies
from small support group to formal "class," from intergenerational event or
mentoring relationship to enrichment retreat--and as many as possible in
between. Start with what is manageable, but keep your sights set on expanding
the number and types of learning experiences you can offer.
Choose and Provide Resources
Resources for adult study abound. Good planning means working with class leaders
to look at and evaluate a variety of resources that might be used in your
program. A curriculum catalog such as Education Resources for the Congregation
from Augsburg Fortress is an invaluable tool for your planning. Even the best
leaders need effective resources to help them create effective learning
experiences. Matching the resource to the leader and the expectations of the
class is one key to effective learning.
Recruit and Train Leaders
An effective leader is a key ingredient in effective learning experiences.
Whether the leader is an "expert" with information to share or the facilitator
of a small group discussion--a prepared and trained leader may be the one
element that determines whether effective learning happens at an educational
gathering.
Certainly leaders, even those with interest and willingness to lead, need
training. Augsburg Fortress has resources for teacher training. If formal courses in leadership are not readily available to
you, leaders can often be equipped by paring them with someone with experience
in leading the kind of class they hope to lead. For example, an effective small
group leader can work with someone new to the task as an actual group is lead.
The second group might see the learner as the leader with the experienced leader
as the person giving feedback and encouragement.
Whatever your training plan, recruitment is vital to an effective program. Be on
the lookout for those who seem to have a special interest in learning or have
experience in leading groups of adults. Many retired people--those with
experience in leading in their vocations--can be recruited and trained as
leaders for adult learning. Others who have been involved in adult education in
the parish might also be trained to lead. Some who have expertise (social
workers, scientists, people in the medical field) can also be valuable
contributors to an effective ongoing program for adult learning. And, of course,
in your planning consider those in your community who might be brought in to
offer special learning events and classes.
Recruit leaders for specific tasks and specific time commitment. See to it that
they are supported and receive the training they need. Help them evaluate their
leadership experiences and work with them to employ their skills in the right
places in the future.
Publicize Learning Opportunities and Recruit Participants
The best planned, staffed, and resourced learning opportunity remains only an
opportunity until those who might benefit from it know about it. That means
getting the word out both in "broadcast" ways and in a way that will reach
specific people who are targeted by the event.
Information about a new learning opportunity ought to be available at many
places in the congregation: on the bulletin board, in the newsletter, in the
bulletin, in announcements in worship and many other ways. Announcements need to
be clear not just about what the learning opportunity is, but what it offers,
and what the benefit for the attendee will be. Publicity might also appear in
local newspapers, on local radio or TV stations. If your congregation has a home
page on the World Wide Web, this would be an excellent place to announce
upcoming events and classes.
Specific invitations to learning events are also necessary. If a class for young
marrieds is being started, someone should identify those people in the
congregation and community and invite them by letter, by phone or in person.
Often the best learning events are targeted at people with specific needs or
concerns. When an event like that is planned, the targeted group needs to be
contacted and invited one at a time.
You will want to remember that participation in an effective adult education
program is a pattern that needs to be built up over the years. The first set of
new learning events will not necessarily bring in scores of new participants.
But new events will build the foundation for participation in the future. Each
new set of learning events, carefully planned and carefully carried through,
becomes the best "advertisement" for future participation. Numbers may come--but
the focus first must be on quality learning for those who do come.
Evaluate
A plan for adult education remains a plan until it is put into action. And the
plan remains a plan in process until the actions are evaluated and adjusted to
make them even more effective.
Evaluation can take many forms. You might survey participants as they complete
various learning activities to determine how the learning events might be
improved in the future. You might interview educational leaders regularly to get
their insight on what is working and what changes might be helpful. And you will
want to continue to meet with the leadership of the congregation to determine
how the educational program is fitting into the overall mission and ministry of
the congregation.
No educational activity is an end in itself. For God's people, all learning
leads into action. We learn so that we can reach out to others, so that we can
be more effective in ministry to those near to us and beyond, so that we can
build up the body of Christ. The most important evaluative questions about our
educational plan have to do with how those who participate are more effective in
their own life of faith and service. When learning is translated into
action--learning is effective.
Evaluation means that we are always ready to make our educational plan better.
We are always learning as we plan. We are always open to where the needs of
God's people, the needs of those we want to reach in our community, and the
leading of the Spirit will take us. Evaluation means that we know that what we
are doing is always in process, always becoming something more effective, always
moving to be what we aimed for in the first place: That our congregation will
become a place where we
- Proclaim God's saving Gospel of justification by grace....;
- Carry out Christ's great Commission by reaching out to all people to bring them
to faith in Christ...;
- Serve in response to God's love to meet human needs....;
- Nurture [our] members in the Word of God so as to grow in faith and hope and
love....;
(Statement of Purpose, ELCA Constitutions, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions,
4.02.abce.)
Survey: Adult
Education in Our Congregation
- What studies have you been involved in?
- How would you rate your experiences in this (these) class(es)?
- What was best about that (those) experience(s)?
- What most needed to be improved?
- What studies groups or topics would you like to see offered?
- What class schedules (date, time, number of sessions) would work best for
you?
- What settings (at church, retreat, in a home) might you be interested in?
Circle your age group:
18-25 26-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 Over 70
Are you __Male __Female ?
Mark those subjects you are most interested in with an X. Others that have some
interest for you, mark with a check. Those of little interest, leave blank.
BIBLE STUDY
___ Bible Books
___ Bible survey
___ How to study the Bible
___ Sunday Readings
FAMILY
___ Parenting
___ Communication
___ Marriage enrichment
___ Living as a Single
___ Aging
JUSTICE
___ Hunger/homelessness
___ Rural/urban issues
___ Peace
___ Care of creation
___ Racism
___ Advocacy
___ Violence
ETHICS/DISCIPLESHIP
___ Making Decisions
___ Faith in Daily Life
___ Living as a Christian in a non-Christian world.
THEOLOGY
___ Lutheran teachings
___ Church history
___ Small Catechism
___ Issues: suffering, salvation, evil, etc.
CHURCH ISSUES
___ Worship
___ Evangelism
___ Issues facing the national church
___ Being a church member
SPIRITUALITY
___ Prayer
___ How to pray
___ Personal devotional life
___ Spiritual disciplines
Mark your preferences for day, time, and type of class.
CLASS SETTING
___ At church
___ In a home
___ Retreat center
___ Restaurant
___ Place of business
TYPE OF CLASS
___Taught by Pastor
___ Lay Leader
___ Lecture
___ Small group
___ Short courses (4-6 sessions)
___ Longer courses (10 or more sessions)
TIME AND DAY
___ Sunday mornings
___ Sunday evening
___ Weekday morning (day)_______________
___ Weekday afternoon (day)________________
___ Weekday evening (day)________________
___ Early morning (day)________________
Writer: Ted Schroeder
Editor: Carol A. Burk
Copyright 8 1997 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765
W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. 800/638-3522. Produced by Christian
Education of the Division for Congregational Ministries.
Permission is granted for congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America to reproduce this resource for local use.
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