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| Terry Powell, Director of Family and Church Education Program | Print-Friendly Version (PDF - requires Acrobat Reader) |
Reprinted with permission from CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.
Roy Zuck, author and Bible teacher, relates an anecdote that shows the lack of esteem that Christian education has in the minds of some people:
"A college student came to my office to ask my advice on what seminary he should attend. I stressed the importance of choosing a seminary where he could get adequate training in a broad spectrum of fields: theology, Hebrew, Greek, Bible exposition, church history, pastoral theology, and Christian education.
"Do you know what his reply was to my remark-? He said, 'I plan to go into the pastorate, so I see the need for all these
things you mentioned except the last one-Christian education. It seems to me that in the local church, things like Sunday
School can take care of themselves."
The student believed that Christian education ministries are foreign to the real purpose of the local church. He viewed
them as appendixes to the church. He did not understand that what we call "Christian education" is firmly rooted in
Scripture. And his view of what constitutes Christian education in a church was too narrow.
According to Webster's Dictionary, "to educate" means "to rear; develop another person mentally or morally." The noun
form, "education," refers to the action or process that is required in one's mental or moral development. When we refer to
Christian education in a local church, we mean that particular process that the leaders have mapped out for members of
the congregation-the planned program of studies, activities, and experiences that they want their people to go through in
order to grow spiritually.
The ultimate goal of Christian education is to help individuals develop a thoroughly Christian lifestyle in which
knowledge of God and obedience to His Word leads to personal spiritual maturity. This goal is firmly rooted in
Colossians 1: 28: "So naturally, we proclaim Christ. We warn everyone we meet, and teach everyone we can, all that we
know about Him, so that it possible we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ Jesus" (Phillips).
When we dig up the biblical roots of what we call "C. E. ministries," we discover that they rest on a firm foundation. Let's
put four familiar passages under the microscope.
Matthew 28: 19-20: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Traditionally, we've viewed our Lord's great commission as a missionary challenge. We've emphasized the "Go" in verse
19. Yet this is an educational com mission as well as an evangelistic mandate. Other key phrases are "make disciples,"
"baptizing them," and "teaching them." Grammatically, the only imperative in Jesus' statement is "make disciples"--a
reference to an on-going educational venture. We cannot separate proclaiming the gospel and winning people to Christ
from the process of integrating them into church life, and nurturing them toward maturity.
2 Timothy 2: 2: "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
Paul also instructs us to educate persons whom we lead to Christ. Furthermore, he implied that without a proper Christian
education, evangelism loses its multiplication potential. Not only does education follow evangelism, Paul suggests, but
more evangelism will be the result of effective education!
The circle that follows illustrates this dynamic relationship between education and evangelism. "Reach" and "win" are
evangelistic. "Teach" and "train" refer to the process of educating and training believers in doctrine and service. When an
individual is properly taught and trained, he is better equipped to reach and to win ... and the cycle begins all over again!
An individual's ministry has a mushrooming effect if the people he reaches receive educational experiences that enable
them to grow.
Ephesians 4: 11-12: "It was he (Christ) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."
Here is a partial list of gifted men whom God has given the church. The phrase "pastors and teachers" refers to only one office. This use of "and" can be taken as a hyphen. Why is this significant? It indicates that teaching is an integral function of a pastoral ministry. A pastor's role is educational, not just evangelistic or administrative.
The primary purpose of a pastor's ministry is to "prepare God's people for works of service." The word translated
., prepare" was also used of a physician resetting broken bones in a person's arm, restoring it to usefulness. The term also
described a fisherman mending his net, equipping it for the day's work. Clearly, equipping others for ministry is a
developmental or educational task.
John 13: 13: "You call me 'Teacher' an 'Lord, ' and rightly so, for that Is what I am.
This statement by Jesus occurred in the Upper Room, right after He washed the disciples' feet, on the night of His arrest
and betrayal. What I Is significant is Jesus' acceptance of the title "Teacher." Jesus directly implied that instructing others
in the Word and ways of God was a vital part of His earthly ministry. Nicodemus recognized Christ as a "teacher come
from God" (John 3: 2).
W. T. Dayton, in his article on Jesus' teaching in Volume 5 of The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, had this
to say: No other aspect of the ministry of Jesus is so frequently observed in the Gospels as His teaching. Even redemption,
preaching and healing had to be made relevant to the observers, which inevitably involved teaching. In a sense it can be
said that all Jesus said, did and was comes to a focus in His teaching."
Today the church is founded on the person and work of Jesus. We correctly call Him our model as well as our Lord. We
strive to pattern our lives and ministries after Him. We want His strategies and His concerns to shape our strategies and
concerns. If that's the case, then teaching others the Word of God must be a priority in local churches, as it was with Jesus.
The educational process of acquainting all age-levels with Scripture lies at the heart of most Christian education agencies.
We could examine many other Scripture passages. These four, though, are enough to show that "Christian education" is
the work of the church and of its leaders, not an appendix to it. Either directly or indirectly, all church ministries are part
of the educational process that we have mapped out in order to help people reach their God-intended potential. For the
sake of organizational policy and management, we classify ministries like "Sunday School," "youth meetings," and
.,clubs" under the banner of "C.E." But these are merely organizational forms which exist to carry out the educational
function of the total church ministry.
Now we understand why Dr. Howard Hendricks has said, "Christian education is not an option; it is an order. It is not a
luxury; it is a life. It is not something nice to have; it is something necessary to have. It is not a part of the work of the
church; it is the work of the church."
Terry Powell
January 6, 1999