Planning for Christian Education: Focus on the System
by Donna Gaither

In the church we often use one or more of the following approaches in our planning process:

Approach: "If the baby isn't crying, don't pick it up."	Translation: Conduct business as usual.
Approach: "Things aren't great, but they could be worse!"	Translation: Let's settle for things being acceptable overall, and just ignore the problem areas.
Approach: "Clueless is my name."	Translation: We know something isn't working, but we don't have any idea what to do.
Approach: "Desperation Dance, anyone?"	Translation: Let's get a program or idea from somewhere else and hope it will work for us.
Approach: "If they would just change . . ."	Translation: Let's blame somebody (anybody)!
Approach: "We worked really hard, but . . ."	Translation: We're working toward improvement, but we're disjointed. Our plans aren't connected to the rest of what's happening in the church.

All these approaches have at least two things in common: (1) They're not very effective and (2) They don't take a systems approach to planning. Looking at our Christian education program as a system can move us from merely solving problems to planning to shape the future.

A systems approach is not a "fix-it" technique or "Band-Aid" approach; neither is it just another problem-solving technique. A systems approach helps us take a wider view. It is a lens to use to look at the overall teaching ministry of the church.

Looking at our Christian education program as a system is a long-term approach for long-term success. The key is a focus on continual improvement. We can relax and know that we will never "get it right," but we will always be making it better. A systems approach is a practical tool to use to achieve our theological goals.

What Is a System?

A system has been defined as an interdependent group of people, processes, functions, and activities that work together for a common aim. All parts must work together if the system is to be effective. The Apostle Paul put it this way: "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit " (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, NRSV).

Paul goes on to talk about the importance of all the parts and how they are equally important and dependent on one another -- a systems understanding of the human body and the body of Christ. This can be a model for the teaching ministry of a local church.

If we want to strengthen our system for Christian education, we must identify the various parts of the system. We look at the relationships among the parts, and we review our aim to determine how the system is accomplishing our aim. If we aren't getting the results we want in all areas, then we need to rebuild the system or improve a part.

The building blocks of systems are processes. A process is a sequential grouping of all the tasks directed at accomplishing an outcome. A process transforms inputs into outputs.

For example, a garden is a system. The inputs include soil, seeds, water, sunlight, and so forth. The transformation involves seeds sprouting, growing, and bearing fruit. The outcomes include fruits, vegetables, or flowers.

If you want to improve the yield of your garden, you must look at the overall relationships and processes. A better brand of seeds or perhaps more water might bring the results you want. A stronger fertilizer might help the plants grow, but it also might poison the well water!

Our usual pattern is to examine processes or repair them only when they are obviously broken. But if we are to have an effective system of Christian education, we will need to improve our processes constantly, even when they seem to be working.

The Primary Task

The primary task of a local congregation is: "reaching out and receiving with joy all who will respond; encouraging people in their relationship with God and inviting them to commitment to God's love in Jesus Christ; providing opportunities for them to seek strengthening and growth in spiritual formation; and supporting them to live lovingly and justly in the power of the Holy spirit as faithful disciples." (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, 1996, paragraph 245)

All activities, programs, processes, and systems in a local congregation -- including Christian education -- should be aligned to this primary task.

The focus of a strong program of Christian education is not to fill all the slots for teachers on Sunday morning, or to have the largest youth program in town, or even to make the Christian educator look good! The focus of a church's teaching ministry is people -- helping people understand what it means to be a disciple and sending them out in the name of Christ to serve the world. This process happens over and over again each day and each week, both inside the walls of the church and out in the world.

Designing a System for Christian Education

If a church is serious about designing or improving its system of Christian education, it should consider the following basic steps:

Step One: Know Your Vision and Mission

It is important to be able to state the mission of your local church and describe a particular vision for your program of Christian education. Your church may already have a mission statement. It should be no longer than one or two sentences. Some churches use the Great Commission in Matthew 28, while others have identified their mission as "faith formation" or "making disciples for Christ."

Your vision for Christian education will be set in the context of your mission. It begins to answer the question, "What will teaching and learning look like if we live out our mission?" Your vision will be particular for your own congregation. A vision paints a word picture of a desired future in such a way that people will want to make it happen.

Discuss the following questions with your educational leaders and other persons in the congregation:

• What would it look like if persons were actively growing in their faith?
  
• What would persons be doing? How would they be acting?
  
• What would be different?
  
• What biblical images and visions speak to growing in faith?
  
• What do we want people to be able to do as a result of our Christian education program?

Vision is "focused hope" that will give you energy for the task ahead. A strong, shared vision for Christian education in a congregation helps make that vision a reality.

Step Two: Assess Current Reality.

With your committee, ask the following questions:

1. Look at what is happening now. What is our present system?
2. Where are things going well? Where are they working? Why?
3. Where are things not working? Why?
4. What are major challenges and constraints?
5. How well is our present system aligned to the primary task?
6. How well are different areas of the church working together?

It will be helpful to identify some of the inputs, processes, and outputs of your Christian education program. Do this first for the overall program of Christian education. Some inputs might include Sunday school, worship readiness, and your congregational climate for learning. Processes might include how people teach and the recruitment process for teachers. Identify the overall outputs also. (These might include children equipped to participate in congregational worship or few congregational members responding to the call to teach).

Then do the same for each sub-system in your program -- Sunday school, youth ministry, teacher recruitment, and so forth. This process may seem overwhelming at first, but very quickly it will help you identify gaps in your program and areas that might be improved.

Step Three: Identify Points of Leverage.

Next, you need to identify points of leverage. These are inputs and/or processes that, if improved, would bring about the biggest change. Ask:

• Which process will provide the best results if we improve it?
  
• Which series of activities will move us most toward reaching our aim?
  
• What will give the quickest payoff and the most lasting improvement?
  

Step Four: Plan for Improvement.

Use the following questions to help you design a plan for improving the one or two areas you identified in Step Three:

• What steps might you take?
  
• What specific results will you work toward?
  
• What will help you get there?
  
• Who will help you get there?
  
• How will you measure what you do?
  
• When/how will you evaluate?
  
• How (to whom) will you communicate it?
  
• What will you timeline be?
  

To borrow a phrase, "Just do it!"

Step Six: Evaluate.

Evaluation will give you valuable information as you continue to build a strong system for Christian education. Use these questions to guide your evaluation:

1. Who will evaluate?
2. How will you measure movement toward your results?
3. What did you learn?
4. What changes will you keep?
5. What things will you do differently?
6. How will you communicate what you learned?
7. What are your next steps for continued improvement?

Donna Gaither is the director of the General Board of Discipleship's Learning Center. This article has been adapted from the Spring 1996 issue of Christians in Education, a resource of the Christian Educators Fellowship. It is used by permission.

Originally posted June 13, 1997


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