Christian Education and the Emerging Church
Nathanael Berends October 21st, 2007
At the onset of this project, I had hoped to illuminate the connection between the declining condition of Christian education within the context of the Sunday school, and the emerging church. Not surprisingly, however, there exists very little information that directly discusses the intersection of the emerging church’s upward growth and the Sunday school’s decline. I did, however, notice a few very significant and pertinent connections between the two movements.
Most notably, the emphasis and necessity of community-centric involvement is strikingly evident in both movements. Within the selected articles found below, there is deep and recurrent evidence that the ideal emergent church will be centered in very tangible ways around community—the greatest majority of research suggests that Sunday school, in an ideal setting is much the same.
With that said, the emerging church demonstrates, if yet only hypothetically, great potential for the re-imagining of congregational, community-oriented education. This will not be significantly observable, however, until the emerging movement becomes more cohesive in its definition, practice, and membership. Once the emerging movement has begun to address its most critically decisive issues—particularly the role of traditional practice in the face of post-modern influence—there is great potential and opportunity for truly transformational educational structures.
These are things that are today only alluded to. Time will offer the ultimate say on the extent to which emerging congregations can rescue the institution of Sunday school and community education. If there is any hope for a re-visioning and renewal of Christian education in the context of the church, the possibility of the impetus coming from the emerging church is as likely—if not moreso—as any other source.
