Problems and Issues Experienced by Churches in Christian Education at the Period of COVID19 Pandemic
Rev. Jeaneth H. Faller ThD
Silliman University Divinity School
Introduction: Thank you
for this opportunity to share about Christin Education at this time of Pandemic.
This is a great opportunity to share on this topic: Problems and Issues
Experienced by Churches in CHRISTIAN EDUCATION at The Period of COVID 19
Pandemic.
To start with my presentation let me
have a working definition of what I learned about what Christian Education is.
I.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Refers to
all efforts of the whole church (not just the pastor) to make known the love of
God in Christ Jesus so that people of all ages (from the womb to tomb) will
respond (turning towards God-being God-centered) in faith, grow (the growth is
both social and spiritual a holistic growth) as children of God, sustain a
meaningful relationship within the community of believers (UCCP and other
believers) and live out God’s will (fullness of life) in the world.[1]
This definition speaks
of whose work Christian Education is. Who the teachers are? It says the whole church has the
responsibility to do Christian Education. The whole church is responsible to
make known the Love of God in Jesus Christ. This making the Love of God speaks
of why we do Christian Education. And this Love of God in Jesus Christ is, the very
content of what we should be teaching. Who are the learners? – they are the
people of all ages – meaning CE is has no age limit and it is unlimited. The church
has the responsibility to provide Christian education from the children to
adults. What then our objectives in doing CE? The answers are “that our
learners will respond in faith, (meaning will make God in Jesus Christ the
center of their lives) will grow (socially, intellectually,
spiritually-holistic growth) as children of God, will learn how
to sustain a meaningful relationship among their fellow believers in and
outside of their faith community. “So that in the end-they will become
disciples ready and willing to also make known the Love of God in Jesus Christ
in the world.
This definition is
basically supported biblically especially that text in Deuteronomy 6: 1-9 where
in the parents are the mandated to teach, talk or recite to their children and
their children’s children the commandments and the ordinances.
This means that as a
church we can do nothing except to obey this mandate to teach or to make the learners not only know about God but also to know God, to
“fear the LORD our God” [2]which
means being in awe of God. That leads to “keeping all God’s decrees and
commands” not merely knowing what God’s Word says. Moreover, this is
mandate to make known the love of God if Jesus Christ to all generations, in
different places (when you are at home or when you are away) in different
styles (when we are lying
down and when we rise), in different methods (bind them, fix them, write them).
In
Deuteronomy education is filled with actions and if you observed “Discipleship is
in the Family from the Beginning. Meaning the parents have to teach their
children in order to become
It follows that “CE is the lifeblood of the
church.” It also means that we have to DO our Christian Education Ministry in
everything we do and say, and in many different ways. So, CE
is not only Sunday School or Bible Study.
Ø CE
is the intentional process of helping a person to be formed in Christ, nurtured
in Christ through Scripture by the Holy Spirit and the human teacher, and
encouraged to continual development into a maturing disciple of Christ.[3]
Ø All
Christian parents, Christian teachers, and pastors, regardless of their titles,
professions are Christian educators.
Ø Everything
from the worship service to bowling can be helping or hindering the development
and maturation of people in Christ.
Then the pandemic
happened. What are we going to do to this mandate to teach the learners to know God, so that they will “fear the LORD,
what happened to this mandate to make known the love of God to all people of
all ages? Did the churches stop their Christian Education
ministry? What are the alternatives, channels,
methods, strategies, styles are being used to make the CE ministry alive? Above all what are the contents that we used
or being introduced in order to respond to the needs of the time?
The issues and
problems this pandemic have brought to CE
This
pandemic has changed our lives in so many ways.
It has stopped many things that we used to do. We cannot see and talk to
each other face to face which is the best-known way of doing our Christian
Education Ministry. We cannot visit
those who are really in need of the CE programs (like the children and the
elderly because they are the most vulnerable to this disease). Many people around the world including
church members have shown fear, anxiety, frustration, and some are even
suffering from depression. According to an author in the Christian Today
magazine, “This crisis has created great fear among Americans. It will be
forever engrained in my memory of pulling up to a Sam’s Club and seeing a line
outside of people waiting to enter into the building, most of which were
wearing masks. My wife recently asked a question, “When will it be ok for me to
hug my friends?” [4]At
this time of the pandemic life
realities are so frustrating, oppressive, and soul shattering. Yes, our lives
have been changed, so we must have a way to make it through. We have to make
the love of God in Jesus Christ continue; we have to continue doing the mandate
to all of us.
Ø From the start of the pandemic churches
became aware that CE activities will be affected. They are aware that many CE
programs and activities methods, strategies, will be discontinued. Many church
workers became worried of their members. Based on my conversations with the
church workers, they said that “when the first lockdown was declared, several
church buildings have closed
down, including the Christian Education buildings and even until today as
they have not reopened. Among the very first church activity that was affected
was the Sunday Regular Worship service or services. Then, Sunday School, Bible
Study, Junior worship were stopped, Home Bible Studies and Fellowships- of the
different church organizations (from children to CWA/UCM) were cancelled. Visitation
for the elderly were all also stopped.[5] The Lutheran World Federation in their article “Being the Church in
times of Covid 19 said that “With the mandated
physical distancing, clergy found it challenging to remain in contact with the
elderly and people living in remote and rural areas.” [6] And
here in the Philippines because the lockdown happened during the summertime, several churches who hold their CE programs like the communicant’s
class, the Vacation Church School, Youth Camp, CWA and UCM gatherings were also
cancelled.
II.
HOW DO/ DID THE CHURCHES RESPOND?
So, Church workers especially the Christian
educators worked hard to come up with creative ways to stay connected with the
different learners, children, young people, young adults, women, men, and their
families by giving them different resources to help them continue to grow in
faith during this time of isolation.
A.
THE SHIFT FROM FACE TO FACE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION TO DIGITAL
PLATFORM (ONLINE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION)
Ø
Many Churches shifted
immediately from face to face or classroom or on-ground delivery format to a
completely online format. In the
same article of the Lutheran World Federation, “Being the Church in times of
COVID 19, it says that “All churches had to
temporarily suspend their activities, and find new ways of reaching out to
congregations, and the most vulnerable. In many cases, churches expanded
existing worship to online networks or established new services online using
different forms of social media, websites, TV, and radio. Several churches reported the positive effects of ‘going online’ as an
opportunity for creativity and the ability to reach audiences outside of the
usual physical gatherings.”[7]
Ø
Indeed, many Churches
or religious groups, started the online worship, online bible study, Sunday
School, virtual camps for the youth, virtual continuing theological education
especially for church workers are being held, the different church
organizations sponsored many different webinars, devotions are organized, virtual
retreats, virtual choir. Online work, for members
especially to the young people and young adults are sent for families. I saw one church using old-fashioned flash
cards for vocabulary words to continue the Christian education learning of the
children. [8]
Ø Church workers reached out to their leaners especially to the young
people through the most conventional way to communicate, social media, they
created Facebook accounts, group chats, Twitter accounts and Instagram which
are used for posting devotional guides, prayers, regular Bible study lessons, for
them to study or reflect.
Ø Some churches have set up zoom meetings for parents and their children
and members. Some church pastors encouraged families to set up an altar in the
home where they would watch the livestreamed online worship.
Ø
Several
church workers maximized the use of Facebook to make their CEN programs more
visible to the public.[9]
B.
ISSUES AND PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
B.1.MODE OF LEARNING: Shift from Classroom to Digital Platform (Online
Learning/ Distance Learning)
Ø Not all churches were able to put in place online programs for online or
distance CE. For it is a fact that not all churches have internet connection
and if there is an internet the connection or the internet access is not also
very good.” Again, as the Lutheran
World Federation puts it in their article “Others reported a lack of internet
connectivity, electricity, online services and smartphones created a disconnect
from their congregations. Church members in some regions were unable to afford
internet or mobile phone service because money was now needed for food. With
mandated physical distancing, clergy found it challenging to remain in contact
with the elderly and people living in remote and rural areas.”[10]
Ø Yes, not all church
members have electronic gadget that would connect the members to online worship
or that would connect the children to an online Sunday school. On the other
hand, some families even if they have the access, they do not see this as a
priority as much as online worship. They would rather choose online worship
over online Sunday school to the detriment of the children. Youth may have
access and are independent enough to create their own BS group being more
technologically driven but the young children are dependent on adults. So,
there is a question on how these children are spiritually fed these days. It
would take spiritually mature parents to take responsibility over their
"Sunday school" moments.[11]
Ø Some might have the technology,
but it is very hard for them to connect and join
Ø If there is online Sunday
School Class for Children –it is limited to one class, so all children from
Nursery Kinder Prep, Younger, Middle and Older Elementary are lumped into one
class, having one session.
Ø There are those who
are physically present but are not mentally and emotionally.
Ø Some learners most
probably are also doing something else on their cellphones while pretending to
be attending the worship, Sunday school or bible study.
Ø One of the CE practitioners that I also asked, said this: “Since
the lock down my church has never reopened. It switched to online activities
such as, Bible Study and kid's worship with reservations and doubts of members'
participation. The lack of participation among learners would result to other
issues one could imagine from both sides (organizers and members). Online
meetings may have less impact on members' attitude and behavior compared to
face to face. There is now an abrupt withdrawal from the church to a home and
social media-centered CE where pastors and CE church workers become less
popular and less influential”[12]
–
Ø Majority
of the Senior Citizen Members and Young People want a face-to-face worship
service. Online worship is not sufficiently meeting the spiritual hunger of the
members.
Ø So,
the issue of connectivity access is a challenge. If, however, there is
connectivity, the next challenge is the integrity of the teaching-learning
encounter. It could be superficial and not as authentic as in a face-to face
meeting.[13]
B.1.1.
Another mode or method of learning (Printed Materials)
Ø Churches that do not have internet sent printed materials like Worship
guide, devotional guide, children’s stories, but the limitation of this of
course as shared by one of our pastors is that he found out that the members
would not even bother to open and read the materials they prepared.
Ø send
materials to the houses of the members
B.2.
–The Content-How do we make the love of God in Jesus Christ relevant to the
learners
Ø
How about the
content of our Christian Education program? Contents are very important. And we
have realized the heavy biblically based content of our CE materials. There is
nothing wrong with this in fact for it this helps us in making sense of what is
happening in our world. However this is not enough as Dr. Hope Antone
“understanding and dealing with Covid-19 requires more than biblical knowledge”
we need a more life-based content material. A life-based content material is an
education for life. It “needs
a more holistic and interconnected approach. Science is very important to help
us understand the nature and characteristics of the coronavirus. Since
pandemics have occurred in the past, there is a lot to learn from history and
from the practices of the Indigenous communities. Other disciplines could help
with issues of mental health, stress, fear, hunger in this time of isolation,
disconnection and separation” Indeed we have realized that we need education
for life, to guide and prepare the learners for life and its
possibilities and equips them for meaningful and successful living in a rapidly
changing and transforming society. [14]
Ø
A UCCP pastor also said
“Our churches lack CEN materials that respond to the current situation of
the members. The mere fact that there is an increasing hysteria that leads to
anxiety and depression among members. Members are also bombarded with
information of end time teachings in the multimedia- church hoping or changing
channels and listening to conservative Christians led to confusions of members.
And we do not have enough materials to combat this. [15]
B.3. The Teachers- what happened to the role of the
whole church as teachers or the parents as teachers?
Ø Some paid Christian educators and even some church workers are told to stop coming in to work or that their hours
will be cut back. In the article of Christianity Today, it says that some
churches are forgoing some of the support staffs, like teacher staffs.
Ø In many churches CE personnel and teachers are almost all volunteers but because they are also facing their own
challenges in the current pandemic, they also stopped from being involved in
the church CE ministry. So, what happened?
Ø A shift now or the role of being a teacher is now returned to the
parents. There is a shift of the teachers in the Sunday School teacher to the
parents/adult in the family- they are
mandated anyway.
Ø
So, with this
pandemic parent have now the first
responsibility for the Christian education of their children.
Ø
The downside of this
is, for families stressed by the economic or health challenges related to the
explosion of the coronavirus, it might be a relief to take a vacation from the
Christian education program. So, stepping in to provide even informal Christian
education is an additional burden or responsibility.
Ø This home - Christian education program –is additional
work for parents who are already overseeing their children’s who are doing
online school learning and juggling with their work from home setup or facing
the challenges of being furloughed or unemployed. In reality, parents right now
already have a lot on their plates, so even if they simply see this time at
home as a way to pray together as a family or to talk about God at the dinner
table, are important, still many fail to do these. [16]
Ø There are also parents who do not have the skills that
would make them more comfortable talking about their faith and more involved in
the faith formation of their children.
Ø Parents are not ready to answer the theological
questions of their children. Parents are ill-equipped to grapple with the issues –like
children asking them, why God allows this pandemic to happen, that God is the Wi-Fi
so if there is something wrong in the connection during online worship, the
problem is with their connection in the house because the church is where God is,
and God won’t allow imperfection in the church. [17]
Ø Some parents would
rely on whatever hymns or songs available on social media (e.g.). One parent
shared too that they don’t have hymnal in their house. We may address them in
our modest ways, but we always feel inadequate because we of the former notion
that CE is the "church's". Usa nga angay gyud pamalandongan sa mga
ginikanan.[18]
B.3.1. Learning -Teaching Process
Ø In relation to
learning and teaching process- in this digital platform-Teachers are deprived
of non-verbal expressions from the children. The screen in a virtual learning
session is an invisible wall that separates both teacher and learner. It hinders
the expression of compassion and understanding which build up relationship.
Virtual sessions could make participants hide their true feelings, thus, not
being authentic or true to themselves. I have difficulty myself in preaching
virtually as I am deprived of non-verbal expressions in the faces, mannerisms
of my listeners in normal days that somehow make me sensitive to shift gears in
the delivery of my sermon and respond to what I see. This is not possible for
virtual gatherings. Learning from actual hands-on experience is another
difficulty in this time of pandemic.[19]
Ø Because of the limited
mobility and required health protocols, learners are not able to see actual sites
accorded by Exposure Trips, doing things together in a camp setting; meaningful
social interaction in retreats and many more.
Ø Socialization among
members the individual time to enjoy the company of the members was lost[20]
Ø One also of the questions that was raised is on how to go about the
communion, because the sense of community and fellowship is not felt even if it
is being done in the family. Parents serve as elders, and they are reluctant to
do it.[21]
Ø
Churches are not ready for creative
way of doing CE virtually. We are still learning the different techniques such like video presentation, animation,
and simulation to be used in the online, to motivate more the learners.
Ø As a
whole, there is a very limited Engagement in many church activities like
Sunday School Activities –
B.4.Problems on Financial implications
Ø The
financial giving
of many churches went down, whatever they are receiving is hardly enough to
meet the monthly expenses of the church. According to one pastor, “it is
difficult to conduct CE programs amidst this pandemic with a limited budget”.
Ø Sunday School Offerings
no longer regular
Ø “The economic impact in many places
already is changing the face of the church and the congregations. As church
members struggle financially, churches often increased their diaconal work. In
addition to traditional, ongoing diaconal ministries, churches provided
protective material, sanitization and general education, and medical aid with
the onslaught of COVID-19 As church members are impacted heavily by loss of
livelihood, churches also face financial instability. The pandemic “highlighted
and heightened existing inequalities and injustices among church members, among
congregations and among churches worldwide,” says Julia Brümmer, LWF Planning,
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Coordinator. [22]
Conclusion:
There are still many issues that we
might be experiencing and will experience in relation to the Christian
Education Ministry of the church where we respectively belong. We all are
praying that that we could go back
to "normal". However, our prayer is that, while this virus is still
among us and while we are still in this quarantine time, our time inside the
homes may not be put to waste. This pandemic and quarantine time might be
something for churches to reflect seriously about.
Thank you very much!
[1]
Hope Antone, “Curriculum Development” (Lecture Notes, Silliman University, July
1999)
[2]
Deuteronomy
6:1-9
[3] James C. Wilhoit and John M. Dettoni, Nurture That Is Christian: Developmental Perspectives on Christian Education (Baker Publishing Group, 1 Nov 1995)
[4] Josh Laxton “Christianity Today: Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on the Church in America” www.christianitytoday, May 6, 2020 accessed September 20, 2020.
[5] Milanie Arandela Catolico interview by Dr. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman
University Divinity School, September 19, 2020
[7]
Julia
Brummer “ The Lutheran World Federation: Being the Church in Times of COVID 19,”
www.lutheranworld.org,
May 8, 2020 accessed September 21, 2020
[8] Rev. Grace Magan interview Rev. Dr. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, August ,2020
[10]
Julia
Brummer “ The Lutheran World Federation: Being the Church in Times of COVID
19,” www.lutheranworld.org,
May 8, 2020 accessed September 21, 2020.
[11]
Rev.
Leng Lubang, interview by Rev. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity
School, September 18, 2020
[12] Milanie Arandela Catolico interview
by Rev. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, September 21,
2020.
[13]
Rev.
Leng Lubang, interview by Rev. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity
School, September 2020.
[14] Hope Antone, “Christian Education during
COVID-19” Silliman University Divinity School SKEPSE,
Facebook, June 1,
2020, https://www.facebook.com/Skepse/post June 1.
[15] Rev. Goel Bagundol interview by
Rev. Dr. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, September 19,
2020.
[16] Prof. Jean C, Nalam interview by
Rev. Dr. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, Septmber 23,
2020.
[17] Prof. Jean C, Nalam interview by
Rev. Dr. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, September 23,
2020.
[18] Prof. Jean C, Nalam interview by
Rev. Dr. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, September 24,
2020.
[19]Rev. Leng Lubang, interview by Rev.
Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, September 18 2020.
[20] Sharon Rose Torre, by interview by
Rev. Dr. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, September
17,2020.
[21] Rev. Leng Lubang, interview by Rev. Jeaneth H. Faller, Silliman University Divinity School, September 18, 2020.
[22]
Julia
Brummer “ The Lutheran World Federation: Being the Church in Times of COVID
19,” www.lutheranworld.org,
May 8, 2020 accessed September 21, 2020.
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