Like many churches throughout the country, we have fewer people participating in all aspects of church life. One area that has been especially on my mind this year is our middle and high school programming. There are very few students coming to Sunday morning education classes.
As the Christian Education director, I worry how the young members of the church are learning and growing in their faith without these times to read, study, question, and talk together. As a parent of two teenagers, I completely understand how we got to this point. The demand on teenagers is enormous. Church is not at the top of the list in the same way it once was. But even more importantly, getting up early on Sundays feels impossible after the pandemic. In the pandemic the pace of life slowed to a near stop for outside activities, and it was good for us and our children to be more rested, less frantic, and more at peace. Many things have ramped back up to full intensity in the lives of families, but there is an opposing pull to not be overscheduled.
The question remains what to do about Sunday school. I worry whether youth are getting a chance to talk deeply about matters of faith. It feels necessary to find the space for these conversations. As we wrestle as a congregation with the inevitable changes of programming and schedule, we are starting to talk about what part of faith formation means the most to us. We wonder about where we can meet kids where they are and offer a place that feels safe to explore their own questions of spirituality and faith.
Lately I have been entertaining ideas about how to shift the old ways into new ones. One thought that I have is a once-a-month time for teens to gather to talk about important issues. A curriculum like T.B.D. (Think. Believe. Do) from Sparkhouse is a perfect companion to this small group ministry. Maybe we can meet at a home on a weeknight or online after 8pm. I have talked with several teens who expressed that they would love to have Bible study at the end of the day. It feels special, in a way, that through technology we could approach the ancient practice of Compline, prayers at the close of the day. What a moment of peace it could be for a teen to go online for a few moments to pray along with their peers at the end of a long day.
