My Approach to Religious Education
Education is not only a lifelong adventure but, as a UU, literally a sacramental part of one’s spiritual life. I believe that transformation, inspiration, and working to create justice are all essentially educational events. I encourage churches to view Religious Education at all levels as a life-long part of their spiritual path. Those are big words, and that is a big call. All of that is true. Push a UU to explain what part of their religious life is not educational, and you might get the only pause you would get in your conversation.
It is also true that adults are often initially prompted back to church because they want religious education for their children. And given that reality, practically speaking I do see children’s programming as the first priority of the church, and of RE. That is little more than a church prioritizing what its congregation prioritizes. However, if providing quality children’s RE is a requirement for the long-term survival of our movement, providing quality educational events for adults is the price for a fully functioning community.
I believe that the modern, largely evangelical churches born outside the formal denominational structures that defined church in past generations show us liberal religious types something we don’t always want to see. Those churches show us that the degree to which any church can offer transformative programming, opportunities to connect, and hands-on ways contribute to society, is the degree to which that church will succeed. As much as I and we might hate to hear it, I believe that, for most people, a church’s theology is secondary in its capacity to deliver community and purpose.
I also believe this. I believe that rather than any RE program asking first what curricula it should choose, a better first question might be how can we, right here in this particular church of ours, create a culture of engagement and reflection. In that spirit, we might ask how our overall RE programming is engaging parishioners in meaningful social action, building community, and developing leaders. The degree to which any church can provide those difficult to quantify events is the degree to which it is likely to be provide quality lifespan Religious Education programming.
I know that for any church to undertake quality religious education across the span of life, two simple but not easy things seem essential. First you have to create programming that captures the attention of children and parents and makes them want to dedicate their fleeting bits of time in your direction. Second, you have to steer church resources (time and money) into the hands of those who can do that. This dance of good programming and enough resources is hard to do well in the small church, and I am sure I have failed as much as I succeeded.
I entered ministry as an experienced popular educator, and have before and since worked to create a new, interesting Adult Educational program in nearly every year of ministry. I created programs or series, titled “Reluctant Theists,” “Developing a Deeper Relationship with God,” and a six part UU History Review, titled “Your UU Journey.”
In addition to having taught religious education courses at every level. I have hired, fired, and coordinated volunteers. I walk in the door a veteran of the practical struggles churches face in an age when youth sports crowd even Sunday mornings, people travel more on weekends, and children split time between parents.
What follows is a collection of the RE curricula I have either designed and/or taught, or both. Most of the groups listed below were from my time at Pacific Unitarian Church (“PUC”).
“Welcoming Congregations” (All Souls UU Church Braintree)
“Aging with Dignity: Dying with Intention” a self-designed, 8-part program (All Souls Braintree)
“Building a Just Economic Community,” (a joint UUJEC-UFE Project)
“Reluctant Theists,” (All Souls Church)
“A Third Church and Broader U & U History Review.” (Third Unitarian Church, Chicago)
“Developing a Deeper Relationship with God” (All Souls UU Church Braintree)
“Neighboring Faiths” (Lincoln MA)
“Memoir Writing as a Spiritual Practice” (Braintree, Billerica, Bernardston, and Pacific Unitarian)
“Owning Your Religious Past/The Haunting Church,” (Lexington’s First Parish)
“The Breakfast Club,” a 7th and 8th grade RE program (Lincoln’s First Parish)
“The Heart of Transcendentalism,” a church-wide field trip to historic sites in Concord, MA (First Parish Billerica)
“Belief Statement Development,” Multi-session Youth Group brunch and development and articulation of personal credos (First Parish Billerica)
“Zealot” Book Study Group (PUC)
“Death and Dying/Right to Die” (Pacific Unitarian Church)
“Mistakes and Miracles” Book Study Group (PUC)
“World Religions Survey/Guest Lecture Series” (PUC)
“11 Step Guide to Understanding Race, Racism, and White Privilege” (PUC)
“Nice Racism” by Robin DiAngelo – Two part Adult Ed series (PUC)
“Seekers” Spiritual Explorers Discussion Group (PUC)
“Green Ecological Series in Four Parts” (PUC)