Disciple: The Lost Generation
Resurrecting formation within the family
By The Rev. Robert Black
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….”
- Matthew 28:19
In the Great Commission, Jesus instructs his followers to baptize and make disciples; that is, to form and teach people. The goal of Christian formation is, then, to know the Christian narrative, own the faith as part of one’s identity, and make known to others the Good News of God in Christ.
But answers to Jesus’ call have become diluted over the last few decades, not through the fault of the followers, but because entire generations have not been given the tools they need in their formation as Christians.
OUTSOURCED
“Sunday schools” first began in the late 18th century, though not as what we know them to be today. They were a means to educate and teach children of the working class to read, as nothing like our public school system then existed. In the 1820s, the focus of Sunday schools shifted to cultivating religious literacy. Up until then, religion was taught primarily in the household, and faith formation was a family affair. Sunday school programs were intended to support faith formation that was already happening at home, but slowly they became the primary method of teaching children about the Christian narrative and life. By the middle of the 20th century, with the rise of the two-income household, this task of raising children in the faith was essentially “outsourced” to the Church.
The effects were stark. Survey data and experience show that when it comes to both religious literacy and affiliation, outsourcing Christian education to the Church has not been especially successful. It’s not surprising. Christianity is really about formation, not education, but we’ve been using an educational model (Sunday school) and expecting transformative results.
Formation doesn’t happen in a classroom; it happens through lived experience. Across the country, congregations are trying to figure out how to respond. Some are ignoring the warning signs, some are trying to find the nonexistent, magical curriculum that will draw children and families in, while others have completely abandoned any sort of program for Christian formation.
The simple truth is that even if a child (or adult) comes to Sunday school every week, it adds up to only 52 hours a year. And while that amount of time is a great start, and Sunday school can be a wonderful way to guide and inform, it alone is not enough to establish roots for the transformative discipleship we seek. At best, the church has “access” to children and youth for an hour a week for Sunday school. Families, however, have so many more opportunities to engage in various forms of Christian discipleship.
SET THE EXAMPLE
There is also the issue of prioritization and example-setting. Children learn by observation. If we say that faith is important, but our children are not given the experiences of praying as a family, talking about religion or reading the Bible at home, they will likely conclude that faith is not, in fact, important. If we encourage going to church only if there isn’t anything else on the calendar, children will conclude church is not especially important. When a child is baptized, the entire congregation promises to do all in its power to support the child in his or her life in Christ. If we make that promise and then fail to participate in faith formation ministries, parents and children alike may question our commitment to the community of faith.
It is the task of the church to do the holy work of modeling that commitment. We have lost at least one generation in regard to Christian formation, and we’re in danger of losing another because parents can teach their children only what they know. For parents not given the tools of formation in their own childhood, there is no shame or guilt in not knowing the story of the Bible or how to lead your family in prayer. That lack of knowledge is not your failing; it is the Church’s. But we need to remedy that.
The Church can fight against culture and demand consistent attendance, but that is not likely to be very edifying or fruitful. Instead, it needs to give families the tools to do the critical work of formation. That way, when a family is on vacation or at a sports tournament on Sunday morning, they know that they can open the Book of Common Prayer and find appropriate prayers. We can find ways to teach the Biblical narrative and inspire regular practices of prayer and Scripture reading, not just on Sunday, but every day. Our Christian faith is not about what we know, it is about how we live. If our focus is on education, some people will know about Jesus. If our focus is on equipping people for (trans)formation, people will follow Jesus.
As part of The Episcopal Church, we also have access to one of the best tools for formation: our liturgy. Our liturgy teaches and forms people on a weekly basis; how much more could it do so if we used our liturgies to their fullest extent? What if we used our rich resources to pray about life events, to give thanks and to lament? What if we spent more time engaging in the practice of mystagogy, or talking about what the liturgy means and seeks to do? What if we prioritized celebrating the Church calendar throughout the year? We just might be more deeply formed as disciples.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, wrote “Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.” (Romans 13:11) This is a call to action. It is time for all of us to prioritize faith formation in our lives. It is time to ask for help when you don’t know the Christian story or you don’t know how to teach it to your children. As Presiding Bishop Curry has told us all, in order to go out, we first need to go deep. May God bless you as you seek to go deeper in your faith.
TOOLS FOR FORMATION
If you are looking for the tools and guidance to build Christian formation into your daily life (or to help provide it to others), the Diocese has several resources that can assist you.
1. Members of the Chartered Committee on Lifelong Christian Formation are ready to help with finding the appropriate resources and planning programs.
2. The Diocese offers a multitude of ready-to-use resources for both adults and children through Education for Ministry (EfM), the School of Ministry and the youth ministry department.
The Rev. Robert Black is rector of St. Luke’s, Salisbury.
Tags: North Carolina Disciple
