44 Ways to Expand the Teaching Ministry of Your Church

As he shows how to identify the priorities for the Christian education program in any church, Schaller takes an approach often considered contrary to what is offered by educators. Helpful tips explain how teaching is the best way (after preaching) to attract new members; teaching reinforces preaching and liturgy; teaching activates a passive congregation, and more.
Why should anyone be especially interested in expanding the teaching ministry of his or her church when nearly everyone agrees that the central focus should be on preaching and worship, when the most obvious pressing problem is the current financial crisis, and when many critics agree that the Sunday school is an anachronism carried over from the nineteenth century?
One answer begins with viewing every congregation as a passing parade. Every year several people drop out of that parade for one or more reasons. A few die. Others move away. A couple are disenchanted with the new pastor. A husband drops out following the death of his wife. One or two marry into another parish. In the smaller congregations those annual losses usually are equivalent to 3 to 5 percent of the reported membership. In larger churches the annual losses rise to 6 to 9 percent, and in the very large and rapidly growing churches, the turnover rate often runs between 10 and 25 percent year after year.