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must be trained in the proper instruction of children, in the meaning of sanitation, food values, of the sex life, of family worship, private prayer and the ideals of right social living. In addition to the preparation of the Sunday school lesson the Church might well promote a home reading course adopted to the various group ages in the home. The home can not delegate its educational function to the Church. On the other hand, the Church must find a way to get into the home and help each family to work out its educational problems.

3. THE CHURCH SCHOOLS.

This

It is in connection with the Sunday school that the work of reorganization will be the most farreaching in the next decade. We foresee the day not far distant, when the Church will take its educational task seriously and will have in addition to the educational pulpit and the home, a third coördinate institution known as the Church school. school will include in its organization as a well articulated system, the Sunday school, the Young People's Societies, and all other expressional organizations, the midweek prayer-meeting, the missionary societies, and all special study classes and clubs which meet for any kind of study or practical social activity. It will have week-day sessions and night sessions as well as Sunday sessions and will include what we know as Week-Day Religious Schools and Daily Vacation Bible Schools. The Church school will have four fundamental divisions

each a complete organization in itself and known as the elementary school, one to eleven years, the secondary school, twelve to seventeen years, the college department, eighteen to twenty-three years, and the adult school, twenty-four and upward. These schools will include cross sections of the entire congregation. In this work of reorganization some of the existing organizations will undergo great changes, some will disappear and new types of organization may possibly be created. The great educational world will never be satisfied until the Church organizes its educational work upon a scientific basis. The Sunday school, for instance, instead of trying to carry the whole burden of religious education will now divide the task. Far more emphasis will be placed upon training in worship during the Sunday session of the school; the Bible instruction will very likely take a very different form from the present system; instead of meeting all at one hour on Sunday there may be two, or even three, sessions for the different divisions, thus making a comparatively small building equipment serve the purpose educationally.

The curriculum will be conceived of as a whole and will include training in worship, public and private devotions, Bible knowledge, Church history, social service studies, missionary and stewardship courses, studies in social living, Christian morals, the Biblical basis of society, local and world politics from the Christian viewpoint and vocational, or life work studies, etc. By far the larger part of

the curriculum will be Bible study but always with a view to preparing young people for social living and to take a conscious part in the building of the Kingdom of God upon earth.

The general direction of the educational work of the Church will be lodged in a Council of Religious Education or a Church Board of Education, including the pastor and made up of men and women who actually know something about education. Experience is rapidly bringing to light the duties and functions of such a council. The Church may have as many other committees as it wishes, but none of these should be allowed to obscure or obstruct the Board of Education and its vital work.

Such organization will demand a high type of leadership and such will have to be provided. The source for such leadership is the teacher training class in the individual Church or in the community school for religious instruction, the Christian college, Bible schools and theological seminaries. There are some who will say such a scheme is for the big city church only. This is a great mistake, as we know of many churches in small cities and in rural sections which have made far more advance than many churches in our large cities. It is possible for five or six rural churches to go together and employ a district director of religious education who will take full responsibility for the work of organization and training.

XV

REORGANIZING THE CHURCH FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

THE COMMUNITY AND INTERDENOMINATIONAL

T

AGENCIES

HE law of progressive social contact as

stated in Chapter XI of this book has many

applications. The first social group of which a child is conscious is the family. The Church must see to it that all possible contacts are made by the child and that these experiences are spiritualized, otherwise the educative process breaks down at the very beginning. Soon the child becomes a conscious member of two other social groups, the public school and the Church. Here again all possible social contacts should be properly made and always with the aim of training people to live in a Christianized social life. Growing boys and girls soon become conscious that they are a vital part of a still larger social group called the community. They realize that here also they must make numer、 ous social contacts all of which affect their character and motives. It is equally the duty of the Church to see that all of these contacts are made from the Christian viewpoint. In other words, the community is another and a larger educational in

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stitution, the people's university, wherein every member of the community goes to school. It is of the utmost importance that all of the forces in the community that shape character and public opinion shall be Christianized, if the program of religious education is to succeed. No single church is equal to this task.

1. THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS

EDUCATION

'All of the churches must work coöperatively in an effort to make the entire community conscious of its moral and religious values and duties. The creation of a Community School of Religious Education is proving to be the most successful and immediate way of accomplishing this end. Such a school should include in its Board of Management duly elected representatives of the churches and such other Christian citizens as will make the board representative and efficient. All members should be chosen because of their educational ability and their high standing in the community. This school should in no wise take over functions and duties which belong properly to the home and the individual Church. Its functions are well defined; some of them are as follows:

To make the entire community conscious of the importance of moral and religious education as a part of the community system of education.

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