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Two common issues church leaders struggle with have to do with determining what is successful versus effective and how to interpret people’s participation in educational events—or lack of it.
Here are some basic rules I always share with folks looking to get a handle on planning their church education program:
The persons who show up at an event are the ones who need to be there.
I’m continually puzzled at the over-focus on numbers in congregations. If 100 people don’t show up at an event, then the event is considered a “failure” (even when it’s a congregation of only 50 people!). My own rule about events and workshops is, “I’ll work with whoever shows up,” even if it’s two people (I think there’s a Bible verse on that, isn’t there?).
When you plan and offer an event, the people who will attend are the people who have a felt need for what you’re offering. The “other” people you imagine “should” be there are of no consequence to the effectiveness of the event nor to whether or not the “few” who attend get what they need. Focus on the ones who’ve invested their time in coming, not those who did not.
Not everything is for everybody at the same time.
One of the reasons you’ll never get all, or most, of the people in your congregation to attend any educational program is that people need different things at different times.
As a rule, an effective program will be about ONE thing. And if that’s so, then the people who will attend are the ones who need that ONE thing, and the fact is that many people will not need or be interested in THAT one thing at the time you offer it.
Get clear about the population you aim for in the program, and make sure you market and announce what you’re offering in the ways and venues where people need to hear it.
For example, don’t market an event on parenting to people who don’t have children in the home. Don’t market a program on divorce to married couples. The people who are interested in divorce are those who have experienced a divorce.
If you plan something good and no one shows up, do it again next year.
Too many church educators give up on good programs and educational offerings because no one—or “too few”—showed up the first time it was offered. Sure, it takes a lot of energy to create and offer a new program and event. And sure, it’s disappointing when people don’t “get it” the first time. But the fact is that people often cannot appreciate what they don’t know, and likely won’t make a connection between a “new” program offering and what they need.
If you offer a program the first time and people don’t attend, but you’re convinced it’s needed and worthwhile, then offer it again the following year. Sometimes, people need to “recognize” something as “familiar” before they embrace it. And the rule is that people need to “see” and “hear” a new message eight times before actually noticing it. It generally takes a program three years to “take.”
If you offer an event meeting people’s needs, offer it again in three years.
I’m always surprised at this one. People will offer an event in the church that is well-received, meets people’s needs, gets great feedback, and may even be well-attended . . . and they seem to be able to only think of it as a “one-shot deal.” But consider that for all of its success, some people who needed that event were not able to participate for some reason—they’d benefit from it being offered again.
Another group of people did not need what you offered this year, but in three years, they’ll be at a different place and will need it. This is particularly true for events for families. Families go through predictable family life cycles. All those families with only preschoolers at home will not have attended this year’s program related to children in the family—but in three years, those preschoolers will be “children” and those same parents will need and want that event.
The rule is: when you discover a good program that meets the needs of people, put it on the calendar for three years down the line and offer it again. You’ll reach a whole group(s) of people who didn’t need it now, but will need it then.
When programming, focus on people’s needs and not their predilections.
A basic principle of learning is that an unrealized or perceived need is a motivator. “Interest” is not a sufficient motivator for learning or change. You’ve got a limited amount of resources and energy—and so do your congregational members. Focus on offering educational programs that will give you the most return on your investment of time and effort—those that meet people’s needs but do not satisfy their interests.
People “want” a lot of things—and some people want to be entertained and affirmed. But the fact is that people have enough entertainment in their lives (don’t believe it? Consider how much money your congregational members spend on “entertainment” in comparison to how much they give to missions or to the church).
Entertainment is such an overwhelming element in people’s lives that many of them live trivial lives without realizing it. Don’t believe that? Eavesdrop on your congregational members and see what it is they talk about. I’m willing to wager it will mostly consist of sports, movies, television shows, hobbies, or the weather—and they’ll do it ad nauseam.
Additionally, feeling “affirmed” feels good, but it doesn’t lead to growth or maturation. Challenge is better than cuddling when you want to help people grow. And the goal of education is growth, after all.
When planning an event, ask, “What’s the theology that informs this?” An informing theology must always undergird Christian education. A Christian theology that frames and informs the educational events at the church is what makes Christian education “Christian.” If there’s no difference in what the church offers people, then what’s the difference?
~Israel Galindo is the Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary.
