Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

The Apostle Paul compares the Christian life to a race; in 1st Corinthians he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

The word curriculum comes from the Latin verb currere, which means, “to run.” Taken literally, curriculum means a course to be run, just as the early Church lived out its existence. In the Acts of the Apostles (2:42-47), Luke describes the course of the Church’s life – its purpose and its actions. We can think of this as the church’s curriculum. Today it is much the same; the curriculum is our total experience of Christian education and formation. It involves every facet of discipleship, at every age, when we:

•  Proclaim the word of Jesus’ resurrection (Kerygma)
•  Teach the sacred story and its meaning to our lives (Didache) 
•  Come together to pray and re-present Jesus in the breaking of the bread (Leiturgia)
•  Live in community with one another (Koinonia)
•  Care for those in need (Diakonia)

We often understand curriculum in a narrow sense, seeing it only as a set of materials – the books for teachers and students. It is more accurate to speak of these as curricular materials and resources, recognizing that they are only part of the whole curriculum for education in the church. We always need to be mindful of how worship, proclamation, community and service continually form us as people of God, whether we are children, youth or adults.

How do we know what curricular resources to choose to help us grow in faith on our lifelong Christian journey? There is a wide and deep field of materials to choose from that can be an overwhelming task for one person to do. Join me for some conversation on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 pm (EST) on VP Talks where we’ll discuss how to go about seeking the best resources for all ages to match the ministry and mission of your congregation.