Thursday Discussion Starter: More on Bibles

Since I last wrote about looking at Bibles available for children, I've run across a couple more versions written at about a third grade reading level. At least one is a translation I wouldn't touch with the proverbial 10-foot pole, but others appear to be all right. So far I haven't found an New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) written at that level. When we had a thriving Sunday School at my parish, children were usually given a Bible when they finished the fourth-grade class. It was always the NRSV. But it doesn't do much good if you can't read it and understand what you're reading. I dread the thought of a 10 or 11-year-old trying to wade through the King James Version! So how do we make sure the Bible is accessible to our children of all ages and reading levels? Where do we find good translations with notes and supplemental material that are in line with our theology? Thoughts, anyone?

Monday Discussion Starter: It's Lifelong!

Last week I spent most of my time on the road. On Wednesday and Thursday I attended a meeting of the National Council of Churches Committee on Public Education and Literacy, and on Friday I had the pleasure of addressing the Diocese of West Missouri's College of Presbyters--their clergy gathering. After conversation with the chair of his Christian Formation Commission, Bishop Howe graciously allowed an hour for me to talk to the clergy about lifelong formation. While the two may seem to have nothing in common, I did see a common theme in the discussions about both public school reform and our church education and formation programs. We have allowed the language of the marketplace to frame our discussions and business models to inform our practices. As I asked the clergy on Friday, why are we so eager to embrace marketplace language and business models in our churches? Look what they've done for our economy! Just as there are no quick fixes for our public schools, there are no quick fixes for our churches. What we need are vision and long range thinking. That is what the Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation provides. It is a framework on which to build and move forward, not necessarily a teaching tool in and of itself. What are some of the ways you think in terms of lifelong formation, vision, and long range thinking?

Monday Discussion Starter

What are some of the humorous moments you've experienced using the Lesson Plans?

Thursday Discussion Starter

Have you used the intergenerational plans? What do you like best about them? Where could they be improved?

Monday Discussion Starter: How Do You Use Them?

We originally developed Lesson Plans That Work as Lesson Plans for Small Congregations. We hoped to provide a scripture-based, easy to use, low cost, quality set of plans for use in small congregations. Over the years, we have found that churches of all sizes use the plans, so we changed the name to Lesson Plans That Work.

We also know that people use the Lesson Plans in a variety of ways. People use them as them for weeknight programs outside of their church's regular Sunday School program. They have served as a starting point for VBS programs. And occasionally I hear from someone who uses them as part of their sermon preparation process.

What are some of the ways that you use the plans outside of the traditional Sunday School model?