For Christian education and nurture leaders.
Welcoming newcomers into Christian education
By Sandi Hannigan
An overwhelming number of community children attended our Vacation Bible School. At our closing program with a family luncheon, we invited those families who don’t have a faith community to join us for worship and Christian education. We followed up our invitation with a letter the first week of September. Then the real work began. How would we prepare to be newcomerfriendly?
Since many of the children who attend Vacation Bible School are not from churchgoing families, our challenge as a faith community was to make church hospitable and welcoming. We began by putting ourselves in the newcomers’ shoes. What does it feel like to be coming to church, and specifically Sunday school, for the first time? How do visitors know what classes are being offered and what rooms they should go to for Sunday school? What is the class format? Who are the teachers? What are the expectations and assumptions?
The Bible gives us a strong nudge (or maybe a nonnegotiable push) to be hospitable and welcoming. Jesus welcomed children, and the grown-ups who were with them, with his warm words and loving actions.
If newcomers have decided to visit as a result of a positive Vacation Bible School experience, they are beginning on a good note! Their children had a good time and are anticipating more of a good thing. Our congregational experience of welcoming newcomers to Christian education has taught me some ways to make newcomers feel at home:
1. Communicate clearly.
Communication needs to be clear, concise, and engaging. It is a good idea to provide printed information about all your Christian education ministries. You can include details such as a list of Christian education opportunities for children, youth, and adults; a description of the topics of study; the locations of the classes and the names of the teachers; the times when the classes meet; the names of people available for prayer; and names and numbers of people to contact for more information. You might design an attractive brochure that contains everything a newcomer would appreciate knowing about Sunday school.
2. Make sure the classrooms are easy to find.
Try to imagine yourself entering an unfamiliar building and navigating its many halls and stairwells. It’s a little like trying to find Waldo in a maze! Some churches post large floor plans at main entry points, with the locations of Sunday school classes highlighted. Balloons outside the classrooms can make them easy to spot. Put footprints on the floor for children to follow, or put up bright arrows directing people to classrooms. Large signs posted outside classrooms can indicate the age level and the teacher’s name and provide a description of the class.
3. Think about how you will welcome people into Christian education in your worship service.
Why not call this day for launching the season’s Christian education “Welcome Sunday”? Some congregations include a dedication litany for teachers as part of the worship service. This is an important time to introduce teachers and pray for them as they offer their gift of teaching. Use ages or grade levels in your listing of classes to indicate who is in which group rather than listing the children’s names, which can exclude children who are new or families who are still checking out churches to attend. A barbecue or other meal together following the service will set a tone of hospitality for the year ahead.
“Let there be kindness in your face, in your
eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting.”
—Mother Teresa
4. Create a welcoming atmosphere in the Sunday school classes.
If you offer an open house in the children’s classes on this inaugural Sunday, it can be an opportunity for families to find their new classes and meet the teachers and other children. Welcoming activities can include decorating the door with the children’s names or making a classroom banner.
5. Offer teacher training early in the Sunday school year.
Encourage teachers to think of ways to be welcoming and hospitable in their teaching. Brainstorm together: What do hospitable relationships in classrooms look like? How can classroom environments make newcomers feel more at home? How do teachers cultivate a more welcoming leadership style? Support one another in a commitment to be more hospitable.
The church is called to be a welcoming community. No matter what our age, we are part of the body of Christ, the whole family of God. We are placed together to learn from each other, to worship, and to share the good news, and we need people of all faith stages to complete us as a family of faith, to make our church all that Jesus envisioned for the body of Christ. When everyone feels included, we are modeling God’s design for community.
Sandi Hannigan is pastor of Christian education and formation at Erb Street Mennonite Church, Waterloo, Ontario, and a writer for Gather ’Round.