Should our churches educate our people in Church History?
I have been pastoring the same church for 32 years, and only once have I taught a series on Church History. I will be doing an extended one with a retired pastor friend after the New Year.
Have I been wrong to wait so long to do this? Or is church history not-so-relevant compared to so many other things? What do you think?
We are talking about a survey of church history — not super extensive, several year classes (although that would be included).
Poll Results
Should our churches educate our people in Church History?
It is crucial that we teach church history. Votes: 10
It is important to teach church history but not crucial. Votes: 2
It is useful and certainly not a waste. Votes: 3
Occasionally mentioning a historical item or two during sermons is adequate. Votes: 0
It is a waste of time to teach our people church history; they need more Bible and we should reserve all slots for the Word. Votes: 0
Other Votes: 0
Like a SS elective(s)
I would classify the need as desperate.
You can’t really know who you are if you don’t know where you came from. (And I’ve been recently reminded that there is quite a bit of church history misinformation out there, too, that sometimes fuels present-day doctrinal disputes in a clear way. I personally believe it fuels them quite often in less direct ways.)
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
We have used the video series “Christian History Made Easy” from Rose Publishing featuring Dr. Timothy Paul Jones from Southern Seminary. I’m not a huge fan of video series in general, but with a subject like Church History you have to do everything you can to help make it interesting. I tried teaching Church History on my own once and even with powerpoint and maps and timelines and video clips it was still difficult. His video series strikes a nice balance between keeping it interesting (with humor) and also relevant, and it’s short enough (I think each session is 20-30 minutes if I remember correctly) that there’s still time for discussion in your average Sunday School or small group hour.
http://www.rose-publishing.com/Complete-Kit-For-Christian-History-Made-…
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Greg Long, Ed.D. (SBTS)
Pastor of Adult Ministries
Grace Church, Des Moines, IA
Adjunct Instructor
School of Divinity
Liberty University
I’ve made several attempts over the years in various formats. A basic understanding is very helpful for grounding our people in the faith. In particular, I think it is important to help define yourself and give reasons why you are distinct. In order to understand why it is important to be a Baptist, we need some accurate history of the reasons why Baptists exist and why we hold to Baptist distinctives. Also important for communicating the Fundamentalist position. Separation is easier to understand and accept if you understand why the positions were taken.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Discussion