Beyond the Sunday Sermon
Moving From Authoritarian Teaching to Partners in Learning
June 26, 2024 - Volume 17, Issue 28
☑️ We’ve reached Week 4 of our 6-week Bible study The Peaceful Paradox of James: Reconciling Faith and Good Works. If this is your first time here, I am glad to have you. Everybody else welcome back! 👉 Week 1, Week 2, Week 3. Or plunge right in! 👇
💡 Moving away from authoritarian teaching models and becoming partners in learning: A Call to Elders
The Letter of James emphasizes the importance of living out one's faith in practical ways, highlighting the connection between belief and action. In Chapter 3:1 James warns teachers: "Not many should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (NRSV) James is emphasizing that teaching and leading others requires a high level of spiritual maturity, accountability, inter-personal relationships, and integrity besides intellectual skills. He is cautioning against pretenders seeking to elevate themselves as teachers or leaders for personal gain or to feed their own ego, rather than serving the Lord Jesus and His people. Too many people were seeking to become teachers in the early church without the necessary moral and intellectual qualifications, causing conflict. And, Chapter 3:1 is a concrete example of the context, the tongue’s destructive powers.
James was a teacher in the Jewish traditions of saddiq and tamim, words which mean righteous and unblemished or perfect and blameless. [i] James believed in keeping the Jewish Law and living a life pleasing to God. He also belonged to a tradition where spiritual teachers believed in being in relationship with God and the community. Relationships in authentic communities of teacher and students are a critical part of many traditions, not just Jewish. Modern research from neurobiology to learning sciences also support them as best teaching practices. Authentic relationships in community are key to transformative learning. Today, I share my thoughts on how this is playing out in our American churches by examining the PC (USA) and the Sunday sermon. [ii]
According to the PC(USA)'s definition, Teaching Elders (TE) are ministers of the Word and Sacrament, who “shall in all things be committed to teaching the faith and equipping the saints for the work of the ministry." [iii] This definition recognizes the role TE play in promoting spiritual growth. However, despite clear biblical mandates and denominational emphasis on community building, most seminaries and the PC (USA) fail to provide teacher training opportunities for prospective pastors / TE to develop strong relationships or model integrity. This leads to a lack of effective disciple-making and community building, and spiritual stagnation. There’s little transformation. [iv]
…I listen to my friends who’ve stopped attending church on Sundays … the sermon … appears to be irrelevant to the needs of the majority of the people today.
In the Reformed tradition one of the marks of the true church is “wherever the Word of God is preached and heard.” Preach = Sermon. But when I listen to my friends who’ve stopped attending church on Sundays and remember my teaching trajectory as a university professor I must confess that the sermon model of teaching and learning appears to be irrelevant and a barrier to church.
I taught my first graduate student course thirty summers ago. I was expected to deliver 3 hour lectures with a short break mid-way. That was the tradition. The Brazilian Paulo Freire and the African American educator bell hooks had already shared their groundbreaking observations critiquing the lecture mode of teaching. The authoritative model of teacher as expert and learner as an empty vessel to be filled with knowledge had been shown to be ineffective. We all have something to teach and learn from each other. I kept my lectures interactive, using small groups and rotating between them. The old model has been transformed and education now has become more inclusive, discussion group, seminar style, constructivism oriented.
Good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher - Parker Palmer
Diverse peers, social participation, and authentic relationships in community are critical for learning. The well-known educator Parker Palmer who has won the Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press for his works has reduced it to one key principle. It evokes James 3.1: “Good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.” “Reality is also communal” is a related Palmer idea and hence my challenge to explore the Sunday sermon.