An Interview with Dr. Yau Man Siew
Associate Professor of Christian Education and Formation
Tyndale Seminary
Originally published in Tyndale Link
Newsletter of The Hudson Taylor Center, Tyndale Seminary
What does Christian Education and Formation mean to you?
Professor Ted Ward, my doctoral mentor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), often reminded us that Christian Education (CE) in many North American churches is “neither Christian nor educational.” It is not Christian because leaders often lack a biblical understanding of education in the church. Each year we struggle to organize CE classes, and amidst poor attendance and insufficient teachers, we lose heart and purpose. CE is also not educational in that teaching and learning in churches is often out of date. People are often co-opted to teach Sunday schools just because they are available. The results are not just unqualified teachers and bored students, but an overall dislike of Sunday School!
What does CE mean and why should we have CE? To answer these two important questions, we need to go back to scripture. In Ex. 19: 1-6, we encounter the theological themes of redemption, covenant and priesthood, foundational for a theology of CE. Redeemed from the clutches of slavery, God enters into covenant with Israel and makes them a nation of priests. The apostle Peter picks up this thought and applies it to the church, “You are the chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God....” (1 Pet. 2: 9-10) For Peter, the church becomes the new messianic community of God. As Israel testified to God’s glory among the nations, the church bears witness to a redemptive, sovereign God in a broken world. The single most important reason for CE is to build the church, to teach God’s word so people can keep covenant with God and be transformed, so that they embody Christ in and for the world.
Whenever Israel lost her identity as God’s people it is always due to a neglect of the teaching of the law. II Chron. 15: 3 notes that “for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law.” In Isa. 1:10-17, 5:24 and 30: 9, we see that failure of teaching was the reason for the prophets’ indictment of Israel. Isaiah complained that the people had not taken divine instruction to heart and only learned it by rote (Isa. 29:3). Sadly elders, prophets and priests led the people astray with false teaching and the nation went downhill (Isa. 9: 15; 28: 7-8). Jeremiah was distressed by the sad condition of teaching in Judah, and prophets, priests, sages, and scribes refused to be instructed in God's way (Jer. 6: 19; 17: 23; 32: 33; 44: 10). Ezekiel chided the priests for not teaching when the land was "full of bloodshed…of violence." (Ezk. 7: 23, 26; 22: 26).
In contrast, whenever Israel returned to God, there was an accompanying revival in teaching. Jehoshaphat’s national revival was accompanied by the teaching of priests among the people. (2 Ch. 17: 7-9) One of the first things to be carried out after Israel returned from the Exile was the calling of Ezra. He was “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses” who “devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7: 6, 10). Ezra’s teaching ministry ignited corporate confession and repentance (Neh. 9: 1-37), leading to the renewal of covenant, publicly signed and sealed (Neh. 10: 1-39).
The NT is just as clear about the importance of CE. Our Lord’s commission to the church is not just to preach the gospel, but to make disciples of all nations. We are to teach them everything Jesus has commanded (Mt. 28: 18-20). Education and mission belong together and they are actually two sides of the same coin. In Eph. 4:11-12, Paul highlights the gift of a “pastor and teacher” for the church. Thus, a pastor is best known as a “teaching shepherd,” and the main role is to tend and feed the flock. The particular structure of this Greek phrase highlights the fact that teaching is a crucial aspect of the pastoral ministry. Frank Gaebelein is insightful when he says, “a ministry not interested in education is only half a ministry.” A pastor’s major role is to teach and equip men and women so they can discover their gifts and vocation in the church. In this way a church grows and matures together as a body, amidst a vibrant educational programme. (Eph. 4: 14-16)
CE was very important in the apostolic tradition. Teaching was cited as first among the defining characteristics of the early church. (Acts 2: 42) Once, the apostles were distracted by the overwhelming social needs of the early church to “wait on tables.” Realizing their error the apostles returned the social responsibility to others full of the Holy Spirit, and refocused their attention to “prayer and ministry of the word.” As a result, the word of God spread and the church multiplied significantly. (Acts 6: 1-7) This brief biblical overview reveals that CE is vital to the calling and forming of the Church as the people of God.
What about the educational bases for CE? We need to know what “education” is in terms of sound educational theory. Some important questions for CE are: Who qualifies to be a teacher, and to what do we teach towards? What curriculum do we use? How does church and educational history inform us? Do we understand basic curricular theory? How do children, youth and adults learn? How do human and development theories help us? How do we assess learning and spiritual growth? How do we structure an environment for active learning? Often, pastors and lay leaders are at a loss with these fundamental questions. I have given you a very long answer to just one question, but this is because you’ve asked me a very fundamental question, “What is CE and why CE?”
Revised January 2011