Christian Education - Revision history

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<h4 align="left">Home Instruction</h4> The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement, though inaugurated partly by theologically trained men, was primarily a movement of. the common people. Especially was this so as persecution removed the trained leaders and forced the movement underground. Education in its secular aspect as well as theological education held no appeal for them, for it was precisely with the educated men that they disagreed. Yet the Anabaptists and early Mennonites were forced to a Christian education of their own type for two very cogent reasons. First, their reliance on the Scriptures as the final authority demanded that every man be able to read and interpret them for himself. Secondly, the responsibility for bringing up children so that they would voluntarily choose the right enforced a kind of child training that was real Christian education. [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno]] himself wrote specifically on the education of children, pointing out the special responsibility which Christian parents have for their own children. "For why," he asks, "teach those not of our own household when we take no pains to preserve our own families in the love and fear of God?" As to content, Menno emphasized first the need of moral instruction—that children fear and love God, walk in modesty, honor and obey parents, use good language and be truthful, not stubborn and self-willed nor seeking worldly honor, fame, or wealth. He urged also that children be instructed in reading and writing and further that they be taught habits of industry and be given an opportunity to learn a trade. As to method it is primarily home training that he relied upon. Parents are first to show themselves as patterns and examples; they are to start early and train children from youth up, teaching them in proportion to their degree of understanding; they are to admonish children with strictness, yet without bitterness or anger. It was this type of parental training that was the basis of early Mennonite Christian education. In fact some such type of home training has been recognized <em>as </em>desirable by Mennonites through the centuries.

<h4 align="left">Home Instruction</h4> The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement, though inaugurated partly by theologically trained men, was primarily a movement of. the common people. Especially was this so as persecution removed the trained leaders and forced the movement underground. Education in its secular aspect as well as theological education held no appeal for them, for it was precisely with the educated men that they disagreed. Yet the Anabaptists and early Mennonites were forced to a Christian education of their own type for two very cogent reasons. First, their reliance on the Scriptures as the final authority demanded that every man be able to read and interpret them for himself. Secondly, the responsibility for bringing up children so that they would voluntarily choose the right enforced a kind of child training that was real Christian education. [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno]] himself wrote specifically on the education of children, pointing out the special responsibility which Christian parents have for their own children. "For why," he asks, "teach those not of our own household when we take no pains to preserve our own families in the love and fear of God?" As to content, Menno emphasized first the need of moral instruction—that children fear and love God, walk in modesty, honor and obey parents, use good language and be truthful, not stubborn and self-willed nor seeking worldly honor, fame, or wealth. He urged also that children be instructed in reading and writing and further that they be taught habits of industry and be given an opportunity to learn a trade. As to method it is primarily home training that he relied upon. Parents are first to show themselves as patterns and examples; they are to start early and train children from youth up, teaching them in proportion to their degree of understanding; they are to admonish children with strictness, yet without bitterness or anger. It was this type of parental training that was the basis of early Mennonite Christian education. In fact some such type of home training has been recognized <em>as </em>desirable by Mennonites through the centuries.

−
Among the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterian Brethren]] with their communal type of living child training early developed into schools of the more formal pattern which were operated by the [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]]. They were apparently limited to primary schools with women as teachers for the kindergarten and men for the older children. Both Peter Rideman's <em>Rechenschaft, </em>written in 1545, and a Hutterite <em>~~Schulord</em><em>nung~~ </em>of 1578 reveal a deep sense of responsibility for child training and outline relatively advanced methods whereby children were trained according to their abilities with kindness though also with strictness. Beginning with Scripture and prayer, which children early learned to repeat, they were taught about God and His purposes, then obedience to parents and from that obedience to God. The last stage of education was the teaching of some kind of work or trade to which their talents were bent. Thus equipped young people were expected to "seek eternal things" and were ready fox baptism on confession of faith and to take their place in the Christian community.
+
Among the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterian Brethren]] with their communal type of living child training early developed into schools of the more formal pattern which were operated by the [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]]. They were apparently limited to primary schools with women as teachers for the kindergarten and men for the older children. Both Peter Rideman's <em>Rechenschaft, </em>written in 1545, and a Hutterite <em>Schulordnung </em>of 1578 reveal a deep sense of responsibility for child training and outline relatively advanced methods whereby children were trained according to their abilities with kindness though also with strictness. Beginning with Scripture and prayer, which children early learned to repeat, they were taught about God and His purposes, then obedience to parents and from that obedience to God. The last stage of education was the teaching of some kind of work or trade to which their talents were bent. Thus equipped young people were expected to "seek eternal things" and were ready fox baptism on confession of faith and to take their place in the Christian community.

<h4 align="left">Catechetical Instruction</h4> With the emphasis on Christian training in the home, [[Catechism|catechisms]] came into common use. Originally written as statements or explanations of faith, they came to be enlarged into home devotional, booklets. Friedmann, in his <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries, </em>discusses in detail the composition and purpose of some of these which became popular. The earliest were published by Dutch authors: [[Twisck, Pieter Jansz (1565-1636)|P. J. Twisck]] in 1633, Reynier Wijbrants in 1640, and [[Braght, Tieleman Jansz van (1625-1664)|T. J. van Braght]], the author of the[[Martyrs' Mirror|<em> Martyrs' Mirror</em>]], in 1657. Very popular among the North-German Mennonites were van Sittert's <em>Christliches Glaubensbekentnus </em>of 1664, published in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], and the anonymous Prussian <em>Confession oder kurzes und einfältiges Glaubensbekenntnis </em>of 1660. They were originally similar in content and purpose and became more so in later editions through borrowing. Both were prepared as guides for devotional practice or private worship and as such became popular in family worship and home training of children in religion and morals. The family use of the latter book is indicated by the fact that it was printed in the German language one hundred years before Prussian Mennonites permitted the change from Dutch to German in the pulpit. The host of successive editions of these books indicates their popularity and wide circulation among Mennonites in [[Germany|Germany]], Russia, and America. A third booklet equally popular but more specifically a prayer book was the <em>[[Ernsthafte Christenpflicht|Ernsthafte Christenpflicht]] </em>of 1739, which drew from Swiss sources. Through these books and many others less popular but of the same type, children and youth were taught the essentials of Christian truth. The Russian manual particularly was apparently designed for the examination of young candidates. American adaptations of these materials and English translations, along with the [[Bible |Bible]], have until the mid-20th century been the instructional materials in catechism classes in America. Such classes, usually taught by the pastor and supplemented by home teaching, were characteristic of most Mennonite branches in America as the preparation for church membership.

<h4 align="left">Catechetical Instruction</h4> With the emphasis on Christian training in the home, [[Catechism|catechisms]] came into common use. Originally written as statements or explanations of faith, they came to be enlarged into home devotional, booklets. Friedmann, in his <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries, </em>discusses in detail the composition and purpose of some of these which became popular. The earliest were published by Dutch authors: [[Twisck, Pieter Jansz (1565-1636)|P. J. Twisck]] in 1633, Reynier Wijbrants in 1640, and [[Braght, Tieleman Jansz van (1625-1664)|T. J. van Braght]], the author of the[[Martyrs' Mirror|<em> Martyrs' Mirror</em>]], in 1657. Very popular among the North-German Mennonites were van Sittert's <em>Christliches Glaubensbekentnus </em>of 1664, published in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], and the anonymous Prussian <em>Confession oder kurzes und einfältiges Glaubensbekenntnis </em>of 1660. They were originally similar in content and purpose and became more so in later editions through borrowing. Both were prepared as guides for devotional practice or private worship and as such became popular in family worship and home training of children in religion and morals. The family use of the latter book is indicated by the fact that it was printed in the German language one hundred years before Prussian Mennonites permitted the change from Dutch to German in the pulpit. The host of successive editions of these books indicates their popularity and wide circulation among Mennonites in [[Germany|Germany]], Russia, and America. A third booklet equally popular but more specifically a prayer book was the <em>[[Ernsthafte Christenpflicht|Ernsthafte Christenpflicht]] </em>of 1739, which drew from Swiss sources. Through these books and many others less popular but of the same type, children and youth were taught the essentials of Christian truth. The Russian manual particularly was apparently designed for the examination of young candidates. American adaptations of these materials and English translations, along with the [[Bible |Bible]], have until the mid-20th century been the instructional materials in catechism classes in America. Such classes, usually taught by the pastor and supplemented by home teaching, were characteristic of most Mennonite branches in America as the preparation for church membership.

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See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]

See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]

= Bibliography =

= Bibliography =

−
Bender, Harold S. <em>Mennonite Sunday ~~</em><em>~~School Centennial. </em>Scottdale, PA, 1940.
+
Bender, Harold S. <em>Mennonite Sunday School Centennial. </em>Scottdale, PA, 1940.

Fretz, Clarence. "History of Winter Bible Schools in the Mennonite Church."<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 16 (1942): 178-195.

Fretz, Clarence. "History of Winter Bible Schools in the Mennonite Church."<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 16 (1942): 178-195.

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Rideman, Peter. <em>Account of our Religion, Doctrine, and Faith given by Peter Rideman. </em> 1950: 130-131.

Rideman, Peter. <em>Account of our Religion, Doctrine, and Faith given by Peter Rideman. </em> 1950: 130-131.

−
Shelly, P. R. <em>Religious ~~Edu</em><em>cation~~ and Mennonite Piety Among the Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania: 1870-1943. </em>Newton, KS, 1950.
+
Shelly, P. R. <em>Religious Education and Mennonite Piety Among the Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania: 1870-1943. </em>Newton, KS, 1950.

Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.

Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.

{{GAMEO_footer-3|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F.|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Bertha Fast|a3_last=Harder|a3_first=Leland D.}}

{{GAMEO_footer-3|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F.|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Bertha Fast|a3_last=Harder|a3_first=Leland D.}}

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Kropf, Marlene, Bertha Harder, and Linea Geiser. <em>Upon These Doorposts: How Children Grow in Faith.</em> Newton, KS: Faith and Life, 1980.

Kropf, Marlene, Bertha Harder, and Linea Geiser. <em>Upon These Doorposts: How Children Grow in Faith.</em> Newton, KS: Faith and Life, 1980.

−
Leatherman, Quintus. "Christopher Dock, Mennonite Schoolmaster."<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review~~</em><em>~~ </em>16 (1942): 32-44.
+
Leatherman, Quintus. "Christopher Dock, Mennonite Schoolmaster."<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 16 (1942): 32-44.

Lederach, Paul. "The History of the Young People's Bible Meetings." <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review </em>26 (1952): 216-231.

Lederach, Paul. "The History of the Young People's Bible Meetings." <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review </em>26 (1952): 216-231.

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<h4 align="left">Coordination of the Program of Christian Education</h4> In the highly organized North American churches, centralized direction, or at least promotion, co-ordination, and assistance of the church-wide program of Christian education has developed, particularly in the [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]]. In this group the Commission for Christian Education after 1937 and its predecessor, the General Sunday School Committee founded in 1913, served this function.

<h4 align="left">Coordination of the Program of Christian Education</h4> In the highly organized North American churches, centralized direction, or at least promotion, co-ordination, and assistance of the church-wide program of Christian education has developed, particularly in the [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]]. In this group the Commission for Christian Education after 1937 and its predecessor, the General Sunday School Committee founded in 1913, served this function.

−
<h4 align="left">Europe</h4> In Europe outside of Russia the program of Christian education has been far less comprehensive than in America and largely limited to catechetical instruction, except for the Bible schools and Bible conferences. In [[Russia|Russia]], however, the Mennonite school program, with its village schools and higher schools, incorporated regular religious instruction and was the chief agency for the Christian education of children and youth. -- ~~SFP~~
+
<h4 align="left">Europe</h4> In Europe outside of Russia the program of Christian education has been far less comprehensive than in America and largely limited to catechetical instruction, except for the Bible schools and Bible conferences. In [[Russia|Russia]], however, the Mennonite school program, with its village schools and higher schools, incorporated regular religious instruction and was the chief agency for the Christian education of children and youth. -- ''Samuel F. Pannabecker''

<hr/> <h3>1989 Update</h3> As a ministry mandated by Jesus, Christian education is essentially (but not exclusively) the ongoing unfolding of his gospel to believers and their [[Children|children]], "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you'' (Matthew 28:20). As used in this article it refers to all the provisions made by Mennonite Christians through church and home for persons of all ages to grow into the Christian life and to mature in commitment to Christ and his kingdom. The educational methods have included family nurture, formal instruction, prebaptismal experience, and postbaptismal discipling.

<hr/> <h3>1989 Update</h3> As a ministry mandated by Jesus, Christian education is essentially (but not exclusively) the ongoing unfolding of his gospel to believers and their [[Children|children]], "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you'' (Matthew 28:20). As used in this article it refers to all the provisions made by Mennonite Christians through church and home for persons of all ages to grow into the Christian life and to mature in commitment to Christ and his kingdom. The educational methods have included family nurture, formal instruction, prebaptismal experience, and postbaptismal discipling.

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<h4>Postbaptismal Discipling</h4> For adults The Foundation Series provided a continuing succession of study books designed as aids to a more wholistic discipling process. They reflected the distinctive aspects of the Anabaptist vision of the Christian faith, e.g., "the agenda of the people of God," "faith pilgrimage through life's stages," and "living in the Spirit." The trend in adult education in Mennonite congregations is to move from knowledge and information about the Word of God to application in the human life situations of believers in congregation and community beyond the bounds of the Sunday school classroom. To accomplish the larger goal, church members are being pushed to a more transformational personal and corporate discernment of what the Lord expects of followers in all facets of daily life. One key to this discipling process is accountability, another theme being incorporated into study guides for adults.

<h4>Postbaptismal Discipling</h4> For adults The Foundation Series provided a continuing succession of study books designed as aids to a more wholistic discipling process. They reflected the distinctive aspects of the Anabaptist vision of the Christian faith, e.g., "the agenda of the people of God," "faith pilgrimage through life's stages," and "living in the Spirit." The trend in adult education in Mennonite congregations is to move from knowledge and information about the Word of God to application in the human life situations of believers in congregation and community beyond the bounds of the Sunday school classroom. To accomplish the larger goal, church members are being pushed to a more transformational personal and corporate discernment of what the Lord expects of followers in all facets of daily life. One key to this discipling process is accountability, another theme being incorporated into study guides for adults.

−
Implicit in the foregoing paragraphs are numerous problems for the modern theology of Christian education, the discussion of which are beyond the scope of the present article, e.g., the doctrine of the church as the structured context in which learning from Jesus takes place. Although the nature of authentic Christian discipleship is subject to considerable mystery and ambiguity in the church today, any curriculum for an education that is truly Christian must incorporate this dimension in ongoing and transformational ways. This is the most formidable task confronting Mennonite educators as they work in the last quarter of the 20th century and beyond.
+
Implicit in the foregoing paragraphs are numerous problems for the modern theology of Christian education, the discussion of which are beyond the scope of the present article, e.g., the doctrine of the church as the structured context in which learning from Jesus takes place. Although the nature of authentic Christian discipleship is subject to considerable mystery and ambiguity in the church today, any curriculum for an education that is truly Christian must incorporate this dimension in ongoing and transformational ways. This is the most formidable task confronting Mennonite educators as they work in the last quarter of the 20th century and beyond. -- ''Bertha Fast Harder and Leland Harder''

See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]

See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]

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Menno Simons. <em>Complete Works. </em>Elkhart, IN, 1871: I, 273-276.

Menno Simons. <em>Complete Works. </em>Elkhart, IN, 1871: I, 273-276.

−
Moyer, J. F. <em>Religious Education in the Mennonite~~</em> <em>~~Churches Comprising the Middle District Conference.</em>
+
Moyer, J. F. <em>Religious Education in the Mennonite Churches Comprising the Middle District Conference.</em>

Pandora, Ohio, 1920.

Pandora, Ohio, 1920.

−
Rideman, Peter. <em>Account of ~~</em><em>~~our Religion, Doctrine, and Faith given by Peter Rideman. </em> 1950: 130-131.
+
Rideman, Peter. <em>Account of our Religion, Doctrine, and Faith given by Peter Rideman. </em> 1950: 130-131.

Shelly, P. R. <em>Religious Edu</em><em>cation and Mennonite Piety Among the Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania: 1870-1943. </em>Newton, KS, 1950.

Shelly, P. R. <em>Religious Edu</em><em>cation and Mennonite Piety Among the Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania: 1870-1943. </em>Newton, KS, 1950.

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__FORCETOC__

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<h3>1953 Article</h3> [[Christian]] education as used here includes all the methods Mennonites have used to impart Biblical knowledge and faith to their children with special reference to the non-institutional means. These methods include home instruction, catechetical instruction, Sunday schools, young people's work, daily vacation Bible schools, weekday church schools, Bible conferences, Winter Bible schools, and study classes. As some of these methods will be treated in detail elsewhere in the encyclopedia, the purpose here is to show the historical sequence and something of their interrelation.
+
<h3>1953 Article</h3> Christian education as used here includes all the methods Mennonites have used to impart Biblical knowledge and faith to their children with special reference to the non-institutional means. These methods include home instruction, catechetical instruction, Sunday schools, young people's work, daily vacation Bible schools, weekday church schools, Bible conferences, Winter Bible schools, and study classes. As some of these methods will be treated in detail elsewhere in the encyclopedia, the purpose here is to show the historical sequence and something of their interrelation.

<h4 align="left">Home Instruction</h4> The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement, though inaugurated partly by theologically trained men, was primarily a movement of. the common people. Especially was this so as persecution removed the trained leaders and forced the movement underground. Education in its secular aspect as well as theological education held no appeal for them, for it was precisely with the educated men that they disagreed. Yet the Anabaptists and early Mennonites were forced to a Christian education of their own type for two very cogent reasons. First, their reliance on the Scriptures as the final authority demanded that every man be able to read and interpret them for himself. Secondly, the responsibility for bringing up children so that they would voluntarily choose the right enforced a kind of child training that was real Christian education. [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno]] himself wrote specifically on the education of children, pointing out the special responsibility which Christian parents have for their own children. "For why," he asks, "teach those not of our own household when we take no pains to preserve our own families in the love and fear of God?" As to content, Menno emphasized first the need of moral instruction—that children fear and love God, walk in modesty, honor and obey parents, use good language and be truthful, not stubborn and self-willed nor seeking worldly honor, fame, or wealth. He urged also that children be instructed in reading and writing and further that they be taught habits of industry and be given an opportunity to learn a trade. As to method it is primarily home training that he relied upon. Parents are first to show themselves as patterns and examples; they are to start early and train children from youth up, teaching them in proportion to their degree of understanding; they are to admonish children with strictness, yet without bitterness or anger. It was this type of parental training that was the basis of early Mennonite Christian education. In fact some such type of home training has been recognized <em>as </em>desirable by Mennonites through the centuries.

<h4 align="left">Home Instruction</h4> The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement, though inaugurated partly by theologically trained men, was primarily a movement of. the common people. Especially was this so as persecution removed the trained leaders and forced the movement underground. Education in its secular aspect as well as theological education held no appeal for them, for it was precisely with the educated men that they disagreed. Yet the Anabaptists and early Mennonites were forced to a Christian education of their own type for two very cogent reasons. First, their reliance on the Scriptures as the final authority demanded that every man be able to read and interpret them for himself. Secondly, the responsibility for bringing up children so that they would voluntarily choose the right enforced a kind of child training that was real Christian education. [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno]] himself wrote specifically on the education of children, pointing out the special responsibility which Christian parents have for their own children. "For why," he asks, "teach those not of our own household when we take no pains to preserve our own families in the love and fear of God?" As to content, Menno emphasized first the need of moral instruction—that children fear and love God, walk in modesty, honor and obey parents, use good language and be truthful, not stubborn and self-willed nor seeking worldly honor, fame, or wealth. He urged also that children be instructed in reading and writing and further that they be taught habits of industry and be given an opportunity to learn a trade. As to method it is primarily home training that he relied upon. Parents are first to show themselves as patterns and examples; they are to start early and train children from youth up, teaching them in proportion to their degree of understanding; they are to admonish children with strictness, yet without bitterness or anger. It was this type of parental training that was the basis of early Mennonite Christian education. In fact some such type of home training has been recognized <em>as </em>desirable by Mennonites through the centuries.

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Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.

Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.

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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F., Bertha Fast ~~Harder~~|~~a2_last~~=Harder|~~a2_first~~=Leland D.}}
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{{GAMEO_footer-3|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F.|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Bertha Fast|a3_last=Harder|a3_first=Leland D.}}

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Among the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterian Brethren]] with their communal type of living child training early developed into schools of the more formal pattern which were operated by the [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]]. They were apparently limited to primary schools with women as teachers for the kindergarten and men for the older children. Both Peter Rideman's <em>Rechenschaft, </em>written in 1545, and a Hutterite <em>Schulord</em><em>nung </em>of 1578 reveal a deep sense of responsibility for child training and outline relatively advanced methods whereby children were trained according to their abilities with kindness though also with strictness. Beginning with Scripture and prayer, which children early learned to repeat, they were taught about God and His purposes, then obedience to parents and from that obedience to God. The last stage of education was the teaching of some kind of work or trade to which their talents were bent. Thus equipped young people were expected to "seek eternal things" and were ready fox baptism on confession of faith and to take their place in the Christian community.

Among the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterian Brethren]] with their communal type of living child training early developed into schools of the more formal pattern which were operated by the [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]]. They were apparently limited to primary schools with women as teachers for the kindergarten and men for the older children. Both Peter Rideman's <em>Rechenschaft, </em>written in 1545, and a Hutterite <em>Schulord</em><em>nung </em>of 1578 reveal a deep sense of responsibility for child training and outline relatively advanced methods whereby children were trained according to their abilities with kindness though also with strictness. Beginning with Scripture and prayer, which children early learned to repeat, they were taught about God and His purposes, then obedience to parents and from that obedience to God. The last stage of education was the teaching of some kind of work or trade to which their talents were bent. Thus equipped young people were expected to "seek eternal things" and were ready fox baptism on confession of faith and to take their place in the Christian community.

−
<h4 align="left">Catechetical Instruction</h4> With the emphasis on Christian training in the home, [[Catechism|catechisms]] came into common use. Originally written as statements or explanations of faith, they came to be enlarged into home devotional, booklets. Friedmann, in his <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries, </em>discusses in detail the composition and purpose of some of these which became popular. The earliest were published by Dutch authors: [[Twisck, Pieter Jansz (1565-1636)|P. J. Twisck]] in 1633, Reynier Wijbrants in 1640, and [[Braght, Tieleman Jansz van (1625-1664)|T. J. van Braght]], the author of the[[Martyrs' Mirror|~~<~~em~~>~~ Martyrs' Mirror~~<~~/em~~>~~]], in 1657. Very popular among the North-German Mennonites were van Sittert's <em>Christliches Glaubensbekentnus </em>of 1664, published in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], and the anonymous Prussian <em>Confession oder kurzes und einfältiges Glaubensbekenntnis </em>of 1660. They were originally similar in content and purpose and became more so in later editions through borrowing. Both were prepared as guides for devotional practice or private worship and as such became popular in family worship and home training of children in religion and morals. The family use of the latter book is indicated by the fact that it was printed in the German language one hundred years before Prussian Mennonites permitted the change from Dutch to German in the pulpit. The host of successive editions of these books indicates their popularity and wide circulation among Mennonites in [[Germany|Germany]], Russia, and America. A third booklet equally popular but more specifically a prayer book was the <em>[[Ernsthafte Christenpflicht|Ernsthafte Christenpflicht]] </em>of 1739, which drew from Swiss sources. Through these books and many others less popular but of the same type, children and youth were taught the essentials of Christian truth. The Russian manual particularly was apparently designed for the examination of young candidates. American adaptations of these materials and English translations, along with the [[Bible |Bible]], have until the mid-20th century been the instructional materials in catechism classes in America. Such classes, usually taught by the pastor and supplemented by home teaching, were characteristic of most Mennonite branches in America as the preparation for church membership.
+
<h4 align="left">Catechetical Instruction</h4> With the emphasis on Christian training in the home, [[Catechism|catechisms]] came into common use. Originally written as statements or explanations of faith, they came to be enlarged into home devotional, booklets. Friedmann, in his <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries, </em>discusses in detail the composition and purpose of some of these which became popular. The earliest were published by Dutch authors: [[Twisck, Pieter Jansz (1565-1636)|P. J. Twisck]] in 1633, Reynier Wijbrants in 1640, and [[Braght, Tieleman Jansz van (1625-1664)|T. J. van Braght]], the author of the[[Martyrs' Mirror|<em> Martyrs' Mirror</em>]], in 1657. Very popular among the North-German Mennonites were van Sittert's <em>Christliches Glaubensbekentnus </em>of 1664, published in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], and the anonymous Prussian <em>Confession oder kurzes und einfältiges Glaubensbekenntnis </em>of 1660. They were originally similar in content and purpose and became more so in later editions through borrowing. Both were prepared as guides for devotional practice or private worship and as such became popular in family worship and home training of children in religion and morals. The family use of the latter book is indicated by the fact that it was printed in the German language one hundred years before Prussian Mennonites permitted the change from Dutch to German in the pulpit. The host of successive editions of these books indicates their popularity and wide circulation among Mennonites in [[Germany|Germany]], Russia, and America. A third booklet equally popular but more specifically a prayer book was the <em>[[Ernsthafte Christenpflicht|Ernsthafte Christenpflicht]] </em>of 1739, which drew from Swiss sources. Through these books and many others less popular but of the same type, children and youth were taught the essentials of Christian truth. The Russian manual particularly was apparently designed for the examination of young candidates. American adaptations of these materials and English translations, along with the [[Bible |Bible]], have until the mid-20th century been the instructional materials in catechism classes in America. Such classes, usually taught by the pastor and supplemented by home teaching, were characteristic of most Mennonite branches in America as the preparation for church membership.

<h4 align="left">Sunday schools</h4> As the catechism method became more formalized, efforts were made to adapt it to new conditions. This was particularly true in America as the Great Awakening of the early 19th century revitalized spiritual life and fostered new organizations. The [[Sunday School|Sunday school]] was one of these new developments, coming into American life after 1810. Being originally an institution of the English language churches, it was slow in making itself acceptable to the German-speaking Mennonites, coming in largely after 1860. Some preparation was found in adaptations of the catechism method, such as the <em>Kinderlehre </em>of [[Oberholtzer, John H. (1809-1895)|J. H. Oberholtzer]], as early as 1847. Here the children were gathered together on Sundays to practice singing and memorize Scripture and catechism. The pastor was prominent in the work but others assisted. Though strictly speaking not a Sunday school, this method had some of the features of the Sunday school and was one of the earliest attempts in that direction. A few Sunday schools arc known to have had brief existence in connection with Mennonite churches about this time but real Sunday schools on a permanent basis were not organized for at least another ten years. By the 1870s there were a considerable number and the first Sunday-school convention among Mennonite churches ([[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite]]) was held in Philadelphia in 1876. In the 1890s such conventions became popular gatherings in most conferences, and Sunday schools were current in all congregations except those few more conservative branches which resisted in principle all innovations. For many it was regarded as the main agency for religious instruction of the young and was attended by all children. The International Uniform Lessons were mainly used but graded lessons were provided in many churches, and publishing houses of the different branches provided a variety of helps both for the International Uniform and for the graded lessons.

<h4 align="left">Sunday schools</h4> As the catechism method became more formalized, efforts were made to adapt it to new conditions. This was particularly true in America as the Great Awakening of the early 19th century revitalized spiritual life and fostered new organizations. The [[Sunday School|Sunday school]] was one of these new developments, coming into American life after 1810. Being originally an institution of the English language churches, it was slow in making itself acceptable to the German-speaking Mennonites, coming in largely after 1860. Some preparation was found in adaptations of the catechism method, such as the <em>Kinderlehre </em>of [[Oberholtzer, John H. (1809-1895)|J. H. Oberholtzer]], as early as 1847. Here the children were gathered together on Sundays to practice singing and memorize Scripture and catechism. The pastor was prominent in the work but others assisted. Though strictly speaking not a Sunday school, this method had some of the features of the Sunday school and was one of the earliest attempts in that direction. A few Sunday schools arc known to have had brief existence in connection with Mennonite churches about this time but real Sunday schools on a permanent basis were not organized for at least another ten years. By the 1870s there were a considerable number and the first Sunday-school convention among Mennonite churches ([[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite]]) was held in Philadelphia in 1876. In the 1890s such conventions became popular gatherings in most conferences, and Sunday schools were current in all congregations except those few more conservative branches which resisted in principle all innovations. For many it was regarded as the main agency for religious instruction of the young and was attended by all children. The International Uniform Lessons were mainly used but graded lessons were provided in many churches, and publishing houses of the different branches provided a variety of helps both for the International Uniform and for the graded lessons.

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Among the [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonites (MC)]], young people's activities appeared in the form of young people's Bible meetings with active Sunday evening services. As early as 1877 the [[Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec|Ontario Mennonite Conference]] (MC) had taken official action to approve youth gatherings. The young people's Bible meeting, however, very likely developed out of the earlier children's meetings. The [[Prairie Street Mennonite Church (Elkhart, Indiana, USA)|Prairie Street Mennonite Church]] of Elkhart, IN, in 1887 changed its children's meetings into a young people's meeting. A serious and systematic Bible study developed in these meetings based on a conference publication called <em>The Program Builder </em>and edited tor this purpose.

Among the [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonites (MC)]], young people's activities appeared in the form of young people's Bible meetings with active Sunday evening services. As early as 1877 the [[Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec|Ontario Mennonite Conference]] (MC) had taken official action to approve youth gatherings. The young people's Bible meeting, however, very likely developed out of the earlier children's meetings. The [[Prairie Street Mennonite Church (Elkhart, Indiana, USA)|Prairie Street Mennonite Church]] of Elkhart, IN, in 1887 changed its children's meetings into a young people's meeting. A serious and systematic Bible study developed in these meetings based on a conference publication called <em>The Program Builder </em>and edited tor this purpose.

−
In Holland youth activities started about 1920 (see [[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Doopsgezinde]]<em>[[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Jeugdraad]], </em>Doopsgezinde <em>Jongerenbond; </em>Friese <em>Doopsgezinde Jongeren Bond). </em>Much the same time young people's work was started in South [[Germany|Germany]] (see Jugendkommission), and somewhat later in Switzerland. In France it began only recently, largely since World War II; whereas in Holland youth activities consisted largely of what the young people did for themselves, in the other countries they consisted largely of what the conferences and congregations did for their youth.
+
In Holland youth activities started about 1920 (see [[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Doopsgezinde ]]<em>[[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Jeugdraad]], </em>Doopsgezinde <em>Jongerenbond; </em>Friese <em>Doopsgezinde Jongeren Bond). </em>Much the same time young people's work was started in South [[Germany|Germany]] (see Jugendkommission), and somewhat later in Switzerland. In France it began only recently, largely since World War II; whereas in Holland youth activities consisted largely of what the young people did for themselves, in the other countries they consisted largely of what the conferences and congregations did for their youth.

<h4 align="left">Summer Bible Schools</h4> The [[Summer Bible School|Daily Vacation Bible Schoo]]l movement found a response among Mennonite churches in the 1920s but it was only beginning in the 1930s that serious attention was paid to this form of Christian education. In 1948 the [[Mennonite Publishing House (Scottdale, Pennsylvania, USA)|Mennonite Publishing House]] of Scottdale, PA, issued the Herald Press Summer Bible School Series designed to provide pupils' material in workbook form and a teacher's guide for thirteen age levels from nursery to the second year of high school. This was the culmination of several years of activity and growth in summer Bible schools in which the demand was realized for material which should be consistent with the basic Anabaptist-Mennonite philosophy that "faith and doctrine are to be expressed in dynamic Christian living." The course proved very popular and the first printing, expected to last for several years, was sold out the first summer. The [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]], which sponsored the printing of the series reported 609 summer Bible schools with a total enrollment of 64,307 pupils for the year 1951. The [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]], next largest in membership, adopted the same series with modifications to suit and reported 127 Bible schools with 5,845 pupils enrolled for 1950. The series is used widely by Protestant groups other than Mennonite as well as by various Mennonite branches.

<h4 align="left">Summer Bible Schools</h4> The [[Summer Bible School|Daily Vacation Bible Schoo]]l movement found a response among Mennonite churches in the 1920s but it was only beginning in the 1930s that serious attention was paid to this form of Christian education. In 1948 the [[Mennonite Publishing House (Scottdale, Pennsylvania, USA)|Mennonite Publishing House]] of Scottdale, PA, issued the Herald Press Summer Bible School Series designed to provide pupils' material in workbook form and a teacher's guide for thirteen age levels from nursery to the second year of high school. This was the culmination of several years of activity and growth in summer Bible schools in which the demand was realized for material which should be consistent with the basic Anabaptist-Mennonite philosophy that "faith and doctrine are to be expressed in dynamic Christian living." The course proved very popular and the first printing, expected to last for several years, was sold out the first summer. The [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]], which sponsored the printing of the series reported 609 summer Bible schools with a total enrollment of 64,307 pupils for the year 1951. The [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]], next largest in membership, adopted the same series with modifications to suit and reported 127 Bible schools with 5,845 pupils enrolled for 1950. The series is used widely by Protestant groups other than Mennonite as well as by various Mennonite branches.

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See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]

See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]

−

−

= Bibliography =

= Bibliography =

Bender, Harold S. <em>Mennonite Sunday </em><em>School Centennial. </em>Scottdale, PA, 1940.

Bender, Harold S. <em>Mennonite Sunday </em><em>School Centennial. </em>Scottdale, PA, 1940.

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Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.

Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.

−

−

{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F., Bertha Fast Harder|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Leland D.}}

{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F., Bertha Fast Harder|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Leland D.}}

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@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 Bender, Harold S. <em>Mennonite Sunday School Centennial. </em>Scottdale, PA, 1940.
-Fretz, Clarence. "History of Winter Bible Schools in the Mennonite Church."<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 16 (1942): 178-195.
+Fretz, Clarence. "History of Winter Bible Schools in the Mennonite Church."''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' 16 (1942): 178-195.
 Friedmann, Robert. <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries. </em>Goshen, 1949: 117-130.
@@ Line 107: / Line 107: @@
 Kropf, Marlene, Bertha Harder, and Linea Geiser. <em>Upon These Doorposts: How Children Grow in Faith.</em> Newton, KS: Faith and Life, 1980.
-Leatherman, Quintus. "Christopher Dock, Mennonite Schoolmaster."<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 16 (1942): 32-44.
+Leatherman, Quintus. "Christopher Dock, Mennonite Schoolmaster."''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' 16 (1942): 32-44.
 Lederach, Paul. "The History of the Young People's Bible Meetings." <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review </em>26 (1952): 216-231.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 <h4 align="left">Home Instruction</h4> The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement, though inaugurated partly by theologically trained men, was primarily a movement of. the common people. Especially was this so as persecution removed the trained leaders and forced the  movement underground. Education in its secular aspect as well as theological education held no appeal for them, for it was precisely with the educated men that they disagreed. Yet the Anabaptists and early Mennonites were forced to a Christian education of their own type for two very cogent reasons. First, their reliance on the Scriptures as the final authority demanded that every man be able to read and interpret them for himself. Secondly, the responsibility for bringing up children so that they would voluntarily choose the right enforced a kind of child training that was real Christian education. [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno]] himself wrote specifically on the education of children, pointing out the special responsibility which Christian parents have for their own children. "For why," he asks, "teach those not of our own household when we take no pains to preserve our own families in the love and fear of God?" As to content, Menno emphasized first the need of moral instruction—that children fear and love God, walk in modesty, honor and obey parents, use good language and be truthful, not stubborn and self-willed nor seeking worldly honor, fame, or wealth. He urged also that children be instructed in reading and writing and further that they be taught habits of industry and be given an opportunity to learn a trade. As to method it is primarily home training that he relied upon. Parents are first to show themselves as patterns and examples; they are to start early and train children from youth up, teaching them in proportion to their degree of understanding; they are to admonish children with strictness, yet without bitterness or anger. It was this type of parental training that was the basis of early Mennonite Christian education. In fact some such type of home training has been recognized <em>as </em>desirable by Mennonites through the centuries.
-Among the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterian Brethren]] with their communal type of living child training early developed into schools of the more formal pattern which were operated by the [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]]. They were apparently limited to primary schools with women as teachers for the kindergarten and men for the older children. Both Peter Rideman's <em>Rechenschaft, </em>written in 1545, and a Hutterite <em>Schulord</em><em>nung </em>of 1578 reveal a deep sense of responsibility for child training and outline relatively advanced methods whereby children were trained according to their abilities with kindness though also with strictness. Beginning with Scripture and prayer, which children early learned to repeat, they were taught about God and His purposes, then obedience to parents and from that obedience to God. The last stage of education was the teaching of some kind of work or trade to which their talents were bent. Thus equipped young people were expected to "seek eternal things" and were ready fox baptism on confession of faith and to take their place in the Christian community.
+Among the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterian Brethren]] with their communal type of living child training early developed into schools of the more formal pattern which were operated by the [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]]. They were apparently limited to primary schools with women as teachers for the kindergarten and men for the older children. Both Peter Rideman's <em>Rechenschaft, </em>written in 1545, and a Hutterite <em>Schulordnung </em>of 1578 reveal a deep sense of responsibility for child training and outline relatively advanced methods whereby children were trained according to their abilities with kindness though also with strictness. Beginning with Scripture and prayer, which children early learned to repeat, they were taught about God and His purposes, then obedience to parents and from that obedience to God. The last stage of education was the teaching of some kind of work or trade to which their talents were bent. Thus equipped young people were expected to "seek eternal things" and were ready fox baptism on confession of faith and to take their place in the Christian community.
 <h4 align="left">Catechetical Instruction</h4> With the emphasis on Christian training in the home, [[Catechism|catechisms]] came into common use. Originally written as statements or explanations of faith, they came to be enlarged into home devotional, booklets. Friedmann, in his <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries, </em>discusses in detail the composition and purpose of some of these which became popular. The earliest were published by Dutch authors: [[Twisck, Pieter Jansz (1565-1636)|P. J. Twisck]] in 1633, Reynier Wijbrants in 1640, and [[Braght, Tieleman Jansz van (1625-1664)|T. J. van Braght]], the author of the[[Martyrs' Mirror|<em> Martyrs' Mirror</em>]], in 1657. Very popular among the North-German Mennonites were van Sittert's <em>Christliches Glaubensbekentnus </em>of 1664, published in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], and the anonymous Prussian <em>Confession oder kurzes und einfältiges Glaubensbekenntnis </em>of 1660. They were originally similar in content and purpose and became more so in later editions through borrowing. Both were prepared as guides for devotional practice or private worship and as such became popular in family worship and home training of children in religion and morals. The family use of the latter book is indicated by the fact that it was printed in the German language one hundred years before Prussian Mennonites permitted the change from Dutch to German in the pulpit. The host of successive editions of these books indicates their popularity and wide circulation among Mennonites in [[Germany|Germany]], Russia, and America. A third booklet equally popular but more specifically a prayer book was the <em>[[Ernsthafte Christenpflicht|Ernsthafte Christenpflicht]] </em>of 1739, which drew from Swiss sources. Through these books and many others less popular but of the same type, children and youth were taught the essentials of Christian truth. The Russian manual particularly was apparently designed for the examination of young candidates. American adaptations of these materials and English translations, along with the [[Bible  |Bible]], have until the mid-20th century been the instructional materials in catechism classes in America. Such classes, usually taught by the pastor and supplemented by home teaching, were characteristic of most Mennonite branches in America as the preparation for church membership.
@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]
 = Bibliography =
-Bender, Harold S. <em>Mennonite Sunday </em><em>School Centennial. </em>Scottdale, PA, 1940.
+Bender, Harold S. <em>Mennonite Sunday School Centennial. </em>Scottdale, PA, 1940.
 Fretz, Clarence. "History of Winter Bible Schools in the Mennonite Church."<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 16 (1942): 178-195.
@@ Line 125: / Line 125: @@
 Rideman, Peter. <em>Account of our Religion, Doctrine, and Faith given by Peter Rideman. </em> 1950: 130-131.
-Shelly, P. R. <em>Religious Edu</em><em>cation and Mennonite Piety Among the Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania: 1870-1943. </em>Newton, KS, 1950.
+Shelly, P. R. <em>Religious Education and Mennonite Piety Among the Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania: 1870-1943. </em>Newton, KS, 1950.
 Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.
 {{GAMEO_footer-3|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F.|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Bertha Fast|a3_last=Harder|a3_first=Leland D.}}

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 <h4 align="left">Coordination of the Program of Christian Education</h4> In the highly organized North American churches, centralized direction, or at least promotion, co-ordination, and assistance of the church-wide program of Christian education has developed, particularly in the [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]]. In this group the Commission for Christian Education after 1937 and its predecessor, the General Sunday School Committee founded in 1913, served this function.
-<h4 align="left">Europe</h4> In Europe outside of Russia the program of Christian education has been far less comprehensive than in America and largely limited to catechetical instruction, except for the Bible schools and Bible conferences. In [[Russia|Russia]], however, the Mennonite school program, with its village schools and higher schools, incorporated regular religious instruction and was the chief agency for the Christian education of children and youth. -- SFP
+<h4 align="left">Europe</h4> In Europe outside of Russia the program of Christian education has been far less comprehensive than in America and largely limited to catechetical instruction, except for the Bible schools and Bible conferences. In [[Russia|Russia]], however, the Mennonite school program, with its village schools and higher schools, incorporated regular religious instruction and was the chief agency for the Christian education of children and youth. -- ''Samuel F. Pannabecker''
 <hr/> <h3>1989 Update</h3> As a ministry mandated by Jesus, Christian education is essentially (but not exclusively) the ongoing unfolding of his gospel to believers and their [[Children|children]], "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you'' (Matthew 28:20). As used in this article it refers to all the provisions made by Mennonite Christians through church and home for persons of all ages to grow into the Christian life and to mature in commitment to Christ and his kingdom. The educational methods have included family nurture, formal instruction, prebaptismal experience, and postbaptismal discipling.
@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 <h4>Postbaptismal Discipling</h4> For adults The Foundation Series provided a continuing succession of study books designed as aids to a more wholistic discipling process. They reflected the distinctive aspects of the Anabaptist vision of the Christian faith, e.g., "the agenda of the people of God," "faith pilgrimage through life's stages," and "living in the Spirit." The trend in adult education in Mennonite congregations is to move from knowledge and information about the Word of God to application in the human life situations of believers in congregation and community beyond the bounds of the Sunday school classroom. To accomplish the larger goal, church members are being pushed to a more transformational personal and corporate discernment of what the Lord expects of followers in all facets of daily life. One key to this discipling process is accountability, another theme being incorporated into study guides for adults.
-Implicit in the foregoing paragraphs are numerous problems for the modern theology of Christian education, the discussion of which are beyond the scope of the present article, e.g., the doctrine of the church as the structured context in which learning from Jesus takes place. Although the nature of authentic Christian discipleship is subject to considerable mystery and ambiguity in the church today, any curriculum for an education that is truly Christian must incorporate this dimension in ongoing and transformational ways. This is the most formidable task confronting Mennonite educators as they work in the last quarter of the 20th century and beyond.
+Implicit in the foregoing paragraphs are numerous problems for the modern theology of Christian education, the discussion of which are beyond the scope of the present article, e.g., the doctrine of the church as the structured context in which learning from Jesus takes place. Although the nature of authentic Christian discipleship is subject to considerable mystery and ambiguity in the church today, any curriculum for an education that is truly Christian must incorporate this dimension in ongoing and transformational ways. This is the most formidable task confronting Mennonite educators as they work in the last quarter of the 20th century and beyond. -- ''Bertha Fast Harder and Leland Harder''
 See also [[Baptismal Instruction |Baptismal Instruction]]; [[Camps and Retreat Centers|Camps and Retreat Centers]]; [[Dedication of Infants|Dedication of Infants]]; [[Erb, Alta Mae Eby (1891-1995)|Erb, Alta Mae Eby]]; [[Private Christian Schools (United States)|Private Christian Schools, United States]]; [[Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation|Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Formation]]; [[Sunday School|Sunday School]]; [[Sunday School Literature|Sunday School Literature]]; [[Yake, Clayton Franklin (1889-1974)|Yake, Clayton F.]]
@@ Line 119: / Line 119: @@
 Menno Simons. <em>Complete Works. </em>Elkhart, IN, 1871: I, 273-276.
-Moyer, J. F. <em>Religious Education in the Mennonite</em> <em>Churches Comprising the Middle District Conference.</em>
+Moyer, J. F. <em>Religious Education in the Mennonite Churches Comprising the Middle District Conference.</em>
 Pandora, Ohio, 1920.
-Rideman, Peter. <em>Account of </em><em>our Religion, Doctrine, and Faith given by Peter Rideman. </em> 1950: 130-131.
+Rideman, Peter. <em>Account of our Religion, Doctrine, and Faith given by Peter Rideman. </em> 1950: 130-131.
 Shelly, P. R. <em>Religious Edu</em><em>cation and Mennonite Piety Among the Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania: 1870-1943. </em>Newton, KS, 1950.

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-<h3>1953 Article</h3> [[Christian]] education as used here includes all the methods Mennonites have used to impart Biblical knowledge and faith to their children with special reference to the non-institutional means. These methods include home instruction, catechetical instruction, Sunday schools, young people's work, daily vacation Bible schools, weekday church schools, Bible conferences, Winter Bible schools, and study classes. As some of these methods will be treated in detail elsewhere in the encyclopedia, the purpose here is to show the historical sequence and something of their interrelation.
+<h3>1953 Article</h3> Christian education as used here includes all the methods Mennonites have used to impart Biblical knowledge and faith to their children with special reference to the non-institutional means. These methods include home instruction, catechetical instruction, Sunday schools, young people's work, daily vacation Bible schools, weekday church schools, Bible conferences, Winter Bible schools, and study classes. As some of these methods will be treated in detail elsewhere in the encyclopedia, the purpose here is to show the historical sequence and something of their interrelation.
 <h4 align="left">Home Instruction</h4> The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] movement, though inaugurated partly by theologically trained men, was primarily a movement of. the common people. Especially was this so as persecution removed the trained leaders and forced the  movement underground. Education in its secular aspect as well as theological education held no appeal for them, for it was precisely with the educated men that they disagreed. Yet the Anabaptists and early Mennonites were forced to a Christian education of their own type for two very cogent reasons. First, their reliance on the Scriptures as the final authority demanded that every man be able to read and interpret them for himself. Secondly, the responsibility for bringing up children so that they would voluntarily choose the right enforced a kind of child training that was real Christian education. [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno]] himself wrote specifically on the education of children, pointing out the special responsibility which Christian parents have for their own children. "For why," he asks, "teach those not of our own household when we take no pains to preserve our own families in the love and fear of God?" As to content, Menno emphasized first the need of moral instruction—that children fear and love God, walk in modesty, honor and obey parents, use good language and be truthful, not stubborn and self-willed nor seeking worldly honor, fame, or wealth. He urged also that children be instructed in reading and writing and further that they be taught habits of industry and be given an opportunity to learn a trade. As to method it is primarily home training that he relied upon. Parents are first to show themselves as patterns and examples; they are to start early and train children from youth up, teaching them in proportion to their degree of understanding; they are to admonish children with strictness, yet without bitterness or anger. It was this type of parental training that was the basis of early Mennonite Christian education. In fact some such type of home training has been recognized <em>as </em>desirable by Mennonites through the centuries.
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 Westerhoff, John H. III. <em>Will Our Children Have Faith?</em> New York: Seabury, 1976.
-{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F., Bertha Fast Harder|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Leland D.}}
+{{GAMEO_footer-3|hp=Vol. 1, pp. 578-581; v. 5, pp. 144-146|date=1989|a1_last=Pannabecker|a1_first=S. F.|a2_last=Harder|a2_first=Bertha Fast|a3_last=Harder|a3_first=Leland D.}}

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 Among the [[Hutterian Brethren (Hutterische Brüder)|Hutterian Brethren]] with their communal type of living child training early developed into schools of the more formal pattern which were operated by the [[Bruderhof|Bruderhof]]. They were apparently limited to primary schools with women as teachers for the kindergarten and men for the older children. Both Peter Rideman's <em>Rechenschaft, </em>written in 1545, and a Hutterite <em>Schulord</em><em>nung </em>of 1578 reveal a deep sense of responsibility for child training and outline relatively advanced methods whereby children were trained according to their abilities with kindness though also with strictness. Beginning with Scripture and prayer, which children early learned to repeat, they were taught about God and His purposes, then obedience to parents and from that obedience to God. The last stage of education was the teaching of some kind of work or trade to which their talents were bent. Thus equipped young people were expected to "seek eternal things" and were ready fox baptism on confession of faith and to take their place in the Christian community.
-<h4 align="left">Catechetical Instruction</h4> With the emphasis on Christian training in the home, [[Catechism|catechisms]] came into common use. Originally written as statements or explanations of faith, they came to be enlarged into home devotional, booklets. Friedmann, in his <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries, </em>discusses in detail the composition and purpose of some of these which became popular. The earliest were published by Dutch authors: [[Twisck, Pieter Jansz (1565-1636)|P. J. Twisck]] in 1633, Reynier Wijbrants in 1640, and [[Braght, Tieleman Jansz van (1625-1664)|T. J. van Braght]], the author of the[[Martyrs' Mirror|&lt;em&gt; Martyrs' Mirror&lt;/em&gt;]], in 1657. Very popular among the North-German Mennonites were van Sittert's <em>Christliches Glaubensbekentnus </em>of 1664, published in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], and the anonymous Prussian <em>Confession oder kurzes und einfältiges Glaubensbekenntnis </em>of 1660. They were originally similar in content and purpose and became more so in later editions through borrowing. Both were prepared as guides for devotional practice or private worship and as such became popular in family worship and home training of children in religion and morals. The family use of the latter book is indicated by the fact that it was printed in the German language one hundred years before Prussian Mennonites permitted the change from Dutch to German in the pulpit. The host of successive editions of these books indicates their popularity and wide circulation among Mennonites in [[Germany|Germany]], Russia, and America. A third booklet equally popular but more specifically a prayer book was the <em>[[Ernsthafte Christenpflicht|Ernsthafte Christenpflicht]] </em>of 1739, which drew from Swiss sources. Through these books and many others less popular but of the same type, children and youth were taught the essentials of Christian truth. The Russian manual particularly was apparently designed for the examination of young candidates. American adaptations of these materials and English translations, along with the [[Bible  |Bible]], have until the mid-20th century been the instructional materials in catechism classes in America. Such classes, usually taught by the pastor and supplemented by home teaching, were characteristic of most Mennonite branches in America as the preparation for church membership.
+<h4 align="left">Catechetical Instruction</h4> With the emphasis on Christian training in the home, [[Catechism|catechisms]] came into common use. Originally written as statements or explanations of faith, they came to be enlarged into home devotional, booklets. Friedmann, in his <em>Mennonite Piety Through the Centuries, </em>discusses in detail the composition and purpose of some of these which became popular. The earliest were published by Dutch authors: [[Twisck, Pieter Jansz (1565-1636)|P. J. Twisck]] in 1633, Reynier Wijbrants in 1640, and [[Braght, Tieleman Jansz van (1625-1664)|T. J. van Braght]], the author of the[[Martyrs' Mirror|<em> Martyrs' Mirror</em>]], in 1657. Very popular among the North-German Mennonites were van Sittert's <em>Christliches Glaubensbekentnus </em>of 1664, published in [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], and the anonymous Prussian <em>Confession oder kurzes und einfältiges Glaubensbekenntnis </em>of 1660. They were originally similar in content and purpose and became more so in later editions through borrowing. Both were prepared as guides for devotional practice or private worship and as such became popular in family worship and home training of children in religion and morals. The family use of the latter book is indicated by the fact that it was printed in the German language one hundred years before Prussian Mennonites permitted the change from Dutch to German in the pulpit. The host of successive editions of these books indicates their popularity and wide circulation among Mennonites in [[Germany|Germany]], Russia, and America. A third booklet equally popular but more specifically a prayer book was the <em>[[Ernsthafte Christenpflicht|Ernsthafte Christenpflicht]] </em>of 1739, which drew from Swiss sources. Through these books and many others less popular but of the same type, children and youth were taught the essentials of Christian truth. The Russian manual particularly was apparently designed for the examination of young candidates. American adaptations of these materials and English translations, along with the [[Bible  |Bible]], have until the mid-20th century been the instructional materials in catechism classes in America. Such classes, usually taught by the pastor and supplemented by home teaching, were characteristic of most Mennonite branches in America as the preparation for church membership.
 <h4 align="left">Sunday schools</h4> As the catechism method became more formalized, efforts were made to adapt it to new conditions. This was particularly true in America as the Great Awakening of the early 19th century revitalized spiritual life and fostered new organizations. The [[Sunday School|Sunday school]] was one of these new developments, coming into American life after 1810. Being originally an institution of the English language churches, it was slow in making itself acceptable to the German-speaking Mennonites, coming in largely after 1860. Some preparation was found in adaptations of the catechism method, such as the <em>Kinderlehre </em>of [[Oberholtzer, John H. (1809-1895)|J. H. Oberholtzer]], as early as 1847. Here the children were gathered together on Sundays to practice singing and memorize Scripture and catechism. The pastor was prominent in the work but others assisted. Though strictly speaking not a Sunday school, this method had some of the features of the Sunday school and was one of the earliest attempts in that direction. A few Sunday schools arc known to have had brief existence in connection with Mennonite churches about this time but real Sunday schools on a permanent basis were not organized for at least another ten years. By the 1870s there were a considerable number and the first Sunday-school convention among Mennonite churches ([[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite]]) was held in Philadelphia in 1876. In the 1890s such conventions became popular gatherings in most conferences, and Sunday schools were current in all congregations except those few more conservative branches which resisted in principle all innovations. For many it was regarded as the main agency for religious instruction of the young and was attended by all children. The International Uniform Lessons were mainly used but graded lessons were provided in many churches, and publishing houses of the different branches provided a variety of helps both for the International Uniform and for the graded lessons.
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 Among the [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonites (MC)]], young people's activities appeared in the form of young people's Bible meetings with active Sunday evening services. As early as 1877 the [[Mennonite Conference of Ontario and Quebec|Ontario Mennonite Conference]] (MC) had taken official action to approve youth gatherings. The young people's Bible meeting, however, very likely developed out of the earlier children's meetings. The [[Prairie Street Mennonite Church (Elkhart, Indiana, USA)|Prairie Street Mennonite Church]] of Elkhart, IN, in 1887 changed its children's meetings into a young people's meeting. A serious and systematic Bible study developed in these meetings based on a conference publication called <em>The Program Builder </em>and edited tor this purpose.
-In Holland youth activities started about 1920 (see [[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Doopsgezinde]]<em>[[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Jeugdraad]], </em>Doopsgezinde <em>Jongerenbond; </em>Friese <em>Doopsgezinde Jongeren Bond). </em>Much the same time young people's work was started in South [[Germany|Germany]] (see Jugendkommission), and somewhat later in Switzerland. In France it began only recently, largely since World War II; whereas in Holland youth activities consisted largely of what the young people did for themselves, in the other countries they consisted largely of what the conferences and congregations did for their youth.
+In Holland youth activities started about 1920 (see [[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Doopsgezinde ]]<em>[[Doopsgezinde Jeugdraad|Jeugdraad]], </em>Doopsgezinde <em>Jongerenbond; </em>Friese <em>Doopsgezinde Jongeren Bond). </em>Much the same time young people's work was started in South [[Germany|Germany]] (see Jugendkommission), and somewhat later in Switzerland. In France it began only recently, largely since World War II; whereas in Holland youth activities consisted largely of what the young people did for themselves, in the other countries they consisted largely of what the conferences and congregations did for their youth.
 <h4 align="left">Summer Bible Schools</h4> The [[Summer Bible School|Daily Vacation Bible Schoo]]l movement found a response among Mennonite churches in the 1920s but it was only beginning in the 1930s that serious attention was paid to this form of Christian education. In 1948 the [[Mennonite Publishing House (Scottdale, Pennsylvania, USA)|Mennonite Publishing House]] of Scottdale, PA, issued the Herald Press Summer Bible School Series designed to provide pupils' material in workbook form and a teacher's guide for thirteen age levels from nursery to the second year of high school. This was the culmination of several years of activity and growth in summer Bible schools in which the demand was realized for material which should be consistent with the basic Anabaptist-Mennonite philosophy that "faith and doctrine are to be expressed in dynamic Christian living." The course proved very popular and the first printing, expected to last for several years, was sold out the first summer. The [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]], which sponsored the printing of the series reported 609 summer Bible schools with a total enrollment of 64,307 pupils for the year 1951. The [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]], next largest in membership, adopted the same series with modifications to suit and reported 127 Bible schools with 5,845 pupils enrolled for 1950. The series is used widely by Protestant groups other than Mennonite as well as by various Mennonite branches.