Peace in the Adult Department
Sometimes adults can be a pain. • They don't want to be in the same Sunday school class with "those young bucks" or "all those old-timers." • Once they get comfortable in a class, they don't like being uprooted as they get older. • They especially dislike the subject of birthdays. So how to divide them up without inciting guerrilla warfare? Phyllis Sloan, director of Christian education at Frisco Church in Webb City, Missouri, recently pulled off a bloodless coup. "We had classes that were getting older and older, in spite of their designated age category," she says. "Yet we didn't want to go to a total elective system and give up continuity. "So we surveyed our enrollment and then announced a one-time reorganization, not by age, but by common interest: children. The new classes would be permanent from then on, growing through the stages of adulthood together. Nobody would be 'kicked out' when he got to be 40 or whatever. And we'd simply keep adding new classes on the young end." The current set-up for Frisco's 230 adults is: • Upper Room Class (those newly married or with preschoolers) • Families in Training (those who presently have elementary level children) • Berean Class (those with junior highs) • New Life Class (those with senior highs and collegians) • A class of empty nesters • Three other classes for older adults The classes chose their own names, being urged to avoid age indications. "Those without children were free to choose the class they found most comfortable," Sloan explains. "In fact, everyone was free to choose; we made it clear we weren't forcing anyone to change. ... "We still have some work to do," she adds. "For one thing, we need to start a class for middle singles. "But we're encouraged. The nice thing is you only ...
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