MAY 8 TEXAN – SPECIAL REPORT: BIBLICAL LITERACY

– THE WRITTEN WORD: Though still a bestseller, Bible knowledge declining

– Bible becoming more common as public classroom subject

– Music contributes to biblical literacy

– Education ministers have a hard row to hoe

While a congregation’s biblical literacy is clearly affected by teaching, other church ministries can also contribute to theological understanding. Historically, biblical literacy has often been achieved through worship music, and the same can be true today.

In speaking with the TEXAN, Don Wyrtzen, professor of music at The College at Southwestern Seminary, stated that hymns by writers such as Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and John Newton had a deep impact on the early Americans who heard and sang them. And it was the education of these hymn writers that allowed them to write songs that “were very biblical, very theologically rich,” he noted.

“These men were eminently trained in orthodox Christianity,” Wyrtzen said. Therefore, “people in colonial America were singing profound, deep, theological songs.” In turn, he added, these “theologically meaty” songs educated the congregation about the great truths of the Bible. “So when people were singing, [theology] was ‘caught’ rather than taught,” he said.

David Nelson, senior associate dean and associate professor of theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, believes that worship songs of all types can have the same element of teaching today. But he feels that many church leaders undervalue this “didactic element of worship.” Nelson, who teaches both theology and worship leadership classes at the seminary, stresses that doctrine and worship should go together?and do go together in the Bible.

Nelson noted that children quickly learn important truths from the Scriptures by singing songs about them. But, he added, adults often forget that the same is true for themselves. Worship music, he said, “can actually teach them, and, yes, admonish them, because it speaks the truth of God in a form that can be easy to remember.”

Both Wyrtzen and Nelson argue that today’s worship music is often produced without the theological underpinnings of past times. Wyrtzen contrasts the deep education of many early hymn writers to the modern worship leader who may have little or no formal education. Now, he stated, it seems that anyone with basic guitar skills can be found producing worship songs. As a result, Wyrtzen continued, “praise music [of today] is more like fireworks, while [hymns] are like stars that shine in the firmament forever.”

Nelson, likewise, believes that “we have a lot of what I would consider ‘disposable’ music being written.” While some music can serve a purpose for a time, he said, much of the impact of today’s worship music does not last as long as that of centuries-old hymns.

Charlie Hall, prominent worship leader and modern songwriter with Passion Conferences, has recognized the value of older works, as well. In an interview with the TEXAN in 2004, Hall recalled “dumping” all traditional music in his worship leadership for a time, believing such tradition to be a hindrance to seeking the Lord. But later he realized that “the songs that have come down the pike–including some of the things I’ve written–haven’t had much theology.”

On the other hand, Hall said, “The majority of [hymnody is] rich in theology. It’s a great way to teach people. It [gives] people legs to walk.” This belief–shared by others involved with Passion–led them to release a CD of several well-known hymns, set to “updated” music, two years ago.

Though older hymns have recently captured the imagination of a new generation of worshippers, both Wyrtzen and Nelson also recognized that not every “old” song is theologically rich, while many newer works do have deep biblical connections. Ultimately, they believe, each song and each writer should be judged on his own merits. Wyrtzen noted both African-American spirituals and Southern Gospel songs as examples of older works with little actual theological “weight.” “Basically, both Southern Gospel and black spirituals were more like ‘heart music,’ rather than instruments of theological training.”

When looking at worship songs of the past, Nelson explained, “It’s a mixed bag, just like music is today.”

“Early on,” he said, “the church recognized the connection between doctrine and worship. Through the ages, there have been those in the church who have recognized this connection.” But, he added, “there have been many who haven’t. Everyone can manage to write some bad stuff.”

While many today many not realize it, there were many other, less valuable hymns written at the same time as those well-known songs of the faith still sung in churches today. For example, Nelson said, not all the songs written during the time of the Reformation continued to be used by the church. “There’s a reason for that,” he added. “When somebody talks about the superiority of 18^th century music, well, maybe [it was superior], but maybe not.”

And today’s music can be quite biblical, Wyrtzen noted. Particularly, he said, a great resurgence in “Scripture songs” in modern songwriting has taken place. “The biggest ‘plus’ to ‘Praise-and-Worship’ music is that the content is almost all Scripture,” Wyrtzen said. And, he explained, singing words straight from the Bible “adds a lot; instead of just saying it, you’re actually singing it.”

Ken Lasater, church ministry associate with SBTC, recognizes another challenge facing worship leaders. Before even worrying about whether songs are “meaty” or “light” in their presentation of doctrine, he said, “the bigger issue is, ‘Is it theologically sound?’” He noted even recent examples of long-used hymns that needed to be removed from Southern Baptist usage because of basic doctrinal errors represented in their lyrics.

“There will be songs all over the map as far as depth of study, depth of teaching, and depth of maturity,” Lasater said. “But as far as doctrinal soundness, we would want to hold a pretty hard line.”

So what steps can be taken to encourage songwriters’ theological soundness and, then, their works’ biblical depth? For his part, Lasater has worked to urge students of music to view their craft through the lens of Scripture—and in reference to the local church—by organizing Sumer Worship University. SWU trains high school and college students to better use their musical talents in ministry, and the training places a high emphasis on making sure all parts of a worship service reflect solid theology.

Nelson, meanwhile, feels that worship leaders and those writing songs today do not always attend to the needs of listeners as much as they could. He encouraged them to “Think of the audience here. Not only are you speaking to God, but while you’re speaking to God, you’re speaking to others.”

“I just think we underestimate the significance of our worship music connecting people to doctrine,” Nelson added. “And by doctrine, I just mean the truth of the Scriptures. It’s just another way of discipling the congregation. This is a matter of discipleship.”

Secondly, Nelson believe that songwriters must more deeply concern themselves with the Word of God. “Know the Scriptures,” he admonished. “Meditate on them day and night, and I think you’ll be off to a good start.” That way, he said, a writer can “learn the grammar of faith that comes out of the Scriptures. God has given us a way of speaking to him and about hi” that can be used in producing songs, whether or not those works specifically quote Bible verses.

Wyrtzen agrees that “there’s no substitute for soaking yourself in Scripture” and has even produced a book to facilitate this development, “A Musician Looks at the Psalms: 365 Daily Meditations.” He recalls a conversation with modern recording artist and songwriter Twila Paris that illustrates this kind of attention to the Bible when composing. “She told me herself that she had devotionals right at her piano,” he remembered.

Wrytzen also noted powerful resources for helping to ground songwriters biblically. Particularly, he lauded Worship Leader magazine and Passion Conferences, led by Louie Giglio and incorporating powerful biblical preachers such as John Piper of Minneapolis. He encourages worship leaders to make use of the teaching provided by these means.

“We need to remember that the Scripture is our ultimate authority,” Wyrtzen said, “and we need to evaluate our songs…by does it measure up to the ‘gold standard’ of the Word of God? I think that’s something that John Piper does. I think that’s something that Louie Giglio does. I think that’s something that [professor of church music and worship] Bruce Leafblad and my other colleagues at seminary do.”

“I think kids today are really passionately interested in worshipping the Lord, and I think they’re doing it in really new, creative ways,” Wyrtzen said. “I hope this next generation produces some substance, alongside all the ‘fluffy’ stuff that’s out there.”

MAY 8 TEXAN – SPECIAL REPORT: BIBLICAL LITERACY

– THE WRITTEN WORD: Though still a bestseller, Bible knowledge declining

– Bible becoming more common as public classroom subject

– Music contributes to biblical literacy

– Education ministers have a hard row to hoe

It’s still a bestseller throughout the country. Most every home owns a copy. English teachers consider it an essential resource for understanding American literature and culture. And yet, Bible knowledge is declining.

“In many parts of the country, we cannot assume any biblical knowledge on the part of our hearers at all: the most elementary Bible stories are completely unknown,” warned D.A. Carson in his book “The Gagging of God”. It’s a condition Carson thinks is getting worse.

During in-depth interviews with U.S. teens, the National Study of Youth and Religion found few who could articulate their beliefs. “Many teenagers know abundant details about the lives of favorite musicians and televisions stars or about what it takes to get into a good college, but most turn out to be not very clear on who Moses and Jesus were. This seems to reflect that a strong, visible, salient, or intentional faith is not operating in the foreground of most teenagers’ lives.”

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Malcolm Yarnell paints a frightening image of biblical ignorance in the pulpit and the pew, addressing the responsibilities of preachers, teachers, parents and individual believers.

> “The preacher who refuses to let the Bible preach itself in an expository manner threatens his people with the state of spiritual and moral anemia.

> “The Sunday School teacher who asks what his students feel about the text rather than how the text feels about the student threatens his people with the state of self-induced hypnosis.

> “The father who neglects to open the Word of God in his home and lead his family in prayer and devotional worship condemns his children and grandchildren to ignorance and possible spiritual death.

> “The individual who leaves the pages of his Bible unturned on a daily basis is out of communion with his God.

In his message delivered to a chapel audience of Southern Baptists of Texas Convention staff members, Yarnell asked, “Whatever happened to our emphasis for children to engage in Scripture memorization?”

“Where has our foundational biblical literacy gone? Why do many Baptists no longer bring a Bible to church? The calcified tissues of biblical infidelity and illiteracy are threatening to arrest the Baptist heart,” he warned.

Most Southern Baptist churches are quick to identify their ministries as Bible-based. It only stands to reason that a people known for defending the authority of God’s Word ought to be familiar with the text of Scripture. “Southern Baptists have been referred to as a ‘people of the Book’ because of our historic emphasis on the value of the Bible,” wrote Karen Jones, Christian education professor at Golden Gate Theological Seminary. “While we still affirm that position, our ministry practices don’t always measure up to our ideals, especially in student ministry,” she wrote in “Transforming Student Ministry: Research Calling for Change.”

Jones said, “There are key passages and books that we faithfully teach, but large portions of Scripture that we overlook or only mention in passing. Our teenagers rarely complete an indepth study of the entire Bible, even if they participate in our ministries for a full six years. Whether it is intentional or not, the result is the same; our teenagers often leave our ministries with an incomplete understanding of biblical truth.”

Church leaders interested in knowing whether they’re producing biblically literate members ought to consider investing an hour to administer a test such as the one found online through Probe Ministries (probe.org/content/view/55/91). The survey is appropriate for older children, youth and adults with questions like:

• Where did Satan and the demons come from?
• Who was the first man?
• Who was thrown into the Lion’s den?
• Which event caused God to splinter human language into many tongues?
• How did the Lord Jesus die?
• Who is the bridge of Christ?

An awareness of the answers to these and other questions testing one’s knowledge of Scripture provides the basis for understanding the message of each Bible story.

Preaching that educates the congregation

“All preaching should be a primary source of biblical education for the congregation,” stated theology dean and preaching professor David Allen of Southwestern.

“Pound for pound, sermon for sermon, year by year, real expositional preaching will have the effect of educating the congregation biblically.”

While many Southern Baptist pastors describe themselves as expositional preachers, people in the pew often remark that very little time is spent teaching from the Bible. A well-intentioned effort to make biblical truth relevant can lead a preacher to rush through careful attention to the text in order to get to the punch line.

“When you analyze many sermons in today’s pulpits, they are about one-tenth exposition—and then sometimes lousy exposition at that—and nine-tenths illustration and application. That, of course, is way out of balance,” Allen told the TEXAN. “You cannot illustrate and apply truth that has not been clearly and substantially presented,” he said, while willing to admit to having heard excellent sermons that gave equal thirds to each aspect.

“For my part, an ideal sermon would be 40 to 50 percent exposition and then 40 to 50 percent illustration and application to drive the exposition home.”

“Preaching must be consumed with the Bible,” added Jason Lee, associate professor of historical theology at Southwestern. Speaking at last fall’s Reformation Day chapel, Lee advised churches to “teach the Bible as the heart of ministry. A steady diet of topical sermons creates an anemic and apathetic church,” he warned.

Baptist Press columnist Douglas Baker put it more bluntly, “Many Southern Baptist churches will not abide theologically thick preaching, because every effort has been made to make the church more seeker-friendly—to modernize the message and soften the sharpness of doctrine so as to make room for people who have never heard of the Apostles let alone the specific books of Galatians and Jude.”

However, “All this sensitivity to the seeker has, in many ways, backfired,” Baker said, noting that the plan has resulted in even less response by today’s teenagers and young adults. “The seriousness of the themes of Scripture have been presented so obliquely by the church that modern young professionals and students find Nietzsche and Hegel much more appealing and thoughtful than Jesus. For many of them, the philosophers and political pundits seem more confident, knowledgeable, intelligent and interesting than the ministers of their local church. While the real world operates on concrete empirical principles, the church hides her message in fantasy code.”

When gathered corporately for worship, church members have additional opportunity to hear and recite the testimony of Scripture through music and Bible reading. “It’s an absolute crime in our public services the way we read one verse or two or four or five at the most, and we take a text and depart there from and people don’t hear or know God’s Word,” lamented Charles Ryrie, editor of the Ryrie Study Bible who taught systematic theology at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Teaching from the text equips believers

Research indicates that church members are best disciple through a systematic study of God’s Word. At the same time churches report that disciple members are more likely to stick around.

In his book “High Expectations: The Remarkable Secret for Keeping People in Your Church,” Thom Rainer found that virtually all of the churches doing a great job of assimilating members into congregational life have a comprehensive plan to teach the Bible to all age groups. “We have known that Sunday School is a vital component for American churches,” Rainer wrote. “Its history is almost as old as our nation itself. But more and more the research indicated that Sunday School is not only our past, it is our future as well,” said Rainer, LifeWay’s newly elected president.

Asked in 1980 to write a bicentennial tribute to the enduring institution of Sunday School, church historian Martin Marty noted the irony of Life magazine calling it “the most wasted hour of the week, since the magazine itself had a much shorter shelf life. Few can re-create the circumstances of Protestantdom when the culture favored the Sunday school,” he wrote in Christian Century. “Not all would want to. But if the culture tilts their way even so briefly as one of the 168 hours each week, it seems foolish not to make the most of that time.”

The SBC leader charged with helping southern Baptists make the most of that time is David Francis, Church Resources director for LifeWay. While recognizing that the Sunday School movement has evolved many times during its 200-plus year history, Francis said, “One thing has not changed—the centrality of Bible study.”

When philanthropist Robert Raikes conceived the idea of educating wayward boys on their free day he paid laypeople to serve as teachers and used the Bible for the curriculum. Within 50 years, Sunday School was attracting a quarter of England’s children. Soon, the practice was adopted in the United States as teachers taught students to read and copy the Bible, helping make literate those who could not afford to educate themselves.

Whether today’s churches call it Sunday School, Bible study or some more creative label, developing Bible literacy in children and adults is commonly agreed upon as making the most of that one hour each week. And yet, today’s teachers find their students have much in common with the illiterate working class Raikes sought to reform during the Industrial Revolution. They lack a basic foundation of Bible knowledge.

In his new book, “3D Sunday School,” David Francis described an effective Sunday School as having a plan for helping members and leaders cover key biblical concepts in a balanced and comprehensive way. While advocating for the use of LifeWay’s resources, he advised, “Whatever curriculum materials your class uses, choose materials that help people discover the whole counsel of God over a period of years.”

A systematic approach to Bible teaching incorporates a plan for covering a variety of Bible books and types of biblical literature, he said. It seeks to balance the studies of biblical books, topics, and characters across a period of time. The adult Explore the Bible series and the new resource for students cover all 66 Bible books over a period of years.

LifeWay’s new Bible Teaching for Kids and Bible Studies for Life series follow a three-year curriculum plan, concluding with a Bible survey. The Sunday School ministry section of LifeWay’s website outlines Levels of Biblical Learning, listing the 67 Bible stories LifeWay considers foundational for children to understand core biblical principles by age 12. The same site charts the concepts taught at each level at www.lifeway.com.

As critical a role as preachers and teachers play in making a congregation biblically literate, many members become enamored with better-known instructors. Instead of regarding such teaching as supplemental, they get comfortable with a classier presentation broadcast to the home or made available on DVD, the Internet or even a podcast.

Students who become comfortable with what one SBC leader called the “sit and soak” syndrome, are less likely to respond when the need arises for teachers. Popular teacher Beth Moore commented on this same concern in her recently released Bible study title “The Patriarchs.” Observing that Joseph’s wisdom and discernment distinguished him from those all around him, she turned to Hebrews 5:11-14 to encourage study of God’s Word as a means of developing maturity.

Moore told students that some of them ought to be teaching, referring to Paul’s expectation that more would have matured to the point of teaching others. “It’s something that God is going to pass on so we can take it and use it. It’s like passing a baton. He is calling some folks. It’s time.” She also advised those who assume a teaching role to stay under the instruction of a mature teacher. “We must stay under our pastor’s teaching. Stay in our Sunday School classes. Stay in our Bible studies because if we don’t we get all out of balance. If we are the only ones we are listening to, oh, good gravy! Help me, Lord!”

Yount said, “We find it increasingly difficult to enlist adults to leave their own Bible study classes and teach others on a regular basis.” Some complain that the job is “too demanding” or “they don’t’ want to give up their own self-enriching study to serve by teaching others.”

As a result, Yount said churches take shortcuts by having fewer people teach larger classes, using a rotation of teachers with no one responsible for the growth of learners or “offering short-term elective courses in place of long-term koinonia groups.” Ultimately, attendance declines for the one hour dedicated to Bible instruction, he said.

When Calvary Hill Baptist Church in Mesquite faced the need for more adults to staff a growing Wednesday night ministry to children and youth, Pastor James O’Dell noticed there were plenty of adults on hand for the mid-week service, but most were involved in their own Bible study classes. “Because we were lacking adult leadership we made a decision as a staff and canceled all Bible studies and discipleship groups on Wednesday nights.” Encouraging those groups to meet at different times or days, they appealed for the regular attenders to pick up the slack in existing ministries.

“We saw an increase in adult leadership from our youth being led by a single youth minister and a couple of parents to 10 small group leaders,” O’Dell said, adding that the Wednesday night youth ministry grew from 30 to over 100 in attendance. Eighteen workers were added to the AWANA program for children that 30 to 40 kids attend.

Training is an important ingredient that follows the enlistment of teachers, O’Dell explained. “That’s just something we teach and preach all the time: the way to true satisfaction in spiritual life is through obedience which is going to mean service. If you’re not serving somewhere you’re not going to be fulfilled.”

Sometimes the pressure to make the Bible study hour more entertaining comes from parents giving in to complaints of their children. Southern Baptist Jim Eliff of Christian Communicators Worldwide reminds them of the purpose of ministry to children and youth.

“If you are inclined to be angry at someone in leadership of your church because you child does not have fun in church, then first consider if the source of the problem is in the heart of your child,” he proposed. “Please don’t make the criteria for judging the success of a church’s efforts at reaching children and teens the fun-value of the meetings. God did not command the church to provide entertainment ofr your kids. And if you must speak out about it at all, attempt to increase, rather than to decrease the intensity and effectiveness of prayer and Bible study as a means to reach the hearts of the children.”

Parents as the primary Bible teachers

A Gallup survey showed 51 percent of American teens mention their church as the top source of their Bible knowledge, while 13 percent credit their parents.

In an essay for “Transforming Student Ministry,” Oklahoma Baptist University professor Tom Wilks reminded, “Unfortunately, statistics indicate that an increasing number of parents—mothers and fathers alike—have renounced their responsibilities to be spiritual leaders in the home. While helping parents encourage spiritual transformation at home, youth leaders also can provide a solid source of biblical truth outside the home.”

Wilks recalled Martin Luther’s reminder that parents are “apostles, bishops, and priests to their children, for it is they who make them acquainted with the gospel.” Luther wrote, “In short there is no greater or nobler authority on earth than that of parents over their children, for this authority is both spiritual and temporal.”

“Levels of Bible Skills” is an inexpensive resource offered by LifeWay for parents and other teachers of children, helping them learn about the Bible itself, how it’s organized, as well as key passages and life applications. Bible handbooks designed for a child’s level of understanding supplement regular Bible readings in the home.

SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards recalled in the current issue of Texas Baptist Crossroads that his journey in biblical training began in the lap of his mother as she opened her Bible and read Scripture to him every night of his childhood. He saw his dad read the Bible regularly and live out the principles it taught.

“We must reclaim our won church families and the family altar is a great first step,” Richards recommended. “The need for biblical formations in the home as not changed. This practice will not make you a theologian, but it will instill a love and respect for the Word of God.”

Individuals accountable for guarding biblical heritage

In a lecture on the heritage of the English Bible, theologian Charles Ryrie told a Southwestern Seminary audience if Christians today understood the battles fought by Bible translators who were persecuted and even martyred in order to print the Bible in a common language, they might become more biblically literate.

“We have a great heritage, a great legacy. The only way to spend [our heritage] is to read, study, live, love, learn the scriptures. That is not bibliolatry, because it’s the only sure way you have of knowing Christ, and the one who lives and learns and loves it—the Word—will also learn, love and live Christ.”

Ryrie said there is evidence all around that Christians have strayed from their heritage. He pointed to a lack of knowledge of the Bible and the lack of opportunities to hear the Word of God read directly from the Bible as just two examples. “Don’t be like the prodigal son and spend your heritage foolishly, but wisely and the only way to do that is to delve into it.

He also noted that the discipline of memorizing Scripture is lost among many Christians today in part because while most people at one time used the King James Version, there is now a question of which text to memorize. Newer translations are not as easy to memorize, he stated. “Memorization is important and it’s harder and harder to do,” he said.

SBTC women’s ministry consultant Shirley Moses wonders if the abundance of resources has diminished the level of maturity among believers. Bible studies recorded on DVDs and videotapes have become one of the most popular women’s ministry tools in the local church, she acknowledged, but fears they could be used as a substitute for cultivating local leaders and equipping women to study the Bible themselves.

“Many women have become accustomed to receiving the meat of their studies from a video instead of digging out truths with daily study in the Word itself.”

Teachers should not be the only ones who prepare for Sunday’s lesson, added LifeWay’s David Francis. “An expectation should be established that learners come to the session with some level of preparation also,” he said, encouraging actual use of a learner guide during the week between classes.

In his introduction to Broadman and Holman’s massive listing of over 40,000 Bible references in “So That’s in the Bible?” editor John Perry wrote of the need for biblical literacy in changing times. “Society has changed immeasurably since the Bible was written, yet sinful nature and God’s holy character have remained the same. Furthermore, God’s redemptive plan has not changed. So the principles God gave his people are as relevant, applicable, and immutable now as when inspired scribes first put pen to papyrus. We’ve traded clay tablets for laptops and donkeys for the Concorde, but our needs, fears and shortcomings are the same as those of the men and women to whom God came and graciously revealed his holy love centuries ago.”

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Donald S. Whitney wrote that while the reasons for taking in the Word of God are obvious, many who “yawn with familiarity and nod in agreement” spend no more time with God’s Word in an average day than do those with no Bible at all.

“No spiritual discipline is more important that the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it,” Whitney said in “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.” “There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.”

He quotes a Welsh pastor, Geoffrey Thomas, who spoke of the imperceptible though great changes in a Christian’s attitude, outlook and conduct that occur through a steady diet of God’s Word. “You will probably be the last to recognize these,” Thomas said. “Often you will feel very, very small, because increasingly the God of the Bible will become to you wonderfully great.

“So go on reading it until you can read no longer, and then you will not need the Bible any more, because when your eyes close for the last time in death, and never again read the Word of God in Scripture you will open them to the Word of God in the flesh, that same Jesus of the Bible whom you have known for so long, standing before you to take you forever to his eternal home.”

MAY 8 TEXAN – SPECIAL REPORT: BIBLICAL LITERACY

– THE WRITTEN WORD: Though still a bestseller, Bible knowledge declining

– Bible becoming more common as public classroom subject

– Music contributes to biblical literacy

– Education ministers have a hard row to hoe

If Southern Baptist churches are going to make sure all of their members are educated in the Bible, someone must take responsibility for coordinating that massive effort. Typically, this has fallen to the minister of education, a staff member or volunteer whose job description has undergone a lot of change in recent years. Southwestern’s Rick Yount, assistant dean and professor of foundations of education, has seen a shift away from the practices that produced biblically literate members in Southern Baptist churches.

According to a Measures of Religiosity survey of 11,000 mainline Protestant churches conducted by Peter Hill and Ralph Hood 20 years ago, Southern Baptists scored the highest in evaluation of both vertical (God-ward) and horizontal (neighbor) faith maturity in every demographic category, crediting age-graded small group Bible and doctrine study programs. However, Yount believes these dramatic results are being erased as churches move away from static groups organized by age that use dated curriculum and regular teachers.

“About 20 years ago Southern Baptists began to notice that Pentecostal churches in general, and Assemblies of God churches in particular, were growing faster than we were,” Yount recalled in an interview with the TEXAN. In an effort to mimic the celebrative worship these groups offered, “SBC churches have moved from an educational evangelism base for growth to a celebrative worship base.”

Large classes offered anonymity and worship driven by celebration. Drama and energetic presentations replaced the more tedious maintenance and expansion of educational organizations. Fewer teachers are needed when churches turn to “master” teachers or large classes just as small, gifted praise teams replace the larger number of committed choir members.

As the minister of music became the minister of worship, Yount has seen education ministers less valued. “We also began to lose hold of our Southern Baptist distinctive that had fueled unparalleled growth for decades?lay-led, educator trained, small groups of students of the Bible” who provided a seed-bed for future teachers. At one time the Christian education machinery was “well-oiled” through new teacher enlistment, ongoing motivation and training in weekly or monthly workers’ meetings?all of that being a part of the equipping ministry that ministers are called to do, Yount said, citing Ephesians 4:11.

“We need an awakening across our nation and convention for teaching disciples all things as part of the Lord’s imperative of making disciples, he said, quoting Matthew 28:19-20.” Now that the seminary has beefed up its master of arts in Christian education degree to require a third of the coursework in theological studies, Yount is convinced the minister trained in the areas of education and administration contributes an essential role in the church’s equipping ministry. “If this awakening is to happen, it will be the pastors who will lead the way,” Yount said, hoping they will recognize the education minister to be an asset to increased biblical literacy.