Educators in the Church: The Priest as Teacher

Not long ago, I met a priest whom I shall simply call Father Michael. As pastor of a rather large parish located in a metropolitan area of several million people, Fr. Michael spent a good deal of his time in Church, celebrating a rather complete cycle of liturgical services every day. Besides his unusually full liturgical schedule, however, Fr. Michael offered his parishioners little else. There were no parish organizations or clubs, no fund raising activities or dinners or coffee hours. Conspicuously missing was a Church School program for children, as well as any form of education for teens or adults. Bible studies, teacher training programs, retreats and discussion groups were never offered, and Fr. Michael himself rarely had personal contact with his flock. When asked what form of religious education he offered, Fr. Michael simply replied, "I give sermons!"

"Ah-ha! A lazy priest," you may think. Yet Father Michael was anything but lazy. To the contrary, the lack of activity in his parish had nothing to do with whether or not he wanted social or educational programs, but rather centered around the fact that he couldn't! Fr. Michael's parish is in Moscow, where the formal teaching of religion is restricted to such an extent that it is virtually non-existent, not to mention downright illegal. In discussing this situation, Fr. Michael kept stressing that he was not only stripped of the possibility of teaching the faith, he was likewise stripped of one of the most important and essential aspects of his priesthood as well. His activities were limited - by civil law - to the "ministry of the cult"meaning that he could perform liturgical services. Period.

While Fr. Michael's situation is indeed foreign to us as Orthodox Christians in a free society, we often tend to overemphasize the liturgical or sacramental aspect of the priesthood as well. I remember as a child that the criterion of a good priest was determined by the quality of his singing voice or the flair he displayed while censing. While those days are long gone, we still often function as if the priest's only role is to conduct public worship. As we shall see, the liturgical facet of the priesthood is only half of the priestly ministry. The other element of that ministry is to be found in the educational activity inherently present within the very nature of the priesthood itself.

CHRIST - THE TEACHER
The dual ministry of the priesthood - that of sanctifying and that of teaching - finds its roots in the ministry of Christ Himself. Virtually every icon of Christ depicts Him raising His right hand in blessing, emphasizing His role as Sanctifier, while holding an opened Gospel in His left hand, denoting that He is likewise a teacher - the "rabbi" mentioned in the Scriptures. Prior to His ascension, Christ commissioned the Apostles to continue His ministry of sanctification and education by saying, "Go, teach all nations, baptizing them . . ." The Apostles shared this ministry with the bishops, who in turn passed it on to the priests. So it remains even today in the Orthodox Church, as we continue to acknowledge that any and all forms of teaching are merely an extension of the teaching ministry of Christ Himself.

THE PRIEST AS TEACHER
While it is incorrect to say that the priest "takes the place of Christ" within the local Christian community, the priestly ministry is a sharing in and an extension of the ministry of Christ. Our Lord came into our midst as Saviour and Sanctifier; the priest, in his liturgical role, likewise proclaims Christ's salvation and continues His work of sanctification. And just as Christ revealed Himself as the teacher and enlightener of all mankind, so too the priest must teach the knowledge of God and the "good news" of eternal life and salvation in Jesus Christ.
While the priest's liturgical function is absolutely essential to the ongoing work of Christ and the life of His Church, it cannot be overemphasized to such an extent that it becomes the only facet of the priestly ministry. As the one appointed to oversee the spiritual growth and development of his flock, the priest is responsible for their education as well, teaching the faith "as once delivered by Christ unto His Apostles" as a worker for and co-worker with Christ.

In what ways can - and should - the priest approach his function as the primary teacher of the local Christian community? There are a number of ways this essential ministry of teaching must be approached, and a limitless variety of methods at the disposal of a truly creative priest.

WORSHIP AND EDUCATION

1) The teaching ministry of the priest is related to his liturgical and sacramental ministry. While we have noted a duality within the ministry of Christ as well as in the priestly vocation, it must never be assumed that the two can ever be separated, at least under the conditions of Church life as we experience them. While the celebration of services and sacraments is primarily an act of prayer, worship and sanctification, it is also educational. The priest leads his people in worship not merely as an independent act of praise, but also in an effort to increase their knowledge and experience of the One Whom they are praising. The services of the Orthodox Church contain a number of didactic elements - the verses sung after "Lord I call upon Thee," for example, serve to instruct the faithful as well as worship God - which must be explored as understood by the priest from an educational as well  as liturgical point of view. Hence, the celebration of services is the priest's primary educational tool. Not only must the priest understand the didactic elements of public worship, but he must utilize them fully as teacher of his flock.
It is not sufficient that the priest merely preach or write about the services, their meaning and their message. It is essential that he likewise utilize the services of the Church as a method of instruction in and of themselves. One example of this is the current practice in many parishes whereby the entire congregation - not merely the priest - recites the prayer before Holy Communion together. Not only does the prayer serve the liturgical function of offering adoration to "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" in final preparation for the reception of the Eucharist, it also is intended to instruct those who thoughtfully recite it in the very meaning of Christ's mission and our personal response to that mission through the Eucharist. From a purely didactic viewpoint, the contents of that one prayer could not be more clearly taught in a score of sermons or classes. The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim likewise is an excellent educational tool. While answering the question, "How should I, as a Christian, conduct my life in accordance with the will of God," it also provides an outline by which one may assess his or her own spiritual life.
Here are a few samples of how the worship of the Church can be utilized in teaching the faithful:

• While the liturgy is a mystery in the sense that it expresses and reveals the incomprehensible love and inner life of God, the Church's worship was never designed to be mysterious in the warped understanding which often associates ignorance with holiness itself. Christ condemned the Pharisees not for fulfilling the Law, but rather for fulfilling it while willfully remaining ignorant to its very meaning and essence. Worship performed without at least a basic understanding of what is being done is no worship at all, much less a liturgical action, or "common work" of God's people collectively affirming their faith. Without this understanding of liturgy and worship, no teaching can take place. No one can affirm faith in something they don't understand.
• While the priest must maintain the Church's liturgy as something which transcends human understanding and wordly categories, he must be equally attentive to using the didactic elements of Orthodox worship in teaching the faithful. Many priests have never found it necessary to verbally explain the Proskomedia to their parishioners. This cannot be ascribed to laziness, but rather to the fact that they periodically perform it in view of the faithful. The text and actions of the priest and deacon explain themselves, serving to prayerfully as well as educationally teach about this portion of the Divine Liturgy. It seems that in many areas the value of audible recitation of the invocation of the Holy Spirit, the Epiklesis, is being rediscovered. Many a priest is hard pressed to explain this truly transcendent moment in clear terms, yet recognize that when the faithful hear the priest proclaiming the bread and wine to be the Body and Blood of Christ, and understand the obvious meaning of the final prayer, "Making the change by the Holy Spirit," a multitude of questions are simply and effectively answered.
• The "cutting" of services often becomes a problem, especially if the essential didactic and instructional elements of a service are the first thing to go. At Vespers, for example, the last thing that should ever be cut are the instructional verses after "Lord I Call Upon Thee" or the Apostikha. These hymns express the very purpose of a particular Vesper service by instructing the faithful not only in the general principles of the faith, but in the specific feast or liturgical observance as well. With the heightened awareness of the need for a more complete liturgical life, evidenced in so many parishes in recent years, comes a deepened concern on the part of many priests not only for a restoration of such hymns in their entirety, but for thoughtful and intelligable chanting of these hymns precisely because they serve as ideal educational tools. As Fr. Georges Florovsky once said, these hymns and verses teach the very theology of the Church in a clear-cut manner.
• While sermons are considered by some to be the only really educational part of the Church's worship, such is not, strictly speaking, the case. Sermons are a primary means of teaching, yet they must also be given in light of the particular liturgical setting of which they form a definite part. While sermons serve to teach and inform, they also might inspire. They must never provide a setting for the unleashing of a priest's wrath or his pet peeve. Nor should the sermon be likened to the half-time break at a football game. A truly "liturgical sermon" not only serves to instruct, but also is offered with the intention of making that necessary transition from our purely worldly preoccupations to the laying aside "of all earthly cares." This is especially important at the Divine Liturgy where the sermon clearly invites us to enter into deeper experience of Christ through the Eucharist.

The necessity of creative liturgical sermons is being recognized more and more. In many parishes, one hears sermons not only at the Divine Liturgy, but at other services as well. Often these take the form of a series, whereby a facet of Orthodoxy is explored in two or three successive weeks from a variety of vantage points. The importance of shorter "sermonettes" is also being rediscovered at such services as the Great Kanon of St. Andrew of Crete, where different themes gleaned from the Kanon itself are presented in a fourpart series, often climaxing in the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on the fifth and final evening. One can clearly see the conscious yet creative interconnection of the liturgical and educational facets of both the priesthood and the liturgy in this example.

FORMAL EDUCATION
2) The priest, by virtue of his teaching ministry, is responsible for the formal religious education of his parishioners. It is simply not enough for a parish to expect the "Sunday School" to be the sum total of the Church's educational mission, especially if the priest only casually monitors its activities. The priest must be actively involved in all formal educational programs within his parish, and is responsible for delegating teaching responsibilities to others as well. It is important for the priest to teach in his Church School, as well as be the one chiefly responsible for its curriculum, teacher training, and the overall goals and objectives of the program. The priest is likewise responsible for instructing parents in their role as the "fundamental educators" of their children, as noted by St. John Chrysostom. While the priest must ensure that the Church School provides an opportunity for coming into closer contact with Christ and His Church, he must also ensure that it is not the only opportunity! Formal programs, while essential in the life of every parish, are not entities in and of themselves, designed to turn out batches of Christian clones. The role of the priest, teachers and parents, as well as their mutual interdependence in the teaching ministry of the Church, is essential.

Adult education is another indispensible aspect of the formal educational programs offered by the priest. A few years ago, many of us were shocked to learn that Moscow's Fr. Dimitri Dutko was arrested for having adult discussions in his Church, yet it is sad to note that few express shock when they discover that many of our own parishes offer no educational opportunities for adults whatsoever.

Formal educational programs, whether they are designed for children, teens or adults, are often scrapped "due to poor attendance," "a lack of cooperation," "inconvenience," or "extenuating circumstances," whatever that means! It must be remembered that regardless of how poor the attendance may be, those who attend ultimately serve to educate those who can't or won't. The priest who recognizes the benefits of peer-education is truly a creative individual and will view such human dynamics as an extension of his own teaching ministry. Peereducation often breaks through emotional barriers which are sometimes inpenetrable for the clergy. The Church behind the Iron Curtain has long recognized the importance of peer-education: if priests cannot teach formally, babushkas can!

Much has been written on educational methodology and strategy within formal settings, which are easily adapted by any priest to his parish's own situation, yet the following examples will serve to emphasize just a small number of options to the priest and his parishioners in the area of formal education:

• Formal educational programs must be taken seriously. While the Scriptures do tell us that Christ sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in order to teach them "all things," a little help from the priest never hurts. Parishioners must also continue to recognize the importance of such teaching opportunities, and share the responsibility for such programs. No one can assume that education just happens any more than they can assume that a child who sits in front of a piano long enough will suddenly start playing Chopin.
• Many priests are becoming increasingly aware of the fundamental importance of actively participating in the life of the Church School program. This does not mean merely visiting different classes every few months or simply making a token appearance at the Yolka in order to "say something spiritual." It means that more and more often, priests are actively teaching in the Church School program, experiencing a mutual sharing of their educational ministry with teachers and students alike. This cooperation between priests, teachers, parents and students is extremely important if the goal of the Church School is ever to be realized. Schedules should be divised at the beginning of each semester, indicating in advance the classes or groups the priest will teach. Certain subject matter, such as ordination, confession, and general principles of applied Christianity take on new meaning when taught by the priest himself.
• There is also a growing awareness of the role of parents in the teaching ministry of the priest, especially in the area of "applied Christianity." The priest can preach about the love in the family, for example, until he is blue in theface, yet no onewill ever understand what he is talking about unless parents apply the lesson daily at home. As a parishioner once told me, "It's a waste of your time to preach about living as Christians if I don't follow that up by reminding my husband and kids that we aren't barbarians!"
• A growing number of priests sponsor miniworkshops or seminars for parents, dealing with such topics as morality, sexuality, death and dying, and Christian living. Such programs equip parents with the necessary skills for teaching these concepts at home where they properly belong.
• Adult programs are essential to the life of every parish. What form they take, however, is open to the given situation. Many priests hold weekly classes, discussions or Bible studies, yet the needs of those who, for one reason or another, cannot commit themselves to following a weekly program must also be considered. Lenten retreats, monthly mini-workshops on a variety of high-interest topics, weekend seminars and workshops featuring guest speakers fill the gap for a broader segment of the parish.
• Remember when it was considered blasphemous to ask the priest a question? Rise up! The days of "keep 'em stupid and they won't rebel" are over. Most priests are overjoyed to answer questions about the faith. We've entered an era when we no longer consider questions about the faith as a sign of doubt, stupidity, lack of faith, or as a means of "tricking" the priest into something or other. Priests are quite conscious of the fact that people usually ask questions in order to obtain answers, to build their faith, to understand better, or to experience Orthodoxy to a fuller degree. Often, it behooves the priest to encourage questions or, to take it even a step further, challenge his parishioners into creative questioning as well. Within a formal educational setting, time can be set aside weekly or monthly for a question and answer session. It makes no difference if people ask orally or by anonymously writing their questions on paper and then handing them in, as long as they are made to feel that they are being encouraged to find out "everything they always wanted to know about Orthodoxy but were afraid to ask." It's surprising to see just how many things people really want to know.
• The priest should always utilize parish publications as a means of education. A Sunday bulletin which contains nothing more than last week's candle donations fails to exert its potential as a formal educational tool. Weekly articles dealing with a variety of topics, a regular column offering definitions of Orthodox terminology in detail or outlining the feasts and fasts for the month are actually welcomed and read by many. Really!

While no two parishes are alike, a number of triedand-true programs and methods are generally successful in any setting or situation. The priest must always be as creative as Christ Himself in adapting methods and modes of education to varying situations and audiences.

INFORMAL EDUCATION

3) "Informal" teaching must never be neglected. Priests are constantly finding themselves in situations which provide opportunities for teaching on a casual or informal level. Christ often found Himself in similar circumstances, and displayed complete mastery in the art of spontaneous education. The parish priest, in following Christ's example by identifying and mingling with his flock, will never be left wanting for informal teaching opportunities, especially among those who feel threatened by formal programs. Here are just a few examples:

• Many priests encourage dialogue when blessing homes, making pastoral visitations, or simply over the dinner table. Priests are always looking for captive audiences, and parishioners are often thrilled to have a captive priest in the house for a few minutes or hours. Inevitably, the discussion will turn to the Church, providing an ideal, non-threatening educational setting. Priests must always be aware of the need to present an open, sensitive attitude, one which will encourage this type of dialogue.
• Social gatherings often generate opportunities for informal teaching. Again, Christ Himself experienced this countless times, such as at the wedding feast in Cana or when encountering the Samaritan woman at the well. Whether it be a Church picnic, a dinner, or a family gathering after a baptism or wedding, the priest is continually finding himself in circumstances ripe for informal educational opportunities. Again, the priest, as part of his teaching ministry, may have to first teach his parishioners to relax and open up in his presence, but in general, the faithful welcome such opportunities.
• A variety of non-verbal, visual mediums can be utilized in informal teaching. Producers of television commercials have always understood the value of subliminal advertising. Informal, subliminal education shouldn't be overlooked in the Church. Bulletin boards, posters, displays, and photo-collages can all be effectively employed by the priest to present a variety of subjects to a wide audience. Such items, placed in strategic places in the Church hall (like on the wall next to where the line forms at coffee hour!) provide a little visual excitement as well as an opportunity to learn and experience something new.

JUST THE BEGINNING

This article in no way pretends to exhaust every facet of the priest's teaching ministry. Certain areas, such as the priest as teacher by example, were omitted either because they are quite obvious or have been expounded upon a number of times already. What is intended is the sharing of a creative vision of the educational work entrusted to the clergy, one not only based on the Church's wisdom, but her profound common sense as well. Hopefully, it will help to stimulate all of us - clergy and laity alike - into exploring the teaching ministry of the priest, as based on the example of Christ Himself, more fully.