The Church as a Learning Community: A Comprehensive Guide to Christian Education

Norma Cook Everist includes everything you could ever imagine wanting to know about Christian education is this dense, yet surprisingly readable, volume. It is a fantastic resource for anyone who is serious about Christian education because of the variety and detail of the material within. Everist addresses both the purpose and the practicalities of Christian education supported by a strong understanding of educational theory and church history and practice. She not only discusses different learning styles but manages to include those styles (charts, case studies, questions for reflection) within the book itself, making it accessible to readers with their own varieties of learning styles. What I most appreciated about this book was that Everist manages to give equal weight to creating the learning environment, curriculum and the purpose of Christian education. American churches have a tendency to think of Christian education almost exclusively in terms of curriculum, hoping that the "right" curriculum will solve all of our educational challenges. While Everist does not in any way discount the importance of curriculum she takes a broader view of it as "God and God's people in this time and place". This view of curriculum plays into the importance of understanding and creating the learning environment of each church body and the missional approach to the purpose of Christian education she presents. Much as I enjoy this book and plan on using it as a reference often, I do have two cautions. It is not a good text for someone new to Christian education, it can be pretty overwhelming in the sheer volume and variety of theory and information it offers. I also echo a concern of an earlier reviewer in that Everist's perspective, especially on matters of baptism and church polity, is quite specific to her own theological tradition and it is difficult to connect her advice in these areas with a more evangelical approach. However, I would highly recommend this book to anyone with who finds themselves working and/or volunteering in the area of Christian education. It is a treasure trove you can keep returning to for both inspiration and practical ideas.

This book will make you significantly smarter at your next education committee meeting! Ok, well...maybe not at your next meeting- as it is a dense and detailed, idea packed book close to 400 pages- but it will expand your ideas about education in a church environment. I hate to be caught using the phrase "something for everyone", but it really does apply here. Not only that, Everist includes many things for anyone: most of the material seems likely to enrich any person involved in church education (a group of people which is expanded to include everyone who walks in the doors of the church, by the way.) It is a vast storehouse of practical methods and ideas for every age group, some of which are laid out in a convenient diagram format. Norma Cook Everist explores life stages, ways the community is organized, who is included in the community, and sets out many ideas for education in all of these contexts. One criticism I have involves the flip side of this book's great strength- the volume of the material presented. It is very detailed and expansive. If you are looking for an easy-read manual that can be thumbed through at meetings when an educational issue arises, don't buy book. In order to utilize its riches, one needs to commit to it and spend time slowly becoming familiar with the content. Trying to skim through or read quickly may result in frustration, and abandoning the effort. (So, you may not have anything for your education committee meeting tomorrow... but next month? Watch out!!) Another characteristic that might be a problem is the congregational ethos it quite obviously springs from. Parts of this model include church functions (committee structure, liturgy, curriculum, sacraments, the use of the word "parish" and the sometimes-assumption that there is a community of connected churches) that are found more often in mainline, liturgical churches than in a more fluid evangelical or non-denominational approach in which those elements are less important or not present in the same way. However, there are only a very few theological assumptions that affect the curriculum in ways that might cause a problem. The way that baptism is part of Everist's foundation for our congregational responsibility to educate one another might change meanings or create a stumbling block for congregations that practice only adult baptism. Other issues, such as the emphasis on community and civic involvement as part of our educational process (which is an emphasis found more often in mainline churches) add a wonderful richness to the book in taking our responsibility for educating outside the church walls. These differences in perspective are certainly nothing to fear. The sheer volume of information and diversity of the resources within this book (the great majority of which carry no denomination-specific doctrinal claims) assure that it will be a rich resource for anyone. Overall, this is a wonderful book for those serious about e

As a lay leader in my church's adult education ministry, I found Norma Cook Everist's book to be an excellent handbook and guide for my continued faith journey as both a teacher and learner in my congregation. I wish I had discovered this book a few years ago - but as they say - better late than never. As the author states, "The purpose of this book is threefold: to put forth a vision of the entire parish as a learning community; to help faith communities create and maintain learning environments that facilitate us being different together in a pluralistic world; and to provide a comprehensive guide for religious educators leading a congregation toward fully becoming a learning community." I'm pleased to say that Norma delivers on all three fronts! This is not the type of book that will sit idly on your shelf collecting dust. It's a wonderful resource that Christian educators will find themselves using time and again. It truly is a comprehensive guide to Christian education. I really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunities for reflection in the various chapters. The graphs, tools and strategies are extremely useful - this book is packed with tips and advice that's both practical and applicable in today's communities of faith. I especially enjoyed chapter three - Eight Facets of Learning: Methodologies for a Diverse People. As the author states in chapter three, "How we teach teaches as powerfully as what we teach. The method a teacher chooses to use does not just convey content; it becomes the experience." The Church As Learning Community is truly a rich and wonderful guide to helping all of us involved in Christian education become powerful teachers to the body of Christ.

Where on earth was this book when I was in my first year of parish youth ministry??? If you are a teacher, volunteer or paid staff worker within Christian Education...get this book. It is a resource that guides and empowers both professional and lay leaders alike. As a parish educator, I want this book close at hand on my resource shelf. It is a great place to begin understanding Christian Education beyond Sunday School. As the title implies, it enables one to see the whole church as ripe for learning, at every stage in life. Whether you are new to a position or have years of experience, this book will become your new best friend.

This book is an amazing book; as the subtitle states...it truly is a "comprehensive guide to Christian Education." The Church as Learning Community is a perfect resource for Christian Educators in the church, for pastors/priests, for lay leaders, and people who will at some point be in one of those positions, "especially those in college, divinity school or seminary." The main reason to me of why this is a great resource is that it takes the things that are the most significant to Religious Education in the church and presents the information in a way in which lay people can understand...while not "dumbing it down" for "professionals" or students. Two other great assets is that this book possesses in the chapters 1)questions for personal reflection and 2)strategies for the particular topic that was just discussed. As someone who has recently graduated from college with a Christian Education degree and is currently at Seminary...I whole-heartily recommend this book. Some of the topics that I believe are important that The Church as Learning Community include are (in no specific order): developmental stages, choosing resources, working with "differently" abled, how to create a "safe" environment, the eight facets of learning, relevant case studies, outreach, how to "equip" leaders, how to plan, how to be the church in today's pluralistic world and how to show that religious education is something that can be done in "everyday" life.