By Dorothy Henderson, minister of Caven Presbyterian Church, Exeter, Ontario

Ah…the times they are a’changin’. When my parents went to Sunday school, they wrote their Bible verses on a slate with chalk. Their teacher had no training at all. But he was kind-hearted, and his wife always made brown sugar fudge to reward good behaviour.

When I was old enough to go to church school, there were (mercifully!) books, pencils and colourful take-home papers. Our teachers, too, had no training, but they had new resource materials to suggest how children can be actively engaged in their own learning.

Then along came my children. They were used to learning in groups using experiential activities and they grew up on computers. Their church school teachers attended, albeit sporadically, training events and learned about rotation model, multiple intelligence and self-directed learning.

Ways of learning and teacher training in congregations constantly change, so it should be no surprise that a group called PREP (Presbyterian and Reformed Educational Partners) wanted to take teacher/leader training a step further. PREP worked hard to produce online teacher training resources.PREP has produced four interactive, engaging online courses where teens and adults can learn how to be the best possible teacher or leader. There are a number of factors that make Opening Doors to Discipleship a welcome addition totoday’s churches:

• In the context of shrinking budgets, Opening Doors is free.
• Because people are busier than ever, it is a welcome thing to use any of the Opening Doors courses whenever there is a free half hour.
• Because there are a plethora of church school sites on the web from more conservative, literal Christian churches, it is refreshing to find solid resources for mainline churches.

There are some unique advantages to learning online. First, you can set your ownpace and go back to review as often as you like. Second, if there is a topic that does not apply to you (a pre-school teacher may not want to study the session on adult learning), you can simply skip that topic. Third, there is opportunity to form onlinefriendships by using the Forum. Imagine echattingwith a Bible study leader on the other side of Canada or in the USA. Fourth, if you are more paper-oriented, you can print off handouts and session resources. Learning online is a natural mode for many people, especially younger teachers.

Are there disadvantages to learning online? Some older teachers may find the technology confusing if they are not used to using computers. Also, in some remote areas where high speed internet is not available, some of the features, such as the video clips, may not work well.

Despite these few challenges, though, many people have expressed joy and excitement about online learning and the Opening Doors courses.

Barb is a new teacher of the primary children in her church. Barb also teaches the third grade in the local village school, so she is well aware of how children learn and the types of learning activities they enjoy. But Barb had other questions. How do children grow spiritually? What should she do when the children in her church school class forget how to behave? There is no principal’s office at the church. Even more important to Barb was her awareness that, although she grew up in the church, her own biblical knowledge was sadly lacking. Fortunately, Barb learned about Opening Doors to Discipleship. On the weekends she spent some time exploring the site and found a learning module titled “How children grow spiritually.” She also found a whole session on “Discipline in the church school,” and then, to her delight, Barb discovered Course B: Bible Background. In her own time and at her own pace, Barb walked herself through the dramatic story of the Bible. Barb is a new teacher of the primary childrenin her church. Barb also teaches the thirdgrade in the local village school, so she is wellaware of how children learn and the types of learning activities they enjoy. But Barb hadother questions. How do children growspiritually? What should she do when the children in her church school class forgethow to behave? There is no principal’s officeat the church. Even more important to Barbwas her awareness that, although she grewup in the church, her own biblical knowledge was sadly lacking. Fortunately, Barb learnedabout Opening Doors to Discipleship. Onthe weekends she spent some timeexploring the site and found a learningmodule titled “How children grow spiritually.” She also found a whole sessionon “Discipline in the church school,” and then, to her delight, Barb discovered CourseB: Bible Background. In her own time and ather own pace, Barb walked herself through the dramatic story of the Bible.

Rob has been teaching an adult Bible class for many years, yet it surprised him to log on to Opening Doors to Discipleship and pick up new tips in the session titled “Understanding adult learners.” He especially enjoyed watching the video of real people telling their experiences of teaching adults. One day, in his class, someone asked, “Why do we govern ourselves the way we do? Why don’t we have congregational government like the Baptists?” Rob logged on to www.openingdoorstodiscipleship.com and found a helpful session in Course C that explains how we govern ourselves in the Reformed tradition.

Leslie, the minister of First Church, had six youth who were preparing to make a public profession of faith. To Leslie’s dismay, the youth seemed to have a poor grasp of basic Bible stories. How could the congregation help the youth without seeming to “put them back into Sunday school?” Leslie decided to assign each youth the task of exploring the Bible using Course B. Leslie borrowed some laptops and, together, in the church lounge, they logged on and walked from Genesis to Revelation over a period of several weeks.

Opening Doors to Discipleship is an innovative teaching tool for a computer-savvy generation, and it has plenty of appeal for older generations, too.

Dorothy Henderson is the minister of Caven Presbyterian Church in Exeter, Ontario, and the project manager for the development of Opening Doors to Discipleship.

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