Episcopal Church Not To Participate in JED Educational Systems
Diocesan Press Service. February 1, 1974 [74028]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has decided, on the recommendation of its Program Group on Education, not to participate in the educational systems project of the ecumenical Joint Education Development (JED).
However, the Episcopal Church, one of the original partners in JED, continues its active support of other projects in the cooperative venture in Christian education, such as SHARE, a quarterly publication for teachers and leaders.
JED is composed of the national Christian education agencies of six denominations engaged in projects which can be done jointly better than separately. According to the structure of JED, each denomination participates only in projects it deems necessary to its overall educational work.
The administrative committee of JED's educational systems project has just announced the approval of the final description of the first of four projected educational systems and has sent the plan to the participating denominations for action.
The Rev. David W. Perry, religious education coordinator of the Executive Council staff, said the Episcopal Church had decided not to participate in the optional educational systems project because "a new nationally formulated curriculum was not desired."
He said that the participants in eight regional religious education consultations recently held throughout the Episcopal Church expressed "the widespread feeling that what was desired were tools that would help the local diocese and congregation plan their own educational ministries. A curriculum was not called for."
He said the Program Group on Education "felt that given our present funds and given our present priorities (enabling the local congregation to plan its own educational ministry) it would be unwise to buy into this project."
Mr. Perry said that participation in the educational systems project would involve up to $55,000 for 1974, and with a total budget for education of only $180,000, it would be impossible to make such a commitment.
He said that Episcopal participation in the project would also "require that we employ a number of consultants to participate in the various systems," and this, he said, would be an additional expense.
However, denominations which do not participate in the development of the educational systems will have the option of buying and using the material when it is completed.
The first system, the design of which has just been completed, is a Bible study approach to Christian education. The goal, according to the project team which developed the design, " is to enable persons to know the contents of the Bible, to understand its message in the light of their experiences and relationships, and to bring into tension the truth of the Scriptures with the persistent concerns of persons and society."
Implementation of the Bible-based system has already begun through two consortia of denominations: one to provide Uniform Lesson materials for youth, young adults and adults, beginning in September, 1975; the other to develop a permanent selection of Biblical passages for use with preschoolers and children in grades 1-6, to be ready in mid-1976.
Biblical passages for adults and youth, based on the concept of the Uniform Series, will be selected from all parts of the Bible in the light of current topics and issues.
The project team feels that the new teaching/learning plan for children, called the Children's Bible Series, will be more appropriate for children than the Uniform Series.
According to the project team, this system "confronts persons with the promises and demands of the gospel as these relate to personal faith, moral values, human relation- ships, social responsibility, Christian hope, and the implications of Christian discipleship under the lordship of Christ and the fellowship of his Spirit. "
The goals of the other three educational systems which are being developed are to provide a historical study of the Christian heritage; to provide an experience-oriented series dealing with felt needs and interests; and to provide a system directed toward social problems and issues. These materials will be ready between the fall of 1975 and 1978.
Each of the four educational systems being designed by JED consists of a theological and educational design with goals; plans for organizing teaching/learning opportunities; a description of available resources; and a description of appropriate leadership support.
The four systems, the project team says, "enhance one another, but each can stand alone. " Congregations may draw on the resources of more than one of the optional systems, though small congregations may decide to use only one of the systems which best suits their needs and resources.
The six partners in JED are the Christian Church (Disciples), the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
All of the JED member denominations except the Episcopal Church are participating to some degree in the design of one or more of the educational systems, plus the Church of the Brethren and the Presbyterian Church of Canada. Several other denominations have sent observers to planning meetings and may share in the results when the systems are developed.