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二○二○年三月七日/三月八日                                                                                              Click here for English version

教與學:網絡主日學?未來主日學?

黃彩蓮牧師

現今網絡運用如此方便,只要用手機便可以瀏覽各地眾多的基督教課程。那麼,我們還需要回教會上主日學嗎?自年初疫情出現,北宣家各類聚會——包括主日學——都突然剎停了,以致各主日學事工及學員都急需有所應變,考慮進入網絡主日學的教與學。

不論主日學的模式出現如何變化,我們都須從聖經探討耶穌如何看教與學。我想起耶穌的大使命:「所以,你們要去使萬民作我的門徒,奉父子聖靈的名,給他們施洗,我吩咐你們的一切,都要教導他們遵守。這樣,我就常常與你們同在,直到這世代的終結。」(太二十八 19-20,新譯本)經文中「教導」一字,原文多次出現於四福音耶穌的生平中,而耶穌的教導對象,主要是未信者,祂希望他們作主門徒及「遵守」主道。綜觀耶穌的一生,祂活出了大使命「教與學」的榜樣,為要使萬民作主的門徒。

1780 年,主日學之父羅拔力奇(Robert Raikes)在英國推動主日學,實踐了大使命的「教與學」。當時他看見主日有許多童工在街上流連,遂自掏腰包,請一些婦女在主日教導這些童工,讓他們學會基礎知識,也「教導」他們「遵守」主道作主門徒。隨後主日學運動在各國遍地開花,越來越有系統,而對象亦擴展至成年、長者,發展至今已有 240 年。

1883 年,宣信博士尚未創辦宣道會,已先成立宣教訓練學院,把「教與學」的重點結合大使命的「去」,即是去使萬民作主的門徒。此外,他也定期在宣道會刊物撰寫主日學教材,圖文並茂教導宣教的需要。在當時,能善用文字媒體作教導,就是一種創意教學。及至 1980 年,美國宣道會為紀念主日學運動誕生 200 年,在週刊以多篇文章探討主日學的未來,時任宣道會教育部部長有如此睿見:「主日學會越來越電子化。」1 這觀點在當時也是一種新思維。由此可見,宣道會從來不抗拒「創意教與學」,關鍵只在於能否延續宣道會精神,仍把焦點結合大使命之「去」。今天,我們要面對「主日學越來越網絡化」,未來主日學需要更多的更新,但如何「學」得有系統、有焦點,仍需要連結於教會,互相補足。

下一季青成級主日學接受報名了,雖然受疫情影響而只能提供九科網上課程,但我盼望大家仍保持學習的熱誠,繼續一生結合大使命之「去」,在「教與學」中成長。



1 Daryl Dale, "What After 1980? The Sunday school of the future may be in for major changes," The Alliance Witness (Feb 6, 1980): 11.




Pastor's Sharing
Online Teaching and Learning: The Future of Sunday School?
Rev Kinia Ng

Advances in technology have enabled us to access Christian courses all over the world using our mobile phones. As such, do we still need to attend Sunday School at church? Ever since the outbreak of the epidemic earlier this year, we suspended all gatherings including the Sunday School. We started to consider teaching and learning online.

No matter what changes there will be in the mode of Sunday School, we need to go back to the Bible and look at how the Lord Jesus sees learning and teaching. The Great Commission comes to my mind: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). The original word for "teach" here appears many times in the life of Jesus in the four gospels. Jesus mainly taught non-believers in the hope that they would become His disciples and "obey" the Word of God. Through His life, Jesus set the example for teaching and obeying the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

In 1780, Robert Raikes, founder of Sunday School, started promoting Sunday School in Britain, putting into practice the concepts of teaching and learning in the Great Commission. At that time, many underaged workers loitered in the streets. Raikes engaged some women to teach those children basic knowledge on Sunday, paying all the expenses himself. The children were also taught to obey the Word of God and become His disciples. The Sunday School Movement quickly spread to other countries and became better organized. There were also classes for adults and the elderly. It has been 240 years since Sunday School started.

Meanwhile, in 1883 before Dr. A. B. Simpson founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), he first set up the Missionary Training College and integrated teaching and learning with the "go" in the Great Commission – "go and make disciples of all nations." Meanwhile, Dr. Simpson regularly compiled Sunday School teaching material in C&MA publications, teaching the need for mission work in words and pictures. At that time, the use of the print media for teaching was considered creative. Later, in 1980, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Sunday School Movement, the C&MA included a series of articles in its bulletin in which the future development of Sunday Schools was explored. The then C&MA education chief said: "The Sunday School will turn increasingly to electronics." 1 That was new insight at that time. In fact, the C&MA has never resisted creative teaching and learning as long as it can sustain the C&MA emphasis on "go." Today, we see the increasing use of online media in Sunday School. Sunday School will need renewal continually in future. But to be able to learn systematically and with focus, it will still need to be connected with the church so they would complement each other.

The new quarter of the Young Adult and Adult Sunday School (in Chinese) is now open for application. Although only nine courses can be offered online due to the impact of the coronavirus, it is my prayer and hope that with sustained enthusiasm, all of you will be able to grow through teaching and learning in Sunday School with an emphasis to "go" and make disciples of all nations.

1Daryl Dale, "What After 1980? The Sunday school of the future may be in for major changes," The Alliance Witness (Feb 6, 1980): 11.