fall into three classes: religious, semi-religious and welfare. Other
nomenclature, characterizing them might be used, and would be by their
founders, but these words classify them for the purpose of our
investigation. The _religious_ organizations have for their sole aim the
deepening of the religious impulse, and the missionary objective of
carrying this impulse to others. The _semi-religious_ are built around
religious and symbolic heroes, make a bid for the heroic and the gang
spirit, and seek to inculcate more or less of religious truth by the
sugar-coat method. The _welfare_ type aims at the giving of all sorts of
activity in order to keep the boy interested and busy, and so raise the
tone of his life in general.
The religious type of organization includes the forms that may be
classed under the church brotherhood idea--the junior brotherhoods of
various sorts. They originated because of the need of some kind of
expression for the religious impressions that were continually coming to
the boy in his church life. The idea was good, but its release poor.
Senior forms of organization were imitated, adult forms of worship and
service diminutized, and juvenile copies of mature experience
encouraged. Junior brotherhoods and junior societies thus have tended to
destroy the genuine, natural, spontaneous religious life of boys, and
have unconsciously aided the culture of cant and religious unreality.
The semi-religious organizations have gone a full step beyond those of
the religious type. Societies like the Knights of King Arthur, Knights
of the Holy Grail, Modern Knights of St. Paul, and others of such ilk
have in symbolism sought to teach and find expression for the religious
impulse. The method has been more or less the religious type in
disguise--ancient titles, elaborate ritual, initiations, and degrees,
red fire, fuss and feathers, and something doing all the time to attract
the boy. The result has been and is a play-idea of organization and a
make-believe environment on the part of the boy. In his thought it never
classifies with his school or home or general church life. It is a
thing apart, some thing or place to retire to, to forget the everyday
thing for a moment of romance. The mature mind that is responsible for
all of this, however, seeks to bend and use this make-believe world for
the inculcation of religious truth; and the product is an astonishing
variety of results. Most of it is beyond the grasp of the ordinary man,
the only man who at present or at any time will do this work in the
church; and where set programs or ritual are followed the work itself
loses its fire and misses its effectiveness.
The welfare type of organizations has multiplied in the past few years,
_and their less religious activities have served to keep the religious
and semi-religious types alive_. The Boys' Brigade, the National First
Aid Association, the Woodcraft Indians, Sons of Daniel Boone, Boy
Scouts, and others of like type, are in season and out of season
appealing to American boyhood. Their aim is not specific, but general
and vague: "Something to do, something to think about, something to
enjoy, with a view always to character-building." Their appeal is
mostly to the physical and the out-of-doors; their philosophy that of
the recapitulation of the culture epochs. Their promoters do not claim
that they touch all of life. They seek to dominate the leisure time
only, and to produce goodness by affording no free time for positive
wrong-doing. The domination is also physical expression, and the mental
and spiritual in the boy and his home, school, and church life are not
vitally affected directly.
All three types, however, have done splendid work in the past, and are
rendering good service in the present as they will in the future. The
success of each depends entirely on its leadership. If a leader be
steeped in the Idylls of the King, the Knights of King Arthur will be
popular with the boys and the church. If the superintendent of the
brotherhood or society be human and magnetic, the church and the boy
will sing its praises. If the scoutmaster is an out-of-door man and has
a point of contact with the boy, the Boy Scouts will be the solution of
all our difficulties. Here lies the crux of the whole matter. If boys
are added to the church through any organization, it is not because of
the method, but because of the worker of the method. The method counts
because it is part of the worker--is in his blood.
=Method=
The aim of all church work should be the production not merely of
manhood but _Christian manhood_. The vision is to see the boy a
Christ-like boy--a physically, socially, mentally and spiritually
balanced man in the making. The organizations used, then, in boys' work
should be selected with this aim in mind.
Again, modern psychology has demonstrated to us that all boy activities
must be graded according to each stage of a boy's development, and that
there are several such stages. In the adolescent boy these may roughly
be classed as the heroic and reflective stages, or as early, middle, and
late adolescence. Boy activities, then, must group themselves to
minister to the needs of each separate stage in order to work
effectively. But psychology has also shown us that the activities of any
one stage must also be graded to meet the needs of that one stage. Thus
the heroic may run from the twelfth to the fifteenth year, and the
activities of this phase should be graded to meet the development of the
phase. This is well illustrated by the Tenderfoot Second Class Scout and
First Class Scout degrees of the Boy Scouts which operate in this
period.
The factors of the problem, then, to be considered in the method are:
First, Christian Manhood; second, the fact that there are distinct and
separate stages of growth in a boy's development, each stage having its
own well-defined steps of growth; and third, the selection of existing
boy organization activities to meet the need and produce the aim or
desired result.
By way of illustration, let us consider a group of boys just past their
twelfth year. All their physical, social, mental, and spiritual needs
are to be met. The boys are just adolescent and their outlook because of
that is altruistic. They have reached the "ganging" period, and so must
have some form of organization. What organizations can be used to lead
them into Christian manhood between the twelfth and fifteenth year?
There are the Knights of King Arthur, the Boy Scouts, the Junior
Brotherhood, the Christian Endeavor, and the Sunday School Bible Class.
There are others--hosts of them--but these widely known forms will suit
the purpose. For physical purposes we have the Scouts, for social
purposes the Scouts, Knights, and the Bible Class; for mental purposes
the Knights, and for spiritual purposes the Knights, Brotherhood,
Endeavor, and the Bible Class. To see a boy get his own full development
under this plan he must needs belong to at least five organizations; and
_the principle of association among boys is not gangs but the gang_.
However, much can be done under difficulties. The Scouts will afford
free, physical, outdoor expression, without which there is no boy. The
Knights will furnish mental ideals and objectives; for the Knights of
King Arthur is the mental expression of the Boy Scouts and the Boy
Scouts is the physical expression of the Knights of King Arthur. Both of
them, with the Bible Class group, will furnish social stimulus and the
Bible study, and the more or less valuable devotional expression of the
Endeavor and Brotherhood will take care of the spiritual. In using an
organization, a clearly defined idea of the end sought should always be
in view.
=Efficiency=
In all church work for boys, efficiency should be sought. _It should
also be kept in mind that it is church work for boys_.
In all our discussion two things must seem striking: first, that we must
at present use at least five organizations to meet the boy need, five
gangs, when the principle of boy association is not gangs but the gang;
and second, that all of these organizations, with the exception of the
Bible Class, have their headquarters outside of the local church itself.
The headquarters are in New York, Detroit, Boston, Cincinnati,
Baltimore, etc., while the work they seek to do is the local church's
business. Further, they have all had their birth in the misunderstanding
of the church as to her mission for boys. The church, however, has now a
new vision of her mission, as manifested by her patience and forbearance
in trying out and listening to the voices of all these organizations
that would help her from the outside. The church is awake to the need,
but is confused in the method, because she recognizes that no single
organization that knocks at her door is sufficient and complete enough
for her task. She needs all their methods without their organization.
She cannot assume their organization, because it is not of her own flesh
and blood.
_A boy's allegiance cannot be split up among gangs. He must be a member
of the gang._ One organization is all that he can comprehend with
loyalty at one time. _This organization must be also of the local
church._ But the church needs no new organization. All she needs is
activities suitable to the boy's growth. _She has an organization that
the boy cannot outgrow--the Organized Bible Class._ At fifteen he is
through with the Scouts and the Knights, and at eighteen or twenty he is
through with fraternities and orders, or ought to be; for, if a boy be
not starved for these things when a boy, he will outgrow them as he
outgrows a suit of clothes. Graduation from these orders very often
means graduation from the Sunday school and church; for no single
organization can be conceived, that with ritual and form can bind
together the activities of twelve to fifteen, fifteen to twenty, and
twenty to thirty. However, there can be no graduation from the Organized
Bible Class, flesh of the church's flesh, blood of her blood, muscle of
her muscle; and the Organized Bible Class is flexible enough for an
adjustment to every stage of boy development, and to all its physical,
social, mental and spiritual needs. The organized class between twelve
and fifteen can include all the interests of those years, and when the
next stage of growth is on, can discard these for the interests that
lie between fifteen and twenty, and so on to the end.
The Organized Bible Class is simple in organization, is modern and
elastic, affords the minimum of organization and the maximum of
efficiency, is big enough to meet all the boy's needs, and is the
church's own. Into it can be poured all the activities of all the
organizations ever known, and it can be made the richest and best
adapted organization to the boy life of the Church that has yet been
conceived.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON METHOD AND ORGANIZATION
Alexander (Editor).--Boy Training (Chapter on Auxiliary Organizations)
(.75).
--Sunday School and the Teens (Chapter on Organizations) ($1.00).
Foster.--The Boy and the Church (Chapter on Books and Notes) (.75).
VIII
THE ORGANIZED SUNDAY SCHOOL BIBLE CLASS[2]
When all the plans and methods of work are reduced to a minimum, there
is but one. This finds expression in the gang or club life. Boys get
together in a group, elect their own officers and select a man who is to
be their adviser. Then they go out and do the thing they have organized
for in what is to them the simplest and best-known way. It may be stamp
collecting, or star studying, woodcraft, or camping, or the hundred and
one other forms of boy activity which are so common today. Seventy-five
per cent. of these clubs are formed solely for the purpose of physical
expression in athletics. Hundreds of such clubs exist today to meet the
various needs of the growing boy. The Knights of King Arthur, the Boy
Scouts, the Woodcraft Indians, the Sons of Daniel Boone, the Knights of
the Holy Grail, the Knights of St. Paul, and dozens of others have been
conceived and born for the purpose of meeting the needs of boys, as the
founders of the organizations saw them.
In harmony with all the other boys' organizations, and yet bigger than
all of them put together, is the Sunday school organization for
boys--the Organized Bible Class. It is purely and simply a church
organization, and owes no allegiance to any organization outside of the
local church. It is also a distinct part of the church life and an
organic part of the Sunday school, which is large enough to hold the
boy's interest from the cradle roll to the grave. The other
organizations serve their day in the life of the boy and cease to be. It
is difficult, almost an impossibility, to get normal boys, after fifteen
years of age, to take much interest in the so-called boys'
organizations, because their lives have outgrown these activities and
there is no longer any need of them. The Organized Bible Class presents
a method that can never be outgrown. _It also has at its heart Bible
study, which is the one essential to permanence in any work with boys_.
=Class Organization=
_Objective_.--Class organization is of no value unless the class has
definite objectives. The members should be made to feel that there is
some great purpose in the organization. The objectives for a teen age
class should be:
1. The winning of the class members to personal allegiance to Jesus
Christ as Saviour and Lord; and
2. The proper expression of the Christian life in service for others in
the name and spirit of the Christ. Thus one strengthens one's self and
helps others.
_Why Organize_.--(a) It is natural for a boy to want to get into an
organization of some kind. Seventy-five per cent. of the boys of a
community are, or have been, connected with some sort of organization.
These organizations, rightly controlled, and dominated by strong
Christian leadership, can be made a power for good in the community and
in the lives of their members. It matters not what the organization may
be connected with, it is the activities that appeal.
Why should not the Sunday school take advantage of this natural,
God-given instinct, to plan such organization in the church as will
present the strongest claim for the loyalty of the boys in the teen age?
(b) The organization is in the hands of the members of the class,
activities are planned by them, and discipline, when necessary, is
administered by them. The position of the teacher is thereby
strengthened. Instead of being an "autocrat" or "czar" in dealing with
the class, the function is that of counsellor and friend.
(c) It develops initiative, self-reliance, self-control, and the ability
to do things; character is thereby developed, and strong Christian
character is what the church needs today.
(d) The Organized Boys' Bible Classes will, without a doubt, become as
universal in their scope as Organized Adult Bible Classes. To be
affiliated with the biggest teen age organization in the world will, in
itself, appeal to every teen age boy and girl.
(e) Organization increases class spirit. The organized class becomes
"our class," not the "teacher's class." The unorganized class suffers
greatly if the teacher is removed, and sometimes is obliged to disband.
The organized class helps to secure another teacher, and, in the
interim, maintains its class work and is thus kept together. Though much
depends upon the teacher, the permanency of the class should not rest
wholly upon his personality and work. Changes must necessarily come.
(f) Organization enables the class to do things. The appointment of
special committees, the assignment of definite work to each committee,
and the introduction of various class activities does much toward
realizing the ideal--"an adequate Christian service for every member."
Large and permanent success is assured when this ideal is attained.
=Standard of Organization=
1. The class shall have at least five officers: President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Teacher. It shall also have as
many committees as necessary to carry on its work.
2. The class shall be definitely connected with a Sunday school.
3. A Sunday Bible session and, if practicable, week-day session or
activities.
4. The age limits of the class shall be not less than thirteen or more
than twenty years.
=How to Organize=
Secure Secondary Division Leaflet No. 2, of the International Sunday
School Association.
Study this leaflet carefully, noting especially the standard of
organization and the suggestive constitution, which seek to define an
organized class. Distribute leaflets among those whom you wish to
interest and enlist. Organization should not be forced on the class. Do
not go at it as though you were laying a trap. Observe the following:
(a) Think it through yourself; then put yourself in the pupil's place
and ask yourself the question, "How would I like to have this presented
to me?" This will give you the viewpoint of your class, and you are then
ready to go ahead. You must believe in it thoroughly, enthusiastically,
before you can hope for the interest and enthusiasm of your class.
(b) Next, get two or three of your "key" pupils, and talk it over with
them. Show them the possibilities of the organization, emphasizing the
physical, mental, social and spiritual activities.
(c) Follow this with a special meeting of the class, to be held either
at the home of the teacher or one of the class.
(d) Make the organization genuine, and show that you mean business. The
teen age abhors shams, and will readily detect any weak spots in the
organization. Impress upon them the necessity of selecting capable
officers. Adopt the class constitution, which follows, select class name
and motto, and elect the officers.
(e) Then let the officers conduct the meetings, both in the Sunday and
the mid-week sessions. The teacher is one of the class and is the
director of activities; the officers and committeemen do the work.
(f) In all things keep in close touch with the general superintendent
and the departmental superintendent of the school. Seek the strength
that comes from advice and cooperation.
=Constitution=
A class constitution is not essential, but is often helpful. The
following form of constitution is merely suggestive and may be changed
to conform to the needs of the class.
_Article I_--Name.
Our class shall be known as _______________
_____________ and shall be connected
with, and form a part of, the
______________Sunday school of_______.
_Article II_--Object.
The object of the class shall be the training of Christian character for
Christian service in the extension of Christ's Kingdom by means of Bible
study, through-the-week activities, mutual helpfulness, and social
fellowship, in addition to the winning of its members' allegiance to
Christ as Saviour and Lord.
_Article III_--Class Spirit.
To create an individuality in class spirit, loyalty and enthusiasm, the
class shall have an emblem, a motto and a color. It may also have a
flower, a song, a yell, a whistle, or such other additions as may seem
wise.
_Article IV_--Membership.
Any boy may become a member of this class on invitation of the class.
_Article V_--Officers.
The class officers may include the following: Teacher, President,
Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The officers shall be elected
by ballot semiannually by the class, and no officer shall serve in the
same position more than two terms in succession, except the teacher,
whose election or appointment is governed by the church or Sunday
school. The teacher may be elected by the class from a list provided by
the church authorities.
_Article VI_--Committees
There shall be as many committees in the class as necessary, such as
Social, Literary, Music, Athletic, etc.
_Article VII_--Meetings.
The class shall meet at ____o'clock each Sunday for its regular Bible
study session. Week-day meetings may be held each week. Special meetings
may be called at any time by the president, and the presence of
one-fourth of the enrolled membership shall be necessary for the
transaction of class business.
_Article VIII_--Duties of Officers and Committees.
Sec. 1. The teacher shall teach the lesson, shall be an ex officio
member of all committees, and shall work cooperatively with the
president in promoting the interests of the class.
Sec. 2. The president shall preside at meetings of the class, shall have
general supervision over the officers, and shall see that the work of
the class is pushed in accordance with its object.
Sec. 3. The vice-president shall take the president's place in case of
absence, and shall render such assistance to the president as may be
required of him.
Sec. 4. The secretary shall make class announcements, keep minutes of
all meetings, write to absent members, and report any information to the
teacher which may be desired.
Sec. 5. The duty of committees shall be defined by the activity each
carries on, said committee being responsible to the class for the work
entrusted to it.
_Article IX_--By-Laws.
From time to time the class may amend this constitution and pass such
by-laws as seem wise in carrying forward the work of the class.
A careful study of the Organized Class diagram on another page (86) will
furnish the teacher with a workable plan. In all cases it should be
adapted to local conditions.
Mid-week activities should be planned as a part of the weekly program,
keeping in mind the fourfold life of the pupil. The planning of these
activities should be left almost entirely to the class; any plans that
the teacher may have should be turned over to the class by way of
suggestion. Place the responsibility on the members of the class, and
once they have caught the idea there will be no lack of suggestions on
their part.
THE TEEN AGE BOYS' ORGANIZED CLASS
|
ORGANIZATION
|
+---------------+-------------+
| | |
OFFICERS | COMMITTEES
| | |
President [A] | Athletic
Vice-President [A] | Social
Secretary [A] | Membership[3]
Treasurer [B] | Program[4]
Teacher [B] | Etc.
|
CLASS MEETING
|
+----------------+--------------+
| | |
SUNDAY SESSION | THROUGH-THE-WEEK SESSION
| | |
Opening Services | |
Class Lesson | DETERMINED BY ACTIVITY
Discussion of | |
Through-the-Week | |
Activities | ACTIVITY COMMITTEE IN CHARGE
Closing Services |
|
RANGE OF CLASS ACTIVITIES
|
+------------+--------+--------------+----------+
| | | | |
PHYSICAL MENTAL SOCIAL SPIRITUAL SERVICE
[A] Older Boy [B] Adult
Prepared by John L. Alexander, Superintendent Secondary Division
International Sunday School Association.
The class session on Sunday should be in charge of the president of the
class. The opening services may consist of a short prayer by the teacher
or pupil volunteering; reading of brief minutes, covering the mid-week
activities and emphasizing the important points brought out by the
teacher in the lesson of the previous Sunday; collection and other
business. The president then turns the class over to the teacher for the
teaching of the lesson. The closing services of the class should by all
means be observed.
_Committees._--Short-term committees are the more effective, covering
the activities when planned. The short-term committee plan, however,
need not be suggested to the class until it discovers that the long-term
or standing committee has failed. They will doubtless be the first to
suggest the new plan.
=Class Grouping and Size=
It should be sane and natural and not too large. This should be
specially borne in mind in working with boys; a "gang" usually consists
of from seven to fourteen. The girls' class is different, and the size
of the group does not materially matter. The class, however, should not
be so unwieldy as to make it impossible for the teacher to give personal
attention to each individual.
It is impossible to get the best results when pupils of twelve and
eighteen are members of the same class, for they are living in two
different worlds of thought. A teacher cannot hope to hold together a
group in which there is such disparity of age. A working basis is
(13-14), (15-17), (18-20). This is but a foundation on which to work.
The correct grouping should be on a physiological basis instead of
chronological. A pupil ofttimes will not fit into a group of his or her
own age; physiologically, they may be a year or two in advance of the
rest of the class, and are mingling through the week with an older
group. Adjustments in such cases should be made so that the pupil is
permitted to find his or her natural grouping. Like water, they will
find their level.
Under no ordinary circumstances should classes be mixed (boys and girls
together).
=Class Names and Mottoes=