The Spiritual Roles of the Christian Teacher
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 720: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 8, 2022
Teaching is one of the primary functions in the Church, both in importance and necessity.
In the early church, the function and calling of teaching was indistinguishable from that of
Pastor. But in our age of specialization the role of teacher has come to stand alone as a distinct
and primary calling in the Church.
The spiritual role and calling of Teacher in the church is unique. Because of the nature of
the setting in which Christian education takes place—the Church—the function of teaching
takes on other dimensions not found in other contexts. Functioning as a teacher in a college
classroom or in an elementary school or even in a seminary graduate course is different from
practicing the role of a teacher in the church setting.
ASSUMPTIONS
Two important underlying assumptions about Christian teaching in the church provide the
impetus for understanding the spiritual roles of the Christian teacher.
1. Christian learning is a lifelong process. Since the Christian’s calling is to “grow up into
Him who is the head,” Christian teaching is a critical component to growth in the spiritual life.
No one graduates from Sunday School. We don’t give out master’s degrees in the Christian life.
Once a Christian sets his or her foot on the path of discipleship the journey never ends.
2. Christian teaching is qualitatively different from other ways of teaching. Christian
education has more to do with matters of the spirit and will than of the mind. The content of
Christian education is not a body of knowledge, but a person: Jesus Christ. Knowing God is
primary, knowing *about* God is secondary in Christian teaching. Therefore, basic educational
categories in Christian teaching (content, the role of the teacher, the role of the student,
methodology, epistemology, etc.) take on a distinct quality.
THE SPIRITUAL ROLES OF THE TEACHER
To argue that the role of the teacher in Christian education is more “spiritual” is not to say
that it makes for an easier task. In fact, the challenges of being a Christian teacher are such that
James the Apostle warned, “My friends, not many of you should become teachers. As you
know, we teachers will be judged with greater strictness than others” (James 3:1 TEV). Below
are five roles that Christian teachers must master to become effective in working out their
calling.
CONTENT SPECIALIST
Secondary to a relationship with Christ, the teacher will be effective to the extent that he
or she has mastered the content of the faith: history, the Biblical literature, classic spiritual
writings, theology, doctrine, and Christian arts. Some may argue, “But I only teach preschoolers,
I don’t need to know all that!” Or, “I teach youth. They’d be bored to tears if I talked about
theology or history.”
The fact of the matter is that in the business of lifelong Christian discipleship, all of these
matter. The greatest tragedies in the history of the church have been helped by ignorance of
sound theology, lack of knowledge of history, biblical illiteracy, and an inability to appreciate
the awakening and inspiring powers of the arts. These are necessary even from the earliest
preschool years when children are beginning to learn to order and understand their world. For
the adolescent, exposure to history, the arts, and theology are helpful cures for the
egocentricity that is normative of that group.
INSTRUCTOR
Instruction refers to the art and technique of teaching. The Christian teacher must be both
artist and technician when it comes to the learning arts. Leon McKenzie said, “A false mysticism
which maintains that the good intentions of the religious educator are alone important, and
that the Holy Spirit will intervene to salvage poor instruction, is perhaps the primary source for
ineffectual instruction.”
The spiritual role of instructor includes mundane matters such as classroom management,
formulating learning outcomes, sequencing activities, and working with media. But instruction
also includes loftier skills like motivating the learner, firing the imagination, and inspiring action
and application of biblical truths to daily living.
COUNSELOR
One of the most natural roles of the teacher is that of counselor. It will not take long for
learners to seek out good teachers for advice and counsel. The spiritual role of counseling is
much more than helping with decision-making, listening, and giving advice. The teacher must
be able to help learners explore their life situations and help them discern their own paths in
Christian discipleship.
But counseling requires more than good intentions. The teacher will need skills,
understanding, and expertise that only come through study and experience. The Christian
teacher must be knowledgeable about counseling and its appropriate use in the teacher-learner
relationship.
MODEL & MENTOR
Perhaps the spiritual role that is most demanding of the Christian teacher is that of being a
model and mentor to learners. Being a model in the Christian life is a daunting prospect,
because we realize that this comes not out of performance, but out of being. We are called to
be teachers not because we perform well in a classroom, but because we live a Christian life
based on our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the being and the relationship that we model.
The spiritual role of the mentoring relationship is the highest expression of teaching. When
a teacher and a learner enter into this relationship, a new dimension of learning takes place. A
new level of mutual responsibility and accountability exists in this teaching-learning
relationship. In the spiritual role of mentor, the teacher shares more than skills and knowledge;
he or she shares the passion of their calling.
LEARNER
An important role of the teacher is that of being a lifelong learner. Only the teacher that is
growing and learning will serve learners well. The calling to be a teacher is not for those who
have “arrived;” it is for those who can model in their life and living what it means to be a
lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ; ever-growing, ever-learning, ever becoming—that is perhaps
the greatest lesson one can teach.
