As previously reported in the August United News, the Council of Elders unanimously approved an outcome-focused approach for education programs of the Church. Education efforts will be driven by the Church's mission statement and an expanded statement of direction for all the education programs.

The mission of the Church and the statement of direction for education are as follows:

"The mission of the Church of God is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God in all the world, make disciples in all nations and care for those disciples" (UCG Constitution, Article 1.0).

"Making disciples (Matthew 28:19) is the process of educating (Colossians 1:28) for the purpose of presenting spiritually mature individuals to Christ; that is, people who internalize and demonstrate biblical knowledge and understanding (2 Timothy 3:15; James 3:13)."

We currently have over 37 different programs and projects that have been identified as "inbound" education for the Church (as opposed to "outbound" programs targeted to preaching the gospel to the public). These include such education programs as: Sabbath youth instruction, teen and preteen camps, ABC, Ministerial Education, Continuing Education and many others.

Most of these programs have been up and running for the past several years. As a church, we have produced a lot of excellent educational material for various age groups and levels of the Church over the past 11 years.

Working With Outcomes

In the book of Isaiah, God explains that He works with a purpose, and His great plan and drive to fulfill that plan distinguish Him from the gods and idols of this world.

"Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'" (Isaiah 46:9-10).

God expects us to focus our lives this way as well—to know and state where we are going before we launch ourselves down the path. In Matthew 6:33, He tells us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." That is, stay focused on your end goal. We intend to do this with our education model as well. Stating our desired outcome will help us stay on track and measure the effectiveness of our education programs.

As we further develop our education programs, we must ask one or more of the following questions: "What do we want to produce with our program?" "What will our children, members or elders know at the end of the program?" "What knowledge and understanding do we want our members to possess after participating in the program?" "What behavior changes do we desire as a result of our program efforts?"

A simple question may be asked about each step in our educational process. When we participate in education at any level, we must ask ourselves, "So that?" In other words, why are we doing what we are doing? Where should it lead? What is the outcome? A good example of this model is found in Deuteronomy 6:

"These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.

"Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and [so] that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you" (Deuteronomy 6:1-3, New International Version).

When we ask, "So that?" each step of the way, it helps us determine our outcomes. For example, if you begin personal family Bible studies, you would do well to ask this simple question, "So that?" In other words, what is the purpose of your family Bible study? What is the product you hope to create with the family Bible study? What will your family members know at the completion of the Bible study?

The new education outcome model seeks to build upon our successful programs to better measure our effectiveness. The new model centers on desired "outcomes." Outcomes are defined as benefits or changes for individuals or populations during or after participating in program activities. They are influenced by a program's outputs, which are the statistical measurements of what happened, such as number of classes taught, DVDs distributed or people who participated in an activity, etc.

Outcomes may relate to behavior, skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, condition, status or other attributes. They are what participants know, think or can do; or how they behave; or what their condition is that is different following the program.

Outcomes will be established for each program at three levels: initial outcomes, intermediate outcomes and long-term outcomes. These three levels are defined as follows: Initial Outcomes—changes in participants' knowledge, attitude and skills; Intermediate Outcomes—changes in participant's behavior because of new knowledge, attitude and skills; Long-term Outcomes—meaningful changes in the condition or status of the participants.

Determining Our Progress

Once the outcomes are established, then measurement tools and benchmarks will be put into place to see how effective we are in each of our education programs. It will take time to reexamine each of our programs and determine the outcomes. All of our education programs will be analyzed to determine if the current organization and structure is based on the mission and desired outcomes.

Each program will then develop benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of the program's efforts. Benchmarks will include testing, surveys, questionnaires and other measurement tools. Over a period of time we will be able to develop metrics for measuring a program's effectiveness by using these measurement tools. Based on the benchmarks and metrics, we can determine the effectiveness of the program and make adjustments where necessary.

To help in the development of these programs by recommending program outcomes and benchmarks, an education advisory task force has been named to assist the education programs director, David Register, in formulating recommendations for our education programs.

The task force consists of Church members who are professionals experienced in education and business. Their recommendations are then discussed with current program coordinators and the operation manager of Ministerial Services, Jim Franks. Through this collaborative team effort, education program outcomes and benchmarks will be developed and implemented for each of our programs.

What's Next?

The education advisory task force is now working to determine guidelines for choosing the first five priority programs for beginning this process. The task force will meet with current program coordinators and together they will establish outcomes, benchmarks and measurements for those programs. The task force is scheduled to meet for a face-to-face meeting in December to begin this process. UN

David Register is Education Programs director in Ministerial Services.