A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

ifornia) in I960. 20 A significant change in the attitude and strategy of the Board of Sunday Schools and Related Activities, however, is evident from the recommendation presented to the conference in 1961. The recommendation reads: "We recommend that Scripture Press Sunday school materials be used in all departments of the Sunday school where M.B. Graded Sunday School Series or M.B. Adult Quar- terly is not used." ul Whether the growing indifference toward an Anabaptist-oriented Sunday school curriculum was the result of lack of promotional activity or whether it was due to a new theological orientation cannot be ascertained from available records. By 1963 only fourteen churches were using the M. B. Imprint (Mennonite) material in the primary through intermediate departments. Eleven others were using it in one or two of these departments. In Canada the story was similar, but the decline of interest in the "Mennonite Brethren" Sunday school material was more gradual. Whether boards and conferences acted in the best interests of the churches on this important issue must be left to the verdict of history. In other areas significant progress was made in the post-war era to improve the work of the Sunday school. In 1959 the United States Conference accepted the "Guideline for Church Schools" 22 as its minimal standard for the Christian education program on the congregational level. The following provisions indicate the desire for "quality education" in the field of religious instruction. Leadership 1 . Teacher training. A minimum course of six fifty-minute periods. 2. Teachers and officers meetings. A minimum of six meetings during the year other than teacher training. Organization 3. A department Sunday school. A minimum of two departments for schools less than 100; three for schools of 100-200; four for schools of 200-300; and six for schools over 300. 4. A Graded Vacation Bible School. A minimum course of one week. 5. A Graded Wednesday Night Bible School. 6. Graded materials in all church schools. 7. Private classrooms. A minimum of 70 percent of the church school classes in classrooms with permanent or semi-permanent walls. Outreach 8. Attendance Records. An individual attendance record for each enrollee in church school. 9. Attendance Followup. A contact program of all absentees. 10. Church Members Attendance. A minimum of 90 percent of the resident church members attending Sunday school. 21 In keeping with the above guidelines the committee also recommended the introduction of the ETTA (Evangelical Teacher Training Association) course and the Gospel Light Record System for record keeping. Special teacher training institutes were also sponsored at 222 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH Tabor College and Pacific College in cooperation with the committees of the respective district conferences. With the appointment of Elmo Warkentin as Executive Secretary for the