The Richard Eng Podcast

What is Christian education really for? In this episode of The Richard Eng Podcast, Richard argues that education is never neutral. Every system of education is forming students according to some vision of what is true, what is good, what is beautiful, and what it means to be human. The question is not whether children will be shaped, but who will shape them — and toward what end. Richard explores the difference between education and ideology, showing that true education helps students live according to reality, while ideology reduces reality to a preferred narrative. If Christianity is true, then Christian education is not indoctrination — it is formation in the world as it actually is. North Dakota Bible Conference bethelfree.com/ndbc

Why do so many Sunday School programs struggle? It is usually not because churches picked the wrong curriculum. It is because they started with curriculum before clarifying their vision for discipleship. In this episode of The Richard Eng Podcast, Richard explains how to create a successful Sunday School program by starting with clear ministry goals, a systematic teaching plan, and a multi-year discipleship strategy for kids, students, and adults. Rather than chasing the “perfect curriculum,” churches need to ask what kind of Christians they are trying to form. A strong Sunday School ministry should teach Scripture and doctrine, help believers understand the times, equip parents and teachers, and connect biblical truth to real life. Richard also discusses how churches can evaluate curriculum wisely, build a core-and-electives model for adult Sunday School, avoid nostalgia-driven ministry, train teachers, and lead curriculum changes without letting familiarity override faithfulness.

Sunday School didn’t disappear because Christians stopped needing formation. Over the last few decades, church rhythms have thinned, small groups have often replaced classes, and many believers have grown suspicious of knowledge itself—as if information and transformation are enemies. But Scripture never pits teaching against discipleship. We cannot obey what we do not know, and the church cannot form mature Christians without intentional biblical education. In this episode of The Richard Eng Podcast, Richard explores why Sunday School declined and why the local church needs to recover its teaching ministry for a confused age. This is not about reviving a nostalgic program from the 1950s; it is about reclaiming a necessary function of the church: helping Christians think biblically, live faithfully, and apply the truth of God’s Word in real life, in real community, with real people. More about the North Dakota Bible Conference: bethelfree.com/ndbc