Group Study Guide for

Teaching That Transforms

Why Anabaptist-Mennonite Education Matters

by John D. Roth

Study Guide written by Leonard Beechy, Goshen, Indiana.

This study guide is for those in communities where there are no Anabaptist-Mennonite educational institutions or those unfamiliar with Anabaptist-Mennonite education. The questions are intended to expand and deepen appreciation for Roth's book. These questions are also available for download as a Word document or in PDF format.

Also see Teaching That Transforms in the MennoMedia online catalog.

Introduction	Chapter 4
Chapter 1	Chapter 5
Chapter 2	Chapter 6 / Conclusion
Chapter 3

Chapter 6: Looking to the Future: Challenges, Opportunities, Visions, and Dreams

1. The final chapter begins with several recent examples of education efforts in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition.
   • In what directions for the future of Mennonite-related education do these examples seem to point?
2. Roth then offers a survey and analysis of the history of the Mennonite Church in North America since the final decades of the nineteenth century.
   • How would you assess the relationship between the health of the Mennonite Church and the health of its institutions over the years?
   • What are some of the elements of Anabaptist-Mennonite thought that are gaining acceptance and influence in recent Christian renewal movements?
   • Do you believe that the forces that are diminishing support for Mennonite institutions are temporary or that they are likely to increase?
3. Finally, the author traces some of the possible outlines of the future of Mennonite education.
   • What are some of the implications of Roth's affirmation that "God's kingdom is bigger than our institutions"? (page 204)
   • Do you see a tension between the institutional goal of preserving tradition, and the missional goal of welcome and multi-cultural and multi-religious engagement?
   • How do you evaluate some of the possible new forms for Mennonite education listed in this chapter: charter schools, homeschooling, the "Menno-term" or other Mennonite presence at state universities, and electronically delivered courses?
4. Revisit the two larger biblical themes that have run throughout the book: incarnation and the images of Psalm 34:8-14. What new ways can we embody Christ in the world so that new generations can "taste and see" God's goodness?