Back in the day, colonial Australia utilised what was known as the “one room schoolhouse”. This would be a gathering of students ranging from the beginning learners in grade one to high school age. Think about the difficulties a teacher would face in trying to educate in this context. How do you teach one student advanced algebra while the learner in the next seat is still trying to master one plus one? How do you teach so that all who are present benefit each day?

Do you realise that the “one room” model is the dilemma that pastors face each week in corporate worship. It’s preposterous to assume that spiritually everyone is in the same place. Some come as seekers; others are new believers; some may be backsliding; some are mature followers of Christ having practiced twenty years of faithfulness. What can we learn from our ancestors?

1. Recognise and speak to the various listeners. The danger is to pitch your teaching week in and out to the identical listeners. Teachers back then had to carefully plan their lessons to be inclusive of the wide range of learners. People often ask, “How do you increase the number of seekers in the congregation?” My advice is, “Speak to those who aren’t there yet.” You can’t wait for seekers to arrive and then begin to address their unique concerns. You must take these into account in advance so that when they do rock up, it’s clear that you anticipated their presence.

2. Involve the more mature ones in the teaching process. Think about the model of the one room schoolhouse. The older students became effectively teacher’ aids. As part of their on-going development, the more mature students were drawn into helping the younger ones learn. How is this model fleshed out in our congregations? It’s clearly a biblical one in which the Apostle Paul calls the mature women (those who have raised a family) to mentor the younger women. How is mentoring being encouraged and exercised in our midst?

3. Ask yourself, “What are you seeking to accomplish?” In comparing textbooks of today with those of 150 years ago, we find a startling contrast. Today, the focus is primarily on academics: English; maths; science. However, in centuries past, their design was not purely reading and writing, but on character development, becoming the kind of person who would contribute to society.

Have our churches simply become learning centres? The reason a one room schoolhouse could work is that some matters like integrity, selflessness, and honor apply equally to all listeners. In the same way, the principles of the Scriptures require repeated reminding. The calls upon our lives need constant revisiting whether we have been following Christ one day or 80 years.

Far too often, people view the worship exercise in purely cognitive terms: “I have come here to learn this or that.” Not at all. We come to worship. To encounter the living God and have our hearts as well as our minds stirred. If our preaching is merely cognitive learning, then it will prove both difficult to manage and unfruitful as well. There’s a threefold model that is helpful to remember: Knowledge, skills; and training. Does the teaching in worship consist mainly of knowledge? Good “one room schoolhouse” teaching will go beyond the facts leading people to apply the truth while demonstrating to them how to put it into practice. This kind of teaching is age and generation appropriate across the board.

The prospect of a diversity of listeners is a reality but one that can be overcome with careful thought and intentionality.