When reflecting on education, those of us born and raised under a specific school system usually start with the bias that everything is fine, as if it had always been this way. However, this assumption becomes a barrier to clearly analyzing the current situation. This article does not seek to propose social reforms for the school system, as the existing structures make that almost impossible. The focus is different: as a church, we must understand that we are called to practice a renewed, effective teaching for the new generation—one that guides toward truth and helps disciples use their creativity with dignity and wisdom, regardless of the educational model society adopts.

The monotheistic message of salvation does not change, because it depends solely on God’s mercy. What does require review is the “how” we teach that eternal message. It is useless to maintain obsolete programs and methods that no longer connect with people. The challenge, then, is great: updating strategies and methodologies so that the message is understandable, livable, and relevant.

The educational landscape, both secular and ecclesiastical, faces two major problems:

1. On one hand, the traditional school system tends to stigmatize those who do not fit into its methods.

2. On the other, many churches adopt that same model but without the resources to adapt it, falling even further behind.

The result is predictable: archaic, tedious, and ineffective educational programs. And, sadly, we can say that their failure is even greater than that of secular systems.

The Frustration of a Generation

If the new generations already feel frustrated with secular education, how much more so when a Christian model is imposed on them—one that copies, without resources, those very same errors? The consequence is clear: young people are not formed holistically, nor is the spiritual purpose of teaching fulfilled.

That is why this material—and in general all serious reflection on the subject—seeks to pave new ways: providing resources, offering strategies, and giving each teacher a broad margin of action to observe, experiment, and create according to the real needs of their disciples.

Today, both the secular and Christian systems share evident symptoms of deterioration:

1. The world has not changed through education, but through technology; human quality remains stagnant.

2. Students become impersonal numbers, prioritizing institutional results over individual growth.

3. Teaching loses value because students lack motivation; classrooms are transformed into “child parking lots” or “adult prisons.”

4. Although values like freedom or love are preached, the practice produces individuals whose lives contradict them.

5. Class materials are static, filled with words that have no real-world application.

6. Students are educated only to pass to the next level, not to succeed in life.

7. The teacher-student relationship is reduced to evaluations, controlled by an impersonal system.

8. The student is led to believe that they are the failure, rather than the system.

9. Those who do not master certain content are disqualified and labeled as inferior.

10. A student’s future depends on just one or two grades.

11. Harmful competitiveness is fostered, destroying humility and social peace.

12. Standardized evaluations ignore the uniqueness of each individual.

13. Imposed discipline forces the hiding of emotions, creating “masks” starting in childhood.

14. Both teachers and students become critics and detractors of the system that formed them.

15. In the church, teaching suffers a double judgment: if it imitates the world, it is perceived as antiquated; if it breaks patterns, it is accused of “emotionalism.”

Toward a Different Model

Faced with this panorama, the church has an unavoidable challenge: it cannot continue being a reflection of secular failure. Its mission is much higher: to form whole disciples who live out the faith and transmit it with creativity, love, and truth. This implies rethinking methodologies, adapting resources, opening spaces for sensitivity, and, above all, never losing sight of the fact that teaching is not about repeating information, but about guiding people toward a life transformed in God.

Author: Dr. Liber Aguiar