Where Does your Chapter Rank Adult Learning?

In past centuries Cathedrals played a major role in public adult education. More widely, they were a huge force in contemporary affairs. But how do they rate now in a congested and competitive environment? Is the public perception one of glorious relics of great days, simply a huge plus in Britain’s tourism economy, or can Cathedrals again be seen as amongst the vital dynamics driving current society?

One significant area in which most Cathedrals are engaged is adult learning, but does that get the profile, the staffing (and the budget when cathedral finances are hard-pressed) which builds public appreciation that adult learning is a major Cathedral concern?

Adult learning in Cathedrals can be grouped succinctly under a few headings:

A. Speaking the Faith in a Secular World

• Public debate about Religious Truth has grown rather than receded in recent decades; the assumed challenge of ‘Science’, medical ethics, war and peace, economic sustainability, the environment, famine, all offer agenda for deeper exploration.
• The spin-off from outside organisations drawn to use the Cathedral.
• Engaging a wider range of people result in fresh ideas for the Chapter’s educational, pastoral and mission practices.
• Clear presentation and good interpreters lead to better understanding with visitors of different faith... or none.
• Difficult financial times spur a search for deeper learning; a well-presented place to sit and think or weep spawns a desire to learn more, as do times of celebration and rejoicing.
• Modern, interactive, modes of learning and communication present ways of reaching beyond a traditional Radio 4 audience to engage with a wide variety of people. The visible presence of such means conveys its own message of a Cathedral keen to engage on a broad front.
• A confident Cathedral finds opportunities to develop adult learning way outside its own precincts, often in partnership with outside groups; having Partners in Adult Learning is a great strength in that.

B. Learning the Beauty of the Building: its art and culture

• Tourists can be helped to understand a deeper faith behind historic architecture and furnishings.
• Local people gain a deeper appreciation of the building and of the community which sustains it.
• Artefacts from different centuries reveal the continuity of a community of faith interwoven with civic responsibility and national life.
• The Cathedral’s volunteers and staff become more informed and effective communicators, themselves growing in confidence as they do so.
• Heritage such as stained-glass, music or embroidery draws in students of specialist subjects.
• The breadth of liturgy and music teaches a wide respect for excellence.

C. Reflecting Theologically as People of Faith

• The Cathedral’s core congregation always needs consolidating in the faith. There is the constant challenge to communicate beyond the sermon audience.
• Partnerships forged with Diocesan Education teams, ecumenical, interfaith or secular organisations deepen the Cathedral’s outreach.
• A Cathedral reaching out into its local (or national) world finds more people willing to venture within its walls to engage with it there.
• Steps into discipleship and ministry spring from experiencing some of the range of a Cathedral’s art, activity and quietness.
• Conversion to Christian faith most often happens by small steps and dawning illumination over several years.

Not all of these, at first glance, are a Cathedral’s prime objectives. Some clearly are. ‘Adult Learning’ is a Government objective, fed by the Hamburg UNESCO Declaration of 1997, and flowing on into this year’s Government report on Digital Britain. Is that the business of the Churches? The Hamburg Declaration switches its language between Education and Learning as if they were the same. Are they even opposite sides of the same coin? To educate is to bring up and instruct, to teach, to train. To learn is to be informed, to get to know, to gain knowledge, skill or ability in. That sounds more active than passively ‘being educated’.

Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly”. He likens the teacher trained for the kingdom of heaven to a householder bringing out of treasure what is new and what is old. The Hamburg Declaration says that adult education is more than a right, it is a key to the survival of humanity, “both a consequence of active citizenship and a condition for full participation in society”, and so it is a right of education for all, particularly for the most vulnerable groups of society, for the unreached and the excluded, for indigenous people and for disabled people…whatever their age…to have an opportunity, individually and collectively, to realize their potential. The Declaration affirms that “only human-centred development and a participatory society based on the full respect of human rights will lead to sustainable and equitable development”.

‘Digital Britain’ similarly thinks of every home and of full participation, but its principal concern is about giving the country the tools to succeed and lead the way in the economy of the future. It’s about competition and enabling Britain to be a global centre for the creative industries in the digital age, promoting and protecting talent and innovation. Providing broadband access with new opportunities and choices for households right across the country is an essential part of building Britain’s future.

Cathedrals engaged in adult learning need the tools of a digital age, but their vision is larger. As in medieval times, they can be in the vanguard of education, opening dazzling horizons for people who previously felt on the margins. More simply they are to do with growth, personal growth and human flourishing, enabling people to grow up into the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Faced by attacks on Christianity from secularists and the Dawkins-brigade, for Cathedrals to have coherent strategies for adult learning (especially in conjunction with secular Partners) is part of demonstrating that Christianity is a grown-up faith, not something principally geared to children.

This new ‘toolkit’ and the conferences organised by CPAL (Cathedrals as Partners in Adult Learning, www.cpal.org.uk) have a good track record of helping Cathedrals to swap ideas and, learning from one another, to develop our shared ministry of adult learning as a vital part of our engagement in our local communities and in national life. Could your Chapter representatives be ready to discuss not only where you ‘rank’ adult learning, but how your Cathedral sees the more specific issues raised above? Which of them are significant parts of your Cathedral agenda?

The Very Reverend Nicholas Coulton, Dean Emeritus of Newcastle