Page 172 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Educational Role 173

and reinforcing each other. Being Armenian
means being Christian. Christian education
provides a solid ground to Armenian identity
and, therefore, it must give a clear direction
to Armenian education.

Actors in Christian education

Christian education is the task of the
family, the parish school, the Sunday School,
and the Church, each having its own
approach and methodology:
– The family, considered by the Armenian
Church as the 'small church,' is the first
school of Christian education.
– The school, of course, has a leading role
in Christian education, which, in spite of its
heavy academic program, should consider
Christian formation an inseparable part of
its educational vocation.
– The Sunday School contributes signi-
ficantly to Christian education. An extensive
network of Sunday Schools operates along-
side the parish churches and schools in most
communities in Armenia and the diaspora.
– The Church's role is not limited to the
supervision of the educational programs
and activities pertaining to family, school, or
Sunday School. It supports and empowers
these basic tools of Christian education.
Furthermore, it pays constant and serious
attention to the spiritual growth and moral