"Religious educators bring to the table lots of time learning about the development needs of people throughout life, so that their faith needs can be met," Rev. Susan Archer told the REA. "The religious educator also works to understand and educate himself or herself and has done degree work around family issues. Religious educators are especially well prepared to lead children’s worship and to help children understand what that experience is about so that they can learn to lead worship and talk about their faith."

After obtaining her degree in teaching and while teaching school professionally, Archer began her career in religious education as a volunteer teacher in the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Lincroft, New Jersey. Although she grew up in the Methodist church, in college she was drawn to the Unitarian Universalist emphasis on ethical living and on being non-creedal. Within a few years Archer was the staff director of religious education for her church. She decided to go to seminary, taking courses at Drew Theological School and graduating from Lombard Theological seminary in 1994. She was ordained in the congregation in Lincroft, where she had taught as a volunteer and as a lay director of religious education.

Today, Archer is the program consultant field staff in the UUA Metropolitan New York district. As one of two staff people at the district level, she intentionally models for congregations in metropolitan New York a co-equal ministry with pastors. "In the parish, I work to raise awareness that we are not all fifty years old: we are different ages, with different faith needs and stages of life, and we all can help each other with at different stages," says Archer. She emphasizes the inclusion of children in decision-making and worship leadership of congregations. "If children are to claim Unitarian Universalism as their faith, they ought to be full members of the church," she states.

At the same time, she points out that people of all ages need religious education. "Religious education historically has been women working with children. All religious people need religious education from birth to death, yet often this is not acknowledged as a critical piece of the religious community." A healthy congregation needs to see religious education as both a program and a ministry, and this will take both personal work in congregations and the political work of raising consciousness.

Religious education, for Archer, is particularly important in our Western culture, where families often do not live close together. "We need a place where we can celebrate our religious values and tradition and intergenerational religious community where we live and grow together," she says. "A lot of my work in the parish is helping people know each other in a deeper way and witness the growth of each other. It is offering many opportunities for people of different ages to meet together to celebrate their faith and do the work our faith calls us to do in social change and compassion."

Thus human development is at the center of religious education. Our understanding and appreciation of the faith needs for people at different places and stages of their lives is what Religious Education is about, according to Archer. Religious Education is not just a program, and not merely a matter of knowing where to find resources for church classes, although those are important. "Religious Education is about helping people in congregations to become integrated with one another to become truly family. It is at the foundation of church life."