Pre-history of Contemporary Bulgarian Church Education: Social Mission, Innovative Practices

This paper discusses the historical experience of church education in Bulgaria, which has not yet been fully explored due to the interruption in the social practice of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church following the forced separation of Church and state in the mid-20th century. During the period when religious education was part of the church’s social mission and traditional religious socialization, its organization was informal. However, there was some institutionalization, and many innovative practices were developed. Therefore, this study is based on existing accounts of the 20th-century history of traditional church education in Bulgaria, as well as current reflections and perspectives.