Welcome to Theological Field Education!
Welcome to Theological Field Education!

Author: Lee Carroll

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2010-12-21

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1566996899

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Field education is an opportunity for students to develop ministry skills, practice ministerial reflection, discern their call, experience professional collegiality, and undergo personal transformation. Field education offers them a place to practice ministry and a space to reflect on it, to integrate theory and practice, and grow towards competency. In Welcome to Theological Field Education! eleven directors of field education in seminaries and divinity schools across North America pass on their wisdom to both students and their supervisors. Edited by Matthew Floding, director of field education at Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan, this volume covers critical topics such as the art of supervision and formation, the use of case studies and peer reflection groups, self-care and ministerial ethics, and assessment. Formation for ministry is especially challenging at this time in the church's life. First, the explosion of knowledge, pluralism, and consumerism and a host of other complicating factors make huge demands on what a minister must know to be effective in ministry. Second, with the erosion of thick religious subcultures, the novice minister has fewer sources of practical wisdom to draw upon. The next generation of ministers, if they are to be more fully formed for ministry, depends on skilled mentoring alongside wise supervisors. This book is the tool to help them make the most of their field education experience.

Engage
Engage

Author: Matthew Floding

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2017-01-05

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 1442273518

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contexts—from churches to non-profits. Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges.

Enlighten
Enlighten

Author: Sung Hee Chang

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2020-10-28

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 1538139650

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Theological field education is an eye-opening process for young ministers as they begin the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. Enlighten: Formational Learning in Theological Field Education shines a light on specific learning methods student ministers and their mentors can leverage to make the most of their field experience. Expanding on the knowledge gathered in Engage:A Theological Field Education Toolkit and Empower: A Guide for Supervisor-Mentors in Theological Field Education, this book challenges students, peer reflection group members, and supervisor-mentors to utilize each learning theory to achieve deeper formation. Contributors to the volume introduce individual theories and identify potential areas of resistance and opportunities for growth through illustrative case studies. These practical examples provide support for students facing common obstacles while encouraging all participants in the field education process to be open to new avenues of growth.

Evolution Education and the Rise of the Creationist Movement in Brazil
Evolution Education and the Rise of the Creationist Movement in Brazil

Author: Kristin Cook

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-09-15

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1793601496

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Evolution Education and the Rise of the Creationist Movement in Brazil examines how larger societal forces such as religion, media, and politics have shaped Brazil’s educational landscape and impacted the teaching and learning of evolution within an increasingly polarized discourse in recent years. To this end, Alandeom W. Oliveira and Kristin Cook have assembled a number of educational scholars and practitioners, many of whom are based in Brazil, to provide up-close and in-depth accounts of classroom-based evolution instruction, teacher preparation programs, current educational policies, and commonly used school curricula. Contributors also present information on Brazilian teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward—and understanding of— evolution, emergent (mis)conceptions of evolution, and international comparisons of evolution acceptance and understanding in Brazil compared to other countries. Across the three sections of this book, readers see a nation navigating the complexity of multiple spheres of thought about evolution and its role in the K-12 and postsecondary curriculum. Suggesting the rise of an influential creationist movement in Brazil, this book illuminates the dynamic sociological processes at play in the educational sphere of Latin America in a globalized era that allows for rapid worldwide travel of competing ideologies. Scholars of Latin American studies, religion, education, sociology, and political science will find this book especially useful.

Brimming with God
Brimming with God

Author: Barbara J. Blodgett

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2015-08-13

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13: 1498279732

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The yearning to be a theologian is widespread. Pastors, students, supervisors, and mentors all wish to think theologically about their ministries but often feel inadequately prepared. This book seeks to respond by showcasing a variety of approaches to theological reflection brought to bear upon actual situations in ministry. It is written by theological field educators. We define theological reflection as reflection upon lived, embodied experiences in ministry that seeks to make sense of practice and form reflectors in habits for competent ministry. An introductory chapter defines theological reflection as practiced within field education and points readers toward a diversity of approaches. Eleven subsequent chapters present two reflections upon the same case, each reflection written by a different author and representing a different reflection method. The book's significance is as a resource for teaching theological reflection in a range of settings. It not only offers a definition of and rationale for theological reflection but models various approaches to it. Its use of cases furthermore models the use of case studies in theological education and pastoral practice more widely.

TEE for the 21st Century
TEE for the 21st Century

Author: David Burke

Publisher: Langham Global Library

Published: 2021-09-14

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1839735589

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Theological education is at a global crossroads. Although many traditional programmes struggle to maintain student enrolment, today’s environment gives exciting opportunities to serve the global church in ways that are multi-level, accessible, and educationally effective. TEE for the 21st Century utilizes missiological, educational, and sociological perspectives to explore theological education by extension (TEE) as a powerful contemporary tool for equipping the global church for its global mission. Multi-authored by a global team of discipline experts, brought together by the Increase Association, this book speaks to the real-life training needs of today’s church. Addressed to leaders, teachers, and practitioners, it offers a robust framework for critically evaluating the impact of TEE on the formation of whole-life disciples in a wide variety of contexts and locations. With a proven track record across Asia, Latin America, and Africa, TEE has a role to play in the future of the church, empowering every member to fulfil their God-given calling to ministry and mission.

Practical Theology in Church and Society
Practical Theology in Church and Society

Author: Joseph E. Bush

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2016-07-20

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1498282741

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The church exists in the world, and our ministry is inextricably social in nature. Practical theology takes this seriously and asks us to reflect on our practice of ministry in both church and society. This book attends to our practice as individuals in ministry, to our corporate practice as congregations in ministry, and to our practice as Christians within the wider social and natural world. Practical Theology in Church and Society brings into sharper focus two perspectives on practical theology. One is the view through the wide-angle lens of justice-oriented action, which hopes for liberation. This view encompasses a broad vista of social forces for justice and injustice when evaluating local movements and local ministries. The other perspective takes the narrower focus of the action-reflection model as it is used to zoom in on individual actions and particular practices of ministry such as pastoral care. The purpose of the book is to integrate these two perspectives on practical theology. It explicates a cyclical method for doing theology that has corollaries within the disciplines of practical theology, liberation theology, missiology, congregation studies, and ministerial leadership. The volume provides resources for developing more socially and ecologically engaged ministries, and it draws implications for ministerial education.

Pastoral Imagination
Pastoral Imagination

Author: Eileen R. Campbell-Reed

Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1506470068

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life informs and inspires the practice of ministry through "on the ground" learning experienced in a variety of ministry settings. Each of the fifty chapters explores a single concept through story, reflection, and provocative open-ended questions designed to spark conversation between ministers and mentors, among ministry peers, or for personal journal reflections. The book is closely integrated with the author's Three Minute Ministry Mentor web resource.

Glassroom Learning
Glassroom Learning

Author: Jason Mills

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2023-07-31

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 1666758515

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Christian higher education institutions across North America are experimenting with radical shifts in educational content and delivery. Cyber education is becoming a common supplement or replacement for embodied learning, especially since the global coronavirus pandemic. Most theological educators have embraced the shift online, finding ways to leverage technology to enhance teaching; very few consider how technology itself impacts theological students, particularly those being educated for pastoral ministry. What effect do shifts toward online courses have on those enrolled in programs of pastoral formation? Are future ordinands being adequately trained? When developed well, Web-based learning can strengthen intellectual virtues. However, it can also inhibit character virtue formation and self-differentiation. Internet usage has been shown to negatively affect social well-being, resulting in higher rates of anxiety, depression, and isolation in students; furthermore, it alters behavior, making learners more distracted, less empathetic, and less able to concentrate and contemplate. Theological schools should, therefore, articulate clearer standards for student formation and strengthen aspects of embodied learning to prepare clergy for ministry in an increasingly complex church and world.

Transforming Theology
Transforming Theology

Author: Les Ball

Publisher:

Published: 2016-12-31

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 9781925208344

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book emerges from an extensive research project into the area of transformative learning in theology in the Australian context. The project was stimulated by the recognition of the rich prior life experience of the typically older students enrolling in undergraduate theological degrees and the common claims made by various theological colleges that they provide a transformative educational experience. It set out to test these elements against the actual experience and aspirations of students, educators and stakeholders. Over 50 teaching campuses and 700 people provided input into the research by means of interviews, surveys, focus groups and documentary analysis.