Description of Experience 

Long before the first seminary was founded, the earliest expressions of Christian theological exploration were designed to foster learning and formation within local communities and outside of formal academic degree programs. While much has changed since that time, situating theological exploration within and for local communities today has the potential to transform our teaching. Imagining the community as a classroom would not only call for new digital strategies and pedagogical models, but also paradigm shifts in how we think about the aims, purposes, and modalities of theological education in the 21^st century. This Wabash workshop series, offered in partnership with The Candler Foundry at Emory University, invites religious and theological faculty to learn about and reflect on strategies and practices of community-based theological exploration. We will engage questions such as:  

• What digital strategies and pedagogical models are needed for effective theological exploration in and with local communities? 
• In what ways can our teaching in a traditional academic classroom be improved by engaging public and digital audiences?
• How can we understand the local community not just as a new audience for theological education, but as a source and generator of theological wisdom and knowledge? 
• What can we learn from practitioners outside of theological and religious studies about best practices in public-facing teaching? 
• How can creating opportunities for theological exploration in communities sustain and strengthen academic institutions? 

The series begins with an in-person retreat in Atlanta followed by five online sessions. The series concludes with another in-person gathering in Atlanta. Participants will design a digital teaching project (e.g., course, curriculum, TED-style talk, podcast series, asynchronous learning module, website, etc.) that is intended for and/or engages with a community context of their choosing. The subject matter of the pedagogical resource can be related to any area of the participant’s teaching and research interests. The resource should make use of digital strategies and pedagogical models rooted in best practices of community-based theological exploration. Participants will submit a brief proposal of their project after the third online session. During the final in-person gathering, participants will share their teaching projects and receive feedback from workshop leaders and other participants.

Goals: 

• to discern how community partnerships and collaboration can be effective tools for teaching and theological exploration
• to identify and uproot analog thinking in our approach to pedagogical design and delivery
• to experiment with best practices related to digital pedagogy and teaching outside of traditional academic degree programs
• to provide a space for participants to reflect on how community-based theological exploration expands and challenges their sense of vocation
• to cultivate a supportive community of colleagues who are committed to innovative approaches to community-based teaching and scholarship