Educating Clergy

Proposal abstract :
Consultations to engage theological field educators in examining major legal issues which shape the context of their work and influence the educational processes they use in theological field education; and to develop a basic legal guide for Supervised Ministry faculty.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to convene a series of consultations that would engage theological field educators in examining major legal issues which shape the context of their work and influence the educational processes they use in their work. They also sought to develop a basic legal guide for Supervised Ministry faculty.
The consultations and writing led to the development of A Handbook on Legal Issues in Theological Field Education. This text examines the major legal issues which shape the context of field education and influence its pedagogy. Specifically, the group considered "theological reflection around the intersection of cultural context, personal experience, faith tradition and legal issues." This provided a framework for their conversations. They also considered ways to make a place for legal issues pedagogically in theological field education without "displacing the learning-teaching dynamic."

Proposal abstract :
Support for a research project related to the redesign process for the required practicum. The research project will focus on the central question: What should practicum become in order to meet its loftiest goal, which is to facilitate the integration of ministerial theory and practice among seminary students?

Learning Abstract :
The purpose of the grant was to investigate the most effective options available for the on-campus component of a theological field education program. We used our grant to do the following: 1) Pay the stipend for the Director and a Research Fellow to lead and assist in a research project on this topic; 2) Provide hospitality for focus groups brought together to discuss the impact of a pilot integrative seminar at Andover Newton; 3) Fund the acquisition of appropriate journals and other research materials; and 4) To provide training materials for the first group of instructors who will teach in the seminary's new model for the integration of theory and practice in field education.

The products of this project take two forms: New knowledge and a new way of offering a field education course. As for new knowledge, we not only learned a great deal but have begun to share our learnings more broadly. Two articles are currently being reviewed for publication. Additionally, in the fall of 2007 we will offer a field education course unlike any we have seen or heard of elsewhere. This was possible because of our pilot course and our research project. The new model will fully involve the Faculty and reconnect the Field Education Program's infrastructure with the core of the curriculum.

Proposal abstract :
Religious Studies departments are seeking new ways to attract students who often are concerned that the skills they learn in such programs are not transferable to the real world. A recent study (Chronicle of Higher Ed, June 2016) indicate that liberal studies majors with data analytic skills would find many more job opportunities. The combination of the critical thinking skills that Religious Studies teaches with data analytic skills would thus make for a highly desirable job candidate. Additionally, more and more data is being produced by scholars of Religion and new technologies are available to create sophisticated projects specifically for the advancement of the Religious Studies field using data analytics. This grant seeks to try to lay the ground work for the creation of the curriculum for a class that would teach data analytics as applied directly to Religious Studies for Religious Studies majors.

Learning Abstract :
Religious Studies is often criticized by students and those outside the field as being impractical and not leading to a career except in ministry. While a career in ministry is certainly not something to be diminished, the facts are that Religious Studies has a global approach that will facilitate graduates in a number of different careers. And yet, admittedly, there is a weakness in Religious Studies in that majors are often ill-equipped to deal with more quantitatively oriented data. This grant sought to determine a way forward for Religious Studies in which the analysis of data was included in the curriculum. The grant money was used in two phases. The first phase was research. Focus groups of several students were brought together to watch and participate in some sample lectures which sought to teach data analysis skills. A class was taught in Fall 2017. In general, the class was relatively successful. What became clear was that students often had small questions while they were working on their project. Thus part of the grant money was used to pay students to create these "dictionary tutorials". They are publically available on YouTube. The class was taught a second time in Fall 2018 using Structured Query Language (SQL).

Proposal abstract :
Support for a gathering of up to twenty M.Div faculty in biblical studies and homiletics for two meetings to identify and discuss collaborative approaches for effectively teaching biblical interpretation for preaching.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to design and implement a collaborative Biblical Studies and Homiletics curriculum, capable of developing preachers with hermeneutical and rhetorical skill to effectively bring the biblical text and the contemporary world into dialogue. This would be accomplished through two gatherings of scholars from Roman Catholic schools of theology to discuss and identify collaborative approaches. They hoped to identify best practices and pedagogical approaches and to integrate them in the curriculum through syllabi development.
A total of 27 scholars from 11 Roman Catholic schools participated in the project. The consultations were held in September, 2003, and February, 2004, with ongoing work occurring through a common website. Four syllabi were developed and engaged as models to be used in curricular integration. The project director reports, "The unifying thread in the grant syllabi and the organizing principle by which the grant is being taken forward in course and curriculum design and writing and speaking is contemplō – studēo - praedico." He believes that this hermeneutical process, which means I contemplate – I study – I preach, "shows potential to be a significant Roman Catholic contribution to homiletics theory and pedagogy."

Proposal abstract :
The project seeks to produce in manuscript form the findings of the Wabash Center funded consultation, “Teaching and Learning in Theological Field Education: The Role of the Field Educator,” held in Nashville in January 2000.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funding to produce a manuscript from the findings of the Wabash Center funded consultation (990 010), "Teaching and Learning in Theological Education: the Role of the Field Educator," held in January 2000. In writing this manuscript the authors hoped to engage field education colleagues more broadly into the conversation that was begun at the consultation. They also hoped to contribute original scholarship in teaching and learning in the area of theological field education. Finally, they hoped to partner with the Association of Theological Schools in its work on contextualization in theological education.
The authors produced a major article published in Theological Education (Vol. 37, No. 2, 2001, 1-57), entitled "Teaching from a Community Context: The Role of the Field Educator in Theological Education." With this project they feel that they produced a major work on issues of teaching and learning in theological field education that will set standards for field educators as faculty in theological education. This will strengthen theological education in that it will challenge field educators to see their primary function as teachers, while understanding they must also function effectively as administrators.

Proposal abstract :
Consultation to explore how Field Educators can sharpen the focus of their identity, paradigms, and methods of teaching as well as impact teaching in the theological curriculum.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather theological field educators from the Association of Theological Field Education for consultation to explore how as a guild they could envision their own paradigms and methods of teaching so as to greater impact teaching in the curriculum of theological education.
Project director reports that the group discovered that the topic of field educators as teachers represents a major new vision of field education that can potentially reinvigorate the discipline and make field education a more integral part of seminary curricula. They saw the project as having significant potential for the transformation of theological education in the ways that it can help seminaries integrate theory and practice more thoroughly in their curriculum. Finally, they realized through the consultation how little is known in the academy about the work of field educators, and thus their task as a guild to communicate to academic administrators in the larger academy about their work.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a meeting to discuss revising the guidelines for Theological Field education in Presbyterian Church (USA) Theological Schools.

Learning Abstract :
The Guidelines for Theological Field Education in Master of Divinity Programs at Presbyterian Church (USA) Theological Seminaries provides a framework for theological field education programs incorporating the Association of Theological Schools Standards for the M.Div. degree. These guidelines follow legal requirements and expectations, and define the contexts and conditions under which students can acquire the experience and competencies necessary for the practice of ministry. While these guidelines emerge from a Presbyterian Church (USA) context, they can serve as a model for other denominations and theological schools in developing their own programs for theological field education.

Proposal abstract :
A faculty-alumni retreat, titled “Remembering the Future,” will gather faculty and approximately thirty alumni for the following purposes: 1) to strengthen the integration of academic excellence with solid ministerial training and 2) to integrate the curriculum more fully around shared truth. The focus on alumni reflects BTSR’s desire to reincorporate their wisdom for the future of the institution. The setting at a retreat center reflects the conviction that a rhythm of action and contemplation enables wisdom and renewal to flourish; education is a holistic endeavor in which the love and knowledge of God cannot be separated.

Learning Abstract :
A Faculty-Alumni retreat, held at the Shalom Retreat House in Montpelier, VA, invited BTSR alumni to come together for a time of contemplation, worship and discussion. Our theme was "Remembering the Future" and we considered together how BTSR might form wise servant leaders for the church and the world. In addition, we have a fun convivium, excellent food, and a beautiful setting that enabled us to enjoy the beauty of God and one another even as we reflected on the purpose and calling of the seminary.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a study to examine how teachers at Christian colleges and seminaries educate men and women about multicultural issues within youth ministry programs.

Learning Abstract :
The teachers in this study intended for these courses to be moments of awakening for students, satisfied that students may depart the course without "answers," but with new awareness and critical principles for how to minister in diverse situations. Conscious that the course curriculum intentionally created dissonance and confronted ingrained perspectives, the instructors functioned as spiritual directors or pastors, assisting students in their understanding of self, racism and related subjects, and the implications for their futures as ministry leaders and citizens. The manner in which they led students through discussions was an integral part of the curriculum, a conscious modeling of how Christians should be addressing these subjects, and in a manner that reflected God's forgiveness and desire for reconciliation. This study has begun an ongoing conversation regarding the need for multicultural subjects to be integral parts of ministry degree programs in Christian colleges and seminaries.

Proposal abstract :
At Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, fourteen worship services each week are a key component of spiritual formation and also provide opportunities for students to develop skills for clergy leadership. Faculty and ordained members of the seminary staff regularly lead these services, but they do not currently have a shared understanding of their role and authority in decisions about the services at which they preside and about the ongoing worship life of the seminary. A one-day workshop for faculty and ordained members of the seminary staff will enable conversation about the pedagogical implications of worship and about the authority of faculty and ordained staff in shaping that worship.

Learning Abstract :
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary engaged in a one-day workshop for faculty and ordained members of the seminary staff in order to enable conversation about the pedagogical implications of worship. Particular attention was given to questions associated with the authority of faculty and ordained staff in shaping seminary worship in relation to issues of worship and student formation. At Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, fourteen worship services each week serve as key components for spiritual formation and also provide opportunities for students to develop skills for clergy leadership. Faculty and ordained members of the seminary staff regularly lead these services, but a common understanding about their role and authority in decisions about these services is mixed. Hence, the project sought to directly address pedagogical issues directly associated with community worship and student formation.

Proposal abstract :
This project supports the development of a research survey instrument, its subsequent use with theological students at the outset and completion of their Master of Divinity degree program, and an analysis of the data in order to identify the formative effects of various cultural factors that are believed to function alongside religious faith in shaping the religious formation of incoming theological students. The information gathered from the instrument will contribute to the development of the emerging signature pedagogy at Brite Divinity School. In particular the analysis of the results will shape the teaching/learning outcomes of the faculty in its efforts to nurture an effective 21st Century Christian identity for religious leaders as public theologians in the United States.

Learning Abstract :
Who are the seminarians that Brite teaches? What influences seminary students' religious development? How do they spend their time? To get an overview of these questions and others, a survey was administered to 131 seminary students at Brite Divinity School. The survey research revealed to the researchers that the students are far more complex than the faculty had previously imagined. It showed the faculty that culture trumps religion and that, to students, there's a fine line between the two. Religion, in fact, becomes changed by culture and is no longer about the normative rhetoric that is attached to communities of faith and their related institutions, and how they purportedly derive meaning from them. Rather, it is about "meaning-making," those things that actually end up providing the resources from which people gain meaningful understanding about themselves, others, and the world in which they live. Consequently, seminarians often derive more meaning from the "sacred" found in the supposedly "secular" arena rather than in traditionally religious locations. Professors and practitioners must become master participant-observers in both realms if their goal is to be relevant religious educators in a context in which religion is no longer the definitive realm for the sacred.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a consultation to bring together professors of youth ministry from various mainline Protestant seminaries, divinity schools, and schools of theology in order to a) determine current curricula and pedagogical practices in teaching youth ministry and b) enhance the teaching of youth ministry through sharing resources, approaches, and discussing pedagogical and theological commitments underlying the teaching of youth ministry.

Learning Abstract :
The project director reports that the consultation was held in October of 2003 with 18 participants. The topics that most significantly affected their teaching as professors of youth ministry were the following: 1) the youth culture that is "technology-driven multitasking" requires teaching practices that "engage multiple levels of thought simultaneously"; 2) the need to teach youth ministry "as a means of laying foundation for a lifetime of formation" in theological reflection; and 3) the need to recognize a "theology from youth perspectives" and therefore, "teach forms of youth ministry that problematize the questions of youth rather than assuming we know what those questions and answers are."

Proposal abstract :
A consulting team of five teachers, experienced practitioners, and an assistant skilled in information technology will develop an on-line center for teaching and learning in church leadership and administration, providing resources for adjunct or part-time teachers as well as students at Candler and other theological schools.

Learning Abstract :
The grant provided for the development of an on-line "Leadership and Administration Resource Center (LARC). www.candler.emory.edu/ABOUT/faculty/FRANK/The purpose of this virtual center is mainly to provide teaching resources for persons who are teaching courses in church administration, religious leadership, congregational studies, or related subjects. The site offers them teaching ideas, pedagogical tools from syllabi to readings to exams, and web links that will help them construct and execute useful courses in the field.

A secondary purpose is to provide resources for students and for practitioners in church and non-profit agencies.

The project went much more slowly than anticipated in large part because of difficulties in deciding on the best web format amid rapidly changing technology and in part because of the challenge of finding assistants who could help in the construction of the site.

The grant covered the expense of three consultations with teachers and practitioners in religious leadership and administration. The first two helped generate and evaluate case studies that would be useful in teaching. At the last consultation a small group of teachers from Atlanta theological schools were introduced to the site. They were quite enthused and stated their intention to use the site and contribute material for it.

Proposal abstract :
A meeting to explore various models for and theologies of the integration of theory and practice in the preparation of ministers.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather the members of a working group from the Wabash Consultation on Teaching and the Practices of Ministry. The topic of the group was Integration as an element of ministry formation. They looked to use the gathering to prepare their presentation at the final Consultation meeting.
The group reported a conversation "sustained at a spiritual level from beginning to end." Results included the following: 1) a framework was developed for presenting their reflections on integration for the final Consultation; 2) deciding to participate in a study of Lutheran theological education; 3) a commitment to developing a publication on the theme of integration in theological education.

Proposal abstract :
Pilot program to prepare students for the administrative dimensions of effective pastoral leadership, including presentations by pastors and professionals from the community; create an implementation handbook for other seminaries.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funds to develop a program to train students in church administration for Christian ministry. A series of six workshops in the area of styles of leadership, a formulation and evaluation of budgets, financial reporting, public relations, fundraising, conflict resolution and personnel management. They hoped to develop the program as a model for school in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools.
The program name changed to "Pearls and Treasures: Pearls of Wisdom, Stewardship of Treasure" in order to communicate to students the need to gain wisdom about the stewardship aspect of a call to ministry. They saw as key component of the program the enlisting of professionals from the corporate community, experienced pastors in the field, and other outside experts. This helped the educational experience to become a partnership, "mutually benefiting the student through interaction with experienced professionals, and helping experienced professionals develop confidence in the next generation of pastoral leaders who can work with them in a collaborative manner."

Proposal abstract :
Ecumenical consultation to explore how best to prepare students in a holistic way to be spiritual formators for others.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought funds for a consultation on teaching spiritual formation with faculty and practitioners in seminaries, theology schools, and spiritual formation programs in the Chicago area. The consultation would help participants clarify the focus and effectiveness of their teaching, particularly in light of the holistic approach to teaching that is different in important ways from a traditional classroom focus on lecture, reading and research papers.
A day long consultation was held, with the group divided equally between professors and practitioners. The topics discussed included the following: challenges in doing or teaching spiritual formation; how the students are like or unlike the "formators"; the main components and chief goals of "spiritually formative processes"; and implications of these reflections on teaching.

Proposal abstract :
Support for the initiation of a teaching program in church administration at Catholic Theological Union that is specifically focused on the training of theology students in functions of church administration activities.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to continue the work of the Wabash center grant received in 2002 (WC 2002-003) in order to bring it to its completion. The grant sought to fund an innovative course delivery for a seminary curriculum in church administration in partnership with the corporate community, experienced pastors in the field and other outside experts. The current request would fund resources for the publication and marketing of a teaching manual on the curriculum to be distributed to other schools of theology for implementation.
During the period of the grant the project director reports the following accomplishments: the Implementation Handbook was completed and distribution begun; enrollment in the program increased; and the program became a permanent part of the curriculum in the fall of 2004.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project that seeks to identify critical qualities of teaching congregations that distinguish them as generative centers for theological field education.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to identify critical qualities of teaching congregations that distinguish them as "generative centers of theological education." The research would be done as a "modest congregational studies project, involving in an analysis of five to six congregations."
One could argue that these fourteen habits and virtues of generative congregations (future oriented, theologically grounded, missionally focused, worship-centered, contextually savvy, publicly engaged, cooperatively linked, shared leadership, personally hospitable, grace-fully managed, programmatically balanced, missional resources, highly participatory, and spiritually nurturing) are merely a personal description of the "ideal church," and there are grounds for such a critique. However, it is important to note that numerous qualities of the ideal church did not make their way onto this list. For example, no one theological perspective was found to be a common characteristic. These congregations range from moderately evangelical-conservative to relatively liberal. Likewise, no one political ideology was found. Some congregations are predominately Republican; others are largely Democratic - with all of the customary partisan views about war, abortion, taxation, welfare and other issue. Also, fewer than half of these congregations see themselves as having strong programs of ministry with children and youth. And numerous other qualities that one might expect on a personal "wish list" do not appear on this list of habits and virtues.

One characteristic not on the list is assumed - but should be acknowledged. All of these congregations are obviously deeply faithful to God, and this faith commitment profoundly influences the identity and mission of each church. While different congregations may emphasize different aspects of the Christian Gospel, all of them live out their faith in ways that have integrity with their understanding of their vocation as Christian disciples.

It was suggested earlier that a critical element of any pastoral internship is the supervising pastor. And this premise is borne out with each of these five congregations. Without exception, there is a strong and able supervisor who is a careful mentor with personal enthusiasm for working with theological students. Without this commitment, even the most generative of congregations would probably struggle as a teaching partner in theological education.

Perhaps the ultimate test of congregational generativity has to do with the competencies cultivated by an intern in the field setting. The following is my own minimal list of competencies that one might hope an intern will address in a pastoral internship: Constructive theological reflection, self-knowledge, authentic personal piety or spirituality, healthy interpersonal relationships, leadership, insightful contextual analysis, pastoral skills, and vocational clarity.

While there are no guarantees that an intern and congregational placement will experience the chemistry needed to develop a constructive internship, there is an interesting correlation between this list of pastoral competencies and the characteristics of generative congregations. One might easily conclude that congregations with the habits and virtues described in this report are positioned to contribute significantly to the personal growth and professional development of students in ministry.

Proposal abstract :
Support for consultations to increase the capacity of PC (USA) related theological schools and their professors to teach public leadership, to foster the creation of a cadre of faculty members in each seminary that are able to teach public leadership, and to foster the development of clergy and clergy-in-training to be public and ministerial leaders. The grant also supports the investigation of how best to learn and teach public leadership.

Learning Abstract :
The series of Consultations on Teaching Public Leadership held by participating seminaries of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. defined the meaning of the term public leadership-one of the stated goals of the Association of Theological Schools for the Master of Divinity degree. The Consultations developed measurable learning outcomes for M.Div. programs to equip theological students to become public leaders of congregations and agencies. New courses were developed and others revised that include the cultivation of public leadership skills as an important part of their learning objectives. An audit of best practices used by the participating seminaries to teach public leadership indicated an array of courses that address this issue throughout the curriculum of the institutions, but it also exposed a lack of recognition by many faculty of the importance of teaching public leadership as part of the mission of the schools.

Proposal abstract :
The growth of distance education in seminaries has generated an intense intramural debate among theological educators regarding the legitimacy of distance education for clergy preparation – in particular, spiritual formation. Hence, this project will tackle issues associated with nurturing spiritual formation among seminary students in a variety of contexts through a series of consultations over three years. Members of the consultations will come from Protestant ATS member schools representing those who currently use distance education and those who have resisted using it. A position paper will serve as a catalyst for dialogue and reflection at the first consultation. The second consultation will build on the first by suggesting ways in which spiritual formation can be facilitated through pedagogical strategies. The final consultation will continue the work of the previous two years and work toward creation of a working model for assessing spiritual formation in distance education. Project Goals. 1) Arrive at a consensus among consultation participants regarding a shared core of spiritual formation concepts that resonate across Protestant denominational and theological traditions, 2) Identify specific and unique problems posed by distance education regarding spiritual formation, 3) Propose specific pedagogical strategies that demonstrate spiritual formation in distance education, 4) Construct a preliminary assessment model that seeks to measure the impact of learning in distance education on the spiritual formation of students, 5) Disseminate findings and proposals through written essays, and 6) Create an online conference room for participants to engage in ongoing conversation about the topic.

Learning Abstract :
This consultation was able to produce a final working document for publication entitled "Spiritual Formation in Theological Distance Education: An Ecosystems Model." This document reflected the shared consensus of the group regarding the concept of spiritual formation and its application to online theological education. It also identified the two major problems of community formation and creating dialogue that could foster and sustain student spiritual formation regardless of course content and modes of delivery. Specific pedagogical strategies and a preliminary assessment tool were constructed and will be tested in future work. Dissemination of our findings can be found in publications and presentations available online and in periodicals.

Proposal abstract :
The Project will help assess the effectiveness of seminary faculty in preparing students for pastoral ministry shaped by healthy boundaries and good judgment in pastoral relationships. The outcome of this assessment will serve to better prepare seminary faculty to effectively provide specialized teaching in theological education. In turn, the preparation of students for pastoral ministry will be enhanced. The assessment will focus on faculty and administrators previously trained by FaithTrust Institute through the Seminary Project.

Learning Abstract :
For nearly ten years, FaithTrust Institute has educated the faculty and administrators of seminaries on professional ethics in pastoral ministry through the Seminary Project. The key objective of this training is to prepare future pastoral ministers to be aware of and address issues of professional ethics within their congregations and their denominations. Recently, FaithTrust Institute convened a gathering of 15 faculty and administrators to assess the impact these trainings have on student learning. Participants believe strongly that FaithTrust Institute should continue its training and expand it to include all seminaries in the Association of Theological Schools. Students benefit from learning about healthy boundaries, the role of judicatory committees, and ministerial ethics is an issue of power and abuse rather than an issue of "sexual morality." Success of the FaithTrust Institute Seminary Project is reflected in seminaries incorporating the training and educational materials into their curriculum on a permanent basis.

Proposal abstract :
Faculty and pastors work together to develop ways to help students integrate theological education and practices of life and ministry.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to create in the seminary curriculum an integrated teaching approach, leading to the creation of a consistent learning environment. This would allow theological reflection to become a foundational theme for students and thus could be utilized consistently in their lives and ministries. This was implemented by a core faculty group engaging in a series of study and dialogue sessions on teaching and curriculum at the seminary and experimenting with new models of doing theological reflection. Eventually, they sought to engage the whole faculty in the integration of theological reflection into the full curriculum.
Through this projects Fuller was able to move its curriculum towards a more integrated and holistic program. They were able to determine ways for the seminary to encourage theological reflection with specific suggestions regarding field education seminars, field-based learning throughout the curriculum, and the Foundations for Ministry course.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project to investigate the pedagogical needs in formation and training of Catholic women for ministry outside Catholic seminaries and universities through research (literature review and consultation with experts), and to present this research in a scholarly forae (conference paper and journal article).

Learning Abstract :
Several problems surrounding the formation and training of Catholic lay ministers were identified during the research period. The research demonstrates that a large population of Catholic women and lay men in the highest levels of full-time ministry training (i.e. M.Div., D.Min.) are training under non-Catholic auspices.

While the level of non-Catholic institutions is uniformly high, the lack of specifically Catholic formation and training puts these students at a disadvantage. Many courses necessary for Catholic ministry are simply not available. While some students at non-Catholic institutions in or near major metropolitan areas (Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C.) can register for necessary courses through their institutions' consortia memberships, large areas of the United States have no Catholic resources nearby. Preliminary conversations with officials of the Vanderbilt Divinity School and with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops during the project indicated the need to measure the problem and provide pedagogical solutions to non-Catholic institutions. This is especially important in the light of coming Catholic requirements for lay ecclesial ministry that include four competency areas: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation.

Proposal abstract :
Support for the faculty of Iliff School of Theology to engage in sustained reflection on the ecology of their teaching practices, with an eye towards shifting that ecology towards the desired outcome of increased theological fluency among graduating students. "Theological Fluency" will serve as a generative metaphor to broadly identify the imaginative capacity to draw on interdisciplinary forms of theological wisdom in professional practice. Faculty participants will work to identify their characteristic pedagogical approaches, their intended student learning outcomes, and the ecology of approaches across the faculty. After careful reflection on the relationship of various pedagogical approaches to the learning outcome of theological fluency, the faculty will work to shift their pedagogical ecology to better support this kind of student learning. Faculty will pay special attention to the role of cultural background, age, and learning styles of students as they reflect on their pedagogical approaches.

Learning Abstract :
We learned that enormous diversity characterizes our teaching methods, subject matter, and desired outcomes. While sharing various general commitments to specific subject content, critical thinking, personal integrity, social relevance, and functional skills, we learned that there is considerable difference in how these are understood, embodied, and communicated. We also learned that having sustained conversations about our pedagogy created a sense of cohesiveness among the faculty. We were able to devise new strategies to help various forms of knowledge travel throughout the curriculum and between our disciplines, and to gain a better sense of what theological fluency might be for our students and alums. Finally, we learned that in addition to specific knowledge and skills traveling with more or less degree of fluency in our students, that Iliff's central message travels in a variety of formal and informal ways throughout all of our more structured and formal pedagogical practices.

Proposal abstract :
The proposal is an effort to improve the instruction of faculty members in the six HBTS through the appropriation of disciplines of theological education and the skillful use of its signature practices. The end result of improving the instruction of faculty members is to improve the learning outcomes of students in a comprehensive range of pastoral responsibilities and skills outline by the Master of Divinity degree standards of the Association of Theological schools (ATS).

Learning Abstract :
The most significant result of the Wabash HBTS conference is that each HBTS institution has come to the conclusion that institutional planning and evaluation are not impositions from external authorities designed to undermine and thwart the efforts of HBTS to survive. Rather, the emerging message being internalized and which undergirds the planning and evaluation processes is that the accrediting expectations not only facilitate survival, they also enable institutional thriving far into the future. In fact, the Wabash HBTS conference has helped to initiate in some cases and continue in other cases a new institutional ethos which fosters best practices for carrying out the institutions' mission and objectives.

Proposal abstract :
The purpose of this grant is to enable 4 faculty members of the JSTB to attend a week’s workshop to be held from January 2-6th, 2006 in the Los Angeles area, designed to train people in intercultural teaching and ministry.

Learning Abstract :
Among the most valuable things we learned in this project is that personal input and stories are indispensable to achieve this type of learning. Culture is much too complex to be studied at only the level of theory or presented in lectures. Since all the participants have worked interculturally with groups of various kinds, they brought that experience with them to the overall process. Another factor which surfaced was the need to distribute power at the level of leadership. Composition of planning and leadership groups, therefore, is key to greater involvement at all levels. Several of the fruits of this project which will contribute to our expanding conversation on teaching and learning are 1) the fact that ALL people have and act out of a culture and an awareness of that culture is essential for teaching, research, and ministry; 2) that if they are to respond to the needs of those they serve, institutions which are trying to become more diverse must make some changes and not expect that it is only the students who have to "get with the program"; and 3) interactive, dialogical, process-centered, socio-constructivist approaches to intercultural training, judging from our experience, seem to be the best method available to date.

Proposal abstract :
The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary trains modern rabbis who are scholars conversant in both traditional Jewish texts and critical methods. JTS faculty members bring rich faith journeys to their teaching, along with exciting, complex approaches to religious scholarship. Still, most instruction is overly cognitive and does not incorporate normative formation and professional development pedagogies into rabbinical students’ learning. In 2006, JTS received consultation support from the Wabash Center to launch faculty-facilitated Integrating Seminars in which groups of first-year students met regularly to address issues of rabbinic identity arising from their studies. Dr. Kathleen Talvacchia served as consultant to JTS and helped conceptualize how to move forward in JTS integration efforts. As a result, JTS now seeks to extend benefits of lessons learned in the seminars to the faculty as a whole and to the field. Over the next two years, JTS will 1) introduce integration as an objective in rabbinic education to the JTS faculty as a whole; 2) provide incentives and assistance to instructors teaching required courses in core subjects; and 3) disseminate results to the field by bringing JTS faculty together with their counterparts from other seminaries undertaking similar projects to share work in progress.

Learning Abstract :
The Wabash Center grant was critical in spearheading a cultural shift at JTS with regard to teaching, and how teaching is done at JTS. Faculty members, for example, are now more willing to think through the teaching of their material as an aspect of their craft. There is also a greater willingness on the part of the faculty to talk about their teaching and to see the teaching itself as a key part of our mission of forming clergy.

Also, feedback from students on this effort and the self-reporting from faculty were very positive. Finally, Carol Ingall created a forum for faculty members to discuss their teaching/issues related to pedagogy, and there was great interest in this forum and a large turn out for this event.

Proposal abstract :
Study leave grant to support development of theological teaching resources and strategies for stimulating and supporting proactive commitment to an anti-racist, inclusive vision for community for seminarians and others in theological education.

Learning Abstract :
The study leave project sought to develop teaching resources and strategies to assist white theological faculty and seminarians to deconstruct unreflective racist assumptions underlying white racial identity and to develop teaching practices and resources that stimulate and support a mutually relational learning community. The project hoped to assess operative distortions shaping race relations in North American mainline Protestantism, critically assess anti-racism programs, and identify resources that might contribute to deconstructing white racism.
Her hypothesis that white religious leaders hold inadequate tools for analyzing and responding to racism proved true. She was struck by the pervasive difficulty of white religious leaders to adequately understand the scope and depth of racism. Anti-racism training experiences and resources proved helpful in developing new teaching strategies. She was able to engage a wide variety of works on race from many disciplinary perspectives that proved invaluable for her revision of her courses.

Proposal abstract :
Consultation of fifteen pastoral theologians for sustained conversation about current resources, curricular issues, and teaching strategies for courses in pastoral care, and postmodern challenges for pastoral formation and practice.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather for a consultation 15 participants from the Society for Pastoral Theology to discuss the ways they teach a "correlational discipline" affected by attention to post modernist issues of power and difference. Specifically, they looked at the construction of basic courses in pastoral theology in the M.Div. curriculum, PhD curriculum, and the development of pastoral identities more rooted in multicultural realities. Their goal was to engage curricula of pastoral theology more intentionally with the realities of culture, power and difference.
The consultation was very successful specifically around the following issues: sharing foundational course syllabi; teaching methods using and teaching critically operative meta-theories for pastoral theological reflection; doctoral program pedagogies; formation and vocation. They recognized "a consensus among participants about the importance of helping students develop skills in analyzing the dynamics of power in contemporary contexts" and of "the value of assisting students in identifying normative values operative in their pastoral practice and interdisciplinary methods."

Proposal abstract :
Support for a faculty retreat to follow up on the Educating Clergy conference sponsored by the Wabash Center in Chicago, Il. The retreat will encourage faculty discussion about the potential impact of the conference on the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary community life and formation of students for ministry.

Learning Abstract :
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary faculty met for a day and one half retreat for discussion about clergy formation at the seminary. Specific attention was given to issues related to seminary culture and identity. The conversation provided the impetus for subsequent ongoing conversations around issues of the diverse curricula that constitute seminary education, including intellectual formation, character formation, and the formation of reflective and competent practitioners. Dr. Barbara Wheeler served as a consultant for the retreat and aided the faculty in probing the seminary's identity and ethos in relation to formation questions. Faculty continue to reflect and converse about how to develop pastoral imagination in their students.

Proposal abstract :
A study of contextual pedagogy in selected theological schools to assess effective methods, underlying curricular vision, and faculty transition to new methods.

Learning Abstract :
This study leave project sought to study in selected theological schools the teaching practices of field educators that best connect students' learning to the contexts of ministry, and thus, provide a fuller description of teaching in professional theological education. He hoped to assess the following issues: the methods of teaching and learning relating ministerial contexts and theology; the curricular vision this approach to teaching and learning requires; and change strategies necessary for a faculty to make a commitment to contextual theological teaching practices.
A total of six theological schools were studied with 97 persons interviewed (45 students and 52 faculty). He found, overall, that for each school the definition of context differed, and this in turn influenced the models used to relate theory to practice and the dominant characteristic of the school.

Proposal abstract :
Support for the analysis and development of a pedagogy used in teaching worship, moving it from a product of theological abstraction, to a process of pastoral engagement. This grant also supports the development of digital multimedia resources (Web Site and CD-Roms) for professors who teach worship.

Learning Abstract :
Although this grant did not proceed as hoped, there were many positive outcomes that resulted. First, at both Loyola and North Park, I was able to engage the question of technology and teaching, specifically how we do distance learning. I was also able to raise the question of contextual teaching and pastoral theology pedagogy. These conversations continue at both institutions and will be a key component to the development of Fuller's PhD in liturgy, which I am developing. The central question I have is how can we develop doctoral students who are both solid scholars and thorough the creative teaching.

Second, I have been able to engage scholar/teachers from numerous disciplines in the discussion of the use of media in teaching. Beyond presentations to various groups of liturgists beyond my two focus groups, I have engaged those involved in congregational studies, sociology of religion, ritual studies, homiletics, and liturgical music. In these conversations I saw possibilities for these resources that I had not seen before.

Third, I have seen students over the past two years engage in pastoral questions about worship in greater detail than I ever had before. Students began seeing the implementation of various rites and liturgies as being done not in a general way but with a specific community of people, with unique likes and dislikes and a distinct history. This has helped our discussion about worship move from issues of personal preference to issues of pastoral concern. This has been the most successful part of being able to bring pieces of a community's liturgical life into the classroom as a text used for our learning. It has also improved the quality of the student's participant-observation of liturgies.

Proposal abstract :
A conference in which individuals who are currently teaching rural ministry courses in accredited seminary programs can compare teaching and learning methods and resources.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather together seminary professors who teach in the area of rural ministry. For the purpose of comparing teaching and learning methods and resources, and to work together on significant teaching and learning issues common to rural ministry education.
The Rural Ministry Education Conference was held over six days at a retreat center in rural Minnesota, with 19 in attendance. One learning of the conference was recognition of the high level of creativity and qualification among the professors in this specialization. Other learning acknowledged the marginality of this specialization within theological education. This is significant due to the contradictory reality that the majority of seminarians come from suburban churches, yet the majority of first calls are to rural and small town churches. The conference helped to create a network of practitioners in this area for sharing resources and for collaborating.

Proposal abstract :
LTSG and Wesley Seminary collaborate to produce a learner-centered and technologically equipped course, “Rural and Small Church Ministries.” The course will be enhanced by research and development of an on-line set of additional resources from multiple traditions, multi-disciplinary faculty, and an innovative combination of classroom and on-line teaching.

Learning Abstract :
The project was implemented in the spring of 2001. We (Waldkoenig at LTSG and Zabel at Wesley Theological Seminary) had designed what we hoped would be a learner-centered course on rural ministry. Our hope was to include technology in the teaching and learning process to allow for various learning styles of the students and to provide new ways to reflect upon rural contexts. The course had three different sections: one in the classroom at Wesley and two online sections. These were the first pilots of online courses at either school. All three sections of our course enjoyed ample discussion times in response to an array of resources including presentations, readings and guest practitioners. The presentations included graphics of rural art, photos, statistical charts and outlines of ideas that had not been readily available. The grant supported the development of the presentations, their delivery online, sustaining the online discussion through Blackboard course web pages and the collaboration of project directors Zabel and Waldkoenig.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a study leave grant to research institutions that train students in rural contexts in order to develop strategies for teaching that would equip seminarians and clergy for ministry in increasingly stressed rural communities.

Learning Abstract :
I rediscovered the value of a Trinitarian theology for congregational mission focused on community development. I found several excellent community-building tools (appreciative inquiry, asset-mapping and intergenerational dialogue) that I am training my students to use with their congregations on internship and after graduation. I have become convinced of the urgent necessity, fruitfulness and potential difficulties of doing interdisciplinary training for clergy. And from the last segment of the project I have learned the value of a well-designed and maintained website as a way of networking with folks who, in Canadian rural settings, are often far dfstant from one another

Proposal abstract :
Support for a study leave grant to research institutions that train students in rural contexts in order to develop strategies for teaching that would equip seminarians and clergy for ministry in increasingly stressed rural communities.

Learning Abstract :
I rediscovered the value of a Trinitarian theology for congregational mission focused on community development. I found several excellent community-building tools (appreciative inquiry, asset-mapping and intergenerational dialogue) that I am training my students to use with their congregations on internship and after graduation. I have become convinced of the urgent necessity, fruitfulness and potential difficulties of doing interdisciplinary training for clergy. And from the last segment of the project I have learned the value of a well designed and maintained website as a way of networking with folks who, in Canadian rural settings, are often far distant from one another.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a 2-meeting consultative process in which faculty members from four seminaries, representing a diverse array of traditions (evangelical, reformed, Catholic, and Lutheran) explore together how their actual practices of teaching have changed in relation to curriculum shifts undertaken in response to the changing context of the church in North America.

Learning Abstract :
The four schools involved in this grant found the project so helpful in large part because it gave them room to create and practice reflection that was deliberately appreciative, and thus primarily generative in character. Such processes are neither short, nor easily assessed in quantitative terms--they are also largely shunned or marginalized within academic practice. Given that the central thrust of a seminary organized to support an apostolate requires a teaming approach, and given that few faculty have had experiences of teaming in teaching (true teaming, as opposed to "parallel play"), it becomes all the more necessary to create room for this kind of faculty development. The pressures and exigencies of contemporary theological education work against the kind of space and time an "abbey" or "monastic" approach to theological education might make possible. Given that reality, finding ways to support faculty development through shared approaches to teaching is a highly fruitful and generative investment.

Proposal abstract :
This project seeks to learn from emerging models of theological education within non-formal academic institutional settings, whether local churches or parachurch contexts. It is particularly interested in models found in the emerging Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions of Christianity. These will be compared and contrasted with the model used within my present formal university context.

Learning Abstract :
The experience of three non-formal ministry formation contexts has highlighted the need for continued development of an integrated approach to ministry formation that involves knowing, being, and doing, that gives attention to gaining greater knowledge, deepening personal character and clarifying vocational identity, and acquiring ministry skills. The genius of these non-formal contexts was that this integration was seen not just in the program as a whole (as is typical of seminary), but also in the individual classes and in the lives of those who were forming the students. While there was concern over decreased attention to a breadth and depth of theological knowledge in these non-formal settings, this allowed for greater attention to the dimensions of being and knowing. This experience has prompted me to seek for greater integration of knowing/being/doing within seminary courses and curricula and within seminary professors both present and future.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project to collect and reflect on data from seminaries and dioceses related to international enrollments and implications for Roman Catholic seminaries, theological education and ministry formation. The project will also include roundtables of scholars and seminary leaders to examine the implications of this trend for theological education and seminary life as a whole. The project will provide opportunities for Catholic theological educators to consider this issue from all perspectives and to collectively develop practical resources to respond to the challenge.

Learning Abstract :
In 2004, approximately 30% of the candidates for the priesthood in Roman Catholic seminaries in the United States were born outside this country. In response to this trend of increasing international enrollments, the Seminary Department of the National Catholic Educational Association initiated a study to consider the implications of this increasing cultural diversity on theological education and pastoral formation. The project was based on the following assumptions: that culture is all-encompassing; that effective seminary formation is the complex web of systemic relationships, and that shifts in the cultural mix of a seminary will impact theological learning and pastoral formation program. The project was under the direction of Bernard F. Stratman, SM, director of the NCEA Seminary Department. The project team included Father James Schuerman, director of Spiritual Formation at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, WI, and Dr. Bryan Froehle, Ph.D., director of the Siena Center of Dominican University, River Forest, IL.

The results have been published in the Fall 2005 Seminary Journal and the Winter 2005 Seminary Journal.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a workshop on uses of technology for priest formation.

Learning Abstract :
What we have learned from pursuing this project is that there is a great deal of interest in the use of appropriate technologies to promote teaching and learning in Catholic seminaries, and a number of academic deans are ready to spearhead a Catholic Distance Learning Network in which member schools will be able to offer their courses online and receive enrollments of students from any other member school at no cost to the students or member institutions. One of the ways in which this initiative will contribute is in the potential this kind of collaborative interaction has for both intercultural and interdisciplinary studies as students from different regions engage one another and ongoing courses within the consortium begin to support one another. Another lies in the conversations on pedagogy and adult learning that will likely occur as faculties begin to respond to the changing social realities of the third millennium.

Proposal abstract :
As a result of an audit on racial inclusiveness in 2004, the recommendations of the audit will be implemented to better prepare students to lead churches in diverse cultural contexts. One of the key tasks is to design new curricula and educational programs, including a required course on dismantling racism and developing cultural competency.

Learning Abstract :
The project of dismantling racism and creating cross-cultural competence is carried out at present in several venues. 1) The Roundtable program of the Center of Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, the African American Roundtable, and the Asian American Roundtable discussions each concerns the intersection of race, gender identity and sexual orientation. 2) The work of the Dismantling Racism Committee provides forums and other educational venues for the discussion of race issues at PSR. 3) A course has been developed for all students to learn about the issues of color prejudice, systemic racism, and strategies for creating racial justice, particularly in the churches, but in the larger community as well. 4) Students engage in short and long term contextual educational opportunities and at the end of their courses they engage in days of theological reflection with faculty.

Looking forward to the fall of 2009, the PSR faculty will hold a semester-long seminar to learn more about how to teach toward building racial justice at PSR and in the larger community.

Proposal abstract :
Research suggests that approaching Ph.D. students as junior colleagues fosters intellectual—and in theological education, spiritual—communities in which teacher/scholars flourish. This project develops an “incarnational pedagogy” for the vocational formation of doctoral students in adolescent discipleship formation (i.e, “youth/young adult ministries”), emphasizing apprenticeship models and situated learning. Incarnational pedagogies seek to embody Christ in communities of practice where students: 1) experience learning in accountable Christian communities, 2) model informal and situated learning approaches consistent with the practice of youth ministry, and 3) learn to match teaching with what is taught. This project approaches the field of adolescent discipleship formation as a community of practice that incorporates Ph.D. students through legitimate peripheral participation, and challenges dominant models of doctoral education by favoring informal and situated learning strategies alongside practices of spiritual and intellectual discernment to equip future teacher/scholars. I suggest that these practices will improve doctoral theological education, especially in emerging fields.

Learning Abstract :
The project explored the benefits of using "incarnational" pedagogies drawn from adolescent discipleship formation (youth ministry, emerging adult ministry, family ministries, campus ministries, etc.) for preparing doctoral students in these fields. By engaging youth ministry/practical theology doctoral students in cross-institutional "teaching colloquia" and incarnational teaching practices drawn from youth ministry (e.g., mentoring, learning communities, situated and transformative learning opportunities), and by examining research on and practices of informal learning, the project enabled reflection on apprenticeship education for future professors in adolescent discipleship formation. This model is currently being tested at Princeton Theological Seminary for Ph.D. students interested in teaching youth/young adult/family ministries, who submit to a program of intellectual, spiritual, and pedagogical formation during their academic program. The project also yielded several essays on previously unexplored relationships between informal teaching and youth ministry, and an article on "incarnational pedagogy" as a form of apprenticeship for theological education.

Proposal abstract :
The RRC is planning a three-year initiative to enhance pedagogies of formation in text and language courses. We appreciate the significance of pedagogies of formation in fostering rabbinic identity and integrity. Since RRC already has strong co-curricular support for spiritual formation and an exemplary program in practical rabbinics, and since we have a curricular focus on texts and languages, we will concentrate on integrating pedagogies of formation in these areas. We will convene an advisory committee of RRC alumni to consult on rabbinic formation and assist in designing and monitoring our intervention; gather data regarding implementation of pedagogies of formation among RRC text and language teachers; provide individual coaching and peer support groups for text and language teachers; monitor the effectiveness of the project and design modifications; and disseminate results through publications and presentations.

Learning Abstract :
Our most powerful learning involved the importance of cultivating the faculty's own formation as clergy educators. It was through becoming more self-aware, connecting with their passions for course material, learning to deliver feedback with honesty and warmth, ad supporting each other through satisfactions and frustrations that faculty members could expend their capacities to mentor students in rabbinic formation. To most effectively cultivate the faculty's formation, we structured reflections, discussion, and text study into small cluster meetings, regular faculty meetings and in-services, as well as bringing RRC alumni (working rabbis) into conversation with faculty members. We also came to view text and language acquisition not as an adjunct to rabbinic formation, but as an integral component, "a whole attitude and approach in which the text becomes the students' frame of reference, their window on the world."

Proposal abstract :
Pre-conference meeting of those who teach in pastoral psychology and theology to evaluate the practice-theory-practice method used in "Introduction to Pastoral Care" courses and the correlation of various disciplinary perspectives used at the master's level in both seminary and university contexts.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to gather teachers of pastoral psychology and theology in a one-day meeting preceding the annual meeting of the Society for Pastoral Theology. The purpose of the meeting would be to reflect upon various methods of practical theology used by those who teach in the area of pastoral theology at a master's level. Specifically, they hoped to consider their use of a practice-theory-practice method in their introductory courses and examine how various disciplinary perspectives relate to each other and to practice.
The following five themes emerged as common rationales for their teaching strategies: theological education that seeks both pastoral formation and critical thinking, with the method of practical theology to ground it; beginning with and valuing experience, with authority granted to the context of pastoral care; enhancing self-awareness of social identity and power differentials; acknowledging students' accountability to denominational and professional organizations; and forming students who have a capacity for empathy and who know how to establish and maintain faithful relationships.

Proposal abstract :
Consultations between graduate school faculty and current professionals working in one of three specific ministry areas will elicit strategies for better teaching and learning in pastoral administration, pastoral care ministries, and catechetics.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund three consultations "to assist the College in its development of additional curricular options and directions in its Graduate Program in Pastoral Theology." The consultation process involves three dialogic sessions of three days duration each and included program administrators, faculty and recognized professionals in the examined areas of Pastoral Administration, Pastoral care and Catechesis.
Content was specified for the new program and priorities within specialty areas were clarified. An appropriate and potentially effective strategy was designed for curricular delivery. A pedagogical model was constructed and agreed upon. Potential compatible faculty was identified within the consultative process.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a project to: develop consensus across member seminaries of the Midwest Association of Theological Schools (MATS) about assessment processes and products related to the major responsibilities of a newly ordained priest; bring to MATS seminaries current best practices and current research related to the development of professional workers in other fields; and create broadly validated assessment tools that will be integrated into practice by MATS seminaries and shared with seminaries across the nation.

Learning Abstract :
The project enabled a group of seminary educators to collectively design a framework for integrating the formational components of the Program for Priestly Formation (e.g. human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral dimensions) into specific outcomes, behaviors and performance tasks. This was accomplished in the design of the DACUM. The DACUM provides for us a realistic perspective of what students should know and be able to do at the completion of the program through specific duties, tasks and behaviors. The challenge for the group is to create further rubrics and performance actions that will allow students and faculty to assess the integration of the skills, knowledge and affect integrated by students for their future ministry. (Seminaries have adopted Shulman's idea that a student's learning of the theological dimensions of leadership and ministry is not ultimately gauged by knowledge of the concept, but by the ability to exercise leadership through performance actions.) The seminaries that participated in this project are now ready to apply the DACUM to their curricula. One model that we hope to develop with future funding is the portfolio that will designate specific rubrics, performance evaluations, and select written work from across the M.Div curriculum to demonstrate the student's engagement and motivation, knowledge and understanding, performance and action, reflection and critique. One year was beneficial in meeting the primary goal of the grant. However, we realize that it will take two years for the dissemination of our work to begin to be utilized within the classroom.

Proposal abstract :
This project builds upon and extends work initiated last year to develop a framework for assessing student progress at Roman Catholic seminaries. A team of seminary educators and senior staff of Education Development Center will complete the design of an assessment model that integrates the major and minor occupational responsibilities of successful priests and the behavioral attributes called for in priestly formation. The team will then research, review and prioritize elements of student portfolios that are most applicable to the assessment model. They will then draft a design for a portfolio that can collect and display evidence of seminarian progress as measured by the assessment model.

Learning Abstract :
Outcome assessment tools for the depth and breadth of the Master of Divinity degree remains a complex challenge for most divinity schools. While successful academic performance is evaluated through capstone seminars and comprehensive exams, the overall assessment of a student's personal growth, pastoral skills, spirituality and leadership abilities are often clouded by reported ratings of only successful academic performance. Without specific examples of evidence in these other domains, the student's self-knowledge of the integration of formational elements may never be adequately assessed. Portfolios enable the measurement of multiple dimensions of student progress through the collection of different types of data and materials in order to achieve an integrated portrait.

The Midwest Association of Theological Schools represented in this project by the collaboration of eight Roman Catholic seminaries researched portfolio use and design. They incorporated the four pillars of priestly formation; human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral with the DACUM of duties and tasks of ordained priests in order to create a portfolio template for seminaries.

The merits of this project demonstrate that an integrated portfolio for M.Div students is possible. Each school will need to adapt their current academic program and design portfolio components around their program outcomes and goals. A portfolio model requires the commitment of an institution and its faculty, the creation of an assessment-minded culture within the school, and graduated implementation and monitoring. Currently there are a few schools beginning to pilot this work for future implementation. Time commitment, facilitation of the portfolio process and ongoing monitoring of student performance remain challenges for seminaries with minimal human resources and budgets. Nevertheless, portfolios help bridge the gap between formation in seminaries and ongoing formation and continuing education of future church leaders.

Proposal abstract :
Four faculty from graduate schools will meet to develop materials and guidelines for the preparation of leaders of children's ministry in congregations.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to fund a special meeting of four faculty members from four different graduate schools who have invested in the development of children's ministry leadership. The project had three goals: to discuss the nature of resources that are needed to inform seminaries and graduate schools about the development of academic programs for church ministry leaders; to create a working plan for a book on children's ministry in congregations; to create a preliminary outline of criteria and describe a model that can be used in the design of learning and worship experiences for children.
The book developed through the project had a working title: Being the People of God: Only When Children Are Present. The book intends to engage the topics of the principles of children's ministry, historical themes and perspectives, understanding community and cultural context, and implications for leadership and ministry development. They conceptualized a consortium of schools concerned with children's ministry development among 14-15 seminaries and graduate schools interested in developing children's ministry leaders.

Proposal abstract :
Support for a one day faculty workshop to discuss the book Educating Clergy and to strengthen the formation of clergy through discussion courses designed to enhance integration between the courses in various disciplines, integration between coursework and contextual experience, and attention to progression from students’ first year to the final year.

Learning Abstract :
The project consisted of a one-day workshop/retreat, facilitated by Wabash consultant Dr. Kathy Talvacchia, for faculty members of Trinity Lutheran Seminary. In plenary and small group discussion we reflected on the "three apprenticeships" (cognitive, practical, identity/ethical) of professional education introduced in the book Educating Clergy as a means of analyzing vertical integration (progressive integration in which later courses and field experiences build upon early courses and experiences) and horizontal integration" (between the various courses and field experiences in each year of study) in the curriculum. We especially attended to "horizontal" integration, as faculty members were divided into groups according to which semester or year in the M.Div. program they had significant responsibilities for teaching core classes. Rich and fruitful conversation revealed ways our work can complement and reinforce one another's teaching across the disciplines. Recognizing the usefulness of further conversations attending to "horizontal integration," and the need for more conversation about "vertical integration," we committed ourselves to ongoing structured conversations on this topic.

Proposal abstract :
This project proposes a process for constructing a womanist signature pedagogy for educating Black clergy. In particular, we are seeking a year-long consultative initiative among the nation’s premier womanist seminary/religious studies professors to develop a pedagogy that is aware of the impact that race-class-gender disparity has on the formation of the Black Church in general and Black clergy’s theological formation in particular. In anticipation of this long awaited reflective context and workshop, 29 womanist theological educators and religious leaders have committed to work towards a womanist signature pedagogy that aligns with the logos of theological education, the pathos of transformative education, the ethos of womanist thought and the theos of Black religious traditions.

Learning Abstract :
This project grant sought to develop best practices, teaching resources, and pedagogical strategies to assist womanist theological faculty in transmitting womanist thought for practical implementation for the ongoing process of educating Black clergy. Due to racist assumptions, unreflective sexism, and underlying obstacles caused by economic strife, Black clergy are in need of womanist insight in their work to engender social and spiritual empowerment in their congregations. The project hoped that developing a womanist signature pedagogy would stimulate and support a mutually relational learning community for Black clergy. Via in depth interviews, consultations, collaborations and nation-wide conference between womanist scholars and religious leaders/activists, this initiative not only assessed operative distortions that create a gap between the classroom and the church, but also analyzed how bridging the gap could positively shape and revive Black Protestantism. In addition, this project encouraged and empowered its greatest asset, Black church women and clergy.

Proposal abstract :
Support to analyze the results of a focus group of fifteen clergy and lay leaders representing churches from around the United States that met to discuss: 1)the primary experiences and responses to cancer in their church and community; and 2) what learning processes or methods of teaching should be included in a course on the practical theology of cancer. The results will be incorporated into a course at Vanderbilt to help future pastors comprehend the basic issues of contemporary cancer (science, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and outcome) and a practical theological perspective to bear on the phenomenon of cancer.

Learning Abstract :
This study examined the results of a qualitative focus group conducted with fourteen pastoral care givers who were asked to discuss these two questions: 1) Would you describe the primary experiences of and responses to (concerning) cancer in your church congregation and the surrounding community:" 2) "Given your experiences, what would a course in the practical theology of cancer contain?" A discussion of the findings of these groups indicates the following about their experiences of cancer: (1) the ministries of their congregations are central to their experience; (2) a variety of fears appear to pervade the experience of both those with cancer and of those who care for them to such an extent that the word ‘cancer' itself is so frightening; (3) these fears are fueled primarily by the many uncertainties that accompany the illness throughout its trajectory; (4) the suffering of those with cancer is often compounded by stigmas attached to the disease; (5) the absence of just and equitable access to healthcare also compounds the suffering of cancer patients; (6) both those with cancer and the pastors themselves have many questions about the causes of cancer.

A discussion of the findings of these groups indicates the following about their recommendations for a course on cancer: (1) such a course should contain information about the basic science of cancer so that pastors may be more empathic with those suffering from it; (2) the course should assist religious care givers to have a better understanding of their own emotional responses to cancer; (3) various educational media – including novels and movies – should be included, as well as presentations by medical experts; (4) the course should include directions for education that may provide pastors and those for whom they care with hope in the face of cancer; (5) the course should assist pastors in understanding the general coping and religious coping processes that occur throughout the trajectory of the illness; (6) theological reflection on the meaning of the disease is crucial for a helpful and effective course. The study concludes by noting its own limitations, and by suggesting further qualitative focus group studies, as well as other research projects to develop and evaluate this course.

Proposal abstract :
The purpose of this project is to assess and recommend pedagogical approaches for use in congregational studies that can effectively assist the move from congregational analysis and assessment to critical engagement, creative reform, and genuine change.

Learning Abstract :
When congregations enter into intentional theological self-appraisal, they can still feel unclear how to turn these insights toward genuine reform. There are, however, vast resources in the literature of transformative community pedagogy (community organizing, critical pedagogy, reflective practitioners, adult education, and leadership development) for learning how to face and enact change. These resources can be effectively employed in congregations provided that key leaders have themselves participated in training events that model these approaches and how to introduce them to others in a broadly-owned process. At the same time, such leaders should be aware that these methods adopt views of confrontation, politics, responsibility, and change that may seem at odds with congregations theologically committed to conflict avoidance or social stability. Since such characterization of these pedagogies is inaccurate, leaders must clarify that these methods share with Christianity a commitment to mutuality in ministry and the gift of abundant life for all.

Proposal abstract :
Support a seminar to prepare members of Yale University Divinity School to teach more effectively a practical reflection and experiential learning course designed for students engaged in field education.

Learning Abstract :
The project sought to prepare faculty members to teach more effectively a practical reflection and experiential learning course designed for students engaged in field education. It hoped to form established faculty toward a pedagogical style and instructional strategies that puts their academic specialty in conversation with students' experiential learning in ministry settings. It also hoped to introduce to faculty pedagogical theories about experiential learning.
A two-day summer seminar grounded basic issues of learning for faculty work in the supervised ministry practicum. In the classroom they paired each faculty member with a practitioner from a ministry site. They discovered that the presence of the practitioner freed faculty to engage their subject area with students, since the practitioner could address practical ministry questions. They discovered and implemented new teaching strategies, although faculty leaned more heavily on experiential learning pedagogies with which they were more familiar. Overall, the work was a successful revisioning of the teaching of field education at Yale.