Applications to BTSR’s Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program are now being accepted. You can use their convenient online application to begin the process (see Apply Now section of the website). You will find a description of the D.Min. program on their website.

Feel free to contact the program Director, Dr. Dan Bagby if you have questions about their D.Min. degree. Director of Admissions, Tiffany Kellogg Pittman can help you with the application steps. Do you need to re-tool for ministry? The BTSR D.Min. may be what you need.

[Read more...]

I recently attended a panel on continuing education. One of the questions at the center of conversation had to do with effective models for continuing education programs. Some sound ideas were shared, but many missed the mark, educationally speaking. Whether we design a program for continuing education or any other educational event we will do well to keep certain principles of learning in mind. The following are principles and practices for effective learning experiences.

[Read more...]

A couple of days I received that phone call I enjoy so much. It goes like this:

Caller: “Hello, Dr. G? You probably don’t remember me, I was a student at the seminary a couple of years ago and never took a class with you. Now I’m in a church in an education staff position and . . . “

Me: “So, how’s that working out for you?”

[Read more...]

Yesterday I heard President-elect Obama speak at a news conference where he introduced the new education secretary, Arne Duncan, head of the Chicago school system. One point Obama stressed was that we needed to increase our expectations about student performance. I agree wholeheartedly.

[Read more...]

One of the topics in my current online course is educational assessment in the congregational setting. The students are reviewing a model for rigorous assessment of Christian education that my friend Marty and I present in our forthcoming book.* One issue students have raised, legitimately, about the issue of assessment, and the model offered in particular, is that putting a rigorous assessment process in place in the congregation will be a challenge and will seem daunting. I think that’s a valid statement.

[Read more...]

Every once is a while (like last month, in fact) I get a call from a church leaders wanting guidance and ideas about creating a mini-seminary in their congregations. While that idea is driven by a desire to make Christian education more meaningful and effective in their congregations I am always suspect of that approach. I believe that any congregation will be well-served by taking Christian education more seriously, and, by go about its practice in more intentional ways. But I also believe that a seminary is one thing and a church another—and when it comes to educating in faith, the two should not be confused.

[Read more...]

For some years I’ve been working with a group of teachers who have been motivated to improve their courses and their classroom performance. These teachers were in a teaching in-service seminar I gave some years ago (almost a decade ago!). It was one of those rare experiences when everything seemed to click: the right people in the same room at the same time sharing the same interest and serendipitously finding the right seminar. A small group from this seminar has continued to pursue their work of becoming excellent teachers, and it has been gratifying to see.

[Read more...]

I often challenge Christian educators that we need to stop giving mere lip service to the importance of Christian education in our churches. It’s not enough to preach its critical importance in helping people grow in faith. It’s not enough to urge leaders to get serious about providing effective Christian education in our congregations. When it comes down to it, Christian education will never improve until resident Christian educators, pastor and staff, start functioning like real educators.

[Read more...]

A church’s educational program will be shaped by several factors: its history, denominational relations, size, location, predominant social class, identity, life stage, and leadership, for example. Below are some essential congregational education program areas common to most churches:

[Read more...]

There are many factors that influence Christian education programming in congregations. Two of those factors are staff leadership and congregational size. While we may desire otherwise the fact is that congregations are highly dependent on program staff for leadership, development, and effectiveness for educational programs. And often, educational program leaders are the last staff hired (the typical order of staff hires are: pastor, musician, part-time youth/children staff, full-time youth/children staff, then, educator). Which means that any educator who is the first full-time program staff person in a congregation likely has to deal with years of neglect in the area of church-wide educational programming.

[Read more...]