Led by:  Dr. Rebecca Davis, Associate Professor of Christian Education

Workshop Description:

What is the state of teaching in our congregations? Is it a ministry with purpose to which we call disciples or simply a burdensome obligation we are dutybound to continue? Are we teaching in ways that nurture a dynamic and relevant faith that shapes our very being and the way we live in the world, or are we still lumbering around with an educational approach that consumes energy and imagination like a 1940s model car guzzled gasoline?

Teaching in congregations–Bible studies, church school, officer training, confirmation–has seen very little change in the last seventy years. We may have added videos, games, and other bells and whistles, but the imposition of external goals, objectives and expected learning outcomes have remained the same. The result? A widening chasm between what we “learn” in communities of faith and how we live in the world.

Let’s explore a new approach! Teaching for Understanding and Engagement shapes identity, nurtures meaning-making, and engenders faithful living in the world through transformative pedagogy and propositional curriculum so our lives embody our faith.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14  | 11:30 A.M. -1:30 P.M. EDT

Session 1: This session will consider a new way to craft educational experiences in order to focus on what disciples should understand, why it is important, and how to live differently now so understanding is clarified and deepened. Participants will learn how to shape lessons and curriculum around propositions that provide purpose, foster the expectation that change comes by encounters with Scripture and theology, and to build in time for builds in time for personal and communal discernment that leads to faithful engagement in the world. Those in the workshop will leave this session with worksheets for at-home practice that will be reviewed in Session 2. The professor will be available the week between the sessions for individual or small group coaching.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21  | 11:30 A.M. -1:30 P.M. EDT

Session 2: This session will begin with a roundtable discussion of the experiences by the participants with propositional teaching and curriculum. Time will be allowed for an exploratoin of transformative pedagogies and emancipatory methodologies that nurture critical and active participation in life and learning in order to bridge any divide between the faith professed on Sunday and the way life is lived throughout the week.

Leader bio: The Rev. Dr. Rebecca Davis, Associate Professor Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Charlotte, NC, is a Minister of Word and Sacrament and a Certified Christian Educator in the PCUSA. For over thirty years Becky served in congregations and on presbytery staff. She now teaches those preparing for leadership and advocacy in church and world. Her passion for child advocacy led her to serve as staff at the Children’s Defense Fund and the National Council of Churches Committee for Justice for Children and their Families. She was the organizing chair of the Presbyterian Child Advocacy Network and now serves on the Advisory Council for Educate a Child Initiative and the National Committee for the Self Development of People. Becky was named the Educator of the Year in 2018 by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators. Her current project is Liberating Sunday School – creating a paradigm of possibility through Freedom Church School curriculum.

Online Format: This two-session workshop will use Zoom technology to meet online in order to allow for presentations by the leader as well as interaction among participants. Participants will need an electronic device equipped with a reliable Internet connection, built-in or external microphone, and a built-in or external webcam.

Cost:

$45 per individual, if register by September 30, 2021. (Note: Beginning, October 1, price increases by $15. Register early and save!).

CEUs: .4 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for this event. Note: CEU certificates can be generated upon request at the time of the event.

Registration: Online registration is open. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Registered participants will receive a Zoom meeting link the week prior to the event’s first meeting.

Waiting List: Once event reaches capacity, a waiting list will be started.