Life is flux … The only thing that is constant is change. –Heraclitus of Ephesus, 535 BC The grass withers, the flower fades, but the
The Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) had to invent a new job title to encompass Kyle Oliver’s first job description after he finished
Caroline Black entered Christian formation, like many lay leaders, at the church she attended with her family. After making pointed suggestions about the quality of
John Palarine’s journey in the Church began with a revelation he had in Minnesota, where he lived as a child. On his own, he had
One paragraph in The Book of Common Prayersums up the ministry of Helen Barron, a lay powerhouse who coordinated the development of two important curricula, supported
Mary Hess has been a tireless advocate for the practice and study of religious education at both the seminary and parish level. In her work
Bridge is a word that perhaps best describes the work of Anthony Guillén, missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries and Director of Ethnic Ministries for the Episcopal
John Roberto ties his contribution to Christian formation to his longevity in the field. He describes his ministry as coming from an “acorn calling,” not
The Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) has both influenced Sharon Ely Pearson as it has been influenced by her life and work. A
With her signature pragmatism and humility, Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook acknowledged, “Most of what I do as academic dean of a seminary has nothing to do with
Jerome Berryman has been connected with the Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) since its early years, as the development of the Episcopal Children’s
Verna J. Dozier, a teacher and Bible scholar who lived from 1917 to 2006, was a gifted lay person who was tapped by Virginia Theological
In the mid 1970s John Westerhoff, theologian and educator, began a campaign in the church to move from a schooling model of Christian education to
In 1989, Maria Harris, a Roman Catholic educator, published Fashion Me a People: Curriculum in the Church, and Christian formation leaders have been trying to live
When the Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) opened at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) in 1984, the heyday of the American Sunday school had
We are on the doorstep of a new decade. So many of the trends and challenges we experience today were just emerging as this decade
As a diocesan Christian educator, I have seen all kinds of programs, the latest gurus sharing their books, and new mission strategies designed to move
A few weeks before writing this article I saw a tweet from British comedian, actress, and writer Bethany Black. It’s the kind of sentiment bound
The Episcopal Church is rooted in a history of preparing individuals for proclaiming the Gospel locally and internationally since it was established in 1789. The
The late Marianne Micks, a professor at Virginia Theological Seminary, who published widely on baptism, writes, “Most of us are looking for a God who
My journey as a Christian educator began at age 16 when I signed up to teach third grade Sunday School at the parish in which
Editor’s Note: The catechumenal process described in this article by Josh Hosler comes from some of the oldest practices of the early Church. Ironically, the
When I was 8 years old my parents took me to a large medical facility where I spent two days undergoing testing for a learning
Every year in late summer, the Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) gets phone calls and emails from alumni, clergy, and lay formation leaders
It’s time for every Christian church to commit itself to developing faith formation for every season of adulthood: young adults, midlife adults, mature adults, and
For ministry to connect with midlife adults, church leaders must be conversant in the values and convictions of Generation X. Approaches described here, however, will
When asked, “Who is your target audience?” most church leaders will say young people, Millennials, young families, or the unchurched. Yet who are sitting in
As a dedicated faith formation resource person with a specialization in digital media, I have observed that young adult ministers are asking very different questions
The church we often attended the year we lived in South Africa, St. Michael and St. George Cathedral in Grahamstown, taught us a great deal
Not long from now, older adults will outnumber the youth. When this age wave crashes on our shores, says John Roberto, every aspect of society,
The 2015 National Symposium on the Future of Adult Faith engaged more than 100 Christian faith formation leaders in analyzing the forces affecting the lives
Bible Study Can Be a Wild Ride In the last few years, reading the Bible has become trendy again. Popular and well-packaged curricula, like Covenant
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy
I am often asked about my Ph.D. “What is it in?” My first answer is always, “education,” and from there the conversation meanders, depending on
Recently over pizza and crisp white wine, four members of the Christian Formation Steering Team from my parish (Epiphany in Winchester, MA) met to dream
The Rev. Dr. Locke E. Bowman, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Virginia Seminary, First Director of the Center for the Ministry of Teaching and James Maxwell
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