Fall 2001 Volume 3, Number 1
Contents
The Association for Case Teaching Names
the Graduate School of Theology as New Institutional Site
Jack Reese and Tim Sensing were named co-directors for the Association for Case Teaching (ACT) at the AAR-SBL conference, November 2000. The transition to ACUs Graduate School of Theology as the institutional site for administrative leadership positions ACU as a national leader in promoting innovative ministerial training.
We are living in a time when Christian higher education is experiencing an intellectual renaissance. Educators are asking important questions such as: What is the relationship between "knowledge" and "faith"? Can a university be a genuine place of learning while taking seriously both "academic" and "Christian values"? Recently several significant books have addressed these questions, including Douglas Sloans Faith and Knowledge, George Marsdens The Soul of the American University and The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship, Mark Schwehns Exiles from Eden, Mark Nolls The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, and Robert Banks, Re-envisioning Theological Education: Exploring a Missional Alternative to Current Models.
ACT recognizes that the ecology of theological education has changed. Some have called these changes "seismic" and "revolutionary." Theological education is being reconceived in terms of community values and interdisciplinary, integrative, and transformational approaches to teaching, learning, and the training of ministers. The collective wisdom of the community reflected in practice will continue to transform what is done in the classroom. Case methodologies and other similar approaches are increasingly vital tools for seminaries as they make the changes necessary to equip students for ministry in the twenty-first century.
ACT, organized as a movement in 1977, now seeks to revitalize itself as an institution with deeper financial foundations and broader educational outreach. With great appreciation for their forebears, especially Bob and Alice Evans, who served as founders and co-directors of ACT from 1977 to 1999, a new generation of leaders is exploring expanded ways to promote interdisciplinary teaching and learning in dramatically different times.
Bob Lynn, formerly with the Lilly Foundation, once said there were three major pedagogical innovations in theological education in the latter part of the twentieth century: clinical pastoral education, globalization of theological education, and the case method as a participatory and dialogical approach to equipping people for ministry. The case method project, launched in the early 1970s with a Sealantic Fund grant to the Association of Theological Schools, was the catalyst that helped generate a new focus on the power of teaching and learning in theological education. The result of this process was a series of 50 workshops that Lou Weeks (now President at Union in Richmond), Alan Neely (Professor of Missions at Princeton, and past editor of the ACT Journal), Garth Rosell (Gordon-Conwell Seminary), Jerry Handspicker (formerly at Andover-Newton), Bob and Alice Evans (as ACT co-executive directors) conducted for theological seminaries in North America to provide an opportunity for faculty to think about the ways they were engaged in the pedagogical processes of preparing students for ministry.
This innovation was so successful and received such strong recommendations from the faculty who participated in the workshops that it provided the basis for forming a professional association named The Association for Case Teaching. This association has equipped more than 1,600 persons in theological education in intensive and short-term workshops in the use of this dialogical method. ACT has helped generate over 2,000 case studies in a variety of fields and more than 30 casebooks. The Journal for Case Teaching was one of the first professional journals that focused primarily on teaching in theological education.
Furthermore, the method has been shared with virtually every major association of theological schools in Africa, Asia, and Australia and seminaries in Europe and Latin America. There are networks of theological faculty members who have worked together to specifically expand and utilize the methodology for seminaries and congregations, especially in India, Australia, Indonesia, and South Africa. During the twenty years of the association, we have had more than 500 individual members and more than 100 institutional members including many theological seminaries in North America. Each year ATS continues to recommend this summer workshop as an important resource for faculty development in theological schools. The methodology is also used in universities and colleges, in chaplaincy programs, and in denominations and congregations in North America.
As we enter a new millennium, the Association for Case Teaching is at a critical turning point. With Bob and Alice Evans transitioning from founders to co-executive directors emeriti, this is an opportunity, with a strong and energetic set of officers and board members, to move this participatory and dialogical process in preparation for ministry more deeply into the core of theological education and further into denominational structures and local congregations as well as to university departments of religion, philosophy, ethics, urban work, and public policy.
Currently, a consortium of five schools are acting as institutional hosts for ACT, replacing the role that Plowshares Institute has played for the past fifteen years. This is an important reflection of both the strength, growth, and diversity of the case method in enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in theological education. Yale Divinity School will continue to serve ACT by archiving institutional records and collecting and distributing cases. San Francisco Theological Seminary and Golden Gate Baptist Seminary will coordinate the Summer Institute and Advanced Workshop. Maryknoll has been contacted to serve as a collaborative member with these partner institutions. Abilene Christian University has accepted the role as the institutional site for administrative leadership. ACU has become known as a place for innovative teaching practices. The future of ministry education is unfolding before our eyes and ACU embraces that future eagerly.
The 35th annual Case Teaching Institute will be in San Francisco, June 2002. ACT will also sponsor a conference for the training of ministers and teachers in the case teaching method in Atlanta, April 11-12, 2002. For more information or a subscription to the Journal for Case Teaching, contact Jennifer Giddings, 915-674-4807, act@acu.edu, or caseteaching.org.
Robert Oglesby has compiled a Youth Minister Hiring Guide. It is designed to help churches in their important search for a youth minister. Hopefully it will save your committee many hours of their valuable time. Each guide has the following information:
*Current salary information from a nationwide survey
*Sample youth minister job descriptions
*Questions a church should ask a candidate
*Questions a church should expect to answer
*Sample search process procedures
*How to publicize your job opening
*Instruments for 6 month or 1 year evaluations
Contact: Nuria Hall (915) 674-3731, nrp99a@acu.edu
Cost $25.00
Crisis, Tradition, and the Future of Churches of Christ
By: Jeff Childers, Douglas A. Foster, and Jack Reese
The authors discuss the identity crisis that many in Churches of Christ are experiencing today. Aimed at the average reader, the book attempts to affirm the best instincts of the Restoration heritage while engaging the concern many have to find fresh ways to witness in the twenty-first century. By keeping our conversation and ministry in the shadow of the cross, the authors believe, it will be possible to face new challenges with faithfulness and maturity.
The book addresses several foundational topics: recent cultural shifts that have precipitated the "crisis;" the heritage that has shaped us; the significance and role of tradition; the recent "literature of crisis;" reading scripture and formulating doctrine; and the centrality of Christ and the cross.
The book is meant to be the first in a series of volumes dubbed "The Heart of the Restoration" sponsored by ACU that will deal with crucial current issues in Churches of Christ. The second edition with study guide is due out in the spring of 2002.
By: Ken Cukrowski, Mark Hamilton, and James Thompson
The second volume of the "Heart of the Restoration" series sponsored by ACU addresses the use of Scripture within Churches of Christ. The authors state, "In the previous volume in this series, The Crux of the Matter, our colleagues described both the central place of the Bible in the history of Churches of Christ and the changing cultural situation that led to the decreasing use of the Bible and the resulting decline of biblical literacy. We applaud the search for a word that is relevant to our lives, and we recognize that many people have past experiences that have raised doubts about the relevance of the Bible for our most urgent questions. But we do not believe that the choice is between the Bible and the word that speaks to our lives. We are writing this book in order to encourage the love of Scripture, to lead the church toward the knowledge of Scripture, to equip the church for the proper use of Scripture, and to clear away misunderstandings of Scripture. Because we are convinced that the Bible has the power to speak to our most urgent questions, we are writing to urge Christians to recognize the urgency of reclaiming the central place of the Bible in their lives. As our colleagues noted in The Crux of the Matter, Churches of Christ are now in a time of unprecedented transition and uncertainty about the future. We recognize that we are among numerous voices in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement that are now responding to this changed situation with proposals for future directions. We hope that our contribution will be a part of a healthy dialogue within Churches of Christ that will result in the continuing faithfulness of Gods people to the mission to which God has called them."
Preaching Like Paul: Homiletical Wisdom for Today
By: James W. Thompson
Westminster John Knox Press is publishing James Thompsons most recent book. In contrast to the widely popular interest in narrative styles, Dr. Thompson believes Pauls letters offer a different and valid model for preaching today. He clearly demonstrates how the manner of preaching used in the pre-Christian culture of Paul is both appropriate and effective in our contemporary post-Christian culture. Unlike most books on preaching, this book does not focus on homiletic technique, but instead on the goal of preachinga needed missing component in contemporary homiletic discussion. Because Pauls letters are essentially sermons delivered to communities in differing situations, they provide an important witness and model not only for the individual sermon, but also to the larger purpose of preaching.
Ten New Doctor of Ministry Students Begin Studies
Dr. Charles Siburt, Associate Dean for Ministry Programs and Services and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program, has announced that ten new students began their studies on campus in June. The new D.Min. class includes an impressive group of practicing ministers from diverse backgrounds and ministry contexts. They also bring previous graduate education from a variety of institutions, including ACU, Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA), Western Seminary (Portland, OR), Hardin Simmons University (Abilene, TX), and Oklahoma Christian University (Edmund, OK).
The students in the 2001 group are as follows: Randy Daugherty (North Street Church of Christ; Fayetteville, AR), Wyatt Fenno (Britton Rd. Church of Christ; Oklahoma City, OK), John Greenlee (Boise Bible College; Boise, ID), Stanley Helton (Carrollton Ave. Church of Christ; New Orleans, LA), Werth Mayes (First Baptist Church; Rotan, TX), Sean Niestrath (La Crosse Church of Christ; La Crosse, WI), Lewis Robinson (El Cajon Blvd. Church of Christ; San Diego, CA), John Wade (Bible Book Store; Abilene, TX), Curtis Williams (Highland Oaks Church of Christ; Dallas, TX), and Jay Willmon (Gateway Church of Christ; Ruidoso, NM). The group spent two weeks in classes in June and will return for their next class in January.
The mission of the Doctor of Ministry degree is to enhance the practice of ministry for persons who hold the M.Div. degree and have engaged in ministerial leadership. Since its inception in 1987, ACUs D.Min. program has graduated seventy-eight candidates. The program fully complies with the standards of the Association of Theological Schools and combines advanced theological reflection, integration of theory and practice, excellent faculty, and a newly revised curriculum.
Applications for the 2002 D.Min. class are already being received and processed. Applicants must have completed an accredited Master of Divinity degree or its educational equivalent. Inquiries should be addressed to the Doctor of Ministry Program, ACU Box 29405, Abilene, TX 79699-9405, (915)-674-3732, siburt@bible.acu.edu.
New Ministry Resources Web Site Services Available
The Ministry Services Team in the College of Biblical Services is pleased to announce that effective immediately several new or updated sites are available. From the ACU main web site (www.acu.edu), click on "Ministry Resources." On that page is a list of ministry events, services, and centers. In addition to some new format features, several new entries also appear.
One is the final data resulting from the Minister Salary and Benefits Survey. More than 400 Churches of Christ across the nation participated in the study, supplying valuable information about salary and benefit levels for various ministry roles in congregations of all sizes and regional locations. Church leaders engaged in an annual compensation review for their ministers or trying to negotiate an appropriate compensation offer for a new minister will find helpful information to assist them. Also, the web site is interactive, allowing users to receive the information they need upon request.
Another valuable new site is "FACTs About Churches of Christ Today" which presents the results of a recent nationwide cooperative study surveying the state of congregations in America today. The FACT project is a massive effort examining current realities concerning five key dimensionsSources of Unity ad Cohesion, Growth/Change/Conflict, Congregational Life (Worship, Activities, Community Outreach), Congregational Resources, and Leadership. The site also includes a link to the national FACT database located at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT. Now congregations and church leaders can use the congregational workbooks to complete a study of their own congregation and compare their results to the national results. Such a study can be valuable to a church in clarifying its vision, evaluating its vitality, or crystallizing its identity in preparation for seeking a new minister.
Another entry is the newly revised site for the Center for Church Enrichment, now directed by Dr. Charles Siburt, Associate Dean for Ministry Programs and Services and Frazer Professor of Church Enrichment. The mission of the Center for Church Enrichment is to serve church leaders needing information, resources, equipping, and consultation for enhanced service in the church and in the world. Its goals are (1) to discover the current needs of church leaders in Churches of Christ, (2) to provide access to various resources (including persons of expertise) pertaining to church life and leadership, (3) to equip church leaders for increased effectiveness, and (4) to serve as consultants to churches in need of outside intervention. The new site will include a variety of resource options, including instructions for completing a Congregational Profile Inventory, information about a wide spectrum of consultation services for churches and church leaders, and other resources.
The Ministry Services Team is dedicated to offering ministry resources that will assist those who lead and serve. Please check the Ministry Resources site as soon as possible.
Abilene Christian Universitys Institute for Missions and Evangelism announces a new program for missionary recruiting and training.
For more than thirty years, Abilene Christian University has taken a leading role in equipping men and women to serve the Churches of Christ as missionaries. Over the years, missions trainers at ACU have worked hard to ensure that students receive the best possible preparation for the field. One difficulty is that training ministers and missionaries goes beyond what can be done in the classroom. Many of the skills necessary for effective cross-cultural ministry are more easily "caught" than "taught." For this reason, the Institute for Missions and Evangelism has designed WorldWide Witness to give students practical experience to complement their academic education.
WorldWide Witness encourages students to "try out" missions, and to learn ministry skills by working alongside experienced mentors. The program is open to students of all majors and offers two tracks. Students can serve as interns for six to ten weeks during the summer. Then when they graduate, they can go to the mission field as apprentices for six or eighteen months.
The director of WorldWide Witness is Wimon Walker, who is in his second year as an instructor in the department of Bible, Missions and Ministry. Wimon and his wife, Rosalinda, served for fifteen years as missionaries in Botswana, Africa before coming to ACU. However, Wimons first overseas experience was a two-year missionary apprenticeship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Wimon is convinced of the value of apprenticeships. "Even though I switched languages, continents and from urban to rural work, lessons I learned as an apprentice helped me to survive and minister in Africa. Furthermore, I may never have become a long-term missionary if I had not had the opportunity to go out with a limited commitment first."
Working with Wimon in WorldWide Witness is Gary Green, who has been at ACU for one year as a missions coordinator for Latin America. Gary and his wife, Frances, were missionaries in Venezuela for eight years, and before that were involved in campus ministry at Louisiana State. Gary is passionate about recruiting students for summer internships. Gary says, "The opportunity to learn about missions while living the missions experience is invaluable. Jesus trained the Twelve as they walked, worked and relaxed together. Internships allow students to learn in the same wayby walking, working and relaxing with mentors."
Many missionaries on the field are excited about ACUs new program. They realize that hosting young people for a summer internship demands a great deal of commitment on their part. But they realize that short-term missions programs like WorldWide Witness provide an excellent means for exposing young American Christians to the challenges and possibilities of mission work. Some of those who go out for a summer will return to the mission field for longer service.
Long-term missionary service is not the only possible positive outcome of participation in WorldWide Witness. Many young people will go overseas for a summeror even longerand then realize that they do not have the gifting for cross-cultural service. They can still make a contribution to the evangelization of the world through involvement in local churches. They may not be missionaries themselves, but they will be informed and enthusiastic promoters and senders of missionaries.
New Curriculum Features "Christianity in Culture"
The Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry welcomed 316 undergraduate majors this fall, including 76 entering freshmen students. Preparing for service and leadership in ministry contexts around the world, these young men and women will make a remarkable contribution for the Kingdoms sake in the years ahead.
In addition to our own majors, the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry serves every student at Abilene Christian University through the general Bible curriculum required for all degree plans. This fall semester, for example, the department is teaching 74 sections of undergraduate courses with some 3100 students enrolled in these classes.
In concert with the mission of our university to educate for Christian service and leadership around the world the core courses of the Bible curriculum attempt to equip all students of the university with a Christian world view and a sense of global mission, regardless of major or vocational plans. These core courses recently were revised with the overwhelming support of the academic councils, administration, and faculty of the entire university.
The core courses include a comprehensive study of the message of the Bible, with two classes focused on the message of the New Testament (the gospels and Acts-Revelation) and a third course examining the text and message of the Old Testament. An upper-level "elective" in Bible, missions, ministry or a related field is also required of all students.
A new offering has been designed over the last few years as a capstone course to this core curriculum. This new course, "Christianity in Culture," examines selected cultural phenomena in light of Biblical teachings and the values of the Christian faith. It is designed to explore how basic tenets of Biblical theology intersect with issues in contemporary culture and a postmodern world.
The course "Christianity in Culture" urges participants to think and to respond theologically to life issues. All of life is subject to theological reflection. Some of the topics addressed in the course are truth, integrity, relationships, family, sexuality, entertainment, wealth, poverty, justice, world religions, suffering and death, the human search for significance, vocation, and mission. The course urges young adults to ponder how our faith and our submission to Christs lordship affects every area of life in daily, specific, and practical ways.
Initiated fully in the past academic year, this new curriculum emphasizes both Biblical literacy and theological reflection with an intentional focus on how the Christian faith transforms all of life. As our graduates transition into a postmodern world of a new century, Christian service and leadership around the world will demand the ability to relate to our culture without being conformed to it. The new curriculum is an attempt to integrate faith and life by addressing responsibly some of the challenges of the twenty-first century.
2002 Bible Lectureship: "Recovering Spirituality"
"Recovering Spirituality" is the theme for the 2002 Bible Lectureship, February 17-20, 2002. This years theme lecturers are Mark Love, Brent Isbell, David Fleer, Jim McGuiggan, Ken Greene, Jerry Taylor, and Rick Atchley. All of the theme lectures will come from the book of Ephesians.
The strength of any lectureship is good preaching and teaching. This years class offerings have been increased and include familiar names like Tim Woodroof, Doug Foster, Ian Fair, Jeanene Reese, Robert Oglesby, Sr., Mike Cope, Randy Harris, Charme Robarts, Ken Durham, and Leonard Allen, along with new names of teachers from across the country. Along with several classes on spirituality, featured classes include textual studies, studies on congregational issues, and discussions on our world in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attack. Thom Robinson, from the Manhattan Church of Christ, will share the experiences of his church from "ground zero" of the Twin Towers collapse.
This years lectureship will focus more on worship and prayer and will include a special opening night sharing of the Lords Supper in the coliseum. Participants will share communion as a meal of racial reconciliation with Ian Fair and Tony Roach co-presiding. Evening and morning prayers along with times of praise led by Zoe Group from Nashville, TN will help in keeping worship and prayer a constant throughout the week.
"Meet me at the tent," will return as a familiar refrain this year. A new tent will be pitched between the library and campus center and will offer refreshments and music throughout the day. We look forward to seeing you in February.
David Fleer and Prentice and Barbara Meador led an enthusiastic group of preachers on ACUs campus during the annual preachers fellowship day and Lectures on Preaching, September 20th. A special luncheon that day featured the honoring of Eldred Echols and Juan Villa for their years of faithful service in preaching.
Fleer, a professor of ministry and preaching at Rochester College, gave two presentations focusing on the relationship between preacher, congregation and Bible. Using the stories of Joseph and the Prodigal Son, Fleer called for an imaginative reading of Scripture that reorients listeners to the world the text creates. The Meadors, husband and wife, presented their recent experiences in studying the book of Romans at the Prestoncrest Church of Christ in Dallas, TX. Prentice shared materials from sermons he preached during the series, while Barbara shared accompanying materials she designed to help families discuss meanings from Romans in homes.
In an additional presentation, Jim Martin, Waco, TX, and Mark Love and Stephen Johnson from ACU shared resources for ministers and preachers. Tapes and audio CDs of all these presentations are available and may be ordered through the ACU Ministry Events office, (915) 674-3750, murphy@bible.acu.edu.
Brother Villa was honored for his many years in supporting churches in Mexico and Texas. From 1952-97 he established new ministries in San Antonio, Waco, Abilene, Dumas, and McKinney, Texas, and in Matamoros, Mexico. Brother Echols was celebrated as a devoted missionary and trainer of missionaries, giving his all for the sake of the gospel in places like South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, Tanganyika and Swaziland.
Plans are being made for Summer Workshops, July 25-27, 2002, on the ACU campus. Last summer marked the final workshop under the direction of Dr. Carl Brecheen, who was honored for his years of service with the gift of an Alaskan cruise. This years workshop will bring both continuity and change with previous years. In keeping with past years, there will be a big emphasis on the educational programs of the church. For example, "Recovering Spirituality in Childrens Ministry" will be the theme of a childrens education track. However, there will be some format changes. The most notable may be the move from a Sunday-Wednesday format to a Thursday-Saturday format. One thing will not change. ACU is committed to serving churches as they encounter the challenges of ministry in a changing world. Summer Workshops will continue to play a role in fulfilling ACUs desire to serve.
Marriage and Family Therapy
The new school year has brought two significant changes to the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, and both dimensions of the program, the Department and the Clinic (the Marriage and Family Institute), stand to benefit in numerous ways.
Dr. Jackie Halstead, Assistant Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy, was promoted to her new role as Director, Marriage and Family Institute, on June 1. In her new role, she will direct the daily operations of the Clinic, a significant opportunity and responsibility. The Clinic has an administrative coordinator, 13 to 30 therapists (depending upon the semester), 6 supervisors, 100 to 150 clients in a given week, and 8,000 or so client hours over the course of a year. Clients served by the Clinic come from a 100-mile radius of Abilene and are often referred by ministers of their local congregations.
Dr. Peter Bradley, our newest faculty member, comes to the Department from Jonesboro, Arkansas, and replaces Major Boglin who recently moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work with the North Atlanta Church of Christ. During his five years with the Southwest Church of Christ, Peter established the Better Life Counseling Center, a ministry of that church. He has a passion for helping the local church develop resources and skills in meeting the needs of its people. He is available for consultation as churches become interested in establishing counseling ministries within the local church.
Frederick Aquino
Tony Ash
Rodney Ashlock
Carl Brecheen
Jeff Childers
Craig Churchill
Ken Cukrowski
Everett Ferguson
Doug Foster
Gary Green
Susan Green
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Sonny Guild
Jan Hailey
Jackie L. Halstead
Mark Hamilton
Randy Harris
Larry Henderson
Waymon Hinson
Janet Jergins
Stephen Johnson
Mark Love
Ed Mathews
Joe McKissick
Robert Oglesby
Carroll Osburn
Jack Reese
Jeanene Reese
Tim Sensing
Charles Siburt
Ken Sinclair
Kent Smith
James Thompson
Gailyn Van Rheenen
Wimon Walker
David Wallace
Clay Whidden
John Willis
Wendall Willis
