Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Theological education in leadership formation

I’ve been asked to present at a colloquium in Melbourne in March. Titled Beyond Education: Exploring a Theology of the Church’s Theological Formation, the event is being sponsored by the Uniting Church’s Centre for Theology and Ministry and the University of Divinity. It involves scholars, church leaders and ministers, from diverse Christian traditions all picking away at a theology of theological education.

I’m one of 11 presenters and have been given the topic – Theological education in leadership formation. Here’s my 100 word abstract, due tomorrow:

This paper will interrogate the tagline of Uniting College for Leadership and Theology – learn! lead! live! – using the work of cultural theorist Mieke Bal in order to pay particular attention to the place of formation in a pluralistic world. It will explore the ethical implications inherent in notions of “founding texts” and “moments of meaning.” Some implications, for ministry practice (learn!), for ministry agents (lead!), for communities of faith (live!), will be outlined. The aim is a theology of ecclesial formation that might shift the conversation beyond modern dualities of head and heart, theory and practise, religious and secular, individual and communal.

Posted by steve at 05:32 PM

7 Comments

  1. I’d be interested in any conversation / connection around exploring a Pedagogy of the Church’s Theological Formation…and the relationship between a ‘Theology’ and a ‘Pedagogy’ of the Church’s Theological Formation. Fiona (my wife) teachers vocational education for students with disabilities and they recently did an in-service that looked at the place of ‘verbal instruction’, ‘visual instruction’ and ‘dramatic instruction’ in the function of generative knowledge and experimental inquiry…do our lecturers and formative staff discuss such things??? Is there any work being done in Australia in the area of pedagogy for Theological formation?

    Comment by Peter A — January 29, 2014 @ 10:27 pm

  2. Sounds like a valuable conversation to have. Is this open to people from outside Vic/Tas? Apart from invited contributors like yourself…

    Comment by Duncan — January 30, 2014 @ 9:43 am

  3. Peter I’m hoping to include that, in terms of embodiment and being beyond head and heart

    Steve

    Comment by Steve — January 30, 2014 @ 9:50 am

  4. Duncan

    Glad you’re interested. Check with Geoff Thompson re wider invites.

    There is talk of a book and my topic – leadership is part of national theological educators conf Dec 2014

    Steve

    Comment by Steve — January 30, 2014 @ 9:53 am

  5. Hi Steve. Will your (these) session(s) be recorded? Important topics and perspectives for us laggards over here in the states to be paying attention to!

    Comment by JR Rozko — January 30, 2014 @ 3:03 pm

  6. There’s talk of a book but am happy to send you my paper in the meantime – – once it’s written of course

    Steve

    Comment by Steve — January 30, 2014 @ 4:09 pm

  7. Excellent. You’re got my email from the comment system I believe. Much obliged!

    Comment by JR Rozko — January 30, 2014 @ 11:03 pm

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