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Teaching Teachers in the Faith & Health Initiative to Address Culturally Diverse Issues
Proposal abstract :
Memphis Theological Seminary has at the core of its history a commitment to diversity and ecumenical dialogue, as reflected in its mission statement. The seminary is immensely diverse in population (approximately 40% African American; 26 denominations, plus Jewish and Islamic presence, approximately 44% female, etc.). Recently, the seminary has positioned itself, in a joint mission with the Methodist Hospital System in Memphis, to build a learning model for Faith & Health. The initiative recognizes the role faith plays in people’s physical and emotional health. In the course of a “first-run,” two things became clear: The program needed to more intentionally address diverse population concerns; and pedagogy for teaching faith and health in a diverse setting needed to be explored more specifically. This proposal seeks to address both these issues.
Learning Abstract :
The Faith and Health pedagogical initiative was designed to get faculty and potential faculty members in the program "on the same page." Our objective for the project was to gather the primary faculty members who would participate in the teaching to see a common language as well as to ensure that we all knew what the other meant by "faith & health."
The event was viewed as a kick-off for ongoing assessment and training for professors in the faith and health doctorate of ministry and the MAR certificate. The D. Min. director and the dean of the seminary continue to provide thoughtful leadership and inspiration in the evolving program at MTS, as well as evaluate training for each layer of teachers.
Participants reported the time together fired them to work on the themes of the consultant led sessions as they prepared for their particular D. Min. Seminar. They acknowledged that our brief time together was not sufficient, and expressed a desire to continue such conversations, if only once or twice a year. The participants appreciated the metaphors that arose from the road to Emmaus conversation, especially those that suggested we come alongside people as they try to make sense of their lives and what has happened around them.
Memphis Theological Seminary has at the core of its history a commitment to diversity and ecumenical dialogue, as reflected in its mission statement. The seminary is immensely diverse in population (approximately 40% African American; 26 denominations, plus Jewish and Islamic presence, approximately 44% female, etc.). Recently, the seminary has positioned itself, in a joint mission with the Methodist Hospital System in Memphis, to build a learning model for Faith & Health. The initiative recognizes the role faith plays in people’s physical and emotional health. In the course of a “first-run,” two things became clear: The program needed to more intentionally address diverse population concerns; and pedagogy for teaching faith and health in a diverse setting needed to be explored more specifically. This proposal seeks to address both these issues.
Learning Abstract :
The Faith and Health pedagogical initiative was designed to get faculty and potential faculty members in the program "on the same page." Our objective for the project was to gather the primary faculty members who would participate in the teaching to see a common language as well as to ensure that we all knew what the other meant by "faith & health."
The event was viewed as a kick-off for ongoing assessment and training for professors in the faith and health doctorate of ministry and the MAR certificate. The D. Min. director and the dean of the seminary continue to provide thoughtful leadership and inspiration in the evolving program at MTS, as well as evaluate training for each layer of teachers.
Participants reported the time together fired them to work on the themes of the consultant led sessions as they prepared for their particular D. Min. Seminar. They acknowledged that our brief time together was not sufficient, and expressed a desire to continue such conversations, if only once or twice a year. The participants appreciated the metaphors that arose from the road to Emmaus conversation, especially those that suggested we come alongside people as they try to make sense of their lives and what has happened around them.