| Overview |
- The
congregational resources site is a collection of resources
drawn from the Web and arranged around stories about congregational
life.
- We believe that adults learn best when they can see themselves
in a story. So we describe church situations. We look for stories
that would inspire a church leader to say, "Yeah, I could
see myself in that situation."
- Attached to the stories are resources to answer the question,
"How would I decide what to do next?"
- There are two kinds of stories:
- Case studies arranged
by topic: one-page stories that cover many different
kinds of situations in a wide spectrum of congregations.
- Almond Springs:
an extended case that describes many short scenarios focused
on Rev. Charlotte Robinson, the pastor of the First Church
of Almond Springs, California. You can choose which direction
the story goes. You can follow the plot as successive scenes
unfold; or, you can skip around to topics that interest you.
The advantage of the extended case is that it provides extensive
background information on the characters and setting of the
story.
- Getting Started: Click here
to enter Almond Springs or click "Almond Springs" on
the opening page.
|
| The
Collection of Resources |
- Articles
- Purpose: locate helpful articles and provide immediate
access to them.
- Sift the gold from the gravel.
- Make sure the articles are germane to the scenario
- Connect directly to the articles (no frustrating
links-to-links connections)
- Sources: magazines and journals, Christian and secular
- For example: One scene within the Almond Springs
story describes concerns the financial implications of a new
highway and housing development on an economically depressed
town. There are links to Christian articles on topics such
as "How Americans View Faith and Money" as well
as secular articles such as a TIME magazine report on small-town
America.
- Experienced
Voices
- Purpose: learn from the experience of others who
tell how they would interpret the scenario or case.
- Sources: interviews with parish leaders (clergy &
lay), professors and students.
- For example: One scene within the Almond Springs
story involves the pastor visiting
a parishioner in the hospital. He makes a confession of
sorts and the pastor learns some sensitive information about
the community. Attached to the scene is an interview
with a pastor who talks about her experiences in similar
situations.
- Personal Reflections: Charlotte's
Journal in the Almond Springs case
- Purposes: provides background information
about the Almond Springs case, reveals more of Rev. Charlotte
Robinson's personality and models theological reflection.
- For example: Charlotte sees most situations as having
many layers. There are pastoral concerns for
individuals, organizational questions about the congregation
and theological issues that shape whole situation.
In her journal, she sorts through these concerns and weighs
strategies that would address each of the layers.
- Tutorials
- Purpose: instructions for learning a skill that the
case study reveals.
- For example: When Charlotte arrives at Almond Springs,
she makes a quick demographic
investigation of the community using easily-located material
from the U.S. Census bureau. One tutorial shows provides step-by-step
instructions for doing a similar study of any community or
zip-code.
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