Proclaiming Education for All - "PEALL" - UPDATED

PEALL is a Task Force appointed by the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church following the 2003 General Convention with the mandate to study Christian formation and theological education in the Episcopal Church and make recommendations to Executive Council for the 2009 General Convention. There are a variety of documents that helped inform PEALL's work, as well as several reports and presentations that were outcomes of the task force's deliberations.

As PEALL began deliberations, they felt it was important to have an understanding of where the Church "has been" before determining "where we should go". An initial gathering of a sub-group of PEALL began working on a time line of several different streams of our common life together that has a passion for theological education and Christian formation at all levels of the church. The document, "Legacies, Lessons and Lifelines" is a result of that work. Accompanying it will be a timeline and narrative, which is in its final editing process. PEALL hopes this document will give the reader some background and understanding of the variety of events that have impacted education and our churches. In doing so, PEALL hopes we learned how history does "repeat itself" and that it can teach us a great deal about who we are and where our energies and resources are best served. It is a tool for information as the church plans for the future. Thank-you to the members of PEALL for their work and gift to the church. Thank-you in particular to the members of NAECED who worked with PEALL, Kaileen Alston, Carolyn Chilton, Sharon Pearson, Phil Purser, and Janie Stevens.

Overview of the Work of PEALL

Report to Executive Council presented October 2008

Questions for Reflection

Episcopal Youth and Young Adults in Congregations and on Campus

Resolution and Constable Fund Grant that formed the work of PEALL (A120-B024)

PEALL Time Line - A time line of The Episcopal Church from 1965 to 2008 with streams that follow Christian education, theological education, liturgical changes, world events, ministry development and other aspects of church life. A narrative also was created to explain the time line, divided into sections for simpler download.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Networks of Influence - Those organizations in the Episcopal Church that have an impact on education.

PEALL Glossary of Terms

As part of a large research agenda for educational ministries within the Episcopal Church, NAECED members took part in a survey during the first quarter of 2008. The survey questions represented the specific interests of NAECED members as well as exploring the use of various networks and associations. About 80% of the NAECED membership participanted in the survey. Many thanks to Sharon Pearson for spearheading the survey and to Adair Lummis for construction and analysis of the web-based survey. The report on the survey can be found here. Resource areas that members requested are here. Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C.

An excellent Google calendar devoted to training events for Christian Educators is kept by Sharon Pearson, Christian Formation Specialist for Church Publishing.

Sharon also has an excellent monthly e-newsletter living in-formation subscribe.

Subscribe to Episcopal Teacher, published by the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Theological Seminary or view previous issues at the VTS website.

The Center for Anglican Learning and Leadership (CALL) at Church Divinity School of the Pacific has a number of opportunities for continuing education for lay and clergy.  These programs are offered throughout the year both locally on the CDSP campus and online.

The eMinistry Network creates teleclasses (classes held on the telephone) and web-seminars on ministry topics for the lay people and clergy of the Episcopal Church and other denominations.  eMinistry's goal is to provide practical, hands-on information and support for people in their lives of faith, service and ministry. You register and access class materials online, and then at class time you call in and connect with people from across the Church for an hour of learning and guided conversation with an experienced ministry leader.  eMinistry is low-tech-- classes are conducted over the phone (web-seminars add a visual component.)  It's low-cost—most classes are between $12 and $15 an hour.  It's personal--the class size is limited to 12 people, which allows everyone a chance to speak and ask questions.  And it’s convenient—no travel, no need to get dressed up! 

Episcopal Degree Programs and Certificates in Christian Education:

Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX offers a certificate program in Christian Education and Youth Ministry. The Certificate Programs offers a basic theological education which includes scripture, theology and practical skills of ministry on three levels: Basic, Associate and Advanced. The one-week sessions take place in mid-June and late-January each year. Upon completion of both beginning sessions, students are awarded a Basic Certificate. Building on the Basic coursework, Associate and Advanced sessions are offered in consecutive years and the Basic sessions are repeated each year.

Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA

The goal of the Master of Arts in Christian Education (M.A.C.E.) degree at Virginia Seminary is to support the church’s ministry of Christian education by providing professional formation and education for lay people or clergy who undertake that ministry in parishes and schools, particularly those of the Episcopal Church. The program seeks to provide a foundational understanding of the core theological disciplines of Bible, Theology, Church History, Christian Ethics and Liturgics. Students learn how to practice the ministry of Christian Education with study of theological and theoretical approaches as foundations for their ministry.

The goals of the Master of Arts in Christian Education-Youth Ministry degree are to foster effective leadership in Youth Ministry in the Episcopal Church, by providing professional education and formation for those engaged in this ministry and to raise the profile of youth ministry in the Episcopal Church. This program is based on the rationale that Youth ministers need solid grounding in the theological disciplines and the theories of Christian Education and Youth Ministry. They also need opportunities to work with youth in supervised settings where they can reflect theologically on their experience under the guidance of persons with experience and training in youth ministry and theology.