The Association of Lifelong Learning in Ministry (ALLLM), the professional guild supporting directors in lifelong learning — and REA’s related learning organization — is launching a research project. The goal? To map the landscape of continuing education in North America for the first time in nearly 40 years – and they need our help!
Phase 1 of the research project is a survey designed to give an overview of lifelong learning initiatives – who is leading them, how they are structured, what they provide. What we know right now is that these programs exist in a variety of locations – seminaries and theological schools; denominational judicatories; and conference, camp, and retreat centers. What we don’t have is a single, comprehensive database with all of the program directors.
You can contribute to the success of the survey in two ways.
If you are a leader in lifelong learning / continuing education, please access the survey.
Send this post to people who might be off our radar screen – but whom you know to be leading such a program.
With our help, ALLLM hopes to construct a comprehensive map of who is engaged in this educational work, where they are doing it, and how it is unfolding. This will help them as a guild support and advocate for this work more effectively. Current data indicates that the future of theological education might well be in such non-degree and alternative educational programs – and this research will be crucial in ALLLM’a ability to scaffold such a future.
All responses to the survey will be held in the strictest confidence, and any survey responses used in reporting will not identify the respondent or their institution unless express permission has been granted. Phase 2 will include interviews from among those who have granted permission to be contacted.
Thank you for your support in this important work! And please contact Helen Blier, ALLLM member and Lead Researcher at hblier [at] pts [dot] edu or Sarah Erickson, President of ALLLM at ericksons [at] ctsnet [dot] edu if you have any questions.
Helen Blier, PhD, Lead Researcher
Director of Continuing Education, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Sarah Erickson, DEdMin, President, ALLLM Executive Committee
Director of Lifelong Learning, Columbia Theological Seminary