The Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) is sponsoring e-Formation: A conference on faith formation for a connected, digital world June
2-4 in Alexandria. The annual event began in 2012 to fill a leadership
and training need in the faith formation/Christian education community.
Last summer,
almost 200 Christian educators and communicators, lay and ordained and
from several denominations, converged on VTS to learn from experts and
peers about using technology for forming faith in congregations and
other ministry settings. Many of these participants will return to an
expanded 2014 program at the Washington, DC-area seminary in what is
expected to be an even larger gathering.
"The first
e-Formation was strictly a learning exchange," says Lisa Kimball, CMT
Director and Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational
Leadership. "We knew we didn't have all the answers about faith,
learning, and technology, but we knew many friends and colleagues were
thinking carefully and working hard. We brought them together to teach
each other."
In 2013, the event
expanded to a full-fledged professional and missional development
conference. The 2014 conference features a yet larger slate of
well-known speakers and exemplary practitioners, as well as a creative
menu of participatory workshop formats and topics. These include
intensive courses on Google tools and video production; introductory
sessions on blogging, online learning, and digital curriculum resources;
break-out groups organized by ministry setting and age group; and two
public evening presentations about the big picture of using technology
in faith learning.
