Four continuing education and lifelong learning institutions were selected to participate in the second cohort of AAAS DoSER’s Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing (SECF) project. These institutions will equip congregational leaders (pastors, ministers, lay leaders, etc.) to engage with critical issues at the intersection of science and society such as physical and mental health, the effects of social media use on the brain, genetics, and biodiversity.
The second cohort includes Brigham Young University (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), Calvin Theological Seminary (Christian Reformed Church of North America), Nashville Life Church (charismatic non-denominational), and Wesley Theological Seminary (United Methodist Church).
Clergy and lay leaders are often called upon to guide their communities’ engagement with science and technology, but they may not feel equipped to address the practical, ethical, and theological questions brought to them by their parishioners. Participants in the SECF grant will develop or enhance educational programs for pastors and congregational leaders with an emphasis on bringing science literacy and communication about science and society topics into the skillset of congregational ministers. DoSER will also provide connections with scientists and science resources and will support grantees through workshops, cohort meetings, and networking opportunities.
Each grantee is encouraged to pick topics that will have significant impact on and interest to their community. As one example, Wesley Theological Seminary will explore questions related to social media such as, “what constitutes vital connections and worship” and “what [social media] habits and practices best care for individual and communities?” Participants will receive mini-grants and cohort support for congregation-level initiatives that foster individual and communal well-being amidst changes brought on by changing patterns of social media use. Wesley Theological Seminary will partner with neuroscientists and digital media scholars to create curricula and advise the mini-grantees throughout the process. Meanwhile, Nashville Life Church aims to reduce health disparities in their community by developing a health science resource guide integrated with topical Bible study materials, and hosting community clinics that increase access to basic services, such as health screenings and vaccinations.
SECF helps to broaden the reach of DOSER programs engaging religious leadership, which have traditionally been limited to coursework within the training for ministry and leadership (Master of Divinity Curricula) provided by accredited members to the Association of Theological Schools. DoSER is very excited to broaden its reach and increase science engagement opportunities for ministry and congregational leaders and for the congregations they serve. Among the new grantees representing institutions and communities previously precluded from receiving DoSER grants, the second cohort includes a university representing a tradition that does not provide or require specialized higher education for their leadership (Brigham Young University), and an individual congregation with affiliate networks of interdisciplinary study and engagement (Nashville Life Church, in partnership with the Congregational Health and Education Network and Science for the Church). Similarly broadening the reach of DoSER programs beyond typical seminary grant recipients, the first SECF cohort included two denominational bodies that serve regional networks of leaders, ministers, congregations and communities (American Baptist Home Mission Societies and South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America).
An abiding goal of DoSER is to “meet people where they are” and help make science more accessible, which includes providing materials in languages beyond English. Calvin Theological Seminary’s project, “Faith at the Table: Equipping Hispanic Women Leaders to Engage Food Science and Technology for Congregational Health,” will host Spanish language nutrition workshops for women leaders in Texas and an online certificate program through a partnership with the Instituto de Líderes Cristianos. Lesson plans developed alongside Brigham Young University’s podcast, which will cover biology topics alongside Old Testament study, will be translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and French for distribution and use across the global CJCLDS community.
The Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing project is supported with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Thriving Congregations Initiative. The initiative aims to encourage the flourishing of Christian congregations by helping them deepen their relationship with their faith, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute positively to their communities and the world.
For more information about the Science Engagement for Congregational Flourishing project participants visit ScienceReligionDialogue.org and ScienceForSeminaries.org.
