Tag: Israel Galindo

The One Year Seminary

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This is certainly one approach to adult education. I wonder how you structure your faith formation for adults. KLD

Columbia Connections

By Israel Galindo, Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning

Every once is a while (like last month, in fact) I get a call from a church leader wanting ideas about creating a mini-seminary in their congregations. While that idea is driven by a sincere desire to make Christian education more meaningful and effective in their congregations, I remain suspect of that approach. I believe that any congregation will be well-served by taking Christian education more seriously and, by going about its practice in more intentional ways. But I also believe that a seminary is one thing and a church another—and when it comes to educating in faith, the two should not be confused.

However, I appreciate the well-intentioned efforts of those who want a more rigorous “school of faith” in their congregations.

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Are You a Positive Listener?

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Israel Galindo share more of his wisdom with us today. This time the topic is what it means to listen well to others–a reblog from Columbia Connections.

Columbia Connections

By Israel Galindo, Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning

Research tells us that between 75% to 80% of the communication flow in most classrooms is from the teacher to the students. While sharing information and directing instruction is a necessary part of the classroom learning experience, so is a teacher’s ability to listen to students. Listening to your learners means more than just hearing the words they use, or hearing to catch right answers and identify misunderstandings. Being a positive listeners takes skill, and, like every helpful teaching skill, requires practice. Test yourself to determine if you are a positive listener:

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Dimensions of Personal Care for Christian Educators

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This week we will be featuring the wisdom of Dr. Israel Galindo for several posts. This first one talks about the personal care that educators so often ignore in their ministries. This is a reblog from Columbia Connections.

Columbia Connections

By Israel Galindo, Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning

The ministry and work of the professional church educator is challenging and demanding. The fact is that the more you stay in the field and in the ministry (especially if you stay in the same ministry context) the job only gets more complex, not less. Educational leadership is the kind of job that involves evolutionary development. Just when you think you’ve got the job down it expands, grows, evolves, morphs, changes, and shifts into different venues, levels, areas, and forms. At the very least we can say it will always be interesting. But it is also a job that never ends.

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The Last Thing You Should Do Is Buy Church Curriculum

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Israel Galindo asks us to rethink the concept of curriculum in today’s reblog of his post earlier this week in Columbia Connections. Curriculum is more than the printed resources we may choose and use on Sunday mornings. I wonder how you’ve used this concept in your church.

Columbia Connections

By Israel Galindo, Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning

There is one thing you can count on in Christian education at any local church: inevitably (just as certain as death and taxes), Sunday School teachers will begin to ask for “new curriculum.” This is regardless of the size of the church or the quality of the curriculum resources teachers currently are using when this mysterious angst strikes!

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