CCSN 2023 SUMMER WORKSHOPS and CONFERENCES in Communication
The CCSN’s Institute for Faith and Communication is excited to provide the following Summer events, listed below in order of date offered
1. Registration opens on March 6, 2023.
2. All workshops are offered in the virtual environment through Zoom and are from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT. Recordings will be made available.
3. Free and discounted books are offered through all events.
4. Student discounts available for all events (Promo Code: STUDENT)
5. Summer passes to cover all 10 events are available. LEARN MORE
6. Group and institutional summer passes and discounts are available. LEARN MORE
7. Sponsorships for select events are available, which provide you with time in the schedule to share about your program or organization or latest initiative. Please contact rwoods@theccsn.com if you have questions.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the CCSN’s Executive Director, Robert Woods (rwoods@theccsn.com).
Sincerely,
Robert Woods
CCSN Executive Director
No. 1
Title: Integrating Family and Relational Communication Skill Training Activities into the Classroom
Presenters/Facilitators: Jonathan Pettigrew, Director of Doctoral Studies and Associate Professor of Communication, Arizona State University; Diane Badzinski, Chair and Professor of Communication, Colorado Christian University
Date/Time: Thursday, June 1, 2023 | 11:30 – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Christian universities produce people who have learned how to learn and to pursue God; but how well are we training our students to communicate authentically and with discernment? What skills are we imparting for winsome and rewarding relationships? Courses like family communication, interpersonal/relational communication, introduction to counseling, introduction to marriage, and family therapy are uniquely poised to train students in these “soft skills” that can serve them well throughout their lives. Join professors and authors Jonathan Pettigrew and Diane Badzinski for an engaging workshop on integrating family and relational communication skill training activities into the classroom.
Participants will experience sessions focused on activities for creating meaningful rituals, sharing encouragement, recognizing situational stress, and communicating forgiveness, to name several topics. Your hosts share relevant, transferable activities from their family-based intervention and CCSN column Let’s Talk Family and their recent book Family Communication and the Christian Faith: An Introduction and Exploration (Integratio Press, 2023). By the end of the workshop, participants will gain several practical skill-development activities they can integrate into their own teaching, mentoring, and personal relationships. The workshop also includes opportunities for participants to share their own experiences with and practices for teaching relationship-centered courses.
Jonathan Pettigrew (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) is a Professor at Arizona State University who is devoted to seeing families and relationships thrive. He is co-editor of the book Professing Christ: Christian Tradition and Faith-learning Integration in Public Universities (Integratio Press, 2022) and has published in academic journals including Journal of Adolescent Research, Journal of Family Communication, Marriage & Family Review, and Journal of Divorce and Remarriage. Learn more about Jonathan here: https://search.asu.edu/profile/2692171
Diane M. Badzinski (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is Department Chair and Professor of Communication at Colorado Christian University. She is co-author with Quentin Schultze of An Essential Guide to Interpersonal Communication: Building Great Relationships with Skill, Faith and Virtue in the Age of Social Media (Baker Academic). Learn more about Diane here: https://www.ccu.edu/spotlights/faculty/dbadzinski/
Registration Fee: $50.00
No. 2
Title: Teaching C. S. Lewis: Chronicles of a Master Communicator
Presenter/Facilitator: Steven A. Beebe, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Texas State University
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Steven Beebe has been teaching his course “C. S. Lewis: Chronicles of a Master Communicator” at both Texas State University and Oxford University since 2005. Drawing upon his teaching experience, this seminar presents strategies, examples, and suggestions for teaching communication principles and practices inspired by C. S. Lewis. Based on the communication principles presented in Dr. Beebe’s recently published book, C. S. Lewis and the Craft of Communication, this workshop offers practical approaches for including Lewis’s ideas about communication in your course, whether you are teaching Lewis from a communication, theological, or literary perspective. Learn why Lewis was a master communicator as well as how to be a master educator about C. S. Lewis’s craft of communication. This interactive seminar includes opportunities for questions and discussion. Whether you are developing your first course about C. S. Lewis or are looking for ways to freshen an existing course, the seminar offers new insights about C. S. Lewis’s communication principles and practices.
Steven A. Beebe (PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia) is Regents’ and University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Texas State University. He served as Chair of his department at Texas State for 28 years and concurrently as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication for 25 years. Prior to joining the faculty at Texas State, he was a tenured member of the Communication faculty at the University of Miami for 10 years. He is author and co-author of fourteen books (with editions totaling more than 75 books) that have been used at hundreds of colleges and universities (including international, Canadian, Russian, and Chinese editions) by several million students throughout the world. Steve’s research focuses on instructional communication and communication skill development. He is former president of the National Communication Association. His recent book, C. S. Lewis and the Craft of Communication (Peter Lang, 2020) reveals five communication principles that explain Lewis’s success as a communicator. Beebe made international headlines when conducting research at Oxford University when he discovered an unpublished manuscript written by C. S. Lewis that was the partial opening chapter of a book that was to be co-authored with J. R. R. Tolkien called Language and Human Nature. In 2016 and 2019 he also discovered unknown and unpublished poems by Lewis in the Oxford University Bodleian Library. Learn more about Dr. Beebe here: https://www.commstudies.txstate.edu/people/faculty/beebe.html
Registration Fee: $50.00
No. 3
Presenter/Facilitator: Al Hsu, PhD, associate editorial director, InterVarsity Press
Date/Time: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: You have an idea for a book. But what do you need to present your book proposal to a potential publisher? These days, it’s not just about the content of the book. It’s also about the overall package of who you are and what you bring to the publishing partnership. IVP associate editorial director Al Hsu provides a behind-the-scenes look into how acquisitions editors and publishing boards review and evaluate book proposals and what you can do to improve your proposal’s chances of acceptance for publication.
A key component of the proposal review process is the question of author platform. Every author has a platform of some sort. But how much platform is enough to make a book work? We will look beyond the usual metrics of social media fans and followers and explore a theology of platform as an expression of vocation and calling. There are three key dimensions of platform, and those attending this workshop will gain ideas for strengthening one’s platform for improved potential of proposal acceptance and successful book launch.
Participants are encouraged to bring actual potential book ideas/proposals to a “pitch session” included at the end of the workshop. Whether presenting your own or listening to others, participants will benefit from Dr. Hsu’s feedback and questions designed to refine the pitch.
Al Hsu (pronounced “shee”) is associate editorial director at InterVarsity Press, where he acquires and develops books in such areas as church, culture, mission, apologetics, and social issues. In over twenty-five years at IVP, he has worked with over 275 authors and published more than 400 titles, including award-winning books by Michael Card, Mark Charles, Andy Crouch, Makoto Fujimura, Dominique Gilliard, Os Guinness, Tara Beth Leach, Soong-Chan Rah, Sarah Shin, Rachel Marie Stone, Nikki Toyama-Szeto, Richard Twiss, and Sandra Van Opstal. He has published books in partnership with such organizations as the Billy Graham Center, the Christian Community Development Association, International Justice Mission, Lutheran Hour Ministries, Missio Alliance, Operation World, the Urbana Student Missions Conference, The Veritas Forum, and World Relief.
Al holds a PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a master’s from Wheaton College Graduate School, and has served as a columnist for Christianity Today magazine. He is the author of three books: Grieving a Suicide, The Suburban Christian, and Singles at the Crossroads. He wrote and compiled material for the expanded edition of IVP’s history Heart. Soul. Mind. Strength. on occasion of IVP’s 75th anniversary in 2022. He lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two sons.
Registration Fee: $65.00
No. 4
Title: Strategies for Cultivating a Writing and Publishing Agenda while Teaching Full-time
Presenter/Facilitator: Robert Woods, PhD (CCSN Executive Director, Visiting Scholar, Trinity Western University)
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 21, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Faculty and administrators in Christian higher education who desire to write and publish are faced with unique challenges, including heavy teaching and student advising loads, limited resources, and a campus culture where classroom instruction is valued above research. How can individuals balance quality teaching and administration with a desire to do scholarship that integrates a Christian worldview and transforms lives? How do they “find time” to write when are faced with all the other things that go along with being a faculty member and administrator in Christian higher education?
Robert will share strategies from his own publishing experiences and conversations with more than 75 faculty from 50+ Christian colleges and universities about practical ways to cultivate a productive research and publishing agenda while carrying a full-time teaching load. Topics include motivations for writing, communication habits that help promote writing, and strategies for developing content for books. Outlining, writing schedules, and other strategies for bringing a project from concept to final publication will also be discussed. Participants will have an opportunity to connect with other authors and potential collaborators, and several Christian publishers.
Robert H. Woods Jr. (PhD, JD, Regent University) served as Professor of Communication and Media at Spring Arbor University for 20 years. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Christianity and Communication Studies Network (CCSN) (www.theccsn.com), a non-profit network providing resources and training on faith-learning integration in the field of communication studies. He is the editor-in-chief of the CCSN’s imprint, Integratio Press. Dr. Woods has served as the President of the Religious Communication Association (RCA) and was named Scholar of the Year by RCA. He is the recipient of multiple research and scholarship awards and the editor/author of over a dozen books. Most recently, Dr. Woods is the co-author with Paul Patton on Everyday Sabbath: How to Lead Your Dance with Media and Technology in Mindful and Sacred Ways and Professing Christ: Christian Tradition and Faith-learning Integration in Public Universities. His book co-authored with Kevin Healey (University of New Hampshire), titled Ethics and Religion in the Age of Social Media: Digital Proverbs for Responsible Citizens received the Book of the Year Award from RCA. He currently serves as a visiting scholar at Trinity Western University. Connect with Robert: www.roberthwoodsjr.com.
Registration Fee: $50.00
No. 5
Lead Facilitator/Presenter: Kevin Schut, PhD, Trinity Western University
Keynote Presenter: Tim Muehlhoff, PhD, Biola University
Roundtable Discussants: Sarah Drivdahl, Northwest University; Melinda Stephens, Geneva College; Diane Badzinski, Colorado Christian University; Tom Carmody, Vanguard University; Ken Waters, Pepperdine University; Dorie Shelby, Spring Arbor University
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 28, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: This half-day leadership workshop will feature conversations with veteran administrators at leading Christian colleges and universities. Short presentations followed by roundtable discussions and breakout sessions will be employed. The workshop concludes with an implementation session to produce individualized strategic development plans for the year ahead. This year our focus will be on two main topics: (1) Having Difficult Conversations, and (2) Onboarding New faculty.
As we passionately seek to live out the mission of Christian higher education and our callings as administrators and faculty, it is easy to clash with friends and fellow Christ-followers over issues large and small. When having difficult conversations, what strategies do we have that help us move from contentious debate to constructive dialogue? Insights from Scripture and communication theory provide practical ways to manage disagreements and resolve conflicts. We can disagree without being disagreeable. And we can even help another see different points of view and learn from one another.
Christ-centered institutions provide an education that integrates faith and learning in transformational ways. Such an experience is possible only if faculty and staff remain committed to the mission, fit well into the institution’s culture, and understand their purpose beyond “just teaching.” Successful onboarding helps set the tone for a successful employer/employee relationship and can foster a positive communication climate. If done well, it enhances the new hire’s individual satisfaction, productivity, and the institution’s overall retention rates. If done poorly, it may result in an exodus of early hires and increased recruitment costs. “Best practices” related to assessment, evaluation, and metrics will be considered.
Kevin Schut (PhD, University of Iowa) is a Game Studies scholar. He is a graduate of Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI; BA in Communication Arts & Sciences, History, 1996) and the University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA; MA & PhD in Communication Studies, 2004). He wrote the book Of Games & God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games (2013). He writes about the intersection of communication, culture, media, technology and faith, primarily by talking about computer and video games. He has published articles or chapters on fantasy-role-playing computer games and masculinity, on computer games and myth, on the presentation of history in computer games, and on evangelicals and games. He is currently researching moral and ethical decisions in video games.
Kevin served as the Chair of the Department of Media + Communication, and he is the Lead for the Game Development program he founded in June 2019. He has also served as Associate Dean of the School of the Arts, Media + Culture. He teaches a range of courses on media and culture.
Kevin grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, and still cheers for the Oilers. After graduating from Calvin College, he married and taught overseas in schools for missionary kids in the Cote d’Ivoire and Hungary for three and a half years. He has three daughters who love playing board games, adventure games, Mario Kart, and Vive Virtual Reality with him. His favourite game series is Sid Meier’s Civilization.
Tim Muehlhoff (PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is Professor of Communication at Biola University where he teaches classes in conflict resolution, apologetics, gender, and family communication. For over 30 years he served with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) in the campus ministry, short-term missions (Kenya, Russia, Lithuania), and with Keynote as a trainer for The Comm Lab—a center that trains Cru staff, pastors, and lay people in evangelistic speaking and apologetics. For the past 20 years Tim and his wife, Noreen, have been frequent speakers at Family Life Marriage Conferences. Tim currently is co-director of the Winsome Conviction Project which seeks to reintroduce civility and compassion into how we disagree in the public square. Tim is the co-host of the Winsome Conviction Podcast. His book Winsome Persuasion: Christian Influence in a Post-Christian World (with Biola University professor Rick Langer) received a merit award from Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year Awards in the category of apologetics/evangelism. His newest book, Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing without Dividing the Church (with Rick Langer) explores conflict between fellow Christ-followers. Connect with Tim: www.timmuehlhoff.com.
Registration fee: $65.00
No. 6
Title: Teaching Diversity and Social Justice in Christian Higher Education
Lead Presenters/Facilitators: John Hatch, PhD (Eastern University, retired; CCSN Senior Fellow), and Theon Hill, PhD (Wheaton College)
Date/Time: Wednesday, July 12, 2023 | 11:30-3:00 pm EDT
Description: How can instructors disarm the defensiveness felt by some students when class material confronts matters of diversity and social justice? In contexts where many view Christian faith as a bulwark against critical examination of race, class, or gender-based social stratification, what is the Christian professor to do? Are there ways to turn resistance into willingness to take a closer look? How do we make sure we are promoting critical thinking rather than critical-theory indoctrination?
Drawing on their combined experience teaching intercultural communication, Black rhetoric, racial reconciliation, and the rhetoric of equality, John and Theon will share some frames and handles they’ve found for meeting this challenge. A panel of professors will then widen the discussion by sharing their insights and strategies. All participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and enrich the discussion.
John Hatch (PhD, Regent University), CCSN Senior Fellow, Professor and Chair of Communication Studies, Eastern University (retired). Dr. Hatch became interested in the intersection of faith, communication, and culture through his involvement in Youth With A Mission in Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Navajoland during the 1980s. During his doctoral studies at Regent University, his intercultural interests broadened, and he began to focus on race relations and public reconciliation initiatives. Dr. Hatch’s research interests include racial reconciliation, public apologies, dialogic rhetoric, religious discourse, the rhetoric of popular music, and contemporary Christian music. He has made numerous presentations at academic conferences and published extensively on these topics. He is the author of an award-winning scholarly monograph on the rhetoric of racial reconciliation and an undergraduate-friendly anthology of speeches on reconciliation by diverse political and religious leaders. Learn more about Dr. Hatch here: https://www.theccsn.com/john-hatch-ccsn-senior-fellow/
Theon Hill (PhD, Purdue University), is assistant professor of communication, Dr. Theon Hill is active both inside and outside the classroom. Whether it’s challenging students to think deeply about the pros and cons of rap music or contributing to media outlets like The Atlantic online and the Chicago Tribune, Dr. Hill is passionate about exploring the relationship between rhetoric and social change as it relates to race, culture, and American politics. Specifically, he examines the role of radical rhetoric as a crucial form of civic engagement and public advocacy. His articles appear in several journals, including Communication Quarterly and Journal of Communication and Religion. He is co-director of Wheaton’s Center for Faith and Innovation, and a fellow of Aspen Institute’s Civil Society program. Learn more about Dr. Hill here: https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/theon-hill/
Registration Fee: $50.00
No. 7
Title: Pastor, Pew, and Public: Preaching Faithfully and Persuasively to a Diverse and Divided Public
Lead Facilitator/Presenter: Brandon Knight, PhD, MDiv, William Carey University
Keynote Presenters: Tim Muehlhoff, PhD, Biola University; Jim Shaddix, PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Date/Time: Friday, July 21, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: How can pastors and others in ministry be better equipped to communicate effectively to a diverse public inside and outside the church? At a time when pastors must consider a growing number of complicated cultural hurdles and crises, many desire preaching methods and communication strategies that speak to those who seem beyond reach while maintaining unity in the church. This workshop suggests that pastors can find help in addressing such matters by looking at the field of communication and rhetorical studies.
Pastor and professor Tim Muehlhoff (Biola University), co-director of the Winsome Conviction Project and co-author of Winsome Conviction: How to Disagree without Dividing the Church, will open the workshop with a keynote presentation on preaching faithfully and persuasively in a divided culture. Pastor and professor Jim Shaddix, co-author of Power in the Pulpit and Decisional Preaching, will offer a closing keynote address speaking about his own personal growth and embrace of communication and rhetorical principles.
Throughout, several communication and homiletical scholars will share about ways of overcoming division in our divided age. Panelists include Scott Gibson (Baylor University), Rick Langer (Biola University), and Bill Mullen (Shorter University).
All participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in small-group discussion throughout our time together.
Brandon Knight (PhD, University of Southern Mississippi) is Assistant Professor of Speech Communication and Director of Forensics at William Carey University. Brandon also earned an MDiv with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to teaching in the Academy, Brandon served as a youth pastor for five years at two locations in the local Hub City area and, more recently, served as an interim at Leaf River Baptist Church in Collins, Mississippi. Brandon’s research is featured in the Journal of Communication and Religion, Management Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Christian Teaching Practice (in Communication Studies), the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, and, most recently, the Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society.
Tim Muehlhoff (PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is Professor of Communication at Biola University where he teaches classes in conflict resolution, apologetics, gender, and family communication. For over 30 years he served with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) in the campus ministry, short-term missions (Kenya, Russia, Lithuania), and with Keynote as a trainer for The Comm Lab—a center that trains Cru staff, pastors, and lay people in evangelistic speaking and apologetics. For the past 20 years Tim and his wife, Noreen, have been frequent speakers at Family Life Marriage Conferences. Tim currently is co-director of the Winsome Conviction Project which seeks to reintroduce civility and compassion into how we disagree in the public square. Tim is the co-host of the Winsome Conviction Podcast. His book Winsome Persuasion: Christian Influence in a Post-Christian World (with Biola University professor Rick Langer) received a merit award from Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year Awards in the category of apologetics/evangelism. His newest book, Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing without Dividing the Church (with Rick Langer) explores conflict between fellow Christ-followers. Connect with Tim: www.timmuehlhoff.com.
Jim Shaddix (MDiv, DMin, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; PhD, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, occupying the W. A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching. He also serves as a Senior Fellow for the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership, which exists to resource pastors in local churches. Jim has pastored churches in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Colorado. He served as Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Preaching at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans, LA. He is the author of The Passion Driven Sermon (Broadman & Holman, 2003); Decisional Preaching (Rainer, 2019); and co-author of Power in the Pulpit (Moody, 1999, 2017) and Progress in the Pulpit (Moody, 2017), both with Jerry Vines; 2 Peter and Jude (Broadman & Holman, 2018) with Danny Akin; Psalms 51–100 (Broadman & Holman, 2020) with David Platt and Matt Mason, both in the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series; and Expositional Leadership (Crossway, 2024 release). Jim and his wife, Debra, focus much of their attention on discipling and mentoring young leaders and spouses. They have three grown children and eleven grandchildren.
Registration Fee: $50.00
No. 8
Title: Practicing Professional Civility: Communication Ethics in the Workplace
Presenter/Facilitator: Janie Harden Fritz, PhD, Professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Duquesne University
Date/Time: Wednesday, July 26, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: How can we communicate with others in the workplace in ways that support productivity and human flourishing? This workshop presents communication principles that lead to healthy organizational relationships. Topics include language and shared meaning, content and relationship dimensions of messages, and the power of communication in shaping work contexts. Opportunities for questions, discussion, reflection, and application invite participants to put professional civility into practice in their own institutions.
Dr. Fritz (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is professor and director of the BA, MA, and PhD programs in the Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies. She teaches courses at the undergraduate, MA, and PhD levels, including Exploring Interpersonal Communication, Exploring Leadership Communication, Intercultural Communication, Organizational Communication, Communication Research Methods, Communication Ethics and Professional Civility, Rhetoric and Philosophy of Organizational Communication and Leadership, and Rhetoric and Philosophy of Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication. Dr. Fritz holds the William Patrick Power, C.S.Sp. Endowed Chair in Academic Leadership (2019–2024).
Dr. Fritz’s research focuses on communicative practices that constitute, sever, and restore the ties that bind individuals to the institutions of which they are a part. She is the author of Professional Civility: Communicative Virtue at Work (Peter Lang) and has co-edited or co-authored four other books. Her most recent work focuses on the intersection of professional civility and leadership practices. Dr. Fritz is a past president of the Eastern Communication Association and the Religious Communication Association (RCA) and currently serves as executive director of the RCA. Dr. Fritz is editor-in-chief of Listening/Journal of Communication Ethics, Religion, and Culture and editor of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.
Registration Fee: $50.00
No. 9
Title: Practicing a Theatrical Hermeneutic in Teaching, Preaching, and Performance
Presenters/Facilitators: Paul Patton, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Communication and Theater, Spring Arbor University; David Denis, Pastor, United Baptist Church, Concord, New Hampshire
Date/Time: Wednesday, August 2, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: This workshop introduces an often-forgotten way of interpreting and understanding biblical passages. As “hermeneutics” is the science of interpreting texts, the concept of “theatrical hermeneutics” suggests that there are insights about a text that can be gleaned from watching a portion “performed” as an act of theater. For instance, in “The Seven Woes,” Jesus Christ’s righteous fury is usually easier to feel when presented as a living confrontation than as read silently.
The workshop will unfold various principles of oral interpretation and offer a variety of demonstration performances. It will explore numerous biblical texts and provide guidance to pastors and teachers about how to “perform” texts regardless of previous theatrical or performance backgrounds. Faculty, pastors, or anyone involved in Christian education will benefit from the principles and tools presented in this workshop.
Paul Patton (PhD, Regent University) is Professor Emeritus of Communication and Theater at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. It was while pastoring at Trinity Church in Livonia, Michigan, that he founded Trinity House Theater in 1981. He is the author of over 30 produced stage plays, radio plays, and performance essays. He is contributing author to the books, Understanding Evangelical Media (IVP), Evangelical Christians and Popular Culture (Praeger), and Prophetic Critique and Popular Culture (Peter Lang), and co-author of Prophetically (In)Correct: A Christian Introduction to Media Criticism (Brazos Press), and the newly published, Everyday Sabbath: How to Lead Your Dance with Media and Technology in Mindful and Sacred Ways (Cascade Books).
Reverend David Denis is pastor of United Baptist Church (UBC) in Concord NH, and Executive Director of the NH Bible Society. He holds a B.S. in Communication and Biblical Studies from Grace College in Winona Lake IN. Before becoming a pastor, Rev. Denis has been a door-to-door salesman, a retail salesman, a corporate trainer, a professional speaker, a self-employed copywriter, and a UPS Driver Assistant. He estimates that he has delivered over 12,000 presentations, long and short, to audiences big and small. In his spare time, he enjoys picking things up and putting them down. Learn more about David here.
Registration Fee: $50.00
No. 10
Title: Building Kingdom Connections and Collaborative Research Networks for Public Ministry
Lead Facilitator/Presenter: Robert Woods, PhD, Exec. Director, Christianity and Communication Studies Network; editor-in-chief, Integratio Press
Additional Presenters: Calvin Troup, PhD, President, Geneva College; Geri Forsberg, PhD, Western Washington University; Doyle Srader, PhD, Bushnell University
Date/Time: Wednesday August, 9, 2023 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: We are excited to invite you to an August 9, 2023 virtual conference on building kingdom connections and collaborative research networks for public ministry. This conference is being co-sponsored by Faculty Commons (FC), a ministry of Cru, which seeks to reach professors and graduate students in public universities; and the Christianity & Communication Studies Network (CCSN, www.theccsn.com), an organization focused on faith learning integration resources and training in the field of communication.
The academic life, the “life of the mind,” can be a lonely and competitive one. Faculty are tasked with establishing individualized research agendas for promotion and tenure while serving the needs of their students. Departmental silos can dampen down campus-wide connectivity and support as we vie for diminishing resources. The same kind of isolation and competition occurs between institutions as we seek to attract new student populations and increase retention rates amidst an ever-changing higher educational landscape. Moreover, Christian voices in higher education, especially those teaching in public institutions, face increasing marginalization in their own institutions and the Academy at large. For the sake of Kingdom advancement, how can we develop connections inside and outside our institutions with fellow Christian scholars that provide encouragement and productive collaborations?
Former Fuller Theological Seminary President Richard J. Mouw, in discussing the “life of the mind,” suggests we need academic spaces that allow us to play with ideas, to mentor, and to be mentored in ways that leverage resources and build partnerships. Speaking to Christian scholars, Mouw suggests: “We cannot avoid the ‘weight of the cross’ as we attempt to fulfill our callings . . . This is why we need Christian scholarly networks, communities where the spiritual gifts are nurtured, so that we can assist each other as we seek to discern the promptings of the Spirit for our individual and collective scholarly pursuits” (Richard J. Mouw, Called to the Life of the Mind: Advice for Evangelical Scholars, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2014), p. 67.
How do we identify such networks within our discipline? How do we build them when they don’t already exist? How do we connect existing and new networks in ways that leverage resources while promoting individual and institutional agendas?
Presenters/facilitators in this half-day mini-conference suggest ways to connect with like-minded scholars that harness differences while avoiding counterproductive collaborations. The insights gained can be used to inform individual network assimilation and institutional outreach. Strategies for collaborative research development and research community engagement will be explored. Consideration will also be given to how leadership might adopt a network perspective to facilitate collaborative work in higher education.
Geri E. Forsberg (PhD, New York University) has served with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) since 1975. Currently, Geri is a faculty fellow with Faculty Commons (Cru) and serves on the English Department faculty at Western Washington University. She serves on the board of directors for the International Jacques Ellul Society, the editorial board of New Explorations: Studies in Culture and Communication (NExJ) and Second Nature, an online journal for critical thinking about technology and new media in light of the Christian tradition. Her more recent writings have focused on the relationship between the faith of our communication founders and communication studies. Connect with Geri here: https://chss.wwu.edu/english/forsbeg
Calvin Troup (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) is the twentieth president of Geneva College. Prior to assuming his current role, Dr. Troup served on the faculties of Penn State, University Park, Pennsylvania; Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; and Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he directed the university’s nationally ranked Rhetoric PhD program. Dr. Troup’s scholarly interest is the rhetoric and philosophy of St. Augustine, and the rhetoric of technology. His books include Temporality, Eternity, and Wisdom: The Rhetoric of Augustine’s Confessions (Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1999), Augustine for the Philosophers: The Rhetor of Hippo, the Confessions (Baylor University Press, 2014), and The Spoken Word: A Public Speaking Handbook (Geneva College, 2021). Dr. Troup has edited the Journal of Communication and Religion and is a past President of the Religious Communication Association. He is the editor-elect of Explorations in Media Ecology, the international journal of the Media Ecology Association. Connect with Calvin here: https://www.geneva.edu/about-geneva/president/calvin-troup
Doyle Srader (PhD, University of Georgia) is Professor of Speech and Communication at Bushnell University. His primary teaching schedule includes public speaking, interpersonal communication, listening behavior, and other public address and interpersonal communication classes. He brings over 25 years of teaching expertise to the classroom. He has authored numerous publications and writings including “Gratitube,” which appeared in Communication Teacher, “Performative Listening,” which appeared in the International Journal of Listening, and “Before, after, during: Michael Chertoff’s post-Katrina arguments,” which appeared in Argumentation and Advocacy. He was Professor of the Year in 2008 and 2015 and received the Bushnell President’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership in 2009 and 2019. For the 2022-23 academic year, Dr. Srader was awarded a Fulbright grant to teach interpersonal communication in Japan. The project had two focus areas: clinically significant social isolation and assertive argumentation. Dr. Srader was invited to teach undergraduate and graduate classes at Tsuda University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Tokyo International University. Learn more about Dr. Srader here: https://www.bushnell.edu/faculty/doyle-srader/
Robert H. Woods Jr. (PhD, Regent University) served as Professor of Communication and Media at Spring Arbor University for 20 years. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Christianity and Communication Studies Network (CCSN) (www.theccsn.com), a non-profit network providing resources and training on faith-learning integration in the field of communication studies. He is the editor-in-chief of the CCSN’s imprint, Integratio Press. Dr. Woods has served as the President of the Religious Communication Association (RCA) and was named Scholar of the Year by RCA. He is the recipient of multiple research and scholarship awards and the editor/author of over a dozen books. Most recently, Dr. Woods is the co-author with Paul Patton on Everyday Sabbath: How to Lead Your Dance with Media and Technology in Mindful and Sacred Ways and Professing Christ: Christian Tradition and Faith-learning Integration in Public Universities. His book co-authored with Kevin Healey (University of New Hampshire), titled Ethics and Religion in the Age of Social Media: Digital Proverbs for Responsible Citizens received the Book of the Year Award from RCA. Connect with Robert: www.roberthwoodsjr.com.
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