NAPCE 2013 Annual Conference

October 17-19, 2013

Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare Hotel
5300 N. River Road
Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois
James Flynn, Conference VP

Digital Discipleship: Christian Education in a Digital World

Featuring:

Richard Pratt and Stephen & Mary Lowe


Conference Description

The digital revolution in communications continues to have a profound effect on education and the way it is delivered in both the church and the academy. Online mediated education, which was in its infancy less than two decades ago, now continues to expand to the point where it is becoming a predominate form of education. This expansion has created the need for specialists who understand the dynamics of effective education in a virtual environment. The 2013 NAPCE annual conference is focuses on the different facets of effective Christian education in our digital world.

What does the future of higher education look like in light of the digital revolution? How can I best serve my online students with effective educational strategies? What factors should we consider when designing an effective framework and strategies for online teaching? What does it look like out there in the trenches—who are the next generation of students populating our classrooms today and how has the digital revolution tempered their learning experience? The pace at which digital education is developing has left many of us wondering how to provide the best possible experience for our online student. Several hundred professional Christian educators, pastors, and teacher will come together in Chicago in October, 2013, to seek to answer these and other questions related to digital education. By considering the issues , sharing what we have learned with each other, and hearing from some of worlds pioneers in this field , we will gain valuable insight into what forces are shaping the future of the field and how we can proactively engage in that shaping process.

The digital revolution is upon us and shows no signs of retreat. Will those in Christian higher education seize the opportunity to lead and innovate or wait and see what happens? For many in higher education the digital revolution is like surfing—catch the wave and ride it or get knocked off your board. Surfs up – carpe diem! NAPCE 2013 Conference in Chicago – see you there in October!

James T. Flynn, 2013 Conference V.P.


Conference Registration

Conference Speakers

Richard L. Pratt is the President of Third Millennium Ministries. Third Millennium was launched in response to the lack of training of Christian leaders around the world. Third Mill. recognizes where the church is growing the fastest, those Christian leaders have the least amount of training. It was launched in 1997 to provide: “Biblical Education, For the World, For Free.” This goal is being met by building a multimedia seminary curriculum in English, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Russian and Spanish. These lessons are recorded and designed in house and are similar to the style of what one might see on the History Channel ©.

Dr. Pratt chaired the Old Testament Department and taught at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson MS and Orlando FL for 21 years. He received a BA from Roanoke College, an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary and the Th.D. from Harvard University. Dr. Pratt has traveled extensively throughout the world to evangelize and lecture, including Australia, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and throughout the United States. He served as the General Editor for the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible. Dr. Pratt’s books include Every Thought Captive, Pray With Your Eyes Open, Designed for Dignity, and He Gave Us Stories, as well as two commentaries, one on I and II Chronicles and the other on I and II Corinthians. His books have been translated into several languages including Chinese (Mandarin), Russian and Spanish. Dr. Pratt is also a contributor to the Complete Literary Guide to the Bible and has authored numerous journal articles.


Dr. Mary Lowe grew up in Haiti as the daughter of missionaries and learned firsthand about what was then Theological Education by Extension. She is now the Associate Dean of the Virtual Campus at Erskine Seminary and is working to provide theological education online to those who live locally and globally. Lowe is the Executive Director of ACCESS, the Association for Christian Distance Education. One of the areas of particular interest is the issue of spiritual formation in an online environment and she continues to write and research in this field.
Both Mary and her husband, Steve, co-directed the National Consultation on Spiritual Formation in Theological Distance Education funded by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion. They have produced a series of articles from this consultation and both contributed chapters to a volume which Mary co-edited entitled Best Practices for Online Education: A Guide for Christian Higher Education (2012). Their current area of research interest on the subject of spiritual formation wrestles with the implications of social network research for an understanding of the social dimension of spiritual formation within the Body of Christ.


Dr. Steve Lowe grew up in Indiana as the son of a pastor who encouraged him to enroll in Moody Correspondence courses as an adolescent. This exposure to an early form of Christian distance education set the stage for a later interest in it as a Christian education practitioner. He has recently returned to the classroom full-time after serving as Vice President of Erskine Seminary and prior to that as Dean of the Erskine Virtual Campus. Part of his teaching duties include online courses at the master’s and doctoral level. He has written extensively on the subject of spiritual formation in online Christian education and continues his research in this area while maintaining a full teaching load.


Join us for great conversations with new friends and enjoy catching up with long time colleagues. We will be in Chicago this year so make plans early to reconnect!

Call for Papers

Please consider sharing your research projects or special studies at this year’s conference.
We invite proposals that address the conference theme and its strands, but also other topics of general interest to NAPCE members. The research can be empirical in nature or fit more of a historical/theological model. A high quality of research workmanship is expected.

Questions may be directed to:

Jonathan Kim, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor of CE, Talbot School of Theology,
Biola University,
13800 Biola Avenue,
La Mirada, CA, 90639
Phone: 562.903.4818 ext. 5519
Email:Jonathan.Kim@Biola.edu or
CEPraxis@gmail.com

Call for papers is now active. Click HERE. to get a copy of the offical call and guidelines for submission at this year's conference. You will submit your proposals via email no later than June 15, 2013, and will be notified of acceptance no later than July 15, 2013.

Proposals should be 200 words or less and include the author's name, email address, and place of employment or college/seminary/university.

Call for Proposals - Professional Development Seminars

Please consider sharing your topic or proposal for a professional development seminar at this year’s conference. We invite proposals that address that will equip or facilitate skills in the classroom, curriculum development, professional development, or those of a general interest to NAPCE members. A high quality of professional development is expected

Proposals may be directed to:

Dr, Orbelina Eguizabal
Biola University
13800 Biola Avenue,
La Mirada, CA 90639
Phone: 562.944.0351 ext. 3513
Email:Orbelina.Equizabel@biola.edu