Welcome to the Center for Excellence in Christian Education, a nexus of creativity and innovation in educational leadership, research, and practice.

About

Whether we are pastors, educators, congregational leaders, commissioned ruling elders, or scholars, it is our collective voices, experiences, wisdom, and creativity that can move us through the best of what was, and into the faithfulness of what will be.

Practices

Our center offers pedagogical strategies for teaching in diverse contexts of ministry while promoting and encouraging educators, pastors, congregational, and community leaders to explore, deepen, and retool their gifts for ministry.

Leadership

Sustaining and equipping all those who educate, whatever their level of theological education or vocational experience.

Research

Creating space and opportunities for faculty and practitioners to engage in critical conversations that develop innovative, effective, and imaginative theories, models, and methods.

Nexus

– a connection or series of connections linking two or more things.

“the nexus between industry and political power”

– a connected group or series.

“a nexus of ideas”

– the central and most important point or place.

“the nexus of all this activity was the disco”

definitions from Oxford Languages

Nexus Now

We will feature new ideas that connect the work of CECE from across its various blogs and content areas. Whether it is something Faith, Arts, and Creativity Initiative, EduTech, our upcoming symposium, Critical Conversations on Curriculum, or beginning in January 2025 our new blog, On Teaching, we’ll highlight new content several times a month. If you have ideas, please leave them on the Spark Conversations padlet linked at the bottom of each page. Check back often to see what’s Nexus Now! First up – a Digital Advent Calendar. Learn about how you can create a digital countdown for any season or event, whether its Advent, Lent, or VBS, you can develop an interactive calendar with teaching tidbits, items of information, an activity or a conversation starter hidden behind each door. The possibilities are amazing. Check out September’s EduTech focus on how to start creating!

Nexus Now

Voice, Pondering, and Insight

Welcome to As I See It, a monthly column where a cross section of those committed to forming faith and Christian education reflect on the interplay of theology, theory, and practice in a rapidly changing church and world. Here practitioners, faculty, students, and leaders in faith communities will share their voice as they ponder what excellence in Christian education means in a various contexts and topics. Our goal is to provide a place for insights to be shared and further imagining to be birthed.

If there is something ruminating within you, something deep and relevant you’d like to cultivate into being, let’s talk. Please send us an email cece@upsem.edu to begin the conversation.

This month, the genesis of As I See It and its relevance for today.