Training Spaces: Friday (Over)Flow
Even without the holiday, I wouldn't have been able to share all my favorite training spaces this week. What I decided to do was save for this final post several I recommend but that I'm also entangled with in various ways from past and present work. (Disclosures listed.)
Read to the end because one of them is new and kinda remarkable!
Faith + Lead: This is the umbrella container for a ton of great continuing education resources from Luther Seminary. I'll be honest that I don't love the "secular meaning-making bad, religious meaning-making good" vibes I've been getting from some of their recent emails and podcasts, but there are enormously valuable offerings here with a high degree of editorial and pedagogical acumen. The Sermon Brainwave podcast has saved my life more than once, and I hear great things about the Stepping Up to Supervision course. I know and respect lots of the people who work on this project, and my disclosure is that once upon a time (like 2017?) I did some consulting with a couple of them.
Building Faith: Certainly the most influential public/published source of faith formation ministry ideas and support in the Episcopal Church. Practical, reliable, values-driven. The seasonal collections are especially valuable. There's even a little blurb about yours truly. My disclosure here is that once upon a time I contributed to the process of this site making the transition from Church Publishing to what is now Lifelong Learning at Virginia Seminary.
Lifelong Faith: AKA, the online home of the inimitable Roman Catholic educator John Roberto and his impressively ecumenical network of colleagues. My disclosure is that I've often been on of them. I especially dig the Christian Practices collection.
LF! Hub: The on-demand training resource from my former teammates at Learning Forte. I especially recommend the Design + Deliver Bundle, the on-demand version of a really robust course in online teaching for theological educators. Disclosure: I played a significant role in developing the platform and content during my time with LF! in 2021–2023.
Center for Anglican Learning & Leadership (CALL): I've been teaching a course in mission and Beloved Community for CALL since before I joined the CDSP staff. (I'll teach it again next in the spring of 2025.) I have to say, I find seven-week courses to be too short for "one course among many" learning (I was super stressed out by quarter-long classes in seminary), but I love this format for really substantive continuing education. Full disclosure: This is an offering from my current employer.
Faith Leadership Campus: Nobody asked me to give this shout-out, I promise, but I really think people should know about this resource. Basically, Trinity Church Wall Street has published on a free platform the courses that their Leadership Fellows take together as part of their curriculum. I've informally heard quite a bit about several of these courses. Some heavy-duty experts are involved, including De'Amon Harges and Kevin Jones, who I got to know a little bit when I worked briefly for Faith+Finance. Definitely worth creating an account and poking around. You can even request your own version so you can take these courses together with a group from your organization. Very nifty! Full disclosure: CDSP and Trinity entered a strategic alliance in 2019, so I am indirectly a Trinity employee.
What others would you add? There's so much good training out there.
