EBW Workshops

WORKSHOPS

By Erica Knisely, Director of Educational Design

If you have attended an EBW workshop in person, you have probably sampled one of our “EBW Cookies.” Our signature treat is a scone-cookie hybrid made with wholesome, nourishing ingredients and a touch of sweetness that always tastes like more.

We craft our workshops a lot like we make our cookies—as hybrids of practical experience and the latest Christian scholarship. We design them in response to the current needs of practitioners, so workshop content varies over time and season. For instance, workshops during the recent pandemic, racial reckoning, and political upheaval have addressed the ethical dimensions of online church, preaching in a divided world, and the skills and knowledge needed to sustain caregivers and justice-seekers.

EBW workshops may also serve particular categories of learners. Pastors need to continue learning over a lifetime of ministry practice. Members of faith congregations often look for deeper learning or want to explore new ideas or programs. In partnership with the South Central Region of the Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators (SCRAPCE), we continue the decades-long attention to church educators. We have eyes open for new learners as well, who may not know about all we have to offer.

Workshops are shaped not only by content and audience, but also to create a robust learning experience, whether in-person or remote. We know that adults learn collaboratively and seek out practical, generative skills and ideas. We know that people are more than talking heads, even on Zoom, so we attend to the spiritual needs of learners, incorporating simple breath work and spiritual practices into the experience. The EBW staff is skilled at facilitating the creation of robust learning communities. We draw learners across the lifespan from young adults to retirees, and we delight when those communities learn together. We want folks to enjoy their time with us: to taste the richness of learning in community and to leave wanting more.

Offered in partnership with EBW, the annual SCRAPCE event at Austin Seminary gives us access to excellent leaders and ideas to equip those who are passionate about educational ministry. Each year, it never fails to inspire and transform.

– Jenna Campbell, member of SCRAPCE Board