Leaven Leaven Volume 7 Issue 2 Adult Nurture Article 11 1-1-1999 Reading Resource Guide Reading Resource Guide Eleanor A. Daniel Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Daniel, Eleanor A. (1999) "Reading Resource Guide," Leaven: Vol. 7 : Iss. 2 , Article 11. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol7/iss2/11 This Resource Guide is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
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Leaven Leaven
Volume 7 Issue 2 Adult Nurture Article 11
1-1-1999
Reading Resource Guide Reading Resource Guide
Eleanor A. Daniel
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven
Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology
This Resource Guide is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
Name the area of adult educationin which you are interested, and youcan find plenty to read. Small groups,adult development, adult classformation, adult instruction andlearning--all have significantavailable resources. The purpose ofthis article is to introduce you toreading in a variety of areas of adulteducation. Fuller reviews of severalof these volumes (indicated byasterisks) are included in this issue's"Bookshelf. "
Adult DevelopmentAnyone who teaches adults
should have at least general familiar-ity with the dynamics of adultdevelopment throughout the lifespan. It hasn't been very many yearsthat such books existed, but wefinally have acknowledged that adultsexperience times of predictablechange just as children do. Anyoneof several books can provide theinsights needed. One I would suggestis Adult Development and Aging byJohn C. Cavanaugh (Brooks/CollegePublishing, 1993). It is especiallyuseful because it includes a sectionon aging and death, an omission frommany of the earlier books-and someof the current ones-in adult devel-opment.
Faith DevelopmentJames Fowler has written prolifi-
cally about issues of faith develop-ment. His particular concern is howwe think about God and about faithissues. In Stages of Faith (Harper &Row, 1981), his seminal work, hepresents and explores six stages offaith development. Though the readerwill not agree with all of what he hasto say (maybe even much of what hepresents), this work has had aprofound impact upon research in thearea of faith development. Fowler haswritten other works, such as Becom-ing Adult, Becoming Christian(Harper & Row, 1984); *Weaving theNew Creation (Harper & Row, 1991);and Stages of Faith and ReligiousDevelopment, edited by Fowler withKarl Ernst Nipkow and FriedrichSchweitzer (Crossroad, 1991). Thelast book looks at implications ofreligious development for church,education, and society.
Fowler's work has given birth tomany other works. Two of the bestare Faith Is a Verb by KennethStokes (Twenty-Third Publications,1989) and Life Spirals by Iris Ford(Welch, 1988). Ford's book inparticular examines faith develop-ment in light of the work of the localcongregation. Fowler's work isimportant enough that several authors
have responded to it. One of thehelpful responses was edited byCraig Dykstra and Sharon Parks andis entitled Faith Development andFowler (Religious Education Press,1986).
An extremely practical book,providing helpful insights for adulteducation and pastoral care, is FaithDevelopment in the Adult Life Cycle,edited by Kenneth Stokes (Sadlier,1982). It is a collection of essays bysuch notables as Malcolm Knowles,Gabriel Moran, James Fowler, andLinda Vogel.
The Adult LearnerAn aspiring adult educator must
read something by MalcolmKnowles, the father of the adulteducation movement in this country.A good place to begin is The ModemPractice of Adult Education (Follett,1980). But equally important is The
Adult Leamer: A Neglected Species(Gulf, 1973). This book significantlyaltered much of my own thinkingabout adult education.
Beyond Knowles, StephenBrookfield's book Understandingand Facilitating Adult Learning(Jossey- Bass, 1986) still provideshelpful material for the adult educa-tor. Patricia Cross has similarlyhelpful resources, particularly Adults
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as Learners: Increasing Participationand Facilitating Learning (Jossey-Bass, 1981).
A comparison of the status ofadult education in the average localchurch with the material found inKnowles, Cross, and Brookfield (anda host of other later writers), showsimmediately why adult learnersaren't attracted to learning opportuni-ties in many churches. If we areserious about improving adulteducation, we must read, digest, andimplement the principles presentedby these writers.
Adult Education in the LocalChurch
Theoretical books are quiteimportant for providing a foundationfor adult Christian education. But inthe end, every minister and churchleader is most interested in thepractice of Christian education in thelocal church. Fortunately, manyexcellent books are available to guideus.
An excellent resource in its day,though a bit dated now, was JerryStubblefield's Ministering to Adults(Broadman, 1986). It is still worthreading. But a new book, similar informat, is probably the best firstchoice: *The Christian Educator'sHandbook of Adult Education. editedby Kenneth Gangel and JamesWilhoit (Victor, 1993). Like theStubblefield book, it is a collection ofchapters devoted to the practicalissues of adult education in the localchurch. Two other books to considerare Nancy Foltz' Handbook of AdultReligious Education (ReligiousEducation Press, 1986), anothercollection of essays from variousauthorities and practitioners in thefield, and The Religious Education ofAdults by Leon McKenzie (ReligiousEducation Press, 1982). McKenziehas been a contributor to adult
education for many years. This bookis especially valuable in looking atbeliefs about adult education andhow they affect what we do. Aparticularly helpful chapter is the onethat identifies problems in adulteducation and how to overcomethem. *Teaching and Learning inCommunities of Faith: EmpoweringAdults Through Religious Educationby Linda Vogel (Jossey- Bass, 1991),though decidedly from a liberalperspective, forces one to thinkcarefully about adult education.
John Elias is a prominent Catho-lic adult educator, a professor atFordham, who will challenge thethinking of most of us. His TheFoundations of and Practice of AdultEducation (Krieger, 1982) is a basichandbook for adult educators. Thefirst part deals with an understandingof adulthood: social contexts, devel-opment, learning, and history. Thesecond part then introduces thepractice of adult education. He dealswith theoretical approaches, organi-zation, planning, design, and evalua-tion. A second helpful resource fromElias is Philosophical Foundations ofAdult Education (Krieger, 1995).Elias is currently working on ahistory of adult education, includingboth Protestant and Catholic effortsat adult religious education.
Two particularly insightful bookshave been especially helpful to me inadministering adult education in thechurch. The first and, I think, the bestis Strengthening the Adult SundaySchool Class by Dick Murray(Abingdon, 1981). It includes asuggested procedure for establishingnew classes, one I have used oftenand have found most beneficial instarting successful adult classes. Thesecond, intended to be the sequel toMurray, is *Vital Adult Learning byR. Wade Paschal (Abingdon, 1994).It is clearly more recent and, though
it isn't Murray, is very much ahelpful handbook.
Teachers in the local churchwould profit from books such asRichard Robert Osmer's TeachingforFaith (Westminster/John Knox,1992), Growing Adults on SundayMorning by Knute Larson (Victor,1991), Delia Halverson's LeadingAdult Learners (Abingdon, 1995),Growing a Great Sunday SchoolClass by Debra Fulghum Bruce andRobert G. Bruce Jr. (Abingdon,1994), and Creative Bible Teachingby Larry Richards and GaryBredfeldt (Moody, 1998). (TheRichards and Bredfeldt book is anupdated and expanded version ofRichards' original 1970 book by thesame title.) All of these booksprovide practical teaching and lessonpreparation helps that will indeedimprove the average adult Sundayschool class.
Small GroupsPerhaps the most basic book to
examine to understand small groupsand their potential is GarethIcenogle's Biblical Foundations forSmall Group Ministry (lnterVarsity,1994). Similarly helpful is JulieGorman, Community That Is Chris-tian: A Handbook of Small Groups(Victor, 1993). If your need is apractical handbook for creating asmall group ministry, try NealMcBride's valuable guide How toBuild a Small Group Ministry(NavPress, 1996). It is packed withhelpful forms and tips for beginningand guiding small group ministry. Besure to examine Michael Mack's TheSynergy Church: A Strategy forIntegrating Small Groups andSunday School (Baker, 1996). This isan expansion of his master's thesis,which he did under my direction atCincinnati Bible College and Semi-nary.
in singles' ministry was Single AdultPassages by Carolyn Koons andMichael Anthony (Baker, 1991). Thatwork has perhaps been superseded byAlbert Hsu's *Singles at the Cross-roads (InterVarsity, 1997). Manyother books about singles' ministryare available, though these two maypresent the best balance.
Family MinistryFamily ministry is as much adult
education as it is anything else. Youcan find family life books at everytum-a few helpful, most not asinsightful. The two that will probablyprove the most practical are FamilyMinistry by Charles Sell, 2d ed.(Zondervan, 1995) and The ChristianEducator's Handbook on Family LifeEducation by Kenneth Gangel andJames Wilhoit (Victor, 1993).
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ConclusionAs you can see, there are ample
resources for every area of adultChristian education. These representonly what I consider to be the corematerials that can shape your minis-try in effective ways. Read on!
ELEANOR A. DANIEL is dean andprofessor of Christiari education atEmmanuel School of Religion inJohnson City, Tennessee.
