Workshop for Researchers on “Short-Term Missions”
March 22 - 24, 2007
According to sociologist Robert Wuthnow, 1.6 million US church members traveled abroad last year on short-term mission trips. Numerous others left Australia, Europe, Singapore, Korea or South Africa on such mission trips. This is an enormous phenomenon, only recently starting to receive attention by scholars. As scholars attempt to theorize and research this phenomenon, there are advantages to creating opportunity for conversation and collaboration among those commencing such research.
On March 22 - 24 (Thur - Sat), 2007 the PhD Program in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School will host a three-day workshop focusing on research related to short-term missions. We wish to convene a group of scholars who are actively planning or doing research related to short-term missions. This might include PhD students whose dissertations will focus on short-term missions, or senior scholars actively planning their own research projects related to this topic. Anthropologists, missiologists, youth ministry specialists, experts on service-learning, sociologists, etc. are welcome to apply. Expenses (travel, food, accommodations) will be provided to cover the participation of twelve external scholars, as well as several scholars from Trinity itself. International scholars are encouraged to apply (funds will cover up to 3 scholars from abroad).
A portion of each day will be led by Robert Wuthnow (vita), who directs The Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. Wuthnow is a leading sociologist of religion and an expert in both qualitative and quantitative research. He will discuss his Lilly funded research on “the international ministries of U.S. congregations,” and will interact with workshop participants on their own research plans. Robert Priest (vita), director of the PhD Program in Intercultural Studies at Trinity, will also help lead the workshop--providing feedback on research proposals and plans.
Participants will discuss key readings (circulated ahead of time), and each will be provided opportunity to present their own research plans (related to the research proposal they will have submitted), and to receive group interaction and feedback.
Workshop participants will be invited to present papers at a large conference in the summer of 2008 (August 7 - 10) focusing on short-term missions, and to consider participating in a collaborative publishing project.
Application Deadline: December 15, 2006
Addressed to: Dr. Robert J. Priest, Director
PhD Program in Intercultural Studies
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
2065 Half Day Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
Application materials:
1. A brief cover letter.
2. A four to six page research proposal (double spaced)
3. A vita
Interested parties are encouraged to touch base with Robert Priest: stm@teds.edu