Inspire, Spring 2007

W h a t ’ s t h e W o r d ? 14 Spring 2007 Youth Ministries and Christian Education Majors The youth ministries and Christian education majors prepare students for vocational ministries in a wide range of contexts (churches, camps, and parachurch organizations, as well as cross-cultural environments) that serve a diverse range of age groups (children through adults). With almost 90 total majoring students (as of Spring Semester 2007) and 40 other students choosing to minor in these two programs, the youth ministries and Christian education majors currently stand together as the largest block of students in the department of biblical education with almost a third of total students. We believe this represents the current passion of many college students to reach their generation for the cause of Christ. A few years ago we retooled our program to emphasize three strengths found in the department of biblical education as well as the Cedarville University educational experience itself: (1) an integrative emphasis on both practical and theological education; (2) a concentrated effort to teach our students how to move from their inductive study of the Bible to a clear, accurate, and relevant exposition of the text to multiple age groups; and (3) the curricular freedom to invest credit hours in another academic major or minor in order to take advantage of the University’s liberal arts emphasis. With more than 10 years of practical experience in the local church working with youth and adults, Dr. Tom Hutchison ’80, interim chair of the department, brings an educational background from Grand Rapids Seminary and Marquette University. This background enables him to integrate theology and educational theory as well as real-world knowledge of working with people. Dr. Scott Dixon ’84, associate professor of Bible, also served as a youth pastor in the local church (for seven years) and has the educational background (from Dallas Theological Seminary and the School of Education at Michigan State University) to provide his students with the integrative skills necessary to educate an adolescent audience with Scripture. The newest member of the sub- department, Assistant Professor of Christian Education Mike Parrott, comes with more than 30 years of hands-on experience working on the front lines of student ministry in his past positions with Student Venture, the high school arm of Campus Crusade for Christ. His practitioner’s expertise provides our students with cutting- edge ideas for working with adolescents in the context of public school campuses. Many Christian university students who feel God’s leading toward a ministry vocation consider ministering to teens. Having themselves seen and experienced the huge influence an effective youth ministry can have, they are drawn to replicate that experience in the lives of other students living those pivotal teen years. It is our prayer and passion to be used by God to prepare these students to be a light for the next generation of Christ-followers. Conferences and Presentations Each year our Bible department professors participate in nationally recognized conferences, presenting papers and interacting with other leading evangelical scholars. In November of 2006 a number of our professors either presided over study groups or presented papers before fellow evangelical scholars, providing rich opportunity for dialogue and interaction. For the past ten years, Dr. Dan Estes ’74 has been involved in a study group on the literature of the Bible. This group focuses its attention on using the techniques of literary analysis to discover aspects of the meaning of biblical texts. At the most recent Evangelical Theological Society conference, Dan presented an Dr. Scott Dixon ’84 Mike Parrott Dr. Tom Hutchison ’80 Dr. Dan Estes ’74