21st Century Education for Spiritual Seekers: Bringing It Home

1. Conversation with Unity LeadersDecember 3, 2015 21st Century Education for 21st Century Spiritual Seekers Bringing It Home • If you’re having technical issues, call 800.644.9070.

2. Today’s Agenda • Opening Prayer • Painting the Big Picture • Assembling the Team • Unity Education Retrospective • Ministerial Curriculum Clay Model • Q & A • Feedback • Schedule for Future Calls • Follow-Up with Survey and One-on-One calls • Closing Prayer

3. Guidelines for Discussion • The calls will last 90 minutes. • To accommodate everyone’s ability to participate, we’ve set up guidelines for this call. • Questions and comments will be taken in the order received. Press *6 to get in line to share. • Please state your namebefore speaking. • There will be a two-minute time limit for each speaker. This sound will be audible at the end of the time limit. • Please use respectful language and speak only for yourself.

4. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

5. Painting the Big Picture • Worldwide demand for relevant, contemporary, spiritual education • Connecting spiritual aspirants with qualified instructors worldwide • Lay and leadership education • Live and self-paced instruction • “Best of Class” delivery platform providing high quality, affordable and accessible education • Using instructors from throughout New Thought

6. Assembling the Team • “Toddler to elder” education • Quality credentialed leaders • Quality, accessible, affordable and sustainable • Draw upon Unity’s expertise • Tying it all together • Other “background” contributors • Serving those who are “called” • Decrease cost • Reduce economic sacrifice • Reduce family displacement • Technology • Credentialing • HR • Fund Raising • Finance • Youth and Family • Transition • SEE • Core • Program • Consultants • Ministerial • Curriculum September 2016

7. Extraordinary Effort • 1000+ hours invested thru Nov 2015 • 31 field volunteers • Each one vetted for experience and expertise • Wide spectrum of representation–large to small ministries, long-tenured ministers to student and recent graduates, lay leaders, faculty and administration to field • 4+ from UWM staff • Thru June 2016

8. Meet the Ministerial Curriculum Team • Rick Belous – Unity Institute 3rd year, career college-level educator • Lauri Boyd – Minister, Unity of Bloomington (recently resigned) • Deborah Frownfelter – Exec Dir, Research, Dev & Training UWM • Jim Gaither – President, Holos University Graduate Seminary • Erin McCabe – Minister, Unity Village Chapel • Lynn O’Dell – Credentialing Coordinator UWM • David Ridge – Minister, Living Water Spiritual Community • Mark Schindler – Minister, Unity of Auburn • Catherine Thomas – Exec Dir, Unity Urban Ministerial School

9. Unity Education – a Retrospective • Original Fillmore Program (1920s-1950) • Correspondence Course & Multiple Month-Long “Intensives” in KC, MO and 1+ years in Field => Ordination • Graduates included Ernest Wilson • Post WWII Full-time Program (1950–early ‘60s) • “Trade School” for GI Bill qualification • Graduates included Eric Butterworth & Ruth Mosley • Grand Vision (mid-‘60s) • Vision: pre-school Montessori through Seminary • First attempt to develop an accredited school with Grad school standards & curriculum

10. Unity Education – a Retrospective • AUC Program (mid-‘60s –1983) • 3 years packed into 2 (with 2 summer semesters) • Unity School for Religious Studies (1983-2004) • Graduates included most • ministers now on UWM Board • Urban School students • spent 1 year full-time at • Unity Village • Unity Institute (2004-2016) • Goal: becoming accredited • Model: St Paul’s Seminary • with distance learning added

11. Program Structure – “Clay Model” • Proposing 3-year program: • Live and self-paced online courses plus face-to-face intensives • Internships • Unity-conferred M.Div. • Eligible for licensing or • ordination • Delivery mechanism: • Interactive online • Self-paced online • Face-to-face classes • Hybrid classes (online • and face-to-face)

12. Key Areas of Courses/Intensives • Ministry Arts & Skills: • Pastoral Counseling • Communications (Homiletics) • Ministry Administration & Leadership • Education for all ages including Youth & Family • Spiritual Development: • Self Awareness • Honing Emotional and Spiritual Intelligences • Prayer & Meditation • Interpersonal Skills

13. Key Areas of Courses/Intensives • Scriptural Studies: • Bible History • Bible Interpretation • World Religions • Other Sacred Scriptures • Historical Studies: • History of Christianity • Foundations of Unity and New Thought • Unity Metaphysical Studies: • Writings of Charles & Myrtle Fillmore • Other Unity Authors & Teachers

14. Possible Field Experience • Preaching • Teaching • Pastoral Counseling • Youth Ministry • Spiritual Social Action • Ministry Administration • Chaplaincy

15. The Online “Classroom” Experience • Evolution, not revolution • Building on our successes • Delivered using state-of-the-art Learning Mgmt System • Leading-edge instructional and collaborative tools • Facilitates student engagement and sparks interaction • Optimized online learning environment • Fully interactive, live presentations and discussions • Small group breakout sessions • Self-paced for material not requiring interaction • Optimized teaching environment • Easy-to-use lesson templates to speed class prep • Instructional design assistance provided to the instructor • Student monitoring tools to track progress

16. Field Ministers’ Access • Offered to all credentialed leaders • Broaden and sharpen your existing skills • Increase your available resources–knowledge and people • Share your insights with other ministers–leverage your mutual creativity and synergy

17. Feedback, Please … • So that we may follow-up with you, please: • Give us your name & ministry and • Key into the chat window the best phone number to reach you. • If you are calling in, you can email your best phone number to Marti@unity.org. • First, what is your reaction to having field experience in a ministry, perhaps up to a year, required of each student? • For credentialed leaders: In what areas did you feel least prepared when you landed in your first ministry? • What additional skills do you want now – i.e. What courses would you like to see in Continuing Education?

18. Survey • We are publishing a survey, as soon as this call is over, for your response. • It will be open until midnight, Dec 14, but please check your email and fill it out as soon as possible while this call is still fresh in your mind. • Your responses will provide vital input to our ministerial curriculum design.

19. Q & A • Again, so we may follow-up, please give us your name & ministry and key into the chat window the best phone number to reach you. • If you are calling in, you can email your best phone number to Marti@unity.org.

20. Future Dialogues • Your feedback and further development efforts … • Call: Wednesday, Jan 13, 2PM CST • Presentation and discussion at January meetings • Call: in mid-to-late February (check The Path or www.UnityWorldwideMinistries.org/conversations-with-leaders) • Your added feedback and further development efforts … Targeted completion: March 31, 2016 • With Board review & approval… Presentation at the • Unity People’s Conference, June 13-17, 2016

21. Thank You! • … for being with us today … • … for your feedback … • … for your support … • … for your prayers … • Closing Prayer