CLGS

The CLGS Curriculum Project responds to the ongoing need for congregation-based education and training at the intersection of sexuality and religion, especially with a view toward encouraging and facilitating the full inclusion of LGBT people in faith communities and empowering those same communities to work for LGBT social justice in the wider society.

Rather than a single curriculum for all congregations, CLGS is committed to addressing the rich cultural diversity of Christian faith communities in the U.S. by tailoring the component programs of this project to the particular needs of the communities CLGS seeks to serve.

CLGS has undertaken a multimedia approach to developing these curricular materials, which will include web-based learning modules, video, and print publications. Collecting these materials under the banner “Living OutFront” (which draws on the success of the Center’s OutFront weekend seminars), the Center envisions a number of distinct educational programs focused on the particular needs, histories, and experiences of various communities.All of the curricular programs designed for Christian communities share a theological and spiritual framework for Christian education. This framework is summarized in the Life Abundant document (attached at the bottom of this page).

CLGS is also seeking to make its educational and training materials more widely available through a new online venue – the “seeQers” project.

Each of the programs in the Living OutFront Curriculum Project will offer a combination of print and online materials. Depending on the particular program and community it is designed to serve, either the print or the online materials might be emphasized, yet the combination of both offers a unique opportunity for community education and training.
In programs designed around web-based learning modules, for example, members of participating congregations can interact with those modules online at their own pace and then gather with other members of their congregation for group sessions; print materials, including guides for facilitators, would be provided for the group sessions. In programs built primarily on print materials, web-based modules can provide valuable follow-up opportunities and additional resources for both individuals and congregations to sustain and deepen their learning. This combination of both print and online materials carries significant advantages, such as:

• online interactivity, allowing individual users to interact with the material rather than merely having it presented it to them;
• the possibility for either individual or group use or a combination of both;
• connecting with other groups outside of one’s own congregation or community through online interactions and conversations;
• the opportunity for participants to interact directly with a PSR faculty member and/or CLGS staff member as part of the educational program;
• a mechanism for direct user-feedback online to the Center, enabling additions and revisions based on changing congregational and community needs.

The adaptability of the online learning modules will enable the Center to create educational and training resources suitable for a wide range of constituents, including activists, church-goers, ministers, and the general public.

Just as important as the Center’s programs for mainline churches is the development of proactive and innovative materials for new and emerging faith communities, a more intentional integration of race, ethnicity, and economics with sexuality and gender throughout these programs, and fostering community among those with “queerer” approaches to religion, spirituality, society, and culture.

The seeQers project will facilitate this expansive work of the curriculum project in pioneering ways. Look for the first curricular programs to come online and in print late in 2011.