The other two schools that received grants are Dallas Theological Seminary, which plans to study best practices for young adults in different church networks, and Houghton University, which intends to use Lectio Divina, a Scripture-focused prayer practice, to help foster deeper interactions with the Bible.
A team of faculty at Houghton, in western New York, received a grant of $7,335 after they proposed focusing on Lectio Divina. The ancient practice involves reading, meditation and contemplation of the application of Scripture and will be used primarily by volunteers among first-year students taking a required biblical literature course.
Lectio Divina will provide a structured form of scriptural study for students who may have been churchgoers but are unfamiliar with Bible stories and Scripture passages, said Amanda Zambrano, grant writer and director of advancement communications at Houghton, which also includes students of no faith.
“For many of our students, this is going to be their first experience in interacting with Scripture on their own, in their own context,” she said of the school that is affiliated with The Wesleyan Church and has about 900 residential undergraduates.
The Bible society and the grantees hope the grant-funded work will serve as models for other schools and ministries.
“We believe this investment will uncover innovative and replicable ways to connect a generation searching for hope and meaning with the answers waiting for them in the life-changing Word of God,” said Jennifer Holloran, president and CEO of American Bible Society, in a statement.
Final reports are expected to be presented at a symposium in May or June, “where completed innovation project teams will report their results and will consult with teams working on new projects,” said John Plake, chief innovation officer at American Bible Society, in a statement.
This article originally appeared here.
