Accelerated Learning and Adult Religious Education: Potential and Pitfalls

Abstract: The results of this year long qualitative study of a congregation’s adult religious education programs, examined through the conceptual lens of accelerated learning, show that accelerated learning mirrors some traditional practices in religious education, suggests new approaches, and raises questions for further research. According to the Search Institute’s national study of effective Christian education only 28 % of adults involved in the 493 congregations surveyed participate in the church’s religious education program (Benson & Eklin, 1990). With only a small percentage of adults in congregations regularly participating in religious education, and continuing, nagging questions about the educational effectiveness of their programs, adult religious educators are exploring a wide variety of curriculum and instructional methods in religious education programs. The report of the Search Institute’s national study of Christian Education (Benson & Eklin, 1990), suggested that effective education in the future depends on making significant and thorough changes in educational structure, format and assumptions. This study is a preliminary exploration of the applicability of accelerated learning approaches for adult religious education