A Guidebook for Creating and Implementing

a Spiritual Master Plan

on Seventh-day Adventist Campuses

of Higher Education

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Office of Education

February 24, 1999

 

ã General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Office of Education, Silver Spring, MD, 1999.

 

The commission extends special appreciation to the Hancock Center for Youth and Family Ministry in the School of Religion at La Sierra University for editorial work as well as the publication f this material.

 

Editors: Stuart Tyner and V. Bailey Gillespie, from the John Hancock Center for Youth and Family Ministry, La Sierra University, Riverside, CA 92505

 

Commission on Spiritual Master Planning and Assessment

Commission Members:

 

Enrique Becerra, Phd., Associate Director of Education, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland

 

Gordon Bietz, D. Min., Commission Chair; President, Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee

 

Rich Carlson, Ph.D. Chaplain, Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska

 

Garland Dulan, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities; Associate Director of Education; General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland

 

V. Bailey Gillespie, Ph.D., Professor of Theology and Christian Personality; Executive Director, John Hancock Center for Youth and Family Ministry; School of Religion, La Sierra Unviersity, Riverside, California

 

Ed Hernandez, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs, Antillian Adventist Unviersity, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

 

Greg King, Ph.D., Chair of the Religion Department, Pacific Union College, Angwin, California

 

Richard Osborn, Ph.D., Vice President for Education, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland

 

Ella Smith Simmons, Ed.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs, Oakwood College, Huntsville, Alabama

 

Jane Thayer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Religious Education; Director of Academic Assessment; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan

 

Special thanks to Robert S. Folkenberg, for developing the idea for establishing this Commission and for providing the budget for the Commission to meet.

 

PROLOGUE

 

The "Total Commitment to God" document, voted during the Annual Council of 1996, challenged all church organizations to focus on their mission and determine whether they were fulfilling their goals.  The colleges and universities around the world have related to the challenge in a variety of ways with varying degrees of success. (See Appendix A, page 21, for the complete text of this document as it relates to higher education.)

 

In a desire to help the colleges and universities fulfill objectives of the "Total Commitment to God" document, the North American Division Office of Education, with input from the General Conference Education Department, appointed an ad hoc group called the "Commission of Spiritual Master Planning and Assessment."  Its assignment was to develop some models and procedures to implement the vision embodied in the "Total Commitment to God" document.

 

What follows is the product of that commission's work during meetings that they held in Orlando, Florida, February 10-12, 1999.  Consider this document a workbook for giving aid to a college or university as it seeks to be intentional in fulfilling the Gospel Commission on its campus.

 

Gordon Bietz, D.Min.

President, Southern Adventist University

Chairman, Commission on Spiritual Master Planning and Assessment

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prologue ‑ Page 3

                                    Overview ‑ Page 8

                                    What is Spiritual Master Planning? ‑ Page 8

                                    The Guidebook - Page 9

Advantages of master Planning Page 10

 

TASK 1:          ORGANIZE THE PLANNING TEAM

 

1.         Appoint a team leader. (Who will be responsible for the spiritual master planning?) Page 11  

2.         Clarify the team's relationship to administration. (To whom does the committee report?) Page 11

3.         Establish the team's budget. (How is the planning process funded?) ‑ Page 11

4.         Name the members of the team. (Who will serve on the planning team?) ‑ Page 11

5.         Obtain or develop your institutional mission statement. (How does a spiritual master plan uphold the purpose of your institution?) ‑ Page 11

 

TASK 2:          APPRAISE THE CAMPUS STATUS

 

6.         Conduct a status appraisal. (What endeavors are currently taking place on your campus to assess and build the spiritual environment?) ‑ Page 14

7.         Clarify campus expectations. (What expectations are held on your campus concerning the spiritual outcomes or indicators of religious life?) ‑ Page 14

8.         Prepare an appraisal report (What have you discovered about campus endeavors and expectations?) ‑Page 14

9.         Identify communication priorities. (Who needs to know about the process of developing a spiritual master plan?) ‑Page 14 to

10.       Invite campus input. (What contributions would your faculty, staff and students like make to your discussion of the spiritual needs and goals of your campus?) ‑ Page 15

 

TASK 3:          BUILD THE SPIRITUAL MASTER PLAN

 

11.       Review completed appraisal. (How does the appraisal inform your efforts to build a master plan?) ‑ Page 15

12.       Compare generic indicators. (Do any of the nonspecific spiritual assessment indicators Page 15 apply to your campus?)

13.       Determine specific indicators. (Which indicators need to be adapted or created for the specific experience on your campus?) ‑ Page 17

14.       Create the master plan. (What dynamics of spiritual life do you desire to build and support Page 17 on your campus?)

15.       Adopt the master plan. (Who needs to review and approve the master plan?) ‑ Page 17

 

TASK 4:          IMPLEMENT THE SPIRITUAL MASTER PLAN

 

16.       Make implementation assignments. (Who should set in motion the various segments of your spiritual master plan?) ‑Page 18

17.       Assign assessment activities. (Which assessment methods are appropriate for each of the spiritual indicators in your plan?) ‑ Page 18

 

18.       Establish a schedule for updating. (How often do you want to monitor the progress toward implementing your plan?) ‑Page 18

 

TASK 5:          ASSESS THE SPIRITUAL MASTER PLAN

 

19.       Develop an assessment process. (How do you evaluate the impact of your spiritual master plan?) ‑ Page 18

20.       Analyze your assessment. (What can you learn from the evaluation? What needs to be changed or modified? Where are you making progress? Which areas need to be strengthened? How can you improve on the entire process for succeeding rounds of assessment?) Page 19

21.       Communicate your conclusions. (Who is affected by the decisions you reach in the assessment process?) ‑ Page 19

 

Using This Guidebook - Page 20

 

 

Appendix A Higher Education Section of the Total Commitment Document ‑ Page 21

Appendix B‑ Flow‑Chart of Team Organization and Relationships ‑ Page 22

Appendix C ‑ Selected Bibliography for Faith Development ‑ Page 23

Appendix D ‑ Adventist Doctrine Outline‑ Page 24

Appendix E ‑ Sample Spiritual Master Plan Outline ‑ Page 26

Appendix F ‑ Sample Strategies to Encourage Campus Spiritual Life ‑ Page 29

Appendix G‑ Sample Assessment Methods ‑ Page 30

Appendix H ‑ Spiritual Planning Action Grid ‑ Page 32

The Steps for Implementation

 

The spiritual planning model on the opposite page contains both themes and the questions that relate to them contained in the following pages of this guidebook.

 

Just follow the tasks listed there and you will see how the process develops. Remember that this is only a model of how spiritual master planning might look. We challenge you to be creative and insightful in the process of master planning.

 

 

Creating and implementing a Spiritual Master Plan

 

OVERVIEW

 

Spiritual master planning begins with an analysis of the spiritual life of the school. Strengths are identified. Areas that need to be improved are discovered. Strategies and activities designed to achieve an institution's spiritual goals and objectives are included. The plan goes further by projecting or outlining resources. The very work of formulating such a plan and deciding how to accomplish it causes the attention of the institution to be drawn to this important matter.

 

The spiritual master plan should grow directly out of the mission statement of the school. There should be a direct and visible relationship, apparent to all, between the stated goals of the institution as set forth in its spiritual master plan, and its published mission statement.

 

Several cautions are in order. First, a spiritual master plan should not attempt to delineate all of the various ways in which certain beliefs and practices will be promoted and fostered at an institution. It will be informative, not exhaustive. For example, making a difference in the world through active service is one of the practices we want to see in graduates from our colleges and universities, and Adventist institutions should help provide opportunities for just such service. However, not all avenues of service can be spelled out in detail in a spiritual master plan.

 

A second caution is concerned with the difficulty of spiritual assessment. The plan will not result in an exact measurement of either the spiritual health of an institution or any individual student. Spirituality is expressed in a multitude of ways. Trying to take the spiritual pulse of any institution or person is difficult.

 

A third caution exists regarding the misuse of spiritual master planning information. Using information to compare institutions or identify specific student worldviews that might be at variance with the accepted Adventist norm would be an incorrect use of spiritual master planning and assessment. Evaluation of the teachers' belief system may be part of administrative personnel policies of an institution but if made part of a spiritual master plan will tend to create suspicion about the plan's purposes.

 

WHAT IS SPIRITUAL MASTER PLANNING?

 

Spiritual master planning is a means of assessing and building the spiritual atmosphere of a campus.

 

·        It establishes a specific way to analyze the campus' efforts for promoting faith development and spiritual maturation among students.

·        It delineates how, when and in what venues spiritual changes occur.

 

SPIRITUAL MASTER PLANNING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING

 

Ideally spiritual master planning is integrated into the whole fabric of institutional strategic planning. It is not an add‑on or extra concern beyond the mission of the campus. Each Adventist institution should be as intentional in fostering a commitment to Jesus Christ as it is about imparting an academic experience. Indeed, spiritual master planning is at the heart of the mission of Adventist education.

 

A number of planning models could be used:

 

THE GUIDEBOOK

 

This guidebook contains the necessary steps for a school to develop its own spiritual master plan document and is coordinated with the flowchart graphic at the beginning of this guidebook. The guidebook contains descriptions and instructions in a sequential order for completing a spiritual master plan. The spiritual master plan is the instrument that will be completed as a result of this planning process.

 

People will sometimes argue that it is not possible to measure spirituality. That is certainly correct if you assume that to measure spirituality means to evaluate a person's relationship with Christ or a person's standing before God. But such information is not available to another human being. The Bible says that no person can truly understand even his or her own heart, much less someone else's. (Jer. 17:9). Then, what are researchers attempting to measure through assessment? They are measuring indicators of the spiritual life. "By their fruits you will know them," (Gal. 5:22 and Matt. 7:16‑20) Jesus said. By their behaviors, by their attitudes, by their commitments‑by such indicators, researchers can learn something bout the maturity of the spiritual life of students.

 

Each Adventist College or university is deeply interested in this maturity because the commitment to foster spiritual development is central to its mission. We recognize that this commitment is a cooperative venture with the Holy Spirit. The school does the "planting" and "watering," while the Holy Spirit "makes it grow" (I Cor. 3:6, 7). What a college or university is trying to learn by assessing the indicators of its students' spiritual life is how well it is "planting" and "watering."

 

It is important at the outset to recognize the limitations of research on human spirituality.  Here are three:

 

 

 

There are many Ellen White quotations that relate to this concern. Her counsel about premature judgment is comprehensive, for example, "It is not given to any human being to judge between the different servants of God. The Lord alone is the judge of man's work, and He will give to each his just reward." (Acts of the Apostles, 276.) In addition, in her discussion of the parable of the wheat and tares in Matt. 13:24‑30, she suggests, "Christ has plainly taught that those who persist in open sin must be separated from the church; but He has not committed to us the work of judging character and motive. He knows our nature too well to entrust this work to us." (Christ Object Lessons, 71.)

 

When your campus organizes a spiritual master plan assessment process there are a number of steps that can be initiated, and this guidebook details them for you. Here is a summary of the process.

 

This institutional process through feedback and implementation be‑ins again as the campus is continually renewed in the area of spiritual life.

 

ADVANTAGES OF MASTER PLANNING

 

Master planning places responsibility and decision making closest to the intended recipient the student. It puts the emphasis on the identification of needs‑based objective data. From the identified needs, beneficial activities are proposed that provide a means for planned change.

 

The following questions are seen in graphic format on the spiritual master-planning flowchart at the beginning of the guidebook.

 

TASK 1: ORGANIZE THE PLANNING TEAM

 

1.         Who will be responsible for the spiritual master planning?

The appointment of a single individual to coordinate implementation is among the most often cited factors facilitating success. Therefore, choose an individual of high institutional status, a person of influence‑ someone who can unite the academic and student life sides of campus, one who can represent a wholistic approach to planning as well as successfully direct the spiritual master planning team.

 

2.         To whom does the committee report?

Ideally, the team should report directly to the president of the institution. This relationship is crucial if spiritual planning is to be seen as a significant issue of campus planning and if spiritual change is to be integrated into the whole of campus life.

 

3.         How is the planning process funded?

The cost of spiritual master planning is an institutional issue that should be clarified early in the organizing process. Appropriate institutional resources should be allocated so that the team can do a complete and competent job. If this requires additional monies other than regularly budgeted funds, planning should begin early for this decision. Consideration should be given for the team leader of the group to find some relief in their class load. Appropriate administrative officers of the institution should be included early in the organizing process.

 

4.         Who will serve on the planning team?

The planning team could have membership that includes (See Appendix B, page 22):

 

5.         How does a spiritual master plan uphold the purpose of your institution?

You probably already have a mission statement. (If not, don't proceed until you've created one.) Before a school planning team begins to discuss the goals and strategies that it will include in its action plans, there should be a determination that board members, faculty, and staff possess a keen awareness of the school's mission. It is not enough to assume that everyone shares a common understanding of where the school is going and why it wants to get there. (In some instances revisions of the mission statement would be in order.)

A mission statement clearly answers these kinds of questions:

 

The mission statement succinctly sets forth the core values of the organization. In a global way, it communicates to everyone that which is important and indicates the direction of the institution. It is the goal towards which the whole institution is moving. It is the focus of everyone's actions.

 

The mission statement should be formulated with the participation of a wide group of individuals representing a large range of interests and responsibilities in the institution. Everyone identified with the institution should be involved or at least included in the mission statement development. Administrators, faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni should be included in this process. Some authorities argue that the best mission statements flow from the personal mission statements of the employees and staff. This activity will encourage ownership of the mission statement itself by these individuals or  groups and give them a greater stake in successfully accomplishing its mission goals.

 

SAMPLE MISSION STATEMENTS

 

The North American Division Mission Statement for higher education. In keeping with the mission of the Seventh‑day Adventist church, Adventist colleges and universities aim to educate students holistically for productive Christian life in church and society. The truth of God as set forth in Scripture and defined in the person of Jesus Christ informs the life and teaching  of each institution.

 

Campus A. To provide a high quality academic education while also encouraging and nurturing a personal commitment to Jesus Christ in the context of the Seventh‑day Adventist church.

 

Campus B. To prepare students from diverse backgrounds for excellence in selected professions, develop an eternal perspective with assurance in Christ, and promote joyful service to the world.

 

Campus C. To prepare its students for fellowship with God and service to Him through service to humanity. To achieve its mission, the College offers an excellent education, informed by a distinctive Seventh‑day Adventist Christian point of view, to all who appreciate the school's unique values and its integration of faith and learning. Paying special attention to Christianity's role in civilization, the College considers liberal arts study with a Christian perspective to be uniquely valuable not only for its own sake, but also as a basis for career training and professional life.

 

The work sheet on the next page can be copied and used to assist in developing or reviewing a mission statement.

 

CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES OF A MISSION STATEMENT

 

Answer each question below by listing critical attributes, which you think should be considered in developing a mission statement for your district or school:

 

 

1.         Who will deliver services? (Example: "faculty of... School")

 

 

2.         Who will benefit? (Example: "ALL students")

 

 

3.         What is the nature of the services? (Example "...to educate")

 

 

4.         What constitutes observable evidence? (Examples: "high levels of academic performance" and/or "positive growth in social/emotional behaviors and attitudes" stating specific indicators in quantitative and qualitative terms)

 

 

5.         What is the level of accountability? (Example: "responsibility to reach ALL students")

 

 

 

6.         Explain the contextual nuances and frames of references.

 

 

TASK 2: APPRAISE THE CAMPUS STATUS

 

6.         What endeavors are currently taking place on your campus to assess and build the spiritual environment?

 

The status appraisal is a close look at the spiritual climate and processes that contribute to it. Before the process of spiritual master planning can begin, look around and see what is happening. The appraisal process can include any or all of the following

 

7.         What expectations are held on your campus concerning the spiritual outcomes or indicators of religious life?

 

It is important for the spiritual master planning team to understand the expectations of their campus before they build their plan. The team should explore the spiritual indicators of a mature faith that they feel are crucial to the faith life.

 

There are a number of developmental factors that impact a young adult's religious commitments, beliefs, and behaviors. Mature spiritual life is impossible to fully measure. Often many factors merge to impact the spiritual life of students. Such things as family relation ships, church involvement, campus environments, interpersonal relationships, social and academic experiences and many others nurture the spiritual life. These personally distinctive factors should be considered in identifying the spiritual indicators (outcomes) that will become the target of evaluation later on in the process.

 

People often make religious choices in response to personal crisis, family relational problems, and personal challenges as well as moral and intellectual factors that impact their lives. An effective spiritual master planning process will recognize the religious developmental factors and stages that form the nature of spiritual response in youth and young adults. They will use this insight for appropriate interpretation of any evaluation and assessment process selected (See Appendix C, page 23, for a selected bibliography of resources which will inform an understanding of the faith experience of young adults.)

 

Later in this guidebook, a list of suggested nonspecific spiritual indicators that might be found on a typical Adventist campus are included. It is provided for your information and to assist in your understanding of some of the indicators of a Seventh‑day Adventist faith experience.

 

8.         What have you discovered about campus endeavors and expectations?

 

Prepare a comprehensive list of current campus religious activities. Compliment the people who have sponsored and presented these activities. Quote students and faculty who will tell you of the benefit they have received from these activities. Include plans to expand or modify these activities. Then present a section on the expectations your campus holds for new or revised religious experiences.    Present these activities in some detail.

 

9.         Who needs to know about the process of developing a spiritual master plan?

 

The team should determine who needs to know about the spiritual master plan and the results of any assessment or evaluation of spiritual indicators on your campus. Following is a list of some target groups who should receive the information. Distribute your appraisal report to these people and anyone else you feel should be a part of the process

10.       What contributions would your faculty, staff and students like to make to your discussion of the spiritual needs and goals of your campus?

 

At every phase of the process there should be built-in, logical, and significant ways to involve faculty, staff, students, and other interested parties. Some ways might include:

 

TASK 3: BUILD THE MASTER PLAN

 

11.       How does the appraisal inform your efforts to build a master plan?

 

Now that your team has carefully listened to campus expectations and closely examined the current campus spiritual experience, allow the appraisal to inform your efforts. Be sure that your resulting master plan reflects the real issues on your campus. Don't allow the plan to remain on the generic level. Obviously, this will mean an on going process of evaluation and revision. A spiritual master plan is not a static, one‑time‑only document.

 

12.       Do any of the nonspecific spiritual assessment indicators apply to your campus?

 

Compare the generic nonspecific spiritual assessment guidelines (suggested below) with your current campus experience and see if they are contextually important and compatible. It should be noted that some of the desired indicators or outcomes are particularly appropriate for those who graduate from Adventist educational institutions who have a commitment to the Seventh‑day Adventist church. This process is not intended to slight the faith or impugn the sincerity of those who are of a different religious or nonreligious persuasion.

 

However, for Adventist educational institutions to fulfill their mission it is necessary for them to share and nurture the distinctive faith heritage of the Adventist church. Sharing an Adventist perspective in a positive and vibrant way while respecting the genuine faith of others are not mutually exclusive endeavors.

 

Here is a list of sample nonspecific or generic spiritual master plan indicators (outcomes) that might be included in a Seventh‑day Adventist educational spiritual master plan:

 

Desired Spiritual Indicators (Outcomes)

 

What would characterize the life of the spiritually mature, committed Seventh‑day Adventist who graduates from an Adventist college or university? That student would have a:

 

Personal relationship with Jesus Christ, including, but not limited to:

 

Commitment to a Seventh‑day Adventist Christian perspective and life‑style, including, but not limited to:

 

 

Understanding the teachings of the Bible including, but not limited to the following topics:

 

(For a complete list of the doctrines of the Seventh‑day Adventist Church, please see Appendix D, pages 24‑26.)

 

Commitment to the Seventh‑day Adventist church including, but not limited to:

 

 

Commitment to making a positive difference in the world, including, but not limited to:

 

 

13.       Which indicators need to be adopted or created for the specific experience on your campus?

 

If any of these statements work well in your situation, write them into your plan. If some portions need to be adapted to meet your needs, do that now. If the statements suggest areas, which you need to address, this is the time to create those new indicators. The important thing is that the indicators you choose accurately reflect the experience of your campus.

 

14.       What dynamics of spiritual life do you desire to build and support on your campus?

 

Now comes the creation of the actual plan. If possible, organize your plan around the departments