Measuring Change

Jeremy M. Wallace

Measuring Change

Transformational Outcomes in Christian Education

PETER LANG

New York • Bern • Frankfurt • Berlin
Brussels • Vienna • Oxford • Warsaw

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wallace, Jeremy, author.
Title: Measuring change: transformational outcomes in Christian education / written by Jeremy M. Wallace.
Description: 1 [edition].
New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2017.
Series: American university studies. Series 7, Theology and religion; Vol. 359 ISSN 0740-0446
Identifiers: LCCN 2017009351 | ISBN 978-1-4331-3814-0 (hardback: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-3815-7 (ePDF) | ISBN 978-1-4331-3816-4 (epub)
ISBN 978-1-4331-3817-1 (mobi) | DOI 10.3726/978-1-4331-3815-7
Subjects: LCSH: Christian education. | Education—Aims and objectives.
Education—Research—Evaluation. | Education—Research—Methodology.
Faith development. | Education (Christian theology) | Canby Bible College.
Classification: LCC BV1464 .W35 2017 | DDC 230.071/179541—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017009351


Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

© 2017 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm, xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.

About the author

An ordained minister in the Foursquare Church, JEREMY M. WALLACE is Dean of Canby Bible College and Assisting Pastor at New Life Foursquare Church in Canby, Oregon. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical literature and a Master of Divinity from Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma), as well as a Doctor of Ministry in ministerial leadership from Western Seminary (Portland, Oregon). Dr. Wallace is currently engaged in postdoctoral studies at South African Theological Seminary (Johannesburg) and is an active member in the Evangelical Theological Society, the Society for Pentecostal Studies, and the Foursquare Scholars Fellowship. Additionally, he is Adjunct Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Northwest University, Life Pacific College, and The King’s University. He and his wife Rebeka have three daughters and a son.

About the book

Measuring Change provides voluminous data substantiating the claim that students can and do experience personal formation in the context of Christian higher education. This volume is a one-of-a-kind, mixed-methods analysis of Canby Bible College (CBC) alumnae. By means of a three-part research instrumentation, CBC graduates assess and articulate the transformational journey they gained as a Bible Collegian. Ultimately, Measuring Change contends that Christian education should be more about personal transformation than information acquisition, thus making a robust case for the wide-scale implementation of “transformational outcomes” in Christian higher education.

Advance Praise for Measuring Change

“Jeremy M. Wallace has gifted us with a breakthrough study that boldly and courageously attempts to answer one of the most important questions facing leaders in Christian higher education: ‘Can spiritual transformation be measured?’ Inviting us to move beyond the necessary learning assessment measures that currently preoccupy higher education professionals, including accreditors, Wallace reveals convincingly that when we build our efforts upon a biblical foundation of transformation, informed by sound theological influences, there will be distinctive characteristics within graduates that reflect spiritual transformation. An engaging application of Victor Turner’s concepts of ‘liminality’ and ‘communitas’ to Wallace’s interpretation of the data is both informative and provocative. This is significant and seminal research that centers on spiritual formation and responsible accountability that moves us beyond the singular dimension of traditional assessment. I highly recommend Measuring Change to anyone in the field of Christian education that has always yearned for a measurable study of the spiritual change and difference the Christian faith makes in college students.”

Randall Y. Furushima, President Emeritus,
Pacific Rim Christian University, Honolulu, Hawaii

“Jeremy M. Wallace addresses the chasm that exists in institutions of higher education and in the church that centers on the need to quantify the ‘spiritual formation’ that occurs in our faith communities. Much is done to ensure competencies, skill development, and knowledge, but much more is needed to intentionally shape their character. Wallace strategically defines our reality and proposes solutions that advance the ‘Kingdom of God’.”