The collaboration sessions are meant to be lively, participative conversations about critical ongoing challenges in the field, emerging areas of research and teaching, or new directions in practical theology demanded by this moment in history. They should not be presentations of completed research, but rather a structuring of collaborative time to build networks of learning. Propose a theme for a two session sequence, 3 hours total.  Your proposal should include 2-3 practical theologians who will work together to design a process over both sessions that creates space for sharing and furthering important conversations, exploring resources and/or framing of significant questions and approaches, and leveraging connections across distinctive perspectives to build strength in the field. Participants who join the initial team in the sessions will commit to participating in both sessions in the hope of developing an extended, in-depth conversation. The process can include a range of options for interaction, such as:

• presentations of ongoing quantitative or qualitative research projects for collaborative analysis and feedback

• panel discussions about emerging areas of practical theological work from teaching or research paired with small group responses/imagination for how they might be incorporated in different contexts

• a space for storytelling, poetic reflection, contemplative practice, or artistic creation related to vocational discernment inviting reflection on “what’s next” for participants in terms of research projects, teaching directions, program/curricular development, or commitment to public engagement