Greg Forster
Notice something different? The changes you see in our website aren’t just a facelift. Like good entrepreneurs, we’re always looking for changes we can make that will serve you better. Many of you filled out a survey at this year’s ON faculty retreat, providing valuable feedback on the website and how you prefer to interact with resources. We’re making a concerted effort to apply what we’ve learned, and the new website is just the start! You’ll find that the website’s content is easier to find and access, and we’ve introduced some new elements too, such as podcasts. (Admittedly, we also needed a facelift!)
The Welcome Mat: Our front page is more focused on getting you where you want to go. Our most popular content is the monthly newsletter, so we’ve moved some of those articles right onto the front page. Note the new, easy sign-up form, where you can direct people to register to receive our newsletter by email. We’ve made it easier to find the Economic Wisdom Project page, and the paper “Theology that Works.” Newcomers who want to get a sense of who we are will be greeted with the trailer version of our introductory video.
The Newsletter: Navigating the newsletter to find the articles you want is easier than ever. Our whole newsletter archive is now searchable – if you want to find articles on poverty, or articles written by or mentioning a certain author, just search. You can also click between newsletter articles or issues directly without having to return to an archive page. Take this as an opportunity to re-explore old articles, and send your favorites to anyone you think could be interested.
The Economic Wisdom Project: We’ve not only made the EWP page easier to find, we’ve made it more user-friendly. Don’t miss the latest research notes on the EWP elements – this month we’re releasing notes on Elements 7-9!
Videos and Podcasts: Our growing collection of resources is easier to navigate as well, and we have converted a large number of our videos into podcast form for more convenient access. (Thanks to those of you who put in requests!) Listen to Dallas Willard’s talks at the 2013 ON retreat, Chris Brooks on economic flourishing and the local church, or Stephen Grabill on the meaning of oikonomia. Don’t forget to share the ON introductory video from the Grohmann Museum to help your peers get to know the network!
Curricular Integration: Don’t forget about the model syllabi and notes on curricular integration our community produced at the Acton University workshop we held last year! These are great tools to explore, whether you are looking for innovative examples to inspire your own curricular ideas, or for something to share with peers in other disciplines. The ON’s new advisory committee is hard at work on this year’s Acton University workshop, which will help you advance thoughtful integration of faith, work, and economics even further in seminary curricula. We look forward to seeing you at the conference in June!
We think you’ll find the new website doesn’t just look better, but serves you better. As always, our job is to help you do your job. Thanks for the work you’re doing to help prepare the next generation of pastors to make disciples who practice fruitful work and economic wisdom!
