| Christian Service, theological field education, or service-learning; each of these represents the practical application of curricular learning goals in a work environment. This intent of this research study was to present an argument based on a nationally recognized service-learning instrument that Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) institutions used to show that they were facilitating service-learning through their Christian service programming. The need for the study was based on the time lapse between the last empirical study of Christian service programs at ABHE institutions and this study. Based on the research there had not been a study of ABHE institutional Christian service programs since Mostert’s study in 1967. At the time of the research study there were 94 ABHE accredited institutions in North America included in this study. The study utilized Shumer’s Self-assessment of Service-learning (2000) which served as the ‘best practices’ standard from which ABHE Christian service programs were measured. The data generated from Shumer’s instrument was analyzed utilizing multiple linear regression. The empirical data suggested that ABHE institutions differed in the emphases of their Christian service programs, that Christian service was an effective means of experiential education, based on Shumer’s (2000) instrument and that there were programming strengths and weaknesses, based on Shumer’s (2000) five areas of service-learning criteria in individual Christian service programs. |
