Rules of Engagement: Foundations of Art Ministry Course by Jessie Nilo ©2020
Thanks for making this a wonderful sharing environment!
HEALTHY SHARING:
Please be:
• honest and
• vulnerable, but only in ways that are good for yourself and
your classmates
Please do not:
• put emotional demands on people
• become clingy or needy
• reveal information that would be inappropriate/unhealthy
for our learning environment
• show blatant favoritism for certain classmates while ignor-
ing others
DISAGREEMENTS:
Please understand that artists have developed thousands of
different philosophies throughout history. Some respectful
disagreements could arise in this course.
Don’t be threatened by this. :) Do remain open to listening
and learning, while remembering that your value is in Christ
alone.
If you’re hurt by a classmate, it is your responsibility to gently
and respectfully convey the problem to the person who hurt
you. If a problem persists, please bring it to Sparrow Daenitz
and Jessie Nilo’s attention. We love you and don’t want
anyone to be hurt.
Let’s all remember: OPINIONS do not always need to be given.
KINDNESS rules.
No unkind sarcasm. No name-calling, including using humor
that insults others or yourself.
No belligerent, divisive, or derogatory comments about any
person or any group of people.
Philosophical differences are often best left unstated. Please,
NO POLITICS.
Use wisdom and humility. Aim to deepen your own under-
standing, not argue or convince.
This rule also applies to interactions between current stu-
dents when OUTSIDE of this classroom environment (such as
between students in person or on social media). Represent!
SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND ART:
Students in this course are free to explore social concerns,
with special priority given to matters of oppression and
injustice, so here is our course policy:
We tell our OWN stories from our OWN experiences, and we
do not push opinions or our politics.
We love God; we show compassion, seek justice, and show
love for all people; and we respect and care for God’s creation.
We choose love over fear. We aim to be known for what we
are FOR, more than what we are against.
We seek to be humble in all our words and actions.
We pursue justice for the outcast and show love to the
neglected in the fringes of society, and love the foreigner
among us, as God commands (Deut 10:19).
We partner with Christ to lead wounded people toward
healing, and we restore dignity to the suffering.
We seek creative ways to help our community see, trust, and
forgive.
We seek after the heart and nature of God, which includes
loving our enemies.
In this way, we can successfully explore sensitive topics and
reach people’s hearts, while staying away from propaganda,
attacking people, or getting into politics.
CHRISTIAN UNITY:
The instructors and staff of Art Fruition are spiritually mature
Christians who value our different backgrounds.
The “Church” is every person who has been saved by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ.
We show respect for, celebrate, and honor various authentic
expressions of Jesus Christ’s worldwide Church.
We refrain from making derogatory insults, comments, or jokes
about the expressions of our fellow believers in Christ, or their
methods of worship or prayer that are unfamiliar to us.
If a student does not currently hold Christian beliefs, they’re
still eligible to take this course. (Continued on reverse -->)
We ask any non-believing students to respect the necessity
of the immersive Christian context of everything taught and
discussed in this Christian ministry course.
Tenets, beliefs, and doctrines from religions that are outside
of Christianity will neither be taught nor held as a model for spir-
itual or artistic growth in this course.
DEFINING THE TERM “CHRISTIAN”:
Art Fruition considers the following to be Christian: Protestant
denominations, non-denominational Christian groups, Roman
Catholic Christians, and Greek Orthodox Christians and Russian
Orthodox Christians who believe Jesus Christ is Eternal God.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is God who
existed before creation, and that Jesus created all things before
coming to earth (John 1); that Jesus came to earth in human
form in order to do the work of his Father, and redeemed all
things. Jesus submitted to being crucified, dead, and buried; he
rose again, fulfilling the scriptural prophecies as Messiah. Eternal
salvation is found through Jesus alone, who forgives all sins of
anyone who believes Jesus is God. Jesus the Messiah is part of
the Trinity, which is One God in Three Persons: God the Father,
God the Son (that’s Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit who resides
in believers -- three entities who inter-relate forever as One God.
There is only one God in all of existence, and there are not multi-
ple deities in multiple universes. Humans can never become god
or God, on earth or in the after-life. Christians are to grow and
become more Christ-like over our lifetime as we learn from God
and grow as disciples with other believers, letting Christ heal our
hearts and transform our minds.
MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES AFTER CERTIFICATION
The visual arts movement in the context of Christianity is organic
and very “grassroots” in a lot of respects.
We pursue our own growth in ministry and are glad to minister
to those around us, which may or may not result in a paid posi-
tion in ministry one day.
We pursue our own spiritual and artistic growth, not with the
mindset of jockeying for position or climbing a career ladder, but
of being God’s vessels for love and beauty in the world.
We trust the Lord to bring us opportunities in his timing, and in
the seasons he has for us.
We pray for empowerment and provision for God’s artists world-
wide, including for ourselves.
HOW WE CRITIQUE:
In this course, each of us is asking for feedback from others in the
spiritual and artistic learning process.
Below is our model of grace and gentle education that will be
shown throughout the Foundations of Art Ministry course.
GIVING FEEDBACK:
Please don’t offer fellow students unwanted/unexpected critique or
unasked-for advice.
Always make sure you’re specifically being asked for feedback before
offering it.
When someone does ask for your suggestions, offer your opinion
carefully and selectively.
Offer 1 or 2 suggestions, if asked. Do not fire off 4 or 5 suggestions!
Please skip ahead in your workbook and read the page about Offer-
ing Critique under Lesson 8, Inclusiveness with Excellence. The page
is called “Excellence: Offering Critique on a Work of Art (Critique
Sandwich).”
RECEIVING FEEDBACK:
Be open to receiving appropriate critique from others.
Don’t confuse your inherent value and God-given worth with your
potential for growth. We all have potential for growth.
Practice thinking of the word “critique” as good. Ask the Lord for a
metaphor such as a gardener tending a plant, or a clockmaker giving
feedback to a young apprentice.
Correct critique is entirely different from a person who is critical
(negative by nature).
Correct critique is entirely different from allowing a negative “inner
critic” inside you, which is a voice that lies to you about the worth of
your art and creativity.
Take feedback, consider it, then move along. You don’t need to
accept it; people can be wrong. It’s okay.
Tell the Foundations staff right away if problems emerge for you in
the critique process.
Please skip ahead in your workbook and read the page about Seek-
ing Critique under Lesson 8, Inclusiveness with Excellence. The page
is called “Excellence: Finding a Mentor, Seeking Critique.”
Thank you for agreeing to abide by these guidelines during this
online course.