The Monastic Project

Welcome to The Monastic Project

Dr. Mercer is the originator of “The Monastic Project,” a comprehensive program used by professors and others around the country that speaks to a deep yearning many people have for substantive religious experience that goes deeper, offers more, and requires more than much of the easy, quick, sensual froth offered up by much contemporary religion. “The Monastic Project,” with guidelines drawn from various monastic traditions, can yield results transformative beyond explicit religious experiences, such as improved mental and physical health, clarification of life goals and purpose, improved relationships, increased awareness, and better sleep. The “Project” has been reviewed in Teaching Theology and Religion (April 2009) and is recommended by Matthew Fox. Dr. Mercer has provided on-campus and other consultations about “The Monastic Project” to theological and religious studies faculty.

Mercer provides a comprehensive “Instructor’s Manual” free of charge.

Note to Prospective Instructors

To quickly determine if The Monastic Project appeals to you, please contact Dr. Mercer (mercerc@ecu.edu) for the free Manual for Instructors. In about 10-15 minutes, you can look at three small sections of the Manual and decide if the Project will work for your classes. A four-page handout for participants provides the basic four-week-program. Several pages that might impress you with the potential of the Project include student comments and instructor endorsements. The goal is to provide a resource for teaching that is proving to be a potent method for more effectively accomplishing certain pedagogical goals in religion courses and doing so in a way that efficiently uses instructor time. The Project has now been tested by various professors in a variety of religion and other courses and refined to ensure that it accomplishes the stated goal and minimizes the amount of time required by the instructor to implement.

For more information, please contact The Monastic Project Director, Dr. Mercer (mercerc@ecu.edu)