Reimagining Information Literacy for Parish Clergy and Lifelong Learners

This chapter argues that information literacy is an essential yet often overlooked component of lifelong learning for clergy and other ministry leaders. While seminary education provides theological grounding, ministers must continually adapt to changing cultural and informational landscapes. Drawing on the ACRL Framework and the concept of information fluency, the author reframes information literacy as a vocation-shaped capacity central to discernment and pastoral practice, proposing four competencies—identifying information needs, locating information, evaluating sources, and ethically applying knowledge—reinterpreted for ministry as practices of curiosity, humility, collaboration, and contextual judgment. The chapter examines individual, peer-based, and contextual avenues for lifelong learning, noting obstacles such as overconfidence, limited congregational support, and digital misinformation. Recommendations include partnering with librarians, using curated resources, and integrating micro-credentials to sustain fluency. Ultimately, ministerial leaders who develop information fluency can better guide communities shaped by wisdom, reflective learning, and faithful engagement in a complex information environment.