DESCRIPTION:

What are the important discipleship and leadership issues for ministries that serve students/ young adults as they approach and pass through the critical college years? How can spiritual formation and servanthood become foundational for leaders of these ministries? Proven approaches to spiritual formation and discipleship/leadership will be applied to the leader's life and ministry.

The primary purpose is to develop the skills and processes for discipling college students and young adults. The goals of the course are: (1) Formulate a biblical philosophy of discipleship; survey the history and theology of Christian spirituality and spiritual awakenings; learn a model of leadership development and deepen one's awareness of current student culture and the ministries to it. (2) Deepen intimacy with God and strengthen the desire to serve the members of one's family and ministry. (3) Practice the disciplines of the spiritual life in both daily and extended times of fellowship with the Lord. (4) Be a non-compulsive servant leader whose service to others is derived increasingly from love for the Lord and himself/herself.

The class will meet eight times on Thursdays for three hours; participate in two one-day prayer retreats (April 11 and May 2) for two times of extended personal communion (9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.) with God. (Class will not meet on Thursday, April 10 and May 1.) It is anticipated that the retreats will involve no additional charge to students. Instruction methods include lecture, video, discussion, experiential learning, and small groups.

Carroll, Colleen. The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy. Loyola Press, 2002.

Clinton, J. R. The Making of a Leader. NavPress, 1988.

Lovelace, Richard. The Dynamics of Spiritual Life. InterVarsity Press, 1979.

Miller, Keith. Hunger for Healing. HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.

Nouwen, Henri. The Way of the Heart. Ballantine, 1975.

Parks, Sharon. Big Questions, Worthy Dreams. Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines. Harper & Row, 1988.

A syllabus/packet of articles and notes.

Choose one of the following:

Beaudoin, T. Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X. Jossey-Bass, 1998.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. HarperSanFrancisco, 1992.

Zoba, Wendy. Generation 2K. InterVarsity Press, 1999.

A one-page reflection paper on each of the three periods of extended personal communion with God; participation in a small supportive fellowship of class members (six one-hour sessions); four weeks of journaling (four days/week); a reading log; visiting a student group involved in a ministry of compassion; a fifteen- to eighteen-page essay on an issue addressed in the course or a two-day spiritual retreat with a ten-page paper.

None.

Meets M.A. requirement in Spirituality (SPIR).

None.