Fall 2007/Pasadena
CF500
Gorman

CF500: TEACHING FOR CHRISTIAN FORMATION. Julie Gorman.


DESCRIPTION: What is "Christian Formation and Discipling" and why is it essential? How do we foster spiritual growth? What principles and processes undergird the church's ministry of bringing believers to maturity in Christ through continuous growth in Christ? What do we need to become in discipling others? What is involved in calling others to discipleship? It is not enough just to know the truth; this course deals with the "how" and "why" of living and communicating God's truth to others with the purpose of growth and transformation. Our focus is on life; our goal is transformation; the total community of believers is involved; modeling and interpersonal relationships are critical; equipping the laity is essential. Transformed, we become missional people.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of this course students will become persons who are open to growing up in Christ and who focus on working with the Spirit toward transforming and challenging discipleship in their own lives and the lives of others. This means students will understand the biblical foundation for all believers to grow up in Christ, will learn theories that inform conceptually and teaching skills that enable change, and will recognize their teaching role in working with the Spirit to set up opportunity for such. Students will also be motivated to move beyond just acquiring facts to living out and teaching response to the reality of those facts in life. In this class students will put into practice biblical truth that affects their own discipleship and, with their small group community, will demonstrate what they have learned by designing and teaching their peers, becoming transformational agents who teach and call for response to the truth of God's Word.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: This course presents the basis for a philosophy of ministry with practical implications for implementation of a ministry of Christian formation through teaching.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions, including one hour actively involved in a permanent in-class small group. Class sessions will include demonstrations, experiential learning, learner dialogs, media presentations, interaction with Scripture, and small group involvement.

REQUIRED READING:

Galindo, Israel. The Craft of Christian Teaching. Judson Press, 1998.

Mulholland, M. Robert. Shaped by the Word. Upper Room, 1985.

Palmer, Parker J. To Know As We Are Known. HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.

Richards, Lawrence O. and Gary J. Bredfeldt. Creative Bible Teaching. Rev. ed. Moody Press, 1998.

Course Reader.

RECOMMENDED READING:
Downs, Perry G. Teaching for Spiritual Growth. Zondervan, 1994.

Ford, Kevin G. Transforming Church. Tyndale House, 2007

Foster, Charles R. The Future of Christian Education: Educating Congregations. Abingdon, 1994..

Miller, M. Rex. The Millennium Matrix. Jossey-Bass, 2004.

Sweet, Leonard. Post-Modern Pilgrims. Broadman & Holman, 2000

Wimberly, Anne Streaty. Soul Stories: African American Christian Education. Abingdon, 1994

ASSIGNMENTS: Students will read and respond via four short reflection papers plus one book response in the 4-Mat format, sharing insights with a small group (meets weekly as part of class). To make practical the application of classroom principles, each member will respond to Mulholland through journal keeping and participate in a group demonstration that will then be included in a final project that summarizes and illustrates elements of formation in a particular focus of ministry.

PREREQUISITES: No audits.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Christian Formation and Discipleship (MIN 4) and the MA in Theology requirement in Spirituality (SPIR).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (8/07)