Fall 2020/Fuller Online

PR541

Dr. Lisa Lamb

PR541: PREACHING JOYFUL DISCIPLESHIP: INVITE, EXHORT, ENVISION (4 Units: 160 hours). Dr. Lisa Lamb.

DESCRIPTION: PR541 is designed as a 4-unit practicum in preaching that follows PR500 in the sequence of required preaching courses. The course provides students with an opportunity to work the “Developing” and “Mastery” levels of competence by preparing and preaching sermons and by hearing and responding to the sermons of peers. Instructors lead students through the following steps: assessing one’s prior preaching experience; setting personal goals for the class; preparing and preaching sermons; receiving feedback on sermons; making specific plans for continued growth and improvement; reflecting on one’s experience during the class; setting goals for continued learning and growth in preaching after completion of the class. This course will emphasize preaching joyful discipleship, rooted in God's goodness to us, working on the preaching skills of invitation (to the positive disciplines of faith, such as gratitude and generosity), exhortation (away from the detractors from discipleship, such as worry and greed), and envisioning (casting vision for faithful communities of discipleship).

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course students will have demonstrated (1) competence in biblical interpretation through faithful use of the whole canon of Scripture in proclaiming the gospel; (2) capacities for engaging listeners in preaching as a formative activity in the context of worship; (3) an understanding of how the theology of the Church and its historical developments, including the practice of preaching, inform the proclamation of the gospel in the present; and (4) competence in preaching as a theologically reflective practice that serves the Church’s vocation of proclaiming the gospel in the whole of life.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: Addresses the MDiv PLO that states “Students will have demonstrated capacities for being theologically reflective practitioners for Christian ministries.”

COURSE FORMAT: The class is conducted online for the equivalent of 40 instructional hours (160 total hours of coursework) and includes posts and video presentations by the professor, class discussion, individual and collaborative learning activities, required reading and written responses, and the preparation and preaching of three (3) sermons. (Typically, students would be required to gather a

listening group of at least 5 people. In this challenging season of quarantine, students are still

encouraged, when feasible, to preach to members of their household while they record their sermon

and to elicit feedback from those listeners.) Sermons may be preached from passages of at least five verses drawn from anywhere In Scripture. Students should preach from at least one narrative passage, and at least one should be non-narrative.

Sermons address the particular contexts of listening groups and are videoed and posted on the class Canvas site. Students receive feedback, evaluative comments, and guidance for continued learning and development from the listening group, class members, and the professor. Students engage in self - assessment and reflection after preaching each sermon. In addition to online discussions following each sermon, students have the opportunity to consult individually with the professor through a variety of venues.

REQUIRED READING: 675 pages required:

Hauerwas, Stanley, A Community of Character. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1991 Print ISBN: 9780268007355, Pub. Price $29.00. Available as an e-book in Fuller Library. (50 pp.)

Helsel, Carolyn. Preaching about Racism: A Guide for Faith Leaders. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2018. 9780827231634, Pub. Price $24.99 (130 pp.)

Powery, Luke. Spirit Speech: Lament and Celebration in Preaching. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780687659746, Pub. Price $21.99 (100 pp.)

Timpe, Kevin and Craig Boyd, Virtues and Their Vices. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print ISBN: 9780199645541, Pub. Price $130.00 (70 pp.--introduction and two chapters of your choice, on one virtue and one vice, related to your sermons) This book is available as an e-book at Fuller Library.

Tizon, Al. Missional Preaching: Engage, Embrace, Transform. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0817017040, Kindle Price $16.99 (150 pp.)

Ten Sermons, podcasts, and TED talks which relate to the themes of discipleship and growth, or which model the skills of inviting, exhorting, or envisioning, will be linked to for watching, listening or reading, in a Resource Area [5 hours or the equivalent of 100 (?) pages].

Students are expected to read a minimum of 25 pages of commentary in preparation for each sermon; this must be noted in bibliographies of exegetical notes.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship.

McKenzie, Alyce. Making a Scene in the Pulpit: Vivid Preaching for Visual Listeners. Westminster John Knox, 2018. ISBN: 978-0664261566, Pub. Price $25.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library and also available as an e-book on Amazon.com. [150 pp.]

Willimon, William. Worship as Pastoral Care. Abingdon Press, 1982. ISBN: 978-0687463886, Pub. Price $25.99.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Preaching Autobiography: In a 5-minute video posted the first week, you will introduce yourself to the class, reflecting on 1) your experience of preaching – what’s hardest and most joyful for you, as a student and a listener; 2) your hopes and goals for the class; 3) your understanding of the ministry of the Word as a form of leadership that serves God’s mission of growing disciples, and other questions in Canvas (2%). You will also respond to the videos of all your peers. [This assignment is related to outcome # 4]. [3 hours].
2. A minimum of 675 pages of required reading (16%). [This assignment is related to outcomes # 1, 2, 3, 4] and will be assessed in four 400-word forum posts, which will also respond to brief lectures and sample sermons/talks/podcasts, and which will include brief responses to one peer) worth 4 points each. [36 hours].
3. Prepare and preach two (2) sermons and provide exegetical notes and self-assessment.
   1. Sermons: 4 pp., 12% each x2=24% of grade
   2. Exegetical Notes: 3-4 pp., 6% each x2= 12% of grade
   3. Self-evaluations with theological reflection: 1 p., 4% each x2= 8% of grade (22 total points per sermon = 44%). [This assignment is related to outcomes #1, 2, 4]. [54 hours].
4. Preach a third sermon and provide an essay that includes assessment with theological reflection (2 parts): (a) Prepare and preach a sermon. Submit notes on biblical interpretation that support the sermon, including an assessment of the student’s preaching context(s) [liturgical, ecclesial, social, cultural, economic, etc.] (12%). Exegetical work should emphasize interpreting texts within the whole biblical canon for proclaiming the gospel (6%). (b) Write a 400-word assessment that reflects theologically on the sermon in light of the course objectives, the student’s vocational plans to serve the ministry of the Word, and the church’s calling to proclaim the gospel in all of life (5%). [This assignment is related to outcomes # 1, 2, 4]. [26 hours].
5. Participate actively via online peer reviews of sermons each time (150 words per sermon). (9%). [This assignment is related to outcomes # 1, 2, 3, 4]. [36 hours].
6. Final Reflection. Write a 1200 word final paper that reflects theologically on: (1) your experience in the class, with reflection on the readings and goals for continued growth in the practice of preaching; (2) your vocational plans to serve God’s mission through the ministry of the Word, including theological reflection on the particular challenges, opportunities and characteristics of your anticipated ministry context(s). (6%). [This assignment is related to outcome # 4]. [5 hours].

PREREQUISITES: PR500. It is recommended that students take preaching courses towards the end of their program. Students must be able to gather a listening group of at least 5 people for each sermon that will be delivered.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the P1 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Meets the core requirement in Preaching and Communication (P1) in the 144 MDiv program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.