Spring 2014/Fuller Online
PM546
Bridger
PM546: ANGLICAN PERSPECTIVES ON PASTORAL MINISTRY (4 Units). Francis W. Bridger
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to enable Anglicans and non-Anglicans alike to reflect upon the nature and practice of pastoral ministry. Although Anglican ministry will provide the primary lens through which pastoral ministry is viewed, the course will address ministerial issues and themes common to all denominations and will include insights and discussions that are relevant both to Anglicans and to non-Anglicans. In adopting this approach, the course proceeds from the belief that pastoral ministry is built on foundations that are shared across denominational boundaries. Its subject matter will include a survey of approaches to pastoral theology viewed from historical and contemporary perspectives (including recent feminist critiques), the pastoral role of liturgy and worship, the centrality of Word and Sacrament to pastoral ministry, and ethical aspects of ministry. From a distinctively Anglican perspective, the course will examine the theology of Anglicanism’s three-fold orders of ministry: bishops, priests and deacons.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of the course, students will have: (1) considered key approaches to pastoral theology; (2) shown understanding of the central elements in pastoral ministry; (3) made connections between pastoral theology and pastoral care; (4) demonstrated a critical engagement with issues in ethical aspects of ministry; (5) developed skills in reflecting upon their own actual or potential ministerial situations; (6) critically discussed the cross-denominational value of insights from an Anglican theology of ministry.
COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.
REQUIRED READING: As per course reader plus:
(* *denotes title available as ebook available through Fuller libraries)
Brown, Rosalind. Being a Deacon Today: Exploring a Distinctive Ministry in the Church and the World. Morehouse Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 978-0819222015, Pub. Price $20.00 [130 pp.].
Cocksworth, Christopher & Brown, Rosalind. Being a Priest Today: Exploring Priestly Identity. Canterbury Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-1853114540, Pub. Price $16.95 [203 pp.].
Oden, Thomas. Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry. HarperOne, 1983. ISBN: 978-0060663537, Pub. Price $25.99 [316 pp.].
Pembroke, Neil. Renewing Pastoral Practice: Trinitarian Perspectives on Pastoral Care and Counselling. Ashgate, 2006. ISBN: 978-0754655657, Pub. Price $89.06 [108 pp.] **
Pembroke, Neil. Pastoral Care in Worship: Liturgy and Psychology in Dialogue. T&T Clark, 2010. ISBN: 978-0567331441, Pub. Price $29.13 [166 pp.]. **
Smith, Susan Marie. Caring Liturgies: The Pastoral Power of Christian Ritual. Augsburg/Fortress, 2012. ISBN: 978-0800697365, Pub. Price $18.00 [138 pp.].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Anderson, Ray S. The Soul of Ministry: Forming Leaders for God’s People. Westminster John Knox Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0664257446, Pub. Price $30.00 [224 pp.].
Bennett Moore, Zoe. Introducing Feminist Perspectives on Pastoral Theology. Sheffield Academic Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0826462618, Pub. Price $44.18 [139 pp.]. **
Greenwood, Robin. Transforming Priesthood: A New Theology of Mission and Ministry. SPCK, 1994. ISBN: 978-0281047611, Pub. Price $29.99 [236 pp.].
Patton, John. Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide. Abingdon, 2005. ISBN: 978-0687053223, Pub. Price $17.00 [122 pp.].
Sedgwick, Timothy F. Sacramental Ethics: Paschal Identity and the Christian Life. Augsburg/Fortress, 1993. ISBN: 978-0800619657, Pub. Price $15.00 [124 pp.].
Willimon, William H. Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry. Abingdon, 2002. ISBN: 978-0687045327, Pub. Price $29.00 [155 pp. assigned].
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
All required readings.
Interact with, and respond to, online class discussions and tasks through regular postings each week of the course (30%).
One 1,500 word response paper on an assigned reading OR one 1,500 word case study (25%).
Research paper on a particular aspect of pastoral theology and ministry [4,000 words] (45%).
STRUCTURED HOURS
56 hours: 1,400 pages of reading
6 hours: 1,500 word response paper
16 hours: 4,000-word research paper
15 hours: 10 weeks of online lessons
30 hours: 10 weeks of forums
123 hours Total Structured Hours
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Pastoral Ministry and Theology (MIN 6). Required for the Anglican Studies Emphasis.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.