Spring 2015/Fuller Online

YF500

Combes

YF500: FOUNDATION OF YOUTH MINISTRY (4 Units: 160 hours). Thomas Combes.

DESCRIPTION: This course provides the foundational concepts and best practices to prepare the student for ministry to the young in both a church and non-church setting in any context. The course will provide a basic understanding of adolescent development, contemporary culture, and historical and contextual models of youth ministry thinking and practice. The course is designed to help the student to think and respond theologically to the needs and expectations of the young and their families in a church or organization, and provides practical tools enabling the student to design a theologically sound youth ministry program suitable in any context.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) understand cultural trends that influence and affect adolescents and their families; (2) develop a comprehensive theology and philosophy of youth ministry that produces a ministry of adoption into a local church body; (3) understand the different ministry needs of early, middle, and late adolescents; and (4) create multi-generational relational programs and curriculum that enable discipleship and Christian nurture within a theologically driven framework of congregational ownership and strategic adoption of the young.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours, which is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. 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. Each student will also complete a contextualized final project.

REQUIRED READING: 1,183 pages required.

Clark, Chap. Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers. 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2011. ISBN: 978-0801039416, Pub. Price $18.99 [288 pp.].

Clark, Chap, and Kara Powell. Deep Ministry in a Shallow World. Youth Specialties/Zondervan, 2006. ISBN: 978-0310267072, Pub. Price $18.99 [256 pp.].

Clydesdale, Tim. The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens after High School. University of Chicago Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0226110660, Pub Price $22.50 [239 pp.].

Dean, Kenda Creasy, Chap Clark, and Dave Rahn. Starting Right: A Practical Theology of Youth Ministry. Zondervan/Youth Specialties, 2001. ISBN: 978-0310516736, Pub. Price $34.99 [400 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING: See the course syllabus.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. 1,183 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3]. [65 hours].
2. Weekly posts (250-400 words) reflecting on lecture/online activity and weekly response to a classmate’s post (150-200 words each) - (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3, #4 [30 hours].
3. Weekly posts (250-400 words) reflecting on assigned reading and weekly response to a classmate’s post (150-200 words) - (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3] [25 hours].
4. An exam on the class material and reading (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3] [5 hours].
5. A 15-20 page final project that reflects a programmatic interpretation of the course content in a given context (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3, #4] [35 Hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets the MDiv core requirement in General Ministry & Spirituality (MIN 1), MDiv core requirement in Christian Formation & Discipleship (MIN 4), or Ministry Foundations requirement (MIN F) for other master’s degrees. Required course for MDiv concentration in Youth, Family & Culture; and for MA in Youth, Family & Culture.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.