Fuller Online
ST516: Spring 2008
Anderson

ST 516: THEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AND MINISTRY (4 units).
Ray S. Anderson, Senior Professor of Theology and Ministry

---

DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to show how the church as the continued presence and ministry of Jesus emerges out of the sending of the Holy Spirit in the world, the apostolic witness, and the existence of a community of believers. The church is understood as the continued ministry of Jesus Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. A theological paradigm for ministry will be developed, showing how Christ's ministry through his whole church empowers all members of the church, both men and women, for the full ministry of Christ.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:

In this course students will apply theological principles to concrete and practical ministry situations through case evaluation and critique. Students will learn how to do theological reflection in the context of ministry.

COURSE FORMAT:

The class will be conducted on the Internet using a 10-week lesson program aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. Each week students and the instructor will also interact with the material through journaling, threaded discussions, and web-based research.

REQUIRED READING:

Students are supplied with an expanded lecture syllabus (98 pages) to read along with the course lectures. A minimum of 1,500 pages of reading is required, including:

· Anderson, Ray. The Soul of Ministry. Westminster John Knox, 1997, 223 pp.

· Green, Michael. I Believe in the Holy Spirit. Eerdmans, Revised edition, 2004, 334 pp

· Kraus, C. Norman. The Community of the Spirit. Herald Press, 1993, 187 pp

· Ogden, Greg. The New Reformation: Returning the Ministry to the People of God. Zondervan, Revised edition, 2003, 272 pp

· Bloesch, Donald. The Church: Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, Mission. InterVarsity, 2002, 287 pp

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Weekly Threaded Discussions (20%) and Journaling (10%)

2. There will be no quizzes and no term papers. A set of case-type exam questions will be available from the beginning of the course, which will require essay-type answers. Students will select four case questions on which to write, spread out over the ten-week course. These essays should incorporate material from the assigned reading as well as from the course lectures (70%).

PREREQUISITES:

None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:

Meets M.Div. core in Systematic Theology C (STC). Ministry Focus Studies in MA in Global Leadership.

FINAL EXAM:

A set of “take-home” style exam questions.

Updated January 2008