Winter 2010

Chung

Fuller Texas

CF 505

 

DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to help one learn how to be an effective teacher of God’s word and to work with distinctive Christian dynamics effectively in the contexts of a congregation, small groups, and adult spiritual formation. It will focus on the acquisition of basic teaching skills, increasing understanding of how adults learn, practice in small group leadership and Bible study, and commitment to personal Christian growth and transformation for teacher and students alike.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will:

1. Gain skills in fostering Christian formation and discipleship through Bible study, and be motivated to help adults discern and design transforming experiences.

2. Be able to design a variety of adult learning experiences, such as courses, small groups, and retreats, which are centered in Scripture, and work toward creating new paradigms which incorporate learning experiences from class.

3. Develop their own practices for Christian discipleship related to Bible study and adult spiritual formation, and cultivate continued integration of concepts from class in their ministry.

 

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Reading, understanding and applying biblical truth is essential to Christian formation and discipleship yet biblical illiteracy is widespread in the contemporary church. This course will prepare students to help people discover and live out the riches of biblical truth in a way that develops mature faith and obedient discipleship.

 

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once a week (3 hrs.) for the quarter and includes lecture, discussion, small group work and practice teaching. The class format requires preparation by out-of-class reading and weekly short assignments to be completed between classes. Regular attendance is a necessity and any absences will affect the grade.

 

REQUIRED READING:

Bounds, E.M. Preacher and Prayer Purchased on: http://www.emisdirect.com/store/books/preacher-and-prayer

Fields, Doug and Robbins, Duffy Speaking to Teenagers( Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007). ISBN 0310273765,

Hendricks, Howard Teaching to Change Lives Portland, Multinomah, 1988. ISBN-10: 0880702710

Hove, Richard Ultimate Roadtrip: a Guide to Leading Small Groups (CruPress, 2008) ISBN 1563992493

Shirock, Robert Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind (Plymouth, Michigan: Jubilee Publishing, 2003) ISBN 1-932314-00-8

 

Students will need to use at least 3 commentaries plus other scholarly and small group resources on Ephesians in preparing some assignments.

 

RECOMMENDED READING:

Fee, Gordon and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, 3rd edition. Grand Rapids. Zondervan. ISBN 0310246040.

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Required Reading: Submit reading log with dates read and number of pages for all reading.

2. Weekly reports (2-3 pages) based on reading and class lectures. One should interact critically with required reading. Where is it strong? Weak? How would this impact the people I teach? How do these things impact the way I teach now and my self-understanding as a disciple of Jesus Christ? (15%)

3. Talk/lecture outline, small group session outline, Sunday School teaching outline. (10%)

4. Practice teaching with complete detailed 50 minute lesson plan including all resources to be used, lecture notes, discussion questions, interaction exercises, time frames, visual aids, media, etc. Include bibliography of commentaries consulted and other resources used to develop the content and methods for the learning experience. (15%)

5. Submit one-page evaluations of each practice teaching observation of fellow students with suggestions for improvement. (5%)

6. Final Project: Develop a six week course/learning experience/retreat based on Ephesians with one summary overview page with title, goals, texts, topics and time frames plus an additional page with audience analysis, setting, resources available, publicity paragraph and short bibliography, followed by six 2-4 page basic lesson plans covering all of Ephesians. Include one detailed lesson plan with all lecture notes, discussion questions, learning methods and resources to be used. This can be the evaluated and improved plan from your practice teaching. Further details will be given in class. (40%)

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets M. Div. MIN.4; M.A.T., Elective.

FINAL EXAMINATION: No.

 

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification