Summer 2012/Houston

CF565

Parchman

CF565: EMPOWERING THE PEOPLE OF GOD. Karen Parchman.

DESCRIPTION: This course will center on two vital and interrelated observations on church leadership for the future. First, the effective leader must be able to reflect upon and interpret the spiritual, theological and contextual issues that frame his or her philosophy of ministry and self. Second, most pastors discover they are neither comfortable with nor equipped for talking theologically and practically about the issues that are most important to lay people. The purpose of this course is twofold: (1) to teach students a practical theology method connecting biblical and theological resources, socio-cultural resources, and the corporate and personal work of discernment for future discipleship and ministry, and (2) develop the capacities of the student to empower the People of God to make theological sense out of the issues they encounter and talk about in their daily lives. The course will deal with issues such as time, money, sickness and pain, family life, and conflict. The emphasis will be on the formative practices and responsibilities of Christian leaders to prepare themselves and God’s people for faithful action.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: The course provides clear and specific opportunities for the students to bring their seminary education to bear on their aspirations for ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Students will learn to exegete their own life stories, interpreting life events – both cultural and spiritual – reflectively and developing practices and habits for integrating previous experiences and behaviors with potential future ministry.

2. Students will learn to exegete the lives of God’s people and to use Scripture to think theologically about the issues they confront.

3. Students will learn how to create and foster learning environments that prepare God’s people for faithful action in their churches and the world.

4. Students will gain greater conceptual clarity concerning practical theology as a method that serves ministry praxis by observing and describing experiences, integrating various disciplines including biblical studies, theology, church history, socio-cultural resources, personal and corporate narratives, engaging practices of personal and corporate discernment; and pursuing the work of shaping and evaluating ministry activities.

COURSE FORMAT: The course meets three non-consecutive weekends during the summer. It will meet on the designated Friday nights from (6:30-9:30) and Saturday from (8:30-3:30). Over the weekend, students will be introduced to topics that have every-day significance to the people in their churches. Through case studies and in small groups, they will personally and corporately discern theological responses to the issues in the case. Students will be given a set of exegetical and theological materials designed to help them understand the issues in the case. These materials might include a theological word study, biblical passages (with some commentary references discussing each passage), short video, and a theological or historical reading or two. By the third weekend, students will be expected to select their own set of exegetical and theological materials to address the issues in the case studies. Small group work will include interactive reflection on personal spiritual formation and discipleship.

Each weekend will combine lecture, media, case study research, and small group activities. The flow of the course will follow the framework of a praxis-theory-praxis cycle of practical theology so that students will become effective interpretive leaders in their contexts.

REQUIRED READING:

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship. Touchstone Press. 1995. ISBN 978-0684815008 $8.98

Branson, Mark Lau and Juan F. Martinez. Churches, Cultures, and Leadership. Intervarsity Press. 2011. ISBN 978-0830839261. $15.35

Cormode, D. Scott. Making Spiritual Sense: Christian Leaders as Spiritual Interpreters. Abingdon Press. 2006. ISBN 978-0687492237. $12.00

Scharen, Christian. Faith as a Way of Life: A Vision for Pastoral Leadership. Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN 978-0802972310. $10.20

Volf, Miroslav. Free of Charge. Grand Rapids. 2005. ISBN 978-0310265740. $10.39

Various Chapters and Articles in E-Reserves

RECOMMENDED READING:

Calhoun, Adele. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. Intervarsity Press. 2005. 978-0830833306. $11.93*

Estep, J.R., and J. Kim. Christian Formation: Integrating Theology and Human Development. B&H Publishing Group. 2010. ISBN 978-0805448382. $21.89

Groome, Thomas. Sharing Faith: A Comprehensive Approach to Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry. Wipf and Stock 1991. ISBN 978-1579101961. $35.96

Volf, Miroslav and D. Bass, eds. Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in Christian Life. Eerdmans. 2002. ISBN 978-0802849311 $13.16

Wright, N.T. After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters. HarperOne. 2010. ISBN 978-0061730559. $16.49

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Students will be required to write 150-word journal exercises each Friday and Saturday (8 Reflection Papers total), reflecting on how the classroom exercises, activities, practices, and lectures relate to or impact their current/future ministry and spiritual growth. These reflections are in lieu of attendance-taking, and will account for 5% of the student’s grade.

2. Three theological reflections on the case studies will be turned in prior to the beginning of Saturday afternoon’s sessions on weeks 2-4 (20% of Grade). Much of the work leading to the papers will be in class.

3. Additional in-class exercises as well as ‘wiki-work’ will account for 10% of the grade.

4. The following three 750-word papers will account for 30% of the grade. For “My Spiritual Autobiography,” the student will reflect upon their unique sense of personal, spiritual, and cultural identity as they consider their current/future ministry and pursuit of the Christian life. An interview with a member of the laity will result in a paper that identifies social and theological frameworks for making spiritual sense of the issue(s) identified. The “Mental Models” paper will be an expanded reflection on one of the case studies presented in class,where students explicitly reflect on existing practices and experiences and, in concert with theological and cultural resources, discern possible future directions among the group involved in Christian Ministry.

5. For the Final Project, students will be required to create a plan for an interpretive learning environment for a particular community of God’s people. This paper will bring together the main themes of the course, and will account for the final 35% of the grade.

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in General Ministry and Spirituality (MIN1) or in Christian formation and Discipleship (MIN4); meets requirement for Ministry of the Laity Concentration of MACL.