Spring 2018/Houston

PM504

Huffman

PM504: PASTORAL MINISTRY (4 Units: 160 hours). Kristin Miller Huffman.

DESCRIPTION: PM504 is a survey of pastoral ministry, focusing on the ideas, skills, and personal development necessary for a student to learn various aspects of pastoral care. This is not a course in pastoral counseling. The course prepares students to give care both in congregational contexts and in contexts that go beyond the congregation (e.g. nonprofit organizations).

LEARNING OUTCOMES: After successful completion of this course, students will be able to (1) describe pastoral care in the context of church life and ministry including pastoral triage; (2) demonstrate a sense of empathy and active listening skills; (3) reflect upon the practice of self-care and develop a plan for self-development; (4) demonstrate skills for theological reflection on the praxis of pastoral ministry; and (5) will have completed an approved online course in mandated reporting.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING: ~1250 total pp. required (Choose from the Additional/Recommended Reading list to reach the 1250 pp. requirement)

1. Read ALL (961 pp.)

Barnes, Craig. The Pastor as Minor Poet: Texts and Subtexts in the Ministerial Life. Eerdmans, 2008. ISBN: 978-0802829627, Pub. Price $20.00 [154 pp.].

DeGroat, Chuck. Toughest People to Love: How to Understand, Lead, and Love the Difficult People in Your Life. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802871435, Pub. Price $14.00 [183 pp.].

Lartey, Emmanuel Y. Pastoral Theology in an Intercultural World. Wipf & Stock, 2013. ISBN: 978-1620329733, Pub Price $22.00 [174 pp.].

Willimon, William. Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry. Abingdon Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-1501804908, Pub. Price $29.99. [392 pp.].

2. Choose ONE:

Bolz-Weber, Nadia. Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint. Jericho Books, 2013. ISBN: 978-1455527083, Pub. Price $22.00 [224 pp.]. OR

Daniel, Lillian. When “Spiritual but Not Religious” is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church. Jericho Books, 2014. ISBN: 978-1455523092, Pub. Price $16.00 [224 pp.]. OR

Daniel, Lillian and Martin B Copenhaver. This Odd and Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. ISBN: 978-0802864758, Pub. Price $16.00 [254 pp.]. OR

Smith, Mandy. The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry. IVP Books, 2015. ISBN: 978:0830841233, Pub. Price $16.00 [208 pp.].

ADDITIONAL/ RECOMMENDED READING:

Anderson, Ray S. Ministry on the Fireline: A Practical Theology for an Empowered Church. Fuller Seminary, 1998. ISBN: 978-0960263882, Pub. Price $20.00.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. HarperOne, 2009. ISBN: 978-0060608521, Pub Price $14.99.

Brown, Warren S. and Brad D. Strawn. The Physical Nature of Christian Life: Neuroscience, Psychology, and the Church. Cambridge University Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0521734219, Pub. Price $30.99.

Cooper-White, Pamela. Shared Wisdom. Augsburg Books, 2004. ISBN: 978-0800634544, Pub. Price $25.00.

Hammam, Jaco J. Becoming a Pastor: Forming Self and Soul for Ministry. Pilgrim Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0829819960, Pub. Price $22.00.

Lee, Cameron and Kurt Fredrickson. That Their Work Will Be a Joy: Understanding and Coping with the Challenges of Pastoral Ministry. Wipf & Stock, 2012. ISBN: 978-1608997626, Pub. Price $33.00.

Nouwen, Henri. Wounded Healer. Image Books, 1979. ISBN: 978-0385148030, Pub. Price $14.00.

Peterson, Eugene. The Pastor: A Memoir. HarperOne, 2012. ISBN: 978-0061988219, Pub. Price $16.99.

_________. Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness. Eerdmans,

1994. ISBN: 978-0802808486, Pub Price $20.00.

Patton, John. Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide. Abingdon Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0687053223, Pub. Price $19.99.

Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship That Actually Changes Lives. Zondervan, 2010. ISBN: 978-0310293354, Pub. Price $18.99.

Scheib, Karen D. Pastoral Care: Telling the Stories of our Lives. Abingdon, 2016. ISBN: 978-1426766473, Pub. Price $35.99 [232 pp.].

Stone, Charles. People-Pleasing Pastors: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Approval-Motivated Leadership. IVP Books, 2014. ISBN: 978-0830841097, Pub. Price $16.00.

Willimon, William. Worship as Pastoral Care. Abingdon Press, 1982. ISBN: 978-0687463886, Pub. Price $25.99.

Wimberly, Edward P. African American Pastoral Care: Revised Edition. Abingdon, 2008. ISBN: 978-0687649495, Pub. Price $18.99.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Prepare for, attend and participate in weekly classes. (10% of the grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, #3, #4]. [30 hours].
Write 5 forum posts (200 words minimum) reflecting on assigned reading and weekly theme. Also, write 2 responses to classmates’ posts for each assignment. (100 words minimum). (10% of the grade) [This is related to learning outcomes #1, #3, #4]. [6 hours of DLAs].
Observations: Attend/Observe 2 events in the life of the church that are pastor-led (wedding, funeral, etc.) (5% of the grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, #3, #4] [4 hours of DLAs].
Write a 1000-word autobiographical paper that connects the student’s upbringing with their practice of pastoral ministry. (15% of the grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, #3, #4] [6 hours].
Interview: Write a 750-word report on an interview with a pastor related to matters of call and leadership (15% of the grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, #3, #4] [5 hours].
Write a 2,500-word paper (30%) Students will write a theologically reflective essay responding to a case, its context, and options for pastoral praxis.[This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 3, and 4] [30 hours].
Engage in spiritual formation practices throughout the quarter (10% of the grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3] [10 hours].
Complete the online trainings for mandated reporting (5% of the grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #5] [5 hours].
Complete 1250 pages of reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #3, #4] [64 hours].
Complete classroom exercise in active listening. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2].

PREREQUISITES: IS500 and IS502 are highly recommended but not required.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the PM requirement in the MDiv Program (2017). Option to meet the PC requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.