DESCRIPTION: This course will teach students to integrate faith, spiritual
traditions, spiritual practices, ecclesiology, and urban ministry. Such
integration has helped ordinary people live extraordinary lives. Students will
apply and cultivate their faith, learn and practice spiritual disciplines
(e.g., reflection, contemplation, compassion) and be involved in weekly urban
experiences which will help them understand more broadly and profoundly their
call to a deeper spiritual life that includes being agents of change within the
communities and congregations in which they live, work, worship, and serve.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing the class will (1) learn about several
historic and contemporary Christian leaders who have shaped spiritual
traditions and practices by their faith and urban ministry (cognitive); (2)
learn and practice several spiritual activities such as incarnational
solidarity, lectio divina, examination of consciousness, and wounded healer
that have been used by others to integrate their faith and social ministries
(skills); and (3) experience a deepened commitment towards their own personal
relationship with God and with their urban neighbors (affective).
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Students will be challenged to engage in urban
experiences during the course and integrate their urban experiences with
spiritual practices that will be introduced in class each week. Experiences
will involve interactions with persons engaged in activities such as
arts/music, affordable housing, gangs, homelessness, informal economy, local
government, mental illness, parks/recreation, and substance abuse recovery.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet once a week for a three-hour session. Each
session will consist of a lecture, spiritual exercises, introduction to
spiritual traditions, discussion of readings, sharing of urban experiences, and
include occasional guest panelists combined with class interaction. Class
activities will also include interaction in the community.
REQUIRED READING: