Winter 2014/Pasadena

EV532

Ryan

EV532: RECOVERY MINISTRY IN THE LOCAL CHURCH. Dale S. Ryan.

DESCRIPTION: This course will examine the theological foundations of recovery ministry as well as the personal dynamics of recovery and practical considerations for developing recovery ministries in the local church.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Ministry strategies which are poorly informed about the dynamics of addiction, abuse, and trauma are not likely to be very effective with people who struggle with these issues. Fortunately, the fundamentals of recovery ministry are deeply rooted in Christian convictions and many churches are now in the process of developing distinctively Christian recovery ministries. The lessons learned from recovery-oriented models provide a good illustration of the general principles of both effective evangelism and discipleship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: There are three objectives for this course; (1) students will be well-informed about the ways in which the dynamics of addiction, abuse, and trauma are likely to influence local church ministry; (2) students will understand the biblical, historical, and theological resources that might assist them to develop effective ministry to people struggling with these issues; and (3) that students will be better able to envision and develop effective recovery ministries in a variety of settings.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will meet for two-hour sessions twice weekly; lecture, discussions, case studies.

REQUIRED READING:

Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. AA World Services [first 164 pages in 4th edition] ASIN: B001TK0W08, any edition acceptable, available online for free at http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/.

May, Gerald. Addiction and Grace. Harper & Row, 1988. ISBN: 978-0061122439, Pub. Price $14.99 [208 pp.].

Peace, Richard. Conversion in the New Testament: Paul and the Twelve. Eerdmans, 2006. ISBN:978-0802842350, Pub. Price $36.00 [416 pp.].

A list of books that can be chosen to bring your total pages read up to 1200 will be available in the class syllabus.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Read the three required texts plus additional reading for a total of at least 1200 pages. Submit brief critiques of each book read (15%).

  2. Submit a 3-page summary of an interview with a person in recovery about their spiritual journey (20%).

  3. View the videos about the twelve steps of AA at http://www.nacr.org/wordpress/4313 and write a 3 page report explaining the assumptions about the conversion process found therein and assessing them as a tool for Christian ministry in your own faith tradition (20%).

  4. Write a 10-12 page research paper, either a reflection on the theological and biblical foundations for some aspect of recovery ministry or a design for a recovery ministry in your current ministry setting (35%).

  5. Active participation in class discussions and activities (10%).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Required for MA in Recovery Ministry and MDiv with a concentration in Recovery Ministry.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.