Winter 2017/Pasadena

PM514

Branson

PM514: MISSIONAL CHURCHES AND LEADERSHIP (4 Units: 160 Hours). Mark Lau Branson.

DESCRIPTION: This is a practical theology course that engages biblical, theological, and practical matters in ecclesiology and leadership. The work of lay and clergy leadership is explored in regard to fostering an environment in which all participants are to be formed into an interpretive community that is engaged with God personally and corporately in congregation formation, spiritual formation, and missional formation. Working from a praxis-theory-praxis perspective, the course will attend to topics as they are integrated in a practical theology methodology with an emphasis on missio Dei.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) articulate an understanding of missional ecclesiology for the student’s anticipated ministry context; (2) articulate an understanding of the tasks of congregational leadership; (3) apply course frameworks for ecclesiology, contexts, and leadership to exercises regarding specific cases; and (4) articulate reflectively concerning one’s own gifts and calling in relationship to course frameworks for ecclesiology, contexts, and leadership.

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. Course time will include lectures, individual and group exercises, site visits, reflective discussions of materials and experiences, and guest speakers. Each week students and the professor will interact on Moodle concerning readings and class presentations.

REQUIRED READING: 1050 pp. required.

Branson, Mark Lau, and Juan F. Martinez. Churches, Cultures and Leadership: A Practical Theology of Congregations and Ethnicities. IVP Academic, 2011. ISBN: 978-0830839261, Pub. Price $27.00 [233 pp. assigned].

Branson, Mark Lau, and Nicholas Warnes. Starting Missional Churches: Life with God in the Neighborhood. InterVarsity, 2014. ISBN: 978-0830841165, Pub. Price $18.00 [185 pp. assigned].

Roxburgh, Alan. Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World. Morehouse, 2015. ISBN: 978-0819232113, Pub. Price $16.00. [127 pp. assigned].

Lohfink, Gerhard. Jesus and Community. Fortress, 1984. ISBN: 978-0800618025, Pub. Price $29.00 [185 pp. assigned].

Sedmak, Clemens. Doing Local Theology. Orbis, 2002. ISBN: 978-1570754524, Pub. Price $26.00 [161 pp. assigned].

Articles on Moodle and student selected reading to total 1050 pp.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. 1050 pp. of required reading (10%). [70 hours].

2. Attend class and maintain Student Report Sheet (10%). [30 hours].
3. Web interaction weekly (DLAs), including autobiographical reflections, videos, posts, and other reflective activities (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2, 3, 4]. [20 hours].
4. Write a 500-600 word Adler-style book critique on Lohfink and on Roxburgh (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2]. [4 hours].
5. Reflective essay (750 words) on your leadership capacities in light of class, midway through class (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2, 4]. [6 hours].
6. Team visits to a church, conversations about observations in relationship to course; personal 1,000-word research paper (observation/interpretation), per syllabus (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2, 3]. [10 hours].
7. Write a 2,000 word term paper, per syllabus, that integrates issues of ecclesiology, missiology, context, and leadership; includes the student’s reflection on progress concerning course goals (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2, 5]. [20 hours].

PREREQUISITES: It is recommended that students take PM514 during or after Field Ed, or toward the end of a masters program. It is also highly recommended that students have completed IS500, IS501, IS502, and IS503.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the LDR requirement for the 120 MDiv Program. Meets 144 MDiv core requirement MIN6 or the requirement in Ministry Foundations (MIN F) for other master’s degrees.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.