GM525
Buteyn
GM525: LIBERATING THE LAITY ACROSS CULTURES. Donald P. Buteyn.
DESCRIPTION:
- The bulk of American church goers are lay people. The equally
obvious, but often neglected, truth is that the effectiveness of Christian
ministry in the secular community is directly related to the preparation and
involvement of lay people in intentional creative witness and service. This
course will deal with the relationship of the clergy to the laity in local
congregational life; the recruitment, preparation and affirmation of lay
leaders in meaningful areas of ministry; and the essential priorities in the
life of the pastor/priest that can allow this to happen. To that end, we will
spend some of our time in the classroom reflecting on matters and terms that
require clear definition for both ourselves and the people we will seek to
serve. We will focus on such concerns as church administration, strategy
formation for congregational mission, and ways to discover appropriate areas
for ministry by lay leaders. The instructor will draw upon his own involvement
in 47 years of pastoral ministry in rural, suburban, campus related, and inner
city congregations as well as his own experience in secular callings prior to
ordination.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- A fuller appreciation of the privileges and responsibilities of ordinary
Christians in congregational and everyday contexts;
- An awareness of a range of proven models and experiments-in-progress within
the area of the ministry of the laity;
- A knowledge of the biblical and theological grounds for the ministry of all
Christians and of the most effective ways of communicating these.
- A sensitivity to several different cultural contexts in communicating a
vision for the ministry of the people and of the growing multi-cultural
character of serving Christ.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The class will meet once each week for a four-hour session. Classes
will include lectures, case-study debates, small group discussions,
presentations by lay people involved in innovative ministry, and field work
encounters with certain experiments. We will spend part of our class time
reflecting on our required readings. We may have some outside resource leaders
with us.
REQUIRED READING:
- Banks, R. Redeeming the Routines: Bringing Theology to Life.
Wheaton: Victor Books, 1993.
- Diehl, William E. The Monday Connection. HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.
- Ogden, G. The New Reformation: Returning the Ministry to the People of
God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Greenleaf, R. K. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature
of Legitimate Power and Greatness. New York: Paulist, 1977.
- Selected portions from books available on a reserve in the library.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- A 10-page essay endorsing the importance of the ministry of lay people in
some aspect of daily life, along with practical recommendations as to how this
could be affirmed, approached and supported.
- An 8-page proposal for your pastor, church officers, para-church leadership
or denomination justifying the fullest role of ordinary Christians in the
church and describing an effective example or proposed model of this.
- Biblical readings for our mutual reflection and discussion will be assigned
weekly.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Elective for M.Div. For M.A.T. meets requirement in Ministry
Foundations (Min F).
FINAL EXAMINATION: No.