Walter Surdacki, DMin ::

Transcription

1 .::COURSE SYLLABUS //BG Fall 2018 Walter Surdacki, DMin :: Office: Ezell #204 Office Hours: By Appointment If Needed NOTE: A more complete syllabus will be distributed at the first class meeting. Catalog Description: A broad-based course covering a theology of ministry and the practical aspects of the minister s work, including family relationships, personal spirituality, care for the sick and dying, spiritual care and leadership in worship. Instructor Course Description: Examines the biblical narrative (with attention to historical and contemporary texts) to engage the question of the content and purpose of ministry. Special attention will be given to developing a theology of ministry in light of contemporary concerns such as gender roles, the place and function of worship, the question of ministerial offices, and ethical issues that pertain directly to Christian ministry. Students completing this course will: How Delivered How Assessed Goals Have a better self-knowledge of their strengths, weaknesses, personality types and how that effects one s ministry. Gain a more comprehensive understanding on the Whats? and the Whys? of ministry to help develop an informed theology of ministry. Understand different aspects of ministerial life and differing roles of staff members Understand and communicate their calling to vocational ministry Identify, Assess and Address a relevant issue in one s ministry context from biblical, theological and practical perspectives. Readings and lectures on Genogram, Enneagram, Class Discussions and Presentations Pastoral Readings, Class Discussion Readings and Lecture Lecture, Readings, Interviews, Class Discussion Research, Project Work Know Thyself Paper and Class Presentations Pastoral Assignment and Discussions Class Discussion and My Journey and Calling Assignment Presentation and Paper Minimum Grade 70% Minimum Grade 70% Minimum Grade 70% Minimum Grade 70% Minimum Grade 70% Required Texts r Calling & Know Thyself: o Koskela, Doug Calling and Clarity: Discovering What God Wants for Your Life. Eerdmans o PICK ONE: Cron and Stabile, The Road Back To You An Enneagram Journey to Self- Discovery The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth r The Role of the Pastor: PICK (1) ONE FROM THESE THREE: o Peterson, Eugene Pastor: A Memoir Harper One o Barbara Brown Taylor Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith Harper One, 2012 o Willimon, William H. Pastor: A Reader for Ordained Ministry. Nashville: Abingdon Press, r Theology of Ministry:

2 o Willimon, William H. Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry. Revised Edition. Nashville: Abingdon Press, r Liturgy Book o Liturgy Text TBD by August. [2]

3 Reading and Assignment Schedule Date WORK DUE TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 4th Focus of Class Session BEING: The Person God Calls to Full-Time Christian Ministry Class Topics Friday Sept 8- Saturday Sept 9 Readings / Assignments o READ: Koskela, Doug Calling and Clarity o o Complete Item #1 My Story and Calling come prepared to share your story with the class o Appendices A & B o Listen and Read: o Liturgist Podcast on Enneagrams on Canvas (2 hours) + o Your Choice of Enneagram Books (The Sacred Enneagram OR The Road Back To You) o r Calling & Discernment r Know Thyself: Enneagram Intro r Kraybill Conflict Inventory r Genogram Intro (Surdacki) r Your Genogram r Sharing Calling Stories r Using Your Story to Minister: Application r Ministry: A Theology r Ministry in the Pastoral Epistles WORK DUE TUESDAY OCTOBER 2nd KNOWING: Culture, Theology, and the Expectations of Ministry o READ: Your choice of the Role of the Pastor Texts o o Complete Item #2 The Pastorals from Course Requirements o READ: Willimon, Pastor (2016), Chapters 3-8 o o Item #5: Presentation Group A o Bring Item #4 Journals to class [3]

4 Class Topics Friday Oct 5 th and Saturday Oct 7 th r Nurturing the Soul of the Minister r The Role of the Pastor r A Theology of Pastoral Ministry r Leadership r Teamwork r Presentations: Set A Work Due Tuesday Oct 30 DOING: Liturgy and Nurturing Health in the Local Church Class Topics Friday Nov 2-Saturday Nov 3 READ LITURGY TEXT TBD r READ: Willimon, Pastor (2016), Chapters 9-12 r r LISTEN to A Generous Orthodoxy r Item #5: Presentations: Set B r Bring Item #4 Journals to Class r Liturgy Purpose and Practice r Theology & Praxis of Baptism r A Generous Orthodoxy & Three Modes of Interpretation r Presentations: Set B Final Assignment r Item #7 Addressing a Need/Problem Paper Due November 26 th COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 1. My Spiritual Journey Story: Each student will be asked to reflect deeply upon one s calling to ministry in the following ways BEFORE CLASS. Whether one s calling be in the local church, in a non-profit, in a vocational setting, FIRST: The student is expected to have read Koskela s Calling and Clarity to help them intelligently articulate their calling. SECOND: SEE APPENDIX A for questions to deeply reflect on. THIRD Student is also expected to engage in the discernment process with at least 2 individuals to help them better articulate what others see as their strengths, weaknesses and challenges they bring to ministry. See APPENDIX B FOURTH: The student is expected to search the scriptures for 2-3 callings stories and reflect upon ways their own personal callings help them articulate their own personal calling. FINALLY Drawing upon these elements, each student will write a brief personal narrative (5-7 pages) that details the What? and the How? of God bringing [4]

5 them to this place in their spiritual walk and articulating what it is they see God moving them towards. Student will be asked to share their story orally in class during the first weekend of the course. 2. The Pastorals: The pastoral epistles are written from a seasoned minister to a novice as Paul presents his apprentices, Timothy and Titus with wisdom and teachings on the How of ministry. As you read the pastoral epistles you are to keep a list of practical and theological teachings Paul gives to his intended audience. (For example, command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer and We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. ) After you have made that list, then go through each line item and begin to categorize each item (See below) We will use our findings in class to begin to discern a theology of ministry from these epistles. Passage Category I Tim 1:3 I Tim 2:1 command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Rebuking, correction?, role of leader? Prayer direction, pastoral, personal piety, 3. Addressing a Problem/Need/Challenge in Ministry: A Class Presentation: Each student will make a 20 to 30-minute class presentation in which a recent or current project (e.g., implementing a small-group ministry, beginning an addiction group, divorce recovery ministry) or challenge in ministry (e.g., LGBTQ & membership, Racial tension in our community, conflict resolution, leadership selection) is described, examined theologically, outlined in terms of its major challenges, and examined as to outcome/status. The topic must be real-life rather than theoretical. The presentation must follow this model: (a) the setting of my current role, (b) the task at hand, (c) the major strengths I bring to the task, (d) the frustrations and/or fears I bring to the task, (e) the primary theological dimensions of the task, (f) a strategy that will address the challenge. After presenting the case study in no more than 15 minutes, the student will facilitate feedback from classmates. Presentations will be scheduled for the second and third class meetings. 4. Reading Reflections: All noted textbook, article, video, or audio assignments must be read before the class period during which they are to be discussed. Because this is a graduatelevel course, each student will be expected to engage both readings and classroom events in a mature and thoughtful manner. A one-page Report of Reading/Listening Assignment sheet [5]

6 is to be filled out for each assigned reading and turned in upon arrival to class on the date assigned via Canvas. See Appendix C 5. Addressing a Problem/Need in Ministry: A Writing Assignment: Your final paper/project for this course will be based upon the research and work you put into your class presentation (see above). A detailed and annotated description of the project: (1/2 of your paper) Feedback, changes, edits, additions, etc. that you made to this based upon feedback received from the class presentation (approx. one-fourth of paper), What would you tell someone attempting/facing a similar project/challenge in ministry? (approx. one-fourth of paper). NOTE: A minimum of six bibliographic sources must be cited that are relevant to the issue dealt with in the presentation and paper. The bibliography must be annotated with one to three sentences that tell the value of each book or article to the student s project/challenge. Be sure you are drawing upon academic, theological, scholarly sources for our research. (Ex. Articles from theological journals vs. a blog entry.) Due one week after date of oral presentation. [6]

7 : Appendix A Reflecting on MY Calling To Ministry Purpose: Articulating one s faith story is an important discipline to engage in as it requires the participant to reflect upon the actions of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit throughout one s life. It also helps one engage in the exercise of articulating one s faith in a secondary capacity. Here are a variety of questions for the student to consider as they articulate their story of calling. 1. Briefly characterize the spiritual environment of the home into which you were born and where you were nurtured for the first 16 years of your life. 2. How old were you when you made a personal decision to follow Christ? What were the immediate circumstances of that decision? Why did you make this decision? 3. Who/what were the primary influences on you to prompt your decision to become a serious follower of Jesus Christ? 4. Why do you want to go into the ministry you find yourself? What is your deepest motivation? 5. Whose calling do you most identify with in the Bible? 6. What challenges do you see still ahead of you? 7. What excuses might you have tried to get out of ministry? 8. Are you confident in sharing the gospel with people who are not Christians? Explain your response. 9. How are you serving Christ in a local church over the next 120 days? 10. How have you been preparing for ministry the past 365 days? 11. If you are married, when and how did you meet your mate? How supportive is he/she of your calling to ministry? [If unmarried, answer this question of your family of origin, closest personal friends, and/or person you are dating seriously.] 12. Briefly describe your calling towards ministry? i.e. What kind of ministry are you drawn to? (ex. local church, NGO, teaching, preaching, non-profit, counseling, etc.) Why?

8 : Appendix B Seeing Myself Through Others Eyes Explanation / Instruction for Student: Entering the discernment process to help clarify one s calling in an integral part of the process of preparation for Christian Ministry. You are to schedule time with TWO DIFFERENT people who know you quite well, knows of your plan to enter some field of Christian ministry, and with whom you are in regular contact. If you are married or engaged, one of the people who you go through the questionnaire with must be your spouse or spouse-to-be. The purpose of this is to get HONEST, BLUNT feedback that helps you in the discernment process for ministry. WARINING: This may prove to be difficult and you are HIGHLY encouraged to give your participants these questions beforehand so they have adequate time to think through their answers. You will draw upon some of your findings from these interviews as you write up your Story of Faith and calling paper that is due the first day of class.

9 Our graduate-level class at Lipscomb University will be exploring dimensions of a Christian leader s personal and relational life in our class sessions. Would you please take the time to answer these questions for me? HELPING DISCERN MY CALLING TO MINSITRY Does my chosen path for ministry make sense or fit me? Why? To what degree do you feel I am equipped for the rigors of ministry? What strengths do you see me bringing to the field of my chosen ministry? What weaknesses do you see me bringing to the field of my chosen ministry? Describe your impression of my evidence of love and devotion to Christ as Lord. Is there a specific instance within the past year that illustrates this for you? How do you perceive me to be viewed and treated by my church? Does ministry ever get in the way of or harm my relationship with you? Explain. What one thing would you like her/him to understand about you, your family, or your friendship that seems to get missed with some frequency? What areas of my character, personality, habits, etc. do you perceive that I need to work on to achieve my full potential in ministry? What habits do you see that I can still develop that will strengthen my walk with Christ? (If pursuing work in a local church) o What potential pitfalls do you think I am prone to fall into if I am not careful? o How have I exhibited what it takes to work in a local church? o What kind of vibe to I give off as I talk about the local church? [9]

10 : Appendix C Report of Reading/Listening Assignment SUBMIT ALL REFLECTIONS AT: I encourage you to write your answers for this in a word processor and then transfer your answers to the google form above. Your Name: Class Resource Title (ex. Enneagram Materials) What is bugging the author? Why did the author feel compelled to write this? What are three ministry applications of this information in your context? (please do not write more than one paragraph for each application) What is one personal take-away for your personal spiritual and ministry development from this resource?