Course List

In this course we will pay attention to the curious institution that is the church. Most of the time we take church for granted, but when we think about its call, to be both relevant and prophetic, to be grounded in the world with eyes toward the Kingdom of God, it looks not only odd, but maybe impossible. Yet, this is the community Christ called, so we continue to do the best we can in faith that our work will be made right by God. To think about the church, we will study the ways theologians have dealt with difficult questions of how to “be” church and we will apply those theological glimmers to a focused study of our own congregations. Prerequisite: IF 550 Credit: 1.0

9/30-11/23 This course aims to augment students’ skill at several skills sets related to research: formulating research problems; finding, analyzing, evaluating, engaging, and citing resources related to those problems; formulating and arguing claims related to those problems in the context of the discussion encountered in the resources found; engaging in critical theological reflection related to those problems and claims. In so doing, the course also aims to develop in students an identity as researchers whose work contributes to on-going discussion at the frontiers of the practice of ministry.

After reviewing ways that churches in other times and places have adapted spiritual practices, students will develop “healthy change guidelines” to collaborate with church members to: Evaluate how well their current spiritual practices “fit” with their current mission and with the norms and models in: The Bible, Their network of churches, The cultures around their ministry context – so that they can: Discern which current practices should remain as is, or be modified, or be dropped – and then: Agree how to experiment with envisioned changes so that everyone who so desires can: Help plan the experiment Evaluate its effects, and Decide on the next steps for corporate growth in Christ. Prerequisite: Successfully completed one competency exercise and a minimum of 60% of LF 500 level work Credit: 2.0

“Faith formation is nurtured by the whole life of a congregation, the gathered community of faithful people… Everything that happens in a congregation is part of the process of faith formation” (Diane E. Shallue, p. 4). This course draws upon materials from the field of congregational studies to prepare students to understand the context, culture, and theology of a particular congregation in light of driving forces affecting faith formation in congregations in the United States. Prerequisite: None Credit: 0.5

This course in theological ethics will focus moral frameworks as tools for making moral judgments. The course will begin by focusing on the role of scripture, tradition, reason and experience in ethical decision making and will then move to an exploration of different frameworks and sources such as Natural Law, Virtue ethics, Narrative ethics, Responsibility/American Empirical Theology and ethics, and feminist and liberationist approaches. Prerequisite: None

You must have completed all work in the IB and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IB and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IB and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IB and LW areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Scade to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LW areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Schade to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LW areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Schade to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LW areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. Schade to make arrangements for the exercise.

 Please contact the registrar notify her of which areas you are matching up.

This course must be completed before taking any other courses.  There is no charge for this course. 

How do we take power and privilege into account when we provide pastoral care? This question can be approached from many different angles. In this course, we will explore this question by examining different layers of relationship in which power dynamics happen: we will consider power, privilege and differences in the context of professional ethics, family system thinking and the challenges of multiculturality and hybridity. This course requires the students to engage in serious self-reflection to see the self in the various power dynamic contexts by utilizing the course material proactively. Prerequisite: LC 520 Credit: 1.0

7:00-8:30 pm EDT 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22 This course is designed to allow students the opportunity to practice and improve on the range of skills learned in Sermon Preparation (LW554) while giving focused attention to one homiletical issue. The course is limited to eight students, each of whom will preach, record and upload one sermon to be watched individually and discussed in weekly synchronous video conferences. Sermons must have been preached within one month of the start of the course. Because of its synchronous structure, the course lasts for a month; but because of the student work load expected, the course receives .5 credits. Prerequisites: LW 550, LW 554 Credit: 0.5 This course rests on the premise that one of the crucial tasks of those called to be pastors and/or educators is to teach in the church. In this course, we seek an understanding of the teaching ministry as we explore the purpose, context, content, and process of teaching, drawing on biblical and vocational foundations of teaching. Prerequisite: None Credit: 0.5

This course will explore the Letter to the Colossians. In addition to examining its historical setting and literary forms, we will see what it continues to say to the church. We will look at its affirmations about Christ and the church and at its demands for the Christian life. We will see a church struggling to understand and live out the faith in a pluralistic and non-Christian world. Prerequisite: IS 520 and IS 560 Credit: 0.5

Students can feel alternately surprised, overwhelmed, disillusioned, and delighted by theological education. While each student’s experience is different, this course is designed to prepare you for the impact that working on an M.Div. often has on the life of faith (prayer) and approach to ministry (praxis) so that you can flourish spiritually and practically throughout and beyond your educational program. In other words, this course will name aspects of the seminary experience that can transform students’ approach to prayer and Christian praxis within the community of faith. Prerequisite: *Required within the First 8 Hours* Credit: 1.0

Students will study the classic theory and practice of adaptive change with attention to its application to congregational leadership. They will then learn two approaches to leading congregations through change: narrative work and Appreciative Inquiry. Finally, they will study leadership as a spiritual activity and learn ways to sustain themselves through the challenges of leading congregations through adaptive change. Credit: 2.0 (Offered Online)

This course must be completed before taking any other courses.  There is no charge for this course. 

9/2-9/14 This course rests on the premise that one of the crucial tasks of those called to be pastors and/or educators is to teach in the church. In this course, we seek an understanding of the teaching ministry as we explore the purpose, context, content, and process of teaching, drawing on biblical and vocational foundations of teaching. Prerequisite: None Credit: 0.5

6:30-8:00 pm EDT 9/16, 9/30, 10/7, 10/21, 11/4, 11/18

You must have completed all work in the IB and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IB and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IB and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IB and LW areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Schade to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IF and LW areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Schade to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IP and LW areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Schade to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LC areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. Coble to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LF areas before registering for this course.

 

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. McFayden to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LM areas before registering for this course.

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. Newton to make arrangements for the exercise.

You must have completed all work in the IS and LW areas before registering for this course.

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Sumney and Dr. Schade to make arrangements for the exercise.

 Please contact the registrar notify her of which areas you are matching up.

This course must be completed before taking any other courses.  There is no charge for this course. 

9/2-9/28 A congregation’s ministry programs are the most prominent outward signs of its purpose and identity. Planning them with clarity and evaluating them with care will not necessarily save or transform a congregation, but good planning and evaluation ensure that congregations offer programs that matter to people and to God. By taking this course, students will learn how to lead others into effective processes of program planning and evaluation in their congregations. In the last week of the course, students will apply the same processes to the completion of their LTS degree/certificate and thus learn one way of discerning their vocation. Prerequisite: None Credit: 1.0

9/2-9/28 This course provides a broad overview of the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible, with a particular focus on the book of Isaiah. The course examines literary genres or forms that appear in prophetic texts; sets these books in their ancient social, economic, political, literary, and religious contexts; and asks how their messages are relevant to the life and witness of the church today. Prerequisite: IS 520 Credit: 1.0

9/2-9/28 This course introduces the theory and method of Social Ethics and considers how the issues and applications of social ethics influence both the local church and the wider society. Using case studies to examine specific theoretical and practical issues, we will exercise our own ideas and applications of social ethics. The aim, of course, is neither to answer every question nor to justify particular stances but, rather, to learn to ask relevant questions, to understand how ethical decisions correspond to theological belief, to communicate clearly one’s own ethical values, and to expand understandings of diverse worldviews. Students will be encouraged to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills, to reflect on their own processes of ethical reflection, and to communicate their ideas in articulate ways Prerequisite: None Credit: 1.0

9/2-9/28 This course will examine the Gospels carefully. The course enables students to discern what kinds of writings are found in the Gospels and what we should expect to find in them. Reflection upon how the Gospels are related to one another and how they are used in recent discussions of the historical Jesus will be included. The course will also examine each Gospel in some detail, looking for what the writer of each wanted readers to think about Jesus, God, and the world. This will help us think about what they say to the church today. Prerequisite: IS 520 Credit: 1.0

9/2-9/28 In this course we will be considering traditional and contemporary understandings of the nature and work of God. We will look at ideas about creation and providence, God’s dual nature as both immanent and transcendent, theodicy and the nature of God as Trinity. Prerequisite: IF 550 Credit: 1.0

9/2-9/28 This course aims to assist students in improving their capacity to do three things: research the existing conversation on a topic of interest, to read that conversation analytically, and to write their own views clearly and cogently. These are critical skills for success in seminary. They are also critical skills for ministry in the church during and after seminary. Today many students who are preparing for ministry are coming back to school after an absence from formal academic work and academic writing. Many students come from careers where expectations about writing are different than for graduate work and ministry. The Three R’s course is designed to assist you in becoming better readers, writers, and researchers in those contexts. Prerequisite: *Required within the First 8 Hours* Credit: 1.0

9/2 - 10/26

9/2-9/28