Course List

LF 551 – Congregation as Context “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 Instructor: Dr. Narola McFayden

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

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

Must have completed all other coursework before registering for this course.

You may register for the Capstone the month AFTER your proposal has been approved by your adviser.

May 7-19 Theology is essential for effective preaching. This is the case because the heart of every sermon is and should be a claim about the nature of God. This theological claim has implications for how we live in community, with ourselves, our congregations, society and Earth itself. In this course, students will learn how to identify theological claims in a sermon and make theological claims from a biblical text that can be used for the purposes of proclamation. Prerequisite: IF 550 and LW 550 Credit: 0.5 Instructor: Dr. Emily Askew & Dr. Leah Schade

May 7 - June 2 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 Instructor: Dr. Emily Askew

May 7 - June 2 This course is an overview of the history and polity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from its beginnings on the American frontier to the present day. Prerequisite: None Credit: 1.0 Instructor: Prof. Bruce Breeding

May 7 - June 2 This course is a narrative exegetical approach to the pentateuchal books of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) for the Christian faith. The primary point of the course is not for the professor to expound an interpretation or interpretations of these books of the Torah, but for you to learn and practice critical exegetical skills for understanding and elucidating narrative texts within these books of Torah for your own edification and the edification of congregants. You will engage and practice exegetical skills, including those related to narrative criticism, source criticism, and form criticism that will aid you in ‘drawing out meaning’ (exegeting) narratives in the pentateuchal books of the Torah. Prerequisite: IS 520 Credit: 1.0 Instructor: Dr. Zipporah Glass

May 7-19 This course is designed to introduce students to skills for effective pastoral care giving. Students will learn the art of pastoral listening through instruction, practice and feedback, thus helping to improve interpersonal self-awareness. This course introduces the topics of pastoral assessment/diagnosis and intervention, with specific attention to learning when and how to refer a person to additional sources of care. Prerequisite: LC 520 Credit: 0.5 Instructor: Dr. Richard Coble

May 21 - June 2 The culture around us is changing bringing new opportunities for us to teach faith. The church must find ways to be the church in these changing times. In this course we will examine three cultural shifts: digital age, the rise of the SBNR/Nones, and religious pluralism. We will conclude by reconsidering faith formation in light of these cultural shifts. Prerequisite: None Credit: 0.5 Instructor: Dr. Narola McFayden

May 7 - June 2 This course begins with a bias, openly disclosed by the professor. Two areas where the Mainline church is struggling are Stewardship and Evangelism. I believe they are related and they have a common thread which is “tied” to our lack of commitment to teaching discipleship within our various Traditions. More often than not we have wanted a “programmatic solution” – the idea that we can open a box and in six to eight weeks make it all better. Give us the right tools and we can grow the church or grow the budget! The reality is that stewardship and evangelism are outcomes from a spiritual condition and therefore are not subject to a solely technical fix. They must be engaged with critical theological reflection, not simply “how to get more members in thirty days or less”. Prerequisite: LM 520 Credit: 1.0 Instructor: Prof. Bruce Barkhauer

May 7 - June 2 This is a four-week (1 credit) course that offers students an introduction to the history, theology, and leadership of Christian rites of passage and sacraments/ordinances. In this course students will become familiar with the following: Socio-religious theoretical perspectives on the function of rites of passage and worship rituals. Biblical, historical and theological foundations for sacraments/ordinances and Christian rites of passage. Detailed understanding of the major rituals of baptism, communion, weddings and funerals, including biblical, historical and theological background, as well as practical considerations. Prerequisite: LW 550 Credit: 1.0 Instructor: Dr. Leah Schade

May 7 - June 2 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

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

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

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 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 IB and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Blodgett 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 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 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 IP and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Blodgett 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 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 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.

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. Blodgett 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 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 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 IF and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Blodgett 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.

June 4-16 IS 542 – Reading the Deuteronomistic History in the Church Today This course will cover Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings which tell the story of Israel’s Life in the Land. Traditionally viewed as Historical Books (Christianity) or Former Prophets (Judaism) these books are often understood collectively as The Deuteronomistic History by biblical scholars. The extended narrative depicts a flawed “Golden Age” during which a landless people gains control of a vast territory with the help of God. The story peaks when David and Solomon unite God’s people to control the entire “Promised Land.” At the center of the land is the Temple. By the end of the story, the people are once again landless, exiled to the land of their captors, and the Temple has been destroyed. The narrative is filled with well-known characters: Joshua and Deborah, Samson and Delilah, Saul and David, Bathsheba and Solomon, Elijah and Elisha, Ahab and Jezebel. Students will learn the importance of these narratives, both as a narrative framework for understanding the Hebrew Bible, and as foundational stories for the New Testament. Prerequisite: IS 520 Credit: 0.5 Instructor: Dr. John Hull

June 4-16 The theme that unites this course is that different people experience, understand, and live their faith in different ways. We begin by reflecting on the nature of faith in the scripture. Then we look at faith development theories of James Fowler and John Westerhoff, which help us understand developmentally how people may experience faith at different times in their lives. We then look at some best practices in faith formation to see what we might learn about growing in faith. Prerequisite: None Credit: 0.5 Instructor: Dr. Narola McFayden

June 22-25

The exegesis paper will be due 7/18 with the sermon to be preached on 7/29 or 8/5.

June 26-28

The exegesis paper will be due 7/18 with the sermon to be preached on 7/29 or 8/5.

June 29 - July 1

This block is made up of the following courses:

IF 556       1 cr

IF 558       1 cr

June 22-25

This block is made up of the following courses:

LM 561        1 cr

LM 562        1 cr

June 26-28

This block is made up of the following:

IP 550      1 cr

IP 551      1 cr

June 29 - July 1 This block is made up of: IB 551 1 cr IB 552 1 cr

June 22-25

Prerequisite: Successfully completed one competency exercise and a minimum of 60% of LW 500 level work

Credit: 2.0

Instructor: Dr. Leah Schade

June 29 - July 1 Prerequisite: Successfully completed one competency exercise and a minimum of 60% of IS 500 level work

 

Credit: 2.0

Instructor: Dr. Rick Lowery

June 26-28 Prerequisite: Successfully completed one competency exercise and a minimum of 60% of IP 500 level work

Credit: 2.0

Instructor: Dr. William Paulsell

June 26-28 Prerequisite: Successfully completed one competency exercise and a minimum of 60% of LM 500 level work

Credit: 2.0

Instructor: Dr. Barbara Blodgett

 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. 

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 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 IB and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Blodgett 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 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 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 IP and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Blodgett 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 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 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.

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. Blodgett 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 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 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 IF and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Blodgett 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.

July 2-28

July 2-14 This course is a prerequisite for all other courses in the Interpreting Scripture for the Church area. The purpose of this class is to introduce you to some of the issues that influence how we understand and use the Bible. We will explore how books became important for the faith community of the Israelites, how the Bible came together as a book, and what it means to say that the Bible is inspired. We will also explore ways to appropriate the biblical text for today so that it can be a guide for the church’s beliefs and practices. The goal of this study is to prepare you to do more detailed study of the texts and to use them in your ministry. This course intends to help you begin to understand these texts so that you may use them in legitimate and meaningful ways in your congregations and so that you and they may hear the word of God and be given a basis for faithful living. Prerequisite: None Credit: 0.5 Instructor: Dr. Jerry Sumney

July 16-28 The purpose of this class is to introduce you to the basic political and religious background of the New Testament, with the goal being to prepare you to do detailed study of the texts. This course intends to introduce information about the life circumstances of the time of Jesus and the early church so that you will be able to understand these texts more clearly by setting them in their own context. This will enable you to use the New Testament in legitimate and meaningful ways in your congregations and help you hear the word of God and be given a basis for faithful living. Since the Bible is the central text of the Christian tradition, a thorough knowledge of it is essential for being a good leader. Listening for the voice of God through disciplined study and examination of the text is also an important spiritual discipline that should be an important part of your ministry.

Prerequisite: IS 520

Credit: 0.5

Instructor: Dr. Jerry Sumney

July 16-28

 

Visitation is one of many activities which fall under the larger heading of pastoral care. As such, this course builds on theories and practices covered in LC 520 Pastoral Care Modalities with the intent of aiding the student in becoming a more self-aware and effective pastoral care giver. This course will not recommend any one method for visitation, but will facilitate reflection on the various advantages and disadvantages of different options for doing visits and implementing a visitation program. It will argue for and try to facilitate deep awareness of even the small decisions and moments in this incarnational ministry. 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. This course includes a required assignment in your current congregation to conduct and reflect on a congregational visit. You should begin to make arrangements for this as soon as you have registered for the course. If you are unable to schedule this assignment in your congregation, you must ask the instructor before the course begins for an alternate assignment to satisfy the course requirement. Prerequisite: LC 520 Credit: 0.5 Instructor: Dr. Richard Coble

July 16-28

 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. 

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 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 IB and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Clayville and Dr. Blodgett 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 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 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 IP and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Professor Breeding and Dr. Blodgett 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 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 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.

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. Blodgett 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 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 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 IF and LM areas before registering for this course.

 

Once you have registered you should contact Dr. Askew and Dr. Blodgett 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.