COS 524
Theological Reflection on the Practice of Ministry
Syllabus and Assignments
Upper Midwest Extension Course of Study School
Morningside College Sioux City, Iowa
Spring 2018
February 16, 17 and April13, 14
Dr. Dennis Tevis, Instructor
319-572-1940
This course is the capstone of the basic course of study. Its focus is the integration of the biblical, theological, and practical aspects of ministry.
Course Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Articulate a Trinitarian theology for the practice of ministry.
- State clearly the nature and mission of the Church and its relation to pastoral ministry.
- Demonstrate the ability to reflect theologically.
- Develop a plan for lifelong theological reading, reflection, and growth.
A. Required textbooks (look online for used books)
Cahalan, Kathleen. Introducing the Practice of Ministry. Collegeville, MN:
Liturgical Press, 2010. (ISBN: 978-0-8146-3690)
Carder, Kenneth L., and Laceye C. Warner. The Grace to Lead: Practicing
Leadership in the Wesleyan Tradition rev. ed. Nashville: GBHEM, 2016. (ISBN: 978-0-938162-53-7)
Willimon, William H. Pastor:The Theology and Practice of Ordained
Ministry. Rev ed. Nashville:Abington Press, 2016.
(ISBN: 978-1-5018-0490-8)
Wood, Charles M., and Ellen Blue. Attentive to God: Thinking Theologically
in Ministry.Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008.
(ISBN: 978-0-687-65162-7)
B. Instructions for Completing Assignments
Read the pages assigned, take notes and answer the questions, if they are in the assignments. Digest the ideas of the readings, and answer the questions in your own words.
Follow approximate length given for each item of written work. Your work should be double-spaced, with a one-inch margin. Please use 12-point font. Do not use script, condensed, or all caps.
On each page of your work, include a header with your name, the class number, and the page number. Begin each new question on a new page, writing the number of that question at the beginning of your answer.
If you quote from a printed text, you must use quotation marks and note the source (including pages) in parentheses at the end of each usage. Quotations should never be more than a sentence or two long. Ideas and information should be stated in your own words, not in the words of the authors you have read. For assigned texts, you may abbreviate the titles by using the first letter of each word in the title. For example, if the source is Harper’s Bible Dictionary, the use (HBD, pp. 34-35 or the pages that are appropriate to your usage). If you refer to books that are not listed on the class reading list, then you must give full bibliographic information.
Add a title page to your work that includes: (a) the name and number of the course and (b) your name.
Submit your written work by Friday, February 2, 2018. Please send your work by e-mail as a single attached document to your instructor at . You may want to bring a copy of your written work with you to class for your own use.
SUBMISSION NOTES:
Save (and submit) your document as a Word document (.doc or .docx) so your instructor can write on it electronically. Please do not save and submit it as a .pdf. Assignments submitted as .pdf will be returned for resaving and resubmitting.
When contacting me by e-mail, including submitting your written work, please put Course of Study in the memo line of your email. This will prevent me from deleting your email and greatly aid you in the successful completion of the course.
POLICY NOTE: Using other people’s materials without documentation, whether from a book, journal, teacher, another student, sermon service or lectionary aid, is unacceptable behavior. Such activity, otherwise known as plagiarism, usually means failure for the course with notification sent to the Conference Course of Study Registrar and the Division of Ordained Ministry. Professors will report all instances of plagiarism to the Director of the Course of Study. The Director will arrange for a meeting with the professor and the student, and the student will be given the opportunity to explain the situation. The Director, in consultation with the professor, will make a decision about what action is appropriate for a first instance of plagiarism. Such action could include rewriting the material or failure for the course. A brief summary of the meeting will be prepared by the Director, and placed in the student’s file in the Course of Study Office and kept there until the student completes the Course of Study Curriculum. If a second instance of plagiarism is documented, the student will fail the course and the Director will determine what other consequences may apply (policy rev. 6/00).
Assignments:
1. Write a personal theological autobiography (beginning at birth and extending through your death). Include your call to ministry. How has God been present in your life? (7 pages)
2. Write a sermon for Trinity Sunday for the congregation(s) you serve focusing on the how the Holy Spirit has worked in and through individuals and the churchin the past and continues to do so today. (6 pages)
3. Put together an order of worship including hymns, other music, scriptures and prayers that will help members of your congregation experience the love of God. (2 pages)
4. Write a statement of your personal beliefs. Include your understanding and relationship to God, the human situation, grace, the nature and work of Christ, salvation, scripture, the sacraments, and whatever else you want to include. Are your beliefs Wesleyan? Explain in each case. (15 pages)
5. What is the Gospel you would share with Millennials? (one page)
6. What does the existence of evil say about the existence of God? (one page)
7. What is the primary task of the church? (2 pages)
8. Rate yourself in each of the following 3 areas, providing a rationale for your ratings, and indicate how you might improve in each area (one page for each area):
- Pastoral Care
- Preaching
- Leadership
8. Choose an event or situation that have had a significant impact on your ministry. What did you feel? How were you challenged? What did you learn? How has your ministry been shaped by this event/situation? (3 pages)
9. Create a 2-4 page plan for lifelong theological reading, reflection, and growth. Include spiritual disciplines that will foster theological reflection and how you will be held accountable. Include and indicate areas where you need to grow and areas that you want to explore.
Grading
Questions 1,2, 4, and 8:13 points each
Questions 3,5,6,7,9: 7 points each
Class participation:13 points
Total: 100 points
Final Grading Scale:
A = 90-100 points
B = 80-89 points
C = 70-79 points
D = 60-69 points
F = 0-59 points