Special Electives: Parish Ministry

PMIN 502 Leading Congregations

This course focuses on the pastor as organizational leader, and will involve an exploration of some of the unique dynamics and strategies that lead to effective organizational leadership in the local church.  Areas of study will include vision and direction, staff development, strategic planning, cohesion and alignment, execution, the stages of leadership, self-leadership, and mobilizing financial resources.     

PMIN 505 Theological Foundations of Youth Ministry

An examination of the challenges, opportunities, and current practices involved the church’s ministry to adolescents.  Particular emphasis is given to locating youth ministry within the broader ecclesiological framework of the church, establishing ministry to youth as an integral part of the church’s mission.  Special attention is given to the phenomenon of “youth culture”, adolescent development, and spiritual practices with youth.

PMIN 510 Practice of Spiritual Direction in the Church

This course is designed to introduce ministerial students to the history, tradition and practice of spiritual direction through the centuries in the Christian Church. Additionally, we will look at the resurgence of the practice of spiritual direction in the past century. Finally, the mechanics of classical spiritual direction will be taught with an emphasis on preparing ministers with practical skills for use in ministry. Classes will consist of the literature, theory and praxis for use of spiritual direction in ministry today.

PMIN 512 Preaching in Post-Christendom

This course seeks to bridge the gap between two worlds: the eternal sphere of God and the contemporary scene of the hearers through the medium of preaching.. Students will learn and practice the techniques of “dual exegesis” i.e., exegeting both the text and the hearers.  Special emphasis is given to the exploring what we mean by “post-Christendom” and how this informs preaching in the contemporary world.

PMIN 515 Pastoral Counseling

     This course is designed to introduce the student to a basic understanding of the counseling role within pastoral ministry. In doing so students will consider the history of pastoral care, the art of theological thinking, one’s own personal approach to pastoral care, and the healing nature of the practice of presence. The course will introduce students to a variety of tools, strategies, and methodologies for practically engaging members of the congregation who are in need of encouragement, spiritual guidance, forgiveness, and grief or guilt resolution, at levels not involving significant pathology. Special emphasis will be placed upon the ability to recognize some common issues and problems ministers are likely to encounter. Personal counseling styles will be addressed as a means of enabling each participant to understand his or her own strengths and weaknesses as a pastoral counselor.

PMIN 520 Family Systems and Pastoral Care

The individual-in-family-within-community is the focus of study in the pastoral care of “biologically/psychologically defined” families within the broader spiritual family of the church. Family theory, theology, and therapy will be integrated as the student explores his/her own multigenerational family system and applies these gleanings to all family ministry. The course will use film families as a mode of examining systemic concepts throughout the semester.

PMIN 522 Worship and Sacraments

An introductory study of the practice and theology of Christian worship.  Students will examine practices and critical issues in worship, including liturgical theology, preaching, music, baptism and communion.  While the course will attempt to give broad evangelical and ecumenical perspectives, special attention will be paid to Wesleyan, Methodist and free-church traditions, especially when dealing with the sacraments.

PMIN 525 Contextualization as Pastoral Theology

This course is designed to introduce students to the theology, role, and process of contextualization in pastoral ministry. Contextualization is the discerning application of the Word of God by a core team or church to the context of a certain community, culture, or people group. Contextualization may be further defined as an organic journey of ministry/church development that fits a certain ministry context or community while remaining biblically faithful. Contextualization has been the work of missionaries for centuries and is now essential in North American church work. This course will equip leaders with the skills and churches with the strategies of contextualization for greater kingdom impact.