D.Min. Colleague Seminar II, Part I*

Objectives

a. To build upon the previous semester's  work in understanding the challenges and possibilities for ministry in a contemporary context; 

b. To explore contemporary research on social and religious trends in order more accurately to understand one's own congregation and community;

c. To engage in a sustained reflection on leadership practices and ways to approach change

within one's own congregation and community;

d. To deepen skills for critical thinking and theological reflection that are essential in the D.Min. program, including the diverse collegial relationships that enhance that program.

e. To assist the student in ascertaining and articulating the theology with which he/she does ministry

Procedure

The course alternates between five class sessions (see "Schedule") and the intervening periods for individual exploration by students of the readings and their interpretive value in their respective settings. The class sessions rely on group discussions to deepen and concretize the readings, and instructor presentations to introduce further fieldwork resources for studying congregations and communities. The intervening periods rely on engagement with the readings and, for those so assigned, the development of a teaching outline for the ensuing session that draws those readings into conversation with a past challenge from one's ministry setting, showing the student's emerging role as a teacher. A final paper provides an occasion to integrate work from the entire semester by linking a newly significant challenge from one's ministry setting with insights from organizational and leadership studies that have been presented by various means during the course.

The topics we will address for the five class meetings include:

1) The state of American Religion -The challenges and also opportunities.

American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us by Robert Putnam and David Campbell (entire book)

2) Changing Organizational Landscape- New models of religious congregations and the ways people are getting their spiritual  needs met.

Visit to Liberty Churches, Worchester MA George Cladis

Mark Chaves "All Creatures Great and Small" Review of Religious Research 2006 47:335 SonisWeb

Scott Thumma "The Shape of Things to Come: Megachurches, Emerging Churches and Other New Religious Structures Supporting an Individualized Spiritual Identity." in Faith in America: Changes, Challenges, New Directions. Charles Lippy Pp. 185-206. http://hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/organizationalchangechapter.doc

Surratt, Ligon and Bird. The Multi-Site Church Revolution: Being One Church in Many Locations p. 9-42 SonisWeb

David Roozen and Adair Lummis, Congregational Splits & Denominational Apostasy http://hirr.hartsem.edu/cong/congregational-splits.pdf

David Roozen & Kirk Hadaway Denominational Growth and Decline

http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/bookshelf/Church&Denomgrowth/ch&dngrw-pt.1.pdf

Scott Thumma "What God Makes Free is Free Indeed: Nondenominational Church Identity and its Networks of Support" http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/bookshelf/thumma_article5.html

Diana  Bulter Bass The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a new old church. Pp. 7-33, 69-90 SonisWeb

Don Miller, Reinventing American Protestantism Chapter 4 Beyond Rationality p.80 - 107 SonisWeb

3) An Increasingly Diverse Population- Migration, multiculturalism, religious pluralism and the loss of a moral consensus.

Guest

Robert Wuthnow, America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity Princeton University Press, 2005. Chapter 7 p.188-229  Chapter 8 p. 230-258 SonisWeb

David Roozen, American Congregations Reach Out To Other Faith Traditions From Faith Communities Today 2010 http://faithcommunitiestoday.org/sites/faithcommunitiestoday.org/files/American_Congregations_Reach_Out.pdf

H.R.Ebaugh and Janet S. Chafetz. Religion Across Borders: Transnational Religious Networks. AltaMira Press, 2002 pp. 129-148, 165-191 SonisWeb

Robert Wuthnow and Stephen Offutt. Transnational Religious Connections Sociology of Religion 2008 69:2 pp. 209-232 SonisWeb

Nestor Rodriguez, Hispanic and Asian Immigration Waves in Houston in Ebaugh & Chafetz Religion and the New Immigrants. Pp 29-42 SonisWeb

Hoda Badr, AI-Noor Mosque: Strength through Unity in Ebaugh & Chafetz Religion and the New Immigrants. Pp.193-227  SonisWeb

Kathleen Sullivan, St. Mary's Catholic Church and Iglesia de Dios in Ebaugh & Chafetz Religion and the New Immigrants. Pp.125-151 SonisWeb

4) Individualism & Consuming Faith- Shopping for faith, an individual approach  to community and religiosity

Guest

Robert Wuthnow, After the Baby Boomers: How 20 and 30 somethings are shaping the future of American religion Entire Book

Stephen Warner & Rhys Williams, "The role of families and religious institutions in transmitting faith among Christian, Muslims and Hindus in the US" in Collins-Mayo  & Dandelion Religion and Youth pp.159-165 SonisWeb

Robert Bellah, et al. Habits of the Heart pp. 219-245 SonisWeb

Scott Thumma, Leadership section in The Other 80%. On SonisWeb but entire book if you want to purchase it

5) Religion in the Increasingly Secular Society- Secularism, the Nones and the challenge all religious communities are facing into the future.

Clark Roof, Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion (entire book)

Marler & Hadaway, "Being Religious" or "Being Spiritual" in America: A Zero-Sum Proposition? Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 41:2 (2002) 289-300 SonisWeb

Rodney Stark, "Spirituality" and "The Irreligious" in What Americans Really Believe pp.87-94, 141-146. SonisWeb

Scott Thumma, "Virtually Religious: Technology and Internet Use in American Congregations http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/research/technology-Internet-use.html

Required reading

The required texts will be the basis for our class discussions throughout the semester, as well as being foundational for the final paper.

Grades

Throughout this course, grades are reported on an HP I P I LP basis. These grades mean:

HP Exceptional in several or most ways; such work completes all tasks, is creative and even original in content, and displays mastery of expression.

P Adequate in all basic ways; parts of the task are slighted, the content has minor weaknesses, and expression is competent yet not consistently compelling.

LP Inadequate in some ways; does not address significant tasks, shows weak or erroneous content, and expression sometimes obstructs understanding.

Class participation 25% of grade

Attendance at and active participation in every class session is expected of all students. Exceptions are only allowed if advance permission has been granted by the instructor, and only for unavoidable absences. In all cases, failure to be in attendance at more than one class session automatically precludes successful completion of the course. The participation grade includes active familiarity with all readings and completion of online contact hours.

Reading Summary- Key implications for your ministry 15% of grade

Theological reflection assignments 30% of grade

Final paper 30% of grade

·The final paper integrates the central insights and readings from the semester. This paper will present an actual challenge to the student's congregation or ministry and then analyze this in paper, including focus and format, will be provided at the 4th class session. Final papers must be sent by e-mail to the instructor by 12 Jan. 2013.

Course extensions

Past experience has shown that timely completion of all assignments and the entire course is essential to successful completion of the overall D.Min. program. As a result, late writing assignments are strongly discouraged and course extensions are not permitted.

Plagiarism warning

Plagiarism is the failure to give proper credit for the words or ideas of another person, whether published or unpublished, and is strictly prohibited. Credit will not be given for written work in this course containing plagiarism, and plagiarism may result in a failing grade for the entire course.