Module THMN42230: Leadership in Christian Ministry

Department: Theology and Ministry

THMN42230: Leadership in Christian Ministry

Prerequisites

• For students to make use of this module they need to be engaged in Christian ministry during the teaching of the module, to enable active theological reflection.

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• to study in depth the nature of Christian leadership in such a way as to develop the leadership skills of participants as they work in both church and wider society and to better enable them to develop these skills in others.

Content

• Leadership and the Christian Tradition
• Leadership and Contemporary society
• Leadership and Current Legislation
• Developing Leadership in Others
• Part One: During Part One of the module, as well as receiving staff input on the module content, each student chooses as a project a clearly defined piece of work which will normally be a leadership enterprise in which they are themselves engaged. Examples might include developing a shared ministry team; facilitating the development of small groups in the parish; enabling collaboration in mission across a deanery or circuit; developing new vision for a particular piece of work in the community; working at some area of personal development or developing partnerships for social action alongside development agencies.
• Before Part Two of the course each student develops this piece of work as part of their ongoing ministry and reflects on its progress in dialogue with the module tutors.
• Before Part Two each student also completes a formative essay comprising a theological reflection on an aspect of Christian leadership utilising both secular insights and material from Scripture and the tradition.
• Part 2: During Part Two of the module, each student as well as receiving further staff input, will present a 30 min seminar paper reflecting on the progress of the practical project. This will then be the subject of the final written summative assignment.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will gain:
• A broad and critical knowledge of contemporary studies in leadership and management
• A working knowledge and the ability to train others to work within areas where Christian leadership is affected by recent legislation
• A critical understanding of the contemporary literature on developing leadership in others

• Upon successful completion of the module students should have:
• Reflected on Christian ministry and leadership in scripture and drawn on these sources in contemporary reflection
• Reflected upon and developed their own leadership in church and society through peer mentoring with reference to a particular area of ministry
• Developed their ability to develop leadership skills in others, particularly in area of mentoring and self-management

• Upon successful completion of the module students should have:
• Developed their ability as self-reflective critically aware practitioners
• Effectively presented and communicated their reflections on their experience and practiuce to their peers
• Acquired and synthesised information through reading, research and presented that information clearly and effectively in written format

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module is delivered during two periods of residence in Durham. This mode of teaching and learning will give the opportunity both for coverage of a range of materials at depth by the course leaders and invited speakers; engagement with complex practical issues through the project work and opportunity to engage in a piece of practical work and to reflect on this. Contact time c. 30 hours.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1500 essay: Book review of three articles or one scholarly book from the Recommended Texts below. The Review must demonstrate some theological reflection on an aspect of leadership in Christian Ministry, enabling collaboration in mission across a deanery or circuit; developing new vision for a particular piece of work in the community; working at some area of personal development or developing partnerships for social action alongside development agencies. Each student presents this piece of work as part of their ongoing ministry and reflects on its progress in dialogue with peers and module tutors.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University