Course Descriptions
— Churches’ Leadership
Courses
are for 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
Indian Ministries
Worship and Preaching
Christian Education Spirituality
Church Leadership
Pastoral Care
Worship
Indian Ministries
CL207 Indian
Ministries Seminar I
CL208 Indian Ministries Seminar
II
Faculty
The seminar is designed for students enrolled in the Diploma
in Indian Ministries program, but it is open to all interested
participants. It provides a place
for developing an ongoing community of caring, discernment, and learning concerning
the needs of ongoing ministries and student involvement in an academic program
of ministry development. It includes a skill-building component with sections
on liturgical and congregational leadership, functioning effectively in a cross-cultural
environment, and personal spiritual development. Special attention will be
given to the integration of the values and perspective of Native culture within
an effective program of ministry development. It will lift up to seminar participants
the vision of the Minnesota Council on Indian Work that the Indian church becomes
a growing community of “Gospel-based Disciples.”
No prerequisites
CL209 Indian
Ministries Internship
Faculty
Required in the second year of the course of study for the Diploma in Indian
Ministries.
Prerequisites: CL207, CL208
CL990 Directed
and Independent Studies in Church Leadership
Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to pursue more intensively a special topic
in Churches’ Leadership. Approval of the topic for research must precede
registration.
No prerequisites
Worship and Preaching
CL329 Music
in Worship: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs
Faculty
The course will deal with hymns as a combination
of equally important texts and tunes. An exploration of hymns,
writers,
and composers from major eras and from the global community
will be balanced with discussion of their respective value
in the life of the contemporary church. Applied components
will be designed to build skills in using hymns effectively
in community worship. Efforts will be made to expand the
depth of appreciation for hymns through listening examples,
participation in modes of performance, and hymn stories.
Some specific discussion topics will include adaptation
and change in texts and tunes, functional hymnody, cross-cultural
experience, psalmody, tunes for body and soul, and contemporary
praise songs. Musical skill is not a prerequisite for the
course, but participation in singing and presenting hymns
is expected. Selected reading assignments along with the
use of a variety of hymnals will provide an acquaintance
with foundational hymnology references and a view of this
expansive, varied literature.
No prerequisites
CL330 Worship
of the Church
Jann Cather Weaver
This is the beginning survey course in worship and liturgical basics. The course
explores the meaning of worship within differing ethnic contexts, the theological
commitments behind liturgy, and the structure of worship using the transposition
of scriptural texts. We examine liturgical history, emancipatory liturgical
language, sacraments, weddings, funerals, and other aspects of worship practice.
Students will learn to access worship resources, write liturgies, and survey
different denominational and cultural styles of worship.
Prerequisites: IS151
CL331 Worship
Theory and Practice in the UUA
Faculty
Worship is the unique function of the church and the heart of congregational
life, as well as a vitalizing center for the individual’s religious journey.
This course will explore how worship may be understood in a theologically pluralistic
context and how its elements may be handled competently, creatively, and responsibly.
Students will consider rites of passage and worship for all ages, as well as
the more traditional Sunday morning service with preaching.
No prerequisites
CL335Preaching
in the Unitarian Universalist Tradition
Faculty
This course will look at preaching within the context,
primarily, of Unitarian Universalist worship. The class
will consider
the context, construction, and delivery of sermons and explore
such questions as, “What is the sermon for?” “With
what authority does the preacher speak and with accountability
to whom? To what?” Guest presenters will share their
experience as writers and preachers of sermons from a variety
of theological perspectives in a variety of settings. Students
will be required to write and deliver three sermons.
No prerequisites
CL336 Preaching
Christine Smith
Preaching is an act of religious and theological interpretation and naming.
It nurtures, sustains, and transforms religious communities. This course will
give attention to preaching as an act of ministry in the context of worship.
We will examine the content and theology of sermons, the presence and leadership
of the preacher, and the centrality and authority of biblical texts. Preachers
will share sermons in class, examine the social dimensions of preaching, explore
a variety of sermonic forms and designs, and develop concrete strategies to
engage whole religious communities in the work of proclamation.
Prerequisites: IS151, CH161, CH261
CL337 Music
in the Life of the Church
Faculty
The course will explore the development of church music over the centuries
and will focus on the relationship of music to worship. It will engage the
student in a consideration of practical issues related to the role music plays.
No prerequisites
CL338 Advanced
Preaching Seminar
Christine Smith
In the past three decades the theory and art of preaching has been changing
dramatically. Preaching has shifted from an event that says something, conveys
something, and articulates something, to an event that evokes something, does
something, and immerses the congregation in an experience. In this seminar
preachers will have the opportunity to experiment with sermonic form and style,
preach at least three times in the presence of colleagues, and identify and
address critical issues of concern and places of needed growth in her/his own
preaching style and ministry.
Prerequisites: CL336
CL345 Pottery
and Proclamation
Christine Smith
The ongoing spiritual life of the preacher is of critical concern in a preaching
ministry that stays vital, passionate, and relevant. Working with clay can
directly enhance and deepen our spiritual lives and nurture a different worldview.
In this course we will explore various religious themes and spiritual practices
that emerge as religious leaders learn the basic skills of the potter’s
craft. Students will actually learn the skills involved in a basic wheel course:
fundamental
techniques of throwing basic forms on the potter’s wheel, the process
of creating surface decoration using glazes and some applied elements, and
basic firing
procedures.
No prerequisites
CL347 Celebrating
and Proclaiming Resurrection
Christine Smith
Resurrection is at the center of Christian life and faith. It is about God’s
enduring, uncompromising power of life and our response to that passionate
life. Preachers will look at the power and possibility of resurrection life
in our world today. Four questions will shape the content of the course: What
kind of spiritual and homiletic disciplines might move preachers closer to
resurrection life? How might we resist the crucifixions that threaten to silence
or defeat resurrection life? How can we re-image the nature and activity of
resurrection life from the perspective of the oppressed? How can we recover
the radical nature of the gospel narratives in our quest for, and commitment
to, this resurrection life? Sermons will be preached in class.
Prerequisites: CL336
CL353 Preacher
and Poet Dialogue
Christine Smith
What can the preacher learn from the poet’s rigorous commitment to language
as artistic creation and expression? What spiritual and religious insight and
vision might the preacher experience as she/he encounters the poet’s
role in political and social transformation? In this course we will examine
issues
of common concern to preacher and poet including the language of paradox, the
role of the imagination, immediacy as a quality of language, and the power
of image to create and embody new reality. We will examine and experience together
a wide diversity of poets and their craft. Primary emphasis of the course will
be on the nature of poetic language and its implications for preaching; secondary
emphasis will be on the explicit use of poetry within sermons. Sermons will
be shared in class.
Prerequisites: CL336 or permission of the instructor
CL362 Seasons
and Celebration of the Church
Jann Cather Weaver
This course will explore the Jewish and Christian liturgical church years through
historical, liturgical, and theological developments. As a course oriented
to practice, we study liturgies and imaginative liturgical expressions particular
to each season in relationship to the life of churches and other religious
traditions. We will also study secular celebrations, (e.g., Mother’s
Day, the Fourth of July) within a framework of liturgical and theological integrity
in light of congregational realities.
No prerequisites
CL364 Media,
Culture, and Worship
Jann Cather Weaver
The primary text of this course will be the daily
media coverage of local and world political and cultural events.
Students will learn to locate a multitude of news sources from
around the world, gaining a fuller, culturally-conscious perspective
on particular events. Given daily events, students will reflect
on these events from critical, theological perspectives. The
task is for students to bring the events of the world into
worship with liturgical, pastoral, and theological integrity.
This is not a course on how to turn worship into a political
forum. Rather, this course will explore how worship can proclaim
the Word of God amid current events vis-à-vis media’s
representations.
No prerequisites
CL990 Directed
and Independent Studies in Church Leadership
Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to pursue more intensively a special topic
in Churches’ Leadership. Approval of the topic for research must precede
registration.
No prerequisites
Christian Education Spirituality
CL440 Foundations
of Christian Education
Barbara Anne Keely
This course explores the theories and practices of Christian Education,
including theological frameworks, faith formations,
teaching methods and models, curricular materials, and
the planning and
leadership of educational programming. Particular emphasis is paid to the spiritual
life of the congregation.
No prerequisites
CL442 Ministries
with Children and Families
Barbara Anne Keely
This course explores theological, spiritual, and practical approaches to
ministry with children and families with children, including teaching methods,
curricular resources,
intergenerational
and broadly graded educational ministries, parenting, and child advocacy. Particular
attention is paid to the spiritual life of the child.
No prerequisites
CL447 Ministries
with Youth
Barbara Anne Keely
Adolescence is a critical time of claiming one’s own identity and faith
commitment. This course is an overview of the Church’s ministries with
youth, including theological, spiritual, cultural, developmental,
theoretical, and practical aspects. Primary attention is given to the spiritual
life of youth and the culture in which youth are thrust and/or create.
No prerequisites
CL452 Group
Process in Ministry
Barbara Anne Keely
The local church is made up of small groups from committees to Bible studies.
This course will explore the basic dynamics of group process and how they impact
the life of church groups. Various styles of leadership will be explored, as
well as how to begin and/or nurture healthy groups in ministry.
No prerequisites
CL465 Adult
Education in the Church
Barbara Anne Keely
Introduces students to the scope of Christian Education with adults in the
church. Special attention will be given to the adult life span, as well as
the multifaceted understandings/contexts of adulthood.
No prerequisites
CL470 Teaching
the Bible in the Church
Barbara Anne Keely
The Bible is the core text for teaching in the Christian Church. The purpose
of this course is to introduce students to a variety of methods and models
of teaching the Bible to children, youth, and adults. Opportunities to teach
the Bible permeate the life of the Church, including worship and education.
This course will address these areas and also will invite students to explore
ways to integrate effective teaching of the Bible throughout Church life.
Prerequisite: One seminary-level course in biblical studies
CL481
The Spiritual Life of the Congregation
Barbara Anne Keely
The spiritual formation of the local congregation will be explored, including
children, youth, and adults. The course will also examine the spiritual
life of pastor and church leadership, both personally
and how it shapes their vocations. The course project is an in-depth analysis
of the spiritual life of a single congregation.
No prerequisites
CL482 Nurturing
Your Spiritual Life as Religious Leaders
Barbara Anne Keely and Martha Postlethwaite
The purpose of this course is to engage students in a variety of practices
in spiritual life that will encourage a deepening of their relationship with
God. Students will be encouraged to engage in spiritual disciplines that are
both familiar and new, preparing them to nurture both their spiritual lives
and the lives of others. Taught from a Christian perspective, this elective
will include readings, presentations, discussions, papers, and practices of
spiritual disciplines. Through the use of primary texts and contemporary materials,
the course will explore historical roots and current practices of the spiritual
life within the Christian tradition. This J-term course will meet during
the regular class schedule for the first two weeks. The third week of the course
will consist of a two-day overnight retreat that will include guest presenters
and student final presentations.
No prerequisites
CL483 Unitarian
Universalist Religious Education
Faculty
Religious education from faith development to Religious Education philosophy,
from children’s worship and curriculums to the nuts and bolts of running
a religious education program.
No prerequisites
CL990 Directed
and Independent Studies in Church Leadership
Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to pursue more intensively a special topic
in Churches’ Leadership. Approval of the topic for research must precede
registration.
No prerequisites
Church Leadership
CL540
Practicum on Antiracism
Dialogue
Faculty
Provides facilitator training and supervised co-facilitation of Antiracism
Study Dialogue Circles being held in various contexts.
Prerequisites: TR331, two of the electives for a certificate or concentration
in Leadership toward Racial Justice
CL541Empowering
Lay Leadership
Jean Morris Trumbauer
An emerging paradigm of church requires us to move beyond our view of members
as “volunteers,” or satisfaction with “maintaining church programs,” and our
reliance on “time and talent” forms to invite laity to ministry.
Leaders
of the
church are challenged to re-envision the foundations and practice of sharing
the ministry. This course explores a holistic approach to gifts-based ministry
and the multiple components of a shared ministry system for today’s congregations.
No prerequisites
CL556 Ministry
and the Rural Church: A Travel Seminar on Changing Religious
and Cultural Realities in Rural America
Faculty
Taught in conjunction with the Northland Partnership for Town and Country Ministry,
the course examines key issues churches address in their ministries in small
town and rural communities. A special focus of the course will be several immersion
trips to rural communities to meet with church and community leaders.
No prerequisites
CL563 Church
Growth and Evangelism in the Twenty-First Century
Faculty
The message and the fellowship of the church are gifts of God, not to be enjoyed
by church members alone. The circle of Good News is meant to be enlarged by
inviting and welcoming people who are beyond the doors of the congregation.
This course will examine the biblical, theological, and practical aspects
of evangelism: a concept that has been diminished in the partisan conflicts
of
the church in the past half century. Students will be encouraged to find their
own sense of evangelism that is respectful, hospitable, and integral to the
life of the church. Communication theory, marketing techniques, and assessment
of diverse audiences will be brought into dialogue with theological reflection.
Special attention will be given to the roles of church leadership in the area
of evangelism.
No prerequisites
CL565 Unitarian
Universalist Social Action
Faculty
What is the good news which Unitarian Universalists bring to the broken, hurting
world in which we live, and how does the larger world continually reshape and
redefine Unitarian Universalism? We will explore the intersections between
social justice and Unitarian Universalism from many perspectives — theological,
historic — as they are experienced in congregations and in the larger
liberal/ progressive/prophetic religious movement. Topics covered will include:
theology
of liberal family values, Universalism for the twenty-first century, effective
congregational activism, public ministry skills for religious leaders (media,
advocacy, organizing,
coalition building, partnerships, education), the UU Social Witness process,
UUA, and other resources for justice making. The class will ground participants
in a living faith which is expressed through working towards well being for
all.
No prerequisites
CL571 The
Public Witness of Congregations
Joseph Bush
This course will examine models for the church’s
ministry within wider society. Attention of the course will
focus on
local and congregational levels of social engagement/disengagement
as well as on wider denominational and ecumenical patterns
of public witness. Particular models of congregational ministries
will be analyzed as examples of public theology.
No prerequisites
CL990 Directed
and Independent Studies in Church Leadership
Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to pursue more intensively a special topic
in Churches’ Leadership. Approval of the topic for research must precede
registration.
No prerequisites
Pastoral Care
CL630 Ministry
To Persons With Mental Illness And Their Families
Robert Albers
The phenomenon of mental illness is pervasive in its various manifestations
among all people. Effective ministry is contingent upon having accurate information
concerning these illnesses as well as appropriate pastoral responses to those
afflicted and those affected. The course will consider the major mental illnesses
as outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual with a major emphasis
upon depression as the most common of mental illnesses in this society. The
biblical and theological foundations informing the caregiver will be considered
as well as practical means for effective caregiving.
No prerequisites
CL663 Clinical
Pastoral Education (non-practicum)
Faculty
Clinical Pastoral Education is a form of theological and pastoral care education
usually (though not always) done in an institutional chaplaincy context. This
400-hour course involves pastoral care visitation, group supervision and interaction,
one-on-one supervision with a certified CPE instructor, and didactic presentations.
The sites available for CPE are off campus and are certified through the Association
for Clinical Pastoral Education. Application to CPE programs (both full-time
and extended types) needs to occur well in advance of the actual dates for
the unit. This is a separate application and enrollment process than for regular
courses at United. Consultation with the CPE coordinator is essential for
those planning to enroll in CPE.
No prerequisites
CL668 Pastoral
Care in Grief and Bereavement
Robert Albers
One of the primary pastoral care ministries of the
church is to care for people as they reach the end of life
and to develop appropriate rituals to make meaning throughout
this process. In this class we will explore the dynamics of
grief that occur during the dying process and in the face of
a loss by death. We will look at anticipatory grief of both
the dying person and family/friends, and the role of the pastoral
caregiver in that process. We will look at the expected patterns
of grief after a death and the different patterns of grief
that emerge in varying situations. We will investigate our
own feelings and beliefs about dying and death, knowing that
our own perspectives about grief greatly influence the way
that we are able to offer pastoral care to the bereaved. We
will place these perspectives and investigations in the context
of our theological positions and develop an appropriate working
theology for pastoral care in the midst of bereavement.
Prerequisites: CL670
CL 670 Introduction to Pastoral
Care
Robert
Albers
Pastoral care is one of the central ministries of the whole
church— both
clergy and lay. In this course, we will explore what it means to create communities
of care. Through readings, lectures, discussions, case presentations, and verbatim
reports, we will focus on the actual practices of pastoral care and on the
theologies and theories of the field. Students will become familiar with the
shape of contemporary pastoral care as they develop the important skills, attitudes,
and knowledge to empower ministries of care and counseling.
No prerequisites
CL672 Pastoral
Care with Couples and Families
Robert Albers
Our primary work in this course will be to explore the
theory and practice of pastoral counseling in the context of
the family. A family systems perspective, which focuses on
relationships between people rather than on the individuals
themselves, will be introduced, although other perspectives
for approaching couples and families will also be employed.
The processes of working with families through their life cycles,
with the various issues and problems that may arise, will be
a central focus for the class.
No prerequisites
CL674 Addiction
and Recovery
Robert Albers
Designed to help individuals explore their own attitudes, skills, and knowledge
regarding chemical dependency, family systems, and their role as pastors or
concerned laity in ministry to the chemically dependent and their families.
No prerequisites
CL990 Directed
and Independent Studies in Church Leadership
Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to pursue more intensively a special topic
in Churches’ Leadership. Approval of the topic for research must precede
registration.
No prerequisites
Worship
CL820 Rites
and Rituals: Baptism, Eucharist, Weddings, Funerals
Jann Cather Weaver
The practice of ministry involves the “performance” of
major rites and rituals. This course explores the nature
and importance of rituals in communities
of faith, as well as their historical development within various Christian
traditions. The class balances “technique and practice” (within
various theological foundations) with current issues, styles, and controversies.
Each student is responsible to explore their religious tradition’s
practices of baptism and eucharist, as well as the regional and theological
practices
of weddings and funerals. The class format is field study, comparing and
writing liturgies, as well as in-depth class discussion.
No prerequisites: Students with prior experience in church worship
will benefit the most
CL831 The
Changing Church: Ecclesiology, Spirituality, and Cultures
Barbara Anne Keely
This course will explore the ministry implications of the “changing church” in
the United States, including how changing cultures, generational differences,
and understandings of the institutional church are affecting member involvement,
leadership, worship, mission, education, and spiritual formation. Students
will explore popular approaches, as well as those grounded in more liberal
traditions.
No prerequisites
CL891
Conflict and the Congregation: Restoration and Resilience
Faculty
Congregational conflict will be explored from a restorative perspective that
seeks to repair harm, restore relationships, renew hope, build resilience.
Students will gain understanding about the nature of conflict, identify their
conflict styles, develop skills in conflict resolution and transformation,
create strategies for use within religious communities, and cultivate beginning
skills in restorative processes, including mediation and the circle process.
Case studies, personal experience, and role plays will be utilized. Particular
attention will be given to the nature of congregational life and to biblical
perspectives and theological dimensions.
No prerequisites
CL894 Evangelism
through the Arts
Cindi Beth Johnson
Students will be introduced to evangelism through a variety
of faith traditions. They will then be asked to articulate
their own theology of evangelism in conversation with their
traditions. Students will learn how the arts can be a significant
means for evangelism. A variety of church settings will be
explored showing arts as an important tool for evangelism such
as church galleries, drama, poetry, sacred art shows, and other
arts related events. Students will also visit congregations
with arts outreach programs and learn how the arts provide
a unique means for congregational growth.
No prerequisites
CL896 Theology
and Practice of Stewardship
Joseph Bush
The course addresses a wide range of issues related to the theology and practice
of Christian stewardship. While considered within the broader context of the
whole ecology of stewardship, the course focuses on economic issues of money
and exchange in human communities and their impact on human interaction, generosity,
and mercy. Students will develop a theology of stewardship and place it in
the context of ministerial and congregational practice.
No prerequisites
CL990 Directed
and Independent Studies in Church Leadership
Faculty
Designed for the student who wishes to pursue more intensively a special topic
in Churches’ Leadership. Approval of the topic for research must precede
registration.
No prerequisites |
