Christian Education

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

I. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

CM.106 MAYM: COMMUNICATING THE GOSPEL TO YOUTH In this course students explore seven contemporary approaches for communicating the Gospel to adolescents and assess them theologically and in light of our sociocultural situation. Students test these approaches by crafting and teaching lesson plans that draw from each of them. In the process, students formulate a personal philosophy of youth ministry to guide the formation of youth. Students gain from this course a deeper understanding of approaches to faith formation and a more developed skill set for engaging in the work of communicating the Gospel to young people. Six credits. Profs. White or Zirschky

CM.108 MAYM: ADVANCED STUDIES IN YOUTH, CHURCH, AND CULTURE This course introduces students to the notion of youth as a historical phenomenon, including the relatively recent construction of the institution of adolescence, with special attention to recent trends related to technology, brain research, gender and racial differences, generational research, and emerging adulthood. As more complete and intersectional descriptions of contemporary adolescence emerge, students engage them theologically with a view toward developing more adequate approaches to congregations’ ministries with youth. Six credits. Profs. White or Zirschky

CM.110 MAYM: THEOLOGICAL METHODS FOR YOUTH MINISTRY This course explores various sources and methods for reflecting theologically on youth ministry contexts. Students identify themes that are particularly relevant for the formation of youth in contemporary contexts: physiological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual. Students engage these themes utilizing a range of theological methods, including postliberal, narrative, mutually critical, liberation, hermeneutical, emerging, constructive, and practical approaches. This course assists students in developing important skills for engaging youth ministry in participation with the Word and work of God. Six credits. Profs. White or Zirschky

CM.112 MAYM: YOUTH MINISTER AS PASTOR AND LEADER This course introduces various roles played by the youth leader in ministering to the spiritual, personal, and social needs of adolescents in American congregations. It examines the role of youth minister as leader in the Christian community in light of systems theory, cultural intelligence, and theological reflection. Additionally, an exploration of the role of youth minister as pastor and caregiver are considered in light of the developmental needs and realities of contemporary American youth. Six credits. Profs. White or Zirschky

CM.132 MAYM: YOUTH, SECULARIZATION, AND EXPERIENCES OF RELIGIOUS DOUBT Research shows a majority of Christian youth doubt their faith. Few ever talk about it, leaving teenagers to doubt alone. This course prepares students to journey alongside young people who are doubting their faith. Students examine historical and contemporary accounts of religious doubt, explore a theology of doubt, consider the influence of secularization, and investigate the varieties of doubting experiences that beset youth. Four credits. Prof. Zirschky

CM.133 MAYM: RELATIONAL YOUTH MINISTRY IN AN AGE OF NETWORKS Youth ministry has been nearly universally conceived as relational in nature. These forms of relational ministry are being challenged by a change in the meaning of

relationality fostered by life in a networked society. This course explores the challenges posed to relational youth ministry by the sociological shift to networked individualism, and seeks to guide students in reimagining relational ministry for the networked age through a practical theological framework. Four credits. Prof. Zirschky

CM.192 MAYM: YOUR MONEY AND YOUR LIFE This course explores money as a social construct, occasion for idolatry, and genuine problem for Christians. Specific attention is given to one’s personal relationship with money, theories of stewardship, and the use of money in contemporary American congregations. Four credits. Prof. Lincoln

CM.196 MAYM: SUSTAINABLE FAITH IN A SECULAR AGE This course explores the rise in religiously unaffiliated youth and young adults in North America, and evaluates theology, theories, and strategies for addressing this trend through the efforts of Christian congregations and other religious communities. Drawing from sociology, students learn about various perspectives within secularization theory and conduct research interviews to help them understand firsthand the religious concerns and perspectives of unaffiliated and disaffiliated young people. Students consider and evaluate diverse theological proposals for fostering faith in young people that is sustained beyond adolescence, and they propose a plan of action for ministry by their faith communities. Four credits. Prof. Zirschky

CM.202 MAYM: YOUTH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, AND URBAN GARDENING This course invites youth ministers to deepen youth engagement with local forms of social justice through participating in sustainable agriculture and urban gardening. The need to feed the hungry, as called by Jesus, is an ongoing form of justice ministry in which youth can actively participate. Students visit a Nashville-based non-profit that provides gardening training for local schools in impoverished areas where children lack access to fresh food. In addition to learning about non-profits that offer fresh food and gardening training for families, students theologically engage issues of environmental racism and its impacts on communities of color. Finally, students also get their hands dirty by learning about the local soil structure. Four credits. Prof. C. Helsel

CM.203 MAYM: BEYOND YOUTH GROUP: EXPLORING COMMUNITY-BASED MINISTRY This course explores community-based youth ministries outside of traditional ecclesial spaces. Grounded in the missio dei and ecclesiological practice, these new forms of youth ministry are being pursued in urban spaces and other under-resourced neighborhoods by faith-based youth development organizations. Some of these ministries have strong ties to congregations, while others operate independently, but all seek the holistic flourishing of youth in aspects both spiritual and material. Through field trips, in-person guest lectures, and live video interviews, students meet and hear from a variety of youth ministers who are actively leading opportunities that seek to empower and promote the agency of youth. Four credits. Prof. Zirschky

CM.205 NARRATIVE PEDAGOGIES This course explores various narrative-based pedagogies as a means of fostering theological reflection, spiritual growth, and social empowerment in individuals and congregations. Emphasis is given to the use of the dramatic arts: storytelling, playwriting, theatre exercises, improvisational role-plays, and dramatic presentations. Six credits. Prof. White

CM.210 BEAUTY, POESIS, AND CHRISTIAN FORMATION Beauty once stood alongside truth and goodness as a transcendental that characterized being and its perfection in God. This sensibility was lost as postEnlightenment rationalism prevailed, but it is now being reclaimed by some postmodern theologians. This course seeks to recover the place of beauty and theological aesthetics as essential qualities in the church’s theology and its ministry of formation. Students read biblical, patristic, and contemporary sources that portray the cosmos as marked by infinite glory and the Incarnation as the pinnacle of that glory. They also explore pedagogical practices that awaken spiritual practices and deepen faith. Six Credits Prof. White

CM.217 THE CHURCH’S MINISTRY WITH YOUTH The church’s role in empowering young people as agents of faith is explored in this course. Attention is given to the sociocultural context of contemporary adolescents, including the risks and possibilities represented by commercial forces, social fragmentation, and technology. The aim of this course is to provide students with critical perspectives for considering the future of youth ministry as well as a survey of current youth ministry approaches. Prerequisite: CM.222. Six credits. Prof. White

CM.222 FOUNDATIONS OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION This course explores theological and practical foundations for envisioning the church’s task of Christian education. Attention is given to Barth’s doctrine of the Holy Spirit, which is employed as a heuristic framework for holding together the multiple dimensions of Christian education as represented by key works in the field. The aim of this course is to provide students with theological and pedagogical perspectives to guide congregations’ educational ministry and mission. Six credits. Prof. White

CM.229 THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED (WORKSHOP) Theatre is utilized by many communities to study how they are embedded within particular cultural contexts. Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) is a pedagogical technique pioneered by Brazilian educator Augusto Boal widely employed to mobilize people to act more justly and faithfully. This course focuses on practicing and leading TO theatre activities that can be used in faith communities. No theatre experience is required, but students should be prepared to create a non-judgmental and generous community of learners. Six credits. Prof. White

CM.255 SPECIAL TOPICS This course explores a select topic in pastoral care, preaching, worship, music, Christian education, leadership, administration, mission, or evangelism. Students engage the topic through critical reading, discussion, and writing. Six credits. Faculty

CM.303 THE ART OF TEACHING Teaching is an art that opens teachers and students to God’s transformation. Attention in this course is given to theological clues, recent theories of multiple intelligences, and alternative pedagogies, especially as they apply to the teaching context. The purpose of this course is to provide students with theoretical awareness and practical skills for teaching Christian faith. Prerequisite: CM.222. Six credits. Prof. White