Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith and Learning
Diploma in Lay Pastoral Ministry
Polity and Church Leadership
June 6-10, 2011
Syllabus
Course Description
This course is designed to help students understand denominational life and polity as it relates to local congregational ministry. We will also look at some of the practical “nuts and bolts” of how to lead and manage complex church organizations. This will include understanding the traits of a healthy congregation, the influence of size, age, and makeup on the life of the congregation, congregational lifecycles and redevelopment, ways to help your church grow, and other organizational and administrative issues that are important for Christian leaders to understand today.
Course Faculty
Tim Dolan, D.Min, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Clergy and Lay Leadership Development/Master of Arts in Theology, Whitworth University.
Rev. Rick Melin, D.Min. Retired Presbytery Executive, Presbytery of the Inland Northwest.
Course Textbooks
Presbyterian Book of Order/Book of Confessions. Office of the General Assembly, 100 Witherspoon St. Louisville, KY (or whatever governing document covers your congregation/denomination)
Galindo, Israel. (2004). The Hidden Lives of Congregations: Discerning Church Dynamics. Herndon, Virginia: The Alban Institute.
Course Structure
Course content will be presented through lecture, class discussion, small group interaction, overheads, and handouts. Questions and observations are always welcome and encouraged during class. Due to the small size of the class, students are expected to attend all class sessions, actively participate in class discussions, read the required text book, and complete the final assignment.
Course Schedule
Monday, June 6: Traits of Healthy Congregations – Tim Dolan
Tuesday, June 7: Understanding Congregational Dynamics – Tim Dolan
Wednesday, June 8: Understanding Congregational Dynamics (cont) – Tim Dolan
Thursday, June 9: Denominational Life and Polity – Rick Melin
Tuesday, June 10: Denominational Life and Polity (cont) – Rick Melin
Course Final Project
Integrative paper: Each student will write a 10-page (maximum) follow-up paper applying the insights learned in the class to the student’s own specific ministry context.
Imagine you are an organizational consultant that has been invited to evaluate the health and vitality of your congregation, Christian organization, or ministry situation.
A. Section 1 – The first part of the paper should evaluate the relationship the congregation has with the denomination (close/not close, connected/not well connected, etc.) and how well the congregation follows denominational polity in regards to laity, membership, worship, church standards, denominational involvement, etc. You are welcome to interview church pastors, staff, and church officers (elders and deacons) to get some of this information.
B. Section 2 – The second part of the paper should evaluate the overall health and vitality of the congregation. Specifically you should: (a) summarize the prevailing characteristics of the congregation in terms of the individuals who make it up, the congregational values, communication patterns, authority structures, etc; (b) assess the nature and health of the congregation in regards to conflict management, openness to change, size, lifecycle, membership and growth patterns, and other issues; and (c)make recommendations for the improvement of the congregation’s function and overall life and ministry.
The paper will be due by November 1, 2011.