Congregational Mission and Leadership [CL]

CL0520 Church Organization and Leadership

This course focuses on church organization, polity, and missional leadership. It explores theological and theoretical definitions of leadership, cultivating congregational identity and vision, gifts discernment in the body of Christ, leading teams, overseeing finances and facilities, leading change, addressing conflict, and creating a culture of leadership multiplication. Students engage in self-reflection on their own gifts and ongoing leadership development.

Full course

CL0535 God’s Mission: Biblical and Theological Explorations

This course examines biblical, theological and theoretical frameworks for congregational mission and leadership. Students explore the Bible’s rich witness to God’s mission from Genesis to Revelation. They critically engage major paradigms in Christian mission over history and across traditions with an eye toward developing their own capacity to lead Christian communities in mission.

Full course

CL4530 New Missional Ministries

This course prepares persons for mission development: planting a new congregation or innovating new missional initiatives in an existing congregation. Multiple resources are engaged, including Bible study, literatures on church planting and innovation, and case studies. Attention is given to formulating a theology for mission development and designing a portfolio of strategies and practices to carry out this type of ministry.

Full course

CL4550 Travel Course: The Missional Church in Context

The Missional Church in Context is a travel course that provides the opportunity for students to learn from and with congregational leaders forming and leading Christian communities gathered around Word and Sacrament for bold participation in God’s mission. The course allows students to learn the current challenges and opportunities for leading congregations in mission from current congregational leaders by spending concentrated time in a congregation or with congregational leaders from a particular context. Students will spend a few days or weeks on-site in addition to completing pre-post-visit readings, writing, and reflection assignments. This course may be taken more than once for credit.

Cultural Context – George Floyd Square offering

Full or half course

CL4560 Money and Mission of the Church

Financial stewardship is essential to the life and mission of both congregations and wider church. This course includes a study of biblical texts related to giving and stewardship of resources, the meaning of money, one’s own attitudes regarding money and stewardship, theological under-girdings for financial stewardship, the importance of pastoral leadership in a congregation’s stewardship, analysis of stewardship programs, engagement with church leaders, and discussion of practical application to contemporary congregational life and preaching.

Full course

CL4565 Ministry in Urban Contexts

This course introduces students to contextual theologies and issues facing Christian leaders in urban environments. Students engage theology, theory and particular urban communities as they create their own contextual framework for ministry in an urban setting and develop a contextual response to a particular ministry issue.

Cultural Context

Full or half course

CL4567 Funding Forward: Leading Organizations to Financial Sustainability

Organizations often struggle to develop financial support for their mission. Congregations, in particular, are realizing that the “Sunday morning offering” may not be enough to sustain their mission. This course will consider innovative practices for guiding leaders from missional imagination to practical implementation, emphasizing the role of money in sustainable development. This course will explore a wide-range of faith-motivated leadership settings, including non-profits, established congregations seeking alternative funding arrangements, new ministries in existing congregations, and emerging faith communities, as well as a variety of different funding sources.

Full course

CL4570 Leading Change that Transforms Christian Communities for Mission

In this course students expand their capacity for leading communities through change and conflict to participate in God’s mission in the world. Students will explore biblical, theological, and theoretical resources for a missional approach to leading change and addressing conflict. Working with case studies, students will discern their adaptive challenges, reflect critically on a community’s current and possible practices, and imagine strategies for moving into the future.

Full course

CL4573 Christian Witness, Evangelism and Mission in a Secular Age

This course explores the apostolic nature of the Christian faith, examines a holistic proclamation of the gospel, reflects critically on evangelism in a secular age, and experiments with listening to and engaging with particular contexts. Students will understand the critical role faith practices play in cultivating Christian community and be introduced to a variety of sociological and cultural lenses to read and interpret particular contexts. Students will develop their own working theology and practices of Christian witness and mission in a specific context through a cultivating project.

Full course

CL4597 Guided Reading and Research in Congregational Mission and Leadership

An independent study for qualified students under the personal supervision of a member of the division. Consult faculty within division.

CL6598/8599 Guided Reading and Research in Congregational Mission and Leadership

An independent study for students in Advanced Theological Education. Consult faculty within the division and Advanced Theological Education Office.