Five seminars are required of each candidate in the D.Min. program, for which eighteen credit hours will be earned. All seminars have some aspect of ministry as their primary focal point. 2 semester hours This seminar is an on-campus experience, taken as the candidate's first seminar experience, and prerequisite to all subsequent seminars, in which the candidate will receive general orientation to the degree program, to appropriate research methodologies to be utilized in the degree program, and to appropriate resources for developing successful strategies for life-long learning as a minister. DSDM 510 The Ministry of Biblical Interpretation 4 semester hours The purpose of the course is to update and hone the students' skills in biblical interpretation. The seminar will address the variety of hermeneutical strategies demanded by the equivalent variety of text types in the Old and New Testaments. Attention will also be given to the different ways biblical resources are integral to the broader responsibilities of the minister. DSDM 511 Paul as Paradigm for Ministry 4 semester hours This seminar explores particular aspects of Paul's life and mission as revealed primarily in his letters with a view to appropriating insights gleaned from the apostle's thought and praxis in the ministerial service of the church. DSDM 520 The Ministry of Worship 4 semester hours Through a variety of pedagogical methods, the candidate will explore traditional understandings of worship within the larger Christian community, hermeneutical applications of the Bible as critical to proper worship, the components of worship such as proclamation, music, and the reading of scripture, the worship leader(s) and the worshiping community and planning and evaluation of worship. DSDM 521 The Ministry of Preaching 4 semester hours The seminar will employ a variety of pedagogical methods, including lecture, video analysis of preaching events, small group experiences, and seminar preaching events. In particular the seminar will explore postmodernism as the contemporary context of preaching; a history of preaching with special emphasis on the rise of the so-called "New Homiletic"; a biblical theology of preaching; an exploration of the hermeneutical skills necessary for appropriate biblical interpretation in the service of sermon development; the method of sermon development with special attention to the day-by-day tasks of sermon preparation; methods, techniques, and strategies for effective sermon delivery; methods, resources, and strategies for developing an effective preaching plan for the parish and a pastoral theology of preaching including the place of preaching in the life of the pastor. DSDM 530 The Ministry of Christian Education and Administration 4 semester hours This seminar will probe the various components of effective Christian Education that significantly contribute to one's faith development. Building community within the changing church paradigm requires leadership skills and the effective administration of resources. Developing these skills will be the focus of the seminar. DSDM 531 The Ministry of Leadership in the Church 4 semester hours This seminar attempts to address the tension found in the concept of leadership as informed by a biblical-theological and cultural perspectives, especially in the particularities of who leads or follows and under which authority or power. The main focus is on relational leadership built from a Trinitarian framework, going beyond the scope of how to actions undergirded by understandings and convictions. Selected current models will be critically evaluated. DSDM 533 Mission Strategies for Ministry 4 semester hours Communities and cultural contexts are constantly changing which presents a challange to those who desire to minister effectively. To minister effectively today one should be aware of some of the mission strategies that are currently being used in the United States and abroad. An understanding of these strategies and how they are being used inministry will provide a continuing education for the effective minister. The purpose of this seminar is to prepare missionaries and ministers for effective ministry by looking at the effective mission and ministry strategies currently being used in a wide variety of ministry settings today. DSDM 540 The Ministry Pastoral Care 4 semester hours The role of the minister as pastoral care-giver and counselor is explored in this seminar, giving attention to the care of the self, care of the community of faith, and care of all others in the world who are objects of God's loving care. Seminar participants will develop an appropriate pastoral theology, a level of personal, interpersonal, and spiritual awareness commensurate with mature ministry, and the requisite skills to practice pastoral care in a ministry setting. DSDM 550 The Ministry and the World 4 semester hours This seminar focuses on the role of the minister as a representative of the church in the world external to the church (both local and global). Seminar participants will develop an understanding of the church, and his/her role in it, within a global context, and the capacity to reflect theologically on the implications of that global context for the nature and mission of the church. DSDM 551 Mission and Ministry in a Pluralistic World 4 semester hours Because of the ever increasing geographical mobility of the world's peoples Christians around the world live and work with persons from a variety of different faith perspectives. Excellence in ministry, therefore, presumes an awareness of the groups within their local community, something about their religious traditions and their worldview. A missionary or minister must be able to develop a Christology that deals with religious pluralism and be prepared to encounter persons from a wide variety of faith backgrounds. The purpose of this seminar is to engage the student in the important issues related to being a Christian witness in a pluralistic context. For more information, email divinity@gardner-webb.edu
Seminars
DSDM 501 The Ministry as Life-Long Learning
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