CLCM 540 Introduction to Ministry in the Digital Age

This course falls within the Digital Strategies Domain of Digital Ministry Practice and prepares the student to perform a variety of ministry functions required of those who will be leading digital ministry efforts in a local church or Christian organization.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview. 

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will use the discussions to sharpen one another (Prov 27:17) as he/she engages with different topics relevant to online church ministry. The student is required to create a thread in response to the instructor provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words. For each thread, the student must support his/her assertions with 1 scholarly citation in Turabian format. 

For this course, the formal discussions will focus on reacting to selected comments from the book, Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim. (CLO: A)

Each student will prepare a major online church ministry blueprint that the student will research and write in five installments (sections) across the eight modules of the course integrated with course readings and other required course materials. The final version should be at least 6,000 words, double-spaced in 12-point font. The paper should conform perfectly to Turabian style and utilize at least 10 relevant scholarly sources in addition to the required texts and the Bible. Each module will require the student to write a new section and revise a previous section based upon feedback provided by the professor. The student should piece the paper together throughout the course so the professor will see the entire paper demarcated by topic headings centered on the page by the final section of the paper. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

• Research Paper: Introduction and Overview Assignment – Based on the reading of Chapters 1–3 of Ministry in the Digital Age by David T. Bourgeois, the required video presentation for this module, and the previous coursework in the Digital Church Ministry Cognate, the student will write an introductory overview that lays the foundation for subsequent chapters. The student must keep in mind that the introduction will likely evolve as he/she continues the readings and video analyses. The discussion surrounding best practices for the church in the context of digital media and online platforms is ongoing and constantly changing. This section must be 1,500 words, double-spaced, and use 12-point font. This section should also follow Turabian formatting throughout and be free from errors of grammar and syntax. This section should have a separate heading centered on the page.

• Research Paper: The Virtual Body of Christ Assignment – Based upon the reading of the required text, The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World by Deanna A. Thompson, required video presentation for the module, and the previous coursework in the Digital Church Ministry Cognate, the student will write a biblical and theological rationale for online church ministry around the concept of the interconnected (virtual) body of Christ. This section must be 1,500 words, double-spaced, and use 12-point font. This section should also follow Turabian formatting throughout and be free from errors of grammar and syntax. All sections should each have a separate heading centered on the page.

• Research Paper: Digital Design for Online Church Ministry Assignment – Based upon the reading of the required text, Ministry in the Digital Age by David T. Bourgeois, the required video presentation for the module, and previous coursework in the Digital Church Ministry Cognate, the student will develop a digital design or general approach for an online church ministry at a hypothetical church. The student will then share his/her design with a church leader and document the findings in this section. This third section of the student’s paper should be 1,500 words, double-spaced, and use 12-point font. This section should also follow Turabian formatting throughout and be free from errors of grammar and syntax. Previous sections should each have a separate heading centered on the page. 

• Research Paper: Digital Strategies for Online Church Ministry Assignment – Based upon the foundation established in the previous section of the paper (Digital Design for Online Church Ministry), the reading of the required text, The Social Media Gospel by Meredith Gould, and chapters 4–7 of Ministry in the Digital Age by David T. Bourgeois, required video presentation for the module, and previous coursework in the Digital Church Ministry Cognate, the student will develop a cluster of digital church ministry strategies that demonstrates how he/she will carry out ministry using the platform and digital design addressed in the previous section of the paper. This fourth section should be 1,500 words, double-spaced, and use 12-point font. This section should also follow Turabian formatting throughout and be free from errors of grammar and syntax. Previous sections should each have a separate heading centered on the page.

• Research Paper: Final Edits and Conclusion Assignment – The final week of the course affords the student an opportunity to review, edit, and finalize the content, structure, and style of his/her paper before submitting it for evaluation. The final version should be at least 6,000 words, double-spaced, and use 12-point font. The paper should conform perfectly to Turabian style and utilize at least 10 relevant scholarly sources in addition to the required texts and the Bible. The final edited version should also contain a short final summary or concluding paragraph that encapsulates the content of the paper.

Website Summary Report Assignment

The student will go to Jay Kranda’s website and take a few minutes to browse the different sections available (Archive, Course, etc.). The student will then identify 3 resources among all those provided that are of special interest. The student will read or view each of the 3 resources, reflect on their significance for online church ministry, and write a 1,500 word summary report that integrates all 3 resources with what he or she has learned in this course (readings and presentations). Turabian formatting must be used. (CLO: A, C)