CLED 325 Critical Issues in Ministry Leadership

This course serves as an introduction to various issues that impact both local church and parachurch ministry leaders. The student will develop an understanding of the role of the Christian leader’s growth, priority of family in ministry, and contemporary issues related to ministry infrastructure.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

In this course, careful attention will be given to the many areas of responsibility that a Christian leader, who is called by God, must understand and balance. Careful instruction will also be given to practical methods of application, which will be beneficial in ministry duties.

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 complete discussions that designed to foster student interaction around the course material. The core topics for these threads, based on real-life situations, include dealing with personal burnout in ministry, reflecting on the impact of evangelical celebrities, discovering non-profit legal challenges, and responding to a leadership crisis.

The student will create a 300-500 word thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. The student will demonstrate course-related knowledge using the reading materials and appropriate Scripture for the thread. At least 3 supporting citations from course texts must be included in each thread. In addition to the thread, the student will provide 150 word replies to two (2) other classmates’ threads. The student’s replies will include your own personal insights. The student’s replies must also demonstrate an engagement with the thread, course reading material, and appropriate Scriptures. When cited in the thread and/or replies, references must make proper use of current Turabian format (parenthetical or footnote citation). (CLO: B, C, D)

Personal Growth Plan Assignments (2)

Since leadership requires personal discipline and organization, planning for success is a vital component. This is a two-part assignment. (CLO: A, B)

Personal Growth Plan: Part 1 — Mastering the Calendar Assignment

The student will first develop a personal growth calendar relating to life and ministry, including goals, disciplines, and priorities. This section will begin with a 250 – 400-word reflection on areas for personal growth. The student will highlight the ways in which they wants to improve in accordance with the following areas: physical, mental, social, moral, and spiritual. They may add more goal areas as one would like. Then, the student will lay out daily, weekly, and monthly growth plans to address these areas. The student will complete and submit the personal growth calendar within the provided template.

Personal Growth Plan: Part 2 — Mastering Biblical Content Assignment

In Part 2, the student will include biblical content they intend to master. The student will compile a list of 10 books and 60 Scripture verses. The assignment should begin with a written introduction about the importance or goal of learning biblical content for personal growth. The student must provide a written logical explanation for reading each of the 10 books and how they believe each will serve them or their ministry. At least 2 of the chosen books must address the areas of marriage, family, sexuality, gender, or parenting. The verses the student plans to memorize must be listed by Scripture reference and must each be accompanied by a concise summarization of the verse to explain the rationale for committing it to memory. This assignment should include a conclusion that sums up the student’s plan for personal growth, summarizing the overall goals from Parts 1 and 2. The assignment must be written in the current Turabian format and be 750-1,000 words in length.

Family in Ministry Paper Assignment

Family is not just important in ministry, it is, in many cases, a necessary qualification. To help the student chart a path into the future, they will describe their personal philosophy of balancing family and ministry priorities. The student will start by writing a professional introduction to the paper. Then, the student must clearly state a 1-sentence family vision statement. Next, the student will defend and explain the family vision statement. Each phrase or idea of the statement must be supported by citing appropriate Scriptures and integrating course reading materials, as well as outside academic resources. In addition, the student will include practical plans for fulfilling the family vision statement. This assignment must be 1000 – 1500 words in length, be in current Turabian format, and contain a cover page and bibliography. (CLO: B)

Ministry Leader Interview Assignment

Leaders learn from other leaders. In this assignment, you will interview a vocational ministry leader (full-time, bi-vocational, or retired) with a focus on the topic of finances, stewardship, structure, and policies. Using the interview template that is provided, the student will conduct an interview with a Christian leader. Additionally, the student must provide 5 of their own questions to ask the ministry leader. The student may submit the findings in either a narrative (written) style or as a multimedia presentation (PowerPoint, Canva). The student must begin with a brief overview of the Christian leader they are interviewing. The student’s written summary must be 250 – 500 words or 15-20 slides of a summary of what they learned from this interview and their personal takeaways for personal ministry development. If submitted as a paper, it must be written in current Turabian format (including a cover page). (CLO: C)

Reading with Purpose Assignment

Developing a clear sense of success is a grounding moment for any leader. One of the textbooks will challenge popular notions of success in ministry. In this assignment, the student will provide a 1,000 – 1,500-word analysis paper on the book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome by Kent and Barbara Hughes. It will include the following sections: summary (500 at least words); favorite quotes (250-500 words); personal reflection (250-500 words). The entire paper should be formatted in accordance with current Turabian style guide standards. (CLO: D)