The Life of Leaders – LEAD 520

Course Description

This course will explore the lives of great leaders throughout history. Leadership is not a distinctively Christian practice. Leadership is found in all segments of society and culture. Thus, this course will explore the personal lives, traits, practices and disciplines of leaders in various sectors of cultural history including religious leaders, political leaders, military leaders, and business leaders. Specific attention will be given to the process of interpreting leadership from a distinctively organizational perspective, as performed by great leaders, and applying these leadership lessons into an organic perspective of Christian leadership in ministry. (Formerly CLED 520)

Rationale

A person’s Christian spiritual development and human development will impact life and vocation. As a result, the leader should have a clear understanding of how those areas affect life and vocation. An effective leader will integrate successfully the areas of Christian spirituality and human development into a positive Christian leadership style.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

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

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt. Each thread must be at least 350–400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 3 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200–250 words. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Theological Analysis Assignment

This assignment will synthesize reading on leaders in Church history. It will require the student to engage with course material and an additional four academic resources outside the course reading. (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Shepherd Leadership Research Assignment

This assignment will be completed with four specific deliverables and will provide the foundation for the final assignment in the course. Here, the student will have to provide a rough draft outline and thesis statement, as well as a biblical comparison analysis and a short annotated bibliography (CLO: C).

Quiz: Leadership Reflections

There are seven questions in this quiz. Each question is a short answer/essay question asking the student to reflect on the reading from the first three modules. The questions are big picture questions and not looking for superfluous details. Instead, the goal for these questions is reflective application. The questions range from 10-15 points each. (CLO: E) 

Historical Leaders Assignment

This assignment requires the student to explore and analyze a leader not introduced within this course. The student will choose a leader to write on based on his/her own leadership/vocational goals. The focus of the analysis is on theology and spiritual disciplines. Selections for this assignment must be Christian leaders in history (i.e., deceased). (CLO: A, B, D) 

Marriage, Family, and Leadership Assignment

This assignment will require the student to analyze the marriages and family lives of several Christian leaders from course material. Following the analysis, the student will reflectively apply what he/she has read to his/her own particular contexts of family-leadership (CLO: A, B, D, E). 

Shepherd Leadership Analysis Assignment

This assignment will be completed in two sections. The first section builds off previous research done in this course whereby the student will write a short essay on what Scripture says regarding the shepherd as leader. The second part of the assignment will be an appraisal of the book, Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor and how the character of this book images the biblical shepherd the student just wrote about. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)