Formation and Community in Digital Ministry – CLCM 350

Course Description

This course offers a biblical model of spiritual formation that guides digital ministry practitioners in the facilitation of digital forms of Christian community. Students will learn to appreciate the interconnected reality of the body of Christ whether gathered together physically or digitally. In addition, students will be equipped to foster and facilitate authentic Christian community using available technologies and platforms.

Rationale

American society is often described as being highly individualistic. Many would assert that the individualistic mindset has spilled over into Christians' understanding of spiritual growth. This course seeks to define spiritual formation and show that spiritual formation occurs primarily in the context of community. Additionally, the course addresses ways in which Christian can grow in community from a distance. 

Course Assignment

Course Requirements Checklist

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

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete each Discussion by creating a 300-word thread and replying to at least 2 other students' posts in the Modules: Weeks in which Discussions are assigned. The student post in a manner that propels the conversation forward. (CLOs: A, B)

One of the positive benefits of collaborative learning activities is that they provide learners the opportunity to interact and engage with their classmates. In many cases, the insights of peers can provide a new or different perspective that may have otherwise been missed. To foster ongoing collaboration and reap the benefits of engaging with peers, students will complete a Peer-Review Discussion. For this discussion, students will post a copy of their Capstone Project Assignment to the discussion as a thread. Next, the student will complete a minimum of two replies. There should be an emphasis on intentional engagement in the replies. Please see the Peer-Review Discussion Assignment Instructions for specific assignment requirements. (CLO: C)

Capstone Project Assignment

One of the major emphases of the course is to give students the knowledge and skills needed to develop digital ministry communities. To that end, students will complete the Capstone Project Assignment. This assignment gives students the opportunity to take what they have learned about spiritual formation, community, and virtual ministries, and design a distinctive ministry community. The completed Capstone Project Assignment would provide students with a tool for future digital ministry practice. (CLO: C)

Model of Spiritual Formation Assignments (2)

The student will formulate their own model of spiritual formation. The development of the model of spiritual formation will be completed in two assignments. In the first assignments, students will explain the foundations for spiritual formation and community by looking at what the Bible says about these concepts. Additionally, students will look at how spiritual formation is defined in scholarly literature. In the second assignment, students will articulate ways in which their model of spiritual formation can be applied to their own lives. Finally, students will explore ways in which one's model of spiritual formation can embrace both physical and virtual ministries. (CLO: A) 

Critical Integration Paper Assignment

In this assignment, students will explain the most important elements of the CLCM 350 course in their own words. Students are required to interact with course materials to support the assertions made in the paper. Using the previously completed assignments as a guide for their thinking, students will apply what they have learned about spiritual formation to digital ministry practice. (CLO: B)