Digital Discipleship – CLCM 401

Course Description

In this course, students will be introduced to best practices of digital discipleship in online contexts. Traditionally, it has been assumed that disciples can only be made when engaging each other face-to-face in physical spaces. It has been learned, however, that God’s Spirit is not constrained by time and space and God's Spirit can use the efforts of individuals to equip and train others using available digital technologies.

Rationale

This course builds upon the previous courses in this digital ministry cognate by equipping the student to carry out the Great Commission task of making disciples in a variety of digital environments. We define digital discipleship as ministry that involves initial evangelizing for new birth and subsequent equipping for spiritual growth. Given the unique digital context involved, particular strategies will be described and discussed that address specific ways we fulfill Christ’s mandate to make disciples in a 21^st century digital environment.

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

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, for this course, our formal discussions will focus on reacting to four online readings that address current issues in the practice of digital discipleship. 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 knowledge and understanding of the practice of digital discipleship. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to two other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words. (CLO: A, B)

Digital Discipleship Ministry Proposal Assignment

Using all of the resources provided in the course plus others that the student locates on his/her own, the student will create a Digital Discipleship Proposal for a local church with which he/she is familiar. The proposal must be between 3—4-pages in length and be formatted in current Turabian style. (CLO: A, B, C)

Digital Discipleship Ministry Manual Assignment

Using all of the resources provided in the course plus others that the student locates on his/her own, the student will write up an initial draft of a Digital Discipleship Ministry Manual that a local church could use to train those who serve in their digital discipleship ministry. This should be focused on the basic skills and experiences needed to carry out an effective digital discipleship ministry. The manual should be between 5—6-pages in length and be formatted in current Turabian style. (CLO: A, B, C)

Digital Discipleship Engagement Strategies Assignment

Using the “one another” resources provided in the course plus others that the student locates on his/her own, the student will select ten "one another" imperatives found in the New Testament that he/she thinks are most relevant to an effective digital discipleship ministry. The strategies assignment should be between 6—8-pages in length and be formatted in current Turabian style. (CLO: A, B, C)

Assimilate and Edit Digital Discipleship Paper

The student will take all of the previous papers in the course and combine them into one document with separate, centered headings for each. The student will then edit the entire document making sure he/she has made all recommended corrections and followed Turabian formatting precisely. The total number of pages will be the sum of all previous papers' lengths combined. (CLO: A, B, C)