Ethics & Spiritlty of Ministry

Catalog description

Taught by JST. What makes a good minister? What makes a bad minister? Who do you hope to become in the course of your ministry? What sustains and enlivens pastoral ministry? What particular issues and concerns are of significance in the practice of ministry? In this course, we will bring into dialogue aspects of the ethics and spirituality of ministry in various contexts: parishes, schools, prisons, etc. The aim is to develop an account of some of the virtues relevant to pastoral ministry. This account should both reflect the best aspects of the ministers who have been formative for us, and serve as a guide in our own future practice of ministry. I assume that all students bring to this class some experience in volunteer or professional ministry. While it is not a requirement of this class that students be engaged in practical ministry during this term, I strongly encourage you to do so. The course is organized according to four salient virtues for ministry: self-care, justice, fidelity and trustworthiness, and is most suitable for M.Div. and ministry-related MA students. This class is taught as a seminar. Grading will be based on weekly reflection papers, discussion facilitation, class participation, and a final paper or project. [One prior graduate level introductory moral theology or ethics class is required; Faculty Consent required; 15 max enrollment; Auditors excluded]