Building Congregational/Ministerial Frameworks for the Contemporary Contexts (DM 813)

Prerequesites

Successful completion of DM 811 and DM 812.

Date

Tuesday, Jan. 13th – Thursday, Jan. 15th

Credit

2.0

Block

2

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Course Description

This course introduces students to ways of studying congregational contexts using several different frames. These include the frames of culture, ecology, and resources. Students will learn, respectively, how to study the distinct ways of being together that congregations invent and practice, how to see congregations as organisms in their social and religious environment, and how to inquire into what assets or ‘capital’ congregations have and what might be accomplished with them. By learning to interpret congregations through these different frames, students will thereby learn how to imagine ways that congregations might adapt and change.

Professor

Denise Bell
Donald and Lillian Nunnelly Chair and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Leadership
Education
Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University
Bio
Dr. Bell served as the Regional Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Georgia from 2014-2023. For 35 years, she served churches as pastor, associate, senior associate, satellite pastor, interim pastor, and executive pastor. As a church leader, her enthusiasm in ministry comes from her excitement in seeing lives and churches transformed by fresh ideas and boldness. She engages with others in seeking God for a way that bridges traditional and contemporary paths to meet today’s changes and opportunities. Her ministry is grounded in loving and serving the world with others who practice the principles of faith. Dr. Bell earned her MDiv from Denver Theological Seminary and received her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University in St. David’s, Pa., where she studied the practices of flourishing African American pastors and challenged research regarding clergy wellbeing. She received the 2022 Dissertation of the Year Award. As an educator and minister of practice, Dr. Bell seeks to help pastors and congregations increase their capacity to flourish and to be healthy communities of faith in a changing world.

She serves the body of Christ as preacher, retreat speaker, teacher, leader, counselor, and coach. Topics for which Pastor Bell provides insight which includes leadership development, personal leadership, team building, mission and vision casting and church transformation.

Her ministry is weaved together by her faith in a faithful God. She is God’s daughter, God’s servant, and a messenger for Christ. She loves the Lord and has a love for God’s people as God has called her to be Christ incarnate to a world that needs to know that God loves and calls all according to God’s purposes.

Other Courses Available During Intensives
Block II: Building Congregational/Ministerial Frameworks for the Contemporary Contexts (DM 813)

Course Information

Course Goals & Learning Outcomes
  1. Intellectual: Students will be able to demonstrate acquaintance with a range of approaches for re-imagining organizations and institutional practices that are informed by the critical interpretation of cultures.
  2. Practical: They will be able to demonstrate facility in at least one approach.
  3. Spiritual: They will be able to articulate how the disciplined study of a congregation is a means for discerning what God is calling that congregation to be and to do in the broader societal scheme.
Required Textbooks
  1. Ammerman, Nancy T., Jackson W. Carroll, Carl S. Dudley, and William McKinney, Studying Congregations: A New Handbook (Abingdon Press, 1998). Introduction and chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 (142 pp).
  2. Cimperman, Maria. Social Analysis for the 21st Century (Orbis Books, 2015). Chaps. 3, 4 and 5 (105pp).
  3. Litchfield, Randy G. Roots and Routes: Calling, Ministry, and the Power of Place. Nashville: Abingdon, 2019. Chaps. 1,4, 5 and 6 (68pp).
  4. Moschella, Mary Clark. Ethnography as a Pastoral Practice: An Introduction. Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim, 2008. Chaps 1–5 (100pp)
Is there pre-course work?
Yes. Before you arrive on campus for your time in class, you must complete the pre-class assignments consisting of reading, writing, and lectures. The written assignments must be submitted prior to our first class meeting so that we may discuss them.
What technology is required?
Students should bring with them their laptops, tablets, or device with which they use to access the course materials and complete assignments.
What will I need to bring to class?
Laptop, notebook, pens/pencils, jacket or blanket, water bottle, assistive devices, etc. Any assignments or other needed materials will be listed in the course syllabus via Canvas.
Should I bring snacks?
You are welcome to bring snacks or drinks. LTS is equipped with a water filter for refilling water bottles and will have coffee and tea available, as well as an assortment of snacks. If you have a food allergy or sensitivity, please reach out to the Dean’s Office prior to your arrival.
What do I do if I can't join physically?
LTS does offer hybrid intensives options at the discretion of the Dean and course professor. Please contact the Dean’s Office prior to registering for courses to make your hybrid course request.

Other Intensives Course Offerings

LC Block: LC 550, LC 552, and LC 554
IP Block: IP 550 & IP 551
Building Cultural Frameworks for the Contemporary Contexts (DM 812)
Exegesis for the Church (IS 560)
Thomas Merton: His Life, Spirituality, and Social Consciousness (LF 673/873)
Christian Political Ethics for Social Transformation (IB 678/878)
Sermon Preparation (LW 554)
IF Block: IF 556 & IF 558

Questions about registering?

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