DP1/8011S
Reflective Practice
This unit will encourage students to reflect theologically upon their practice of ministry. The actual ministry undertaken may be a student’s everyday employment, voluntary work, or a placement negotiated for the duration of the unit with an approved church or agency.
Through experiential methodology students will identify issues, explore a variety of responses, and engage in critical reflection on the theological and pastoral dimensions of case studies from the diverse ministry settings of a peer group.
Key congregational and pastoral issues will be explored, e.g. leadership and character, addressing conflict, self-care, power dynamics, mentoring, vocational calling and mission.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:
- Exercise intentionality in ministry through goal setting, personal supervision and peer accountability
- Identify core aspects of their operational theology and ministry identity through case studies and reflection
- Critically evaluate a range of personal and institutional issues in ministry formation and practice.
- Articulate a reflective pastoral response to selected case studies.
- (postgraduates) Demonstrate an understanding of theological reflection as an individual and group task.
Prerequisites:
Stirling Director of Supervised Field Education must approve all enrolments into this subject.
Assessment
Undergraduate
2 x 1000 word case study 60%
1 x 2000 word essay 40%
Postgraduate
2 x 2000 word case studies 60%
1 x 2000 word essay 40%
Placements:
Students will be expected to negotiate their own ministry placement and the content of their ministry practice. Guidelines for placements and protocols for maintaining logs, preparing serving-learning covenants, field reports, case-studies and essays are available from the co-ordinator.
Faculty: Penny Martin & Andrew Menzies
Offered: 2018 as part of the Grad Cert Leadership
Recommended reading
* = set texts recommended for purchase
Kinast, R L Making faith-sense: Theological Reflection in everyday life. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1999
Kincaid, W B Finding Voice. How Theological Field Education Shapes Pastoral Identity. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2012
McAlpin, Kathleen Ministry That Transforms. A Contemplative Process of Theological Reflection. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2009.
Palmer, Parker J Let your life speak: Listening to the voice of Vocation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000
Paver, John E Theological Reflection and education for ministry: The search for integration in theology. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2006
Swetland, K L Facing messy stuff in the church: Case studies for pastors and congregations. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel, 2005