ML537/637/737/837:
Leaders and Church in Culture (4 units)
Sherwood Lingenfelter, Professor of
Anthropology
Winter 2006 Pasadena
DESCRIPTION:
The objective of this course is to
enable students to describe and understand the social context of any church, and
to grasp how it imposes powerful limitations on leaders and leadership. The course examines four prototype social
games that define the cultural parameters of the organization and life of the
church. Focusing on the social context
of community life and leadership, the lectures and class discussions draw
extensively from texts in the Old Testament that illuminate the changing social
organization of Israel, and the leadership of Moses in bringing them through
these substantive changes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The
student should achieve the following learning outcomes upon completion of the
course:
1. Master the theory of social games
applied to leadership and the cultural expressions of the church.
2. Develop skill in using
questionnaires and interviews to gather data.
3. Develop skill in data analysis using
the theory of social games.
4. Analyze the social context of a
local church and draw applications for leadership.
5. Critically evaluate the
discontinuities between the social and cultural expectations for leadership and
the metaphors for ministry leadership developed in scripture.
6. Create a plan for leadership that
incorporates a dynamic tension between the social game of the church and
biblical metaphors of ministry.
COURSE FORMAT:
Classes
are designed to facilitate student learning through reading, discussion,
clarifying lectures and research. Students should expect to read assignments
and do ethnographic research in eight of the ten weeks.
REQUIRED READING:
Guder, Darrell L. The Continuing Conversion of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2000.
Paul R. Gupta and
Sherwood G. Lingenfelter. Breaking Tradition to Accomplish Vision:
Training Leaders for a Church Planting Movement. Winona Lake, Indiana: BMH
Books, 2005.
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. Transforming Culture. Second edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 1998.
Snyder, Howard A.
and Daniel V. Runyon. Decoding the
Church: Mapping the DNA of Christ’s Body.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2002.
Collected Case Studies of Mission and Church Organizations (unpublished
research reports).
RECOMMENDED READING:
Lingenfelter,
Sherwood G. Agents of Transformation.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1996.
Thompson, Michael, Richard Ellis, and Aaron Wildavsky. Cultural Theory. Westview Press, 1990.
Wildavsky, Aaron. The Nursing Father:
Moses as Political Leader. Alabama Press, 1984.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Classes
begin and end with a writing reflection exercise on the readings and the class
discussions. Students work in pairs to
conduct weekly research, observing and interviewing leaders and followers in a
local church or mission organization, and must submit seven 1000-1250 word (4-5
pages) research reports, which are the basis for a final paper.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO
CURRICULUM: Option to meet research requirement in the MA & ThM programs.
FINAL EXAM: None.
Last Date Edited: September 22, 2005