SCHEDULE AND CLASS INFORMATION FOR COURSES OFFERED IN THE 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR
All times are Eastern Time
Polity and Administration - Rev. Carson Rhyne
Mondays, August 26-September 30, 2024 | 7-9 p.m. ET | Asynchronous Only on Labor Day, September 2
This course will examine the Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order, its underpinnings, and its implication for mission and ministry. As part of the course, participants will review administrative tasks which grow out of the Book of Order (e.g., session meetings, committee meetings, stewardship season, personnel matters and policies, financial matters, presbytery meetings, annual statistical reports).
Teaching the Bible - Dr. Cindy Kissel-Ito
Thursdays, October 17-November 21, 2024 | 7-9 p.m. ET
This interdisciplinary course examines selected approaches to Bible teaching from the perspectives of biblical scholarship and Christian education. The purpose of this course is to equip participants to develop planning, implementation, and evaluation skills for teaching the Bible.
Preaching - Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston
Tuesdays, October 22-November 26, 2024 | 7-9 p.m. ET
In this course, students will be introduced to the theology and practice of preaching. They will focus on exercises in the art and craft of preaching faithful sermons that are biblical, contextual, theological, intentional, and embodied. By developing, delivering, and receiving feedback on a sermon preached in its context, this course will provide students with the tools to help them become the preachers God has called them to be.
Introduction to Pastoral Care - Dr. Rubén Arjona
Tuesdays, January 7-February 11, 2025 | 7-9 p.m. ET
An introduction to the theories of pastoral care and counseling. The course offers various theological and psychological perspectives and tools to help participants develop confidence in responding to circumstances of pastoral care and counseling in the context of parish ministry and other institutional settings. Topics include the art of listening, loss and grief, pastoral care with couples and families, and the pastoral function of worship and the sacraments.
Reformed Theology - Dr. Rachel Baard
Thursdays, January 9-February 13, 2025 | 7-9 p.m. ET
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge of and appreciation for the Reformed theological tradition in which the PC(USA) is rooted. The course will explore the central tenets of the Reformed tradition, its contemporary significance for the life of the church, and its relationship to the broader ecclesial and social contexts.
Biblical Interpretation - Rev. Dr. Megan Fullerton Strollo
Tuesdays, February 18-March 25, 2025 | 7-9 p.m. ET
This course has as its primary goal the equipping of Christian leaders to interpret biblical texts faithfully. The course provides an overview of the ways in which the church has approached the work of biblical interpretation and then offers a practical guide for close reading of passages.
The Christian Life - Dr. Cindy Kissel-Ito
Thursdays, February 20-March 27, 2025 | 7-9 p.m. ET
This course is designed to provide knowledge of Protestant perspectives on the Christian life. Participants will explore biblical and theological foundations that shape an understanding of the Christian life. Reflection on focused experiences of spiritual practices will engage students in critical analysis of their own spiritual lives and nurture opportunities for congregational ministry and leadership. Through assignments, online discussion, and class lectures, participants will engage in vital components of the Christian life.
Church History - Dr. Christine Luckritz Marquis
Tuesdays, April 22-May 20, 2025 | 7-9 p.m. ET
This course is designed to provide an overview of and an appreciation for the history of Christian traditions, the broader contexts in which they are developed, and their continued significance for the life of the church. Participants will study select crucial historical moments (e.g., early Christian movements, church councils, Reformation, Christianity in America).
Mission and Evangelism - Rev. Dr. Aram Feinberg
Mondays, April 28-June 2, 2025 | 7-9 p.m. ET | Asynchronous Only on May 26
The overarching goal of this course is to develop a contextual framework to understand mission and evangelism. Students will re-imagine the contours of mission and the task of evangelism, involving a theologically based approach to mission and evangelism and considering the impact of the growing demographic of the "unaffiliated" (or Spiritual But Not Religious) across the religious landscape of America. Students will examine an approach to mission and evangelism that addresses the needs of society, reflecting ways in which a local church continues its commitment to the gospel message (love God and love neighbor) and to the great commission (go and make disciples).
Worship and Sacraments - Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston and Rev. Dr. Diane Walton Hendricks
Thursdays, May 1-June 5, 2025 | 7-9 p.m. ET | Asynchronous Only on May 29
This course will examine the history, theology, and practice of worship and sacraments. While rooted in the reformed tradition, the goal is to deepen appreciation for a variety of worship services and liturgical practices. Through reflections on readings and discussions of observed liturgical rituals, the course will seek to cultivate enlivened worship leadership practices and their theological impact within the particular ecclesial context for each person. At the end of the course, participants will be equipped and inspired to craft and lead worship that is lifegiving for them and their worshiping congregation.
