Ministry in Church and Society

• STH TC 715: Introduction to Preaching
  An introduction to the theology and practice of preaching within the context of Christian ministry and worship. Students develop skills necessary for preparation, composition, delivery, and critique of sermons. Required of all M.Div. students in the Pastoral Ministry track. (Cluster 3)
• STH TC 723: United Methodist Polity
  Covers the polity, structure, procedures, and ritual of the United Methodist Church along with the basic structure of and ecclesial concepts contained within its Book of Discipline. Designed to meet one of the requirements for membership in a UMC Annual Conference. (Free Elective Only)
• STH TC 724: UCC Polity
  The United Church of Christ (UCC) enjoys a rich ecclesial history and thought- provoking polity, both of which should be understood and appreciated by those seeking to serve in ordained or lay ministry within the denomination. Students taking this course will encounter the traditional "UCC origins" narrative, learn about the four constituent denominations and hidden histories that shaped the UCC and its ideals, and engage issues of Theology, Ecclesiology, Mission, Ecumenism, and Liturgy within the denomination. This course fulfills the UCC polity and history course requirement for ordination in the denomination. (Cluster 3)
• STH TC 801: Contextual Education 1
  Supervised professional placement in a congregational setting or community agency combined with participation in a peer reflection-learning group focused on the integration of theology and practice. MDIV CORE REQUIREMENT. Background check is required. Must have approved site before starting the class.
• STH TC 802: Contextual Education 2
  Graduate Prerequisites: (STHTC801) - Graduate Prerequisites: STH TC 801. Continues and presupposes STH TC 801 in the spring semester. MDIV CORE REQUIREMENT. Background check is required. Must have approved site before starting the class.
• STH TC 803: Contextual Education 3
  Advanced contextual education placement for those who have already completed their core contextual education program requirements. Can be taken for variable credit. Background check is required. Must have approved site before starting the class.
• STH TC 804: Contextual Education 4
  Advanced contextual education placement that continues and presupposes STH TC 803. Can be taken for variable credit. Background check is required. Must have approved site before starting the class
• STH TC 807: UMC General Conference
  The quadrennial General Conference is the chief legislative body of the United Methodist Church. This course provides students with the opportunity to examine the critical role of the General Conference in the United Methodist tradition. In addition to examining the General Conference's impact upon the historical and theological identity of United Methodism, the course explores specific doctrinal, polity, and social issues that are on the agenda of the General Conference in the semester in which the course is offered. The course allows students the option of receiving additional credit for attending part of the General Conference sessions. (Clusters 1 and 3)
• STH TC 811: Contextual Education Project
  Contextual Education Project
• STH TC 812: Contextual Theology: Missions and Diakonia
  In this course, students are introduced to contextual theology and its relationship to missions within mainline denominations through the consideration of ministries of love, justice, and service. Students will examine scriptural and theological grounds for missional outreach, consider church engagement in social justice, explore Christianity's history/tradition, and visit missional sites in the Boston area. Particular attention will be given to students' experiences in dialogue with the assigned readings and local leadership. This is an interdisciplinary course facilitated through a protestant feminist/Mujerista perspective with a decolonizing intent. It will be run in a seminar style with the instructor as facilitator for critical engagement of readings, sharing of experiences, and contextual deconstruction/construction of methods, theories and historical understandings. (Cluster 2 & 3)
• STH TC 814: Embodying the Kin(g)dom
  This course explores the role of the physical body and taking action in bringing about God's kin(g)dom (or living up to one¿s highest spiritual or religious ideals). Students investigate these themes in select life practices and practices of faith such as body sculpting, congregational meals, and dialogue. Rather than focusing on the content of faith or treating faith as if it were mostly concerned with right thinking, our accent will be on experiencing and enacting faith. Through an introduction to practical theological method, students will engage in mini-field research and reflect on it using course readings.
• STH TC 817: Introduction to Christian Worship
  An introduction to the spirit and structure of Christian worship. Word, sacraments, calendar, music, and pastoral offices are analyzed and described in terms of their relevance to congregational life, spirituality, catechesis, and mission. Prerequisites: STH TF 701 and STH TF 702. (Clusters 1 and 3)
• STH TC 818: Writing for Public Worship
  The course explores the relationship between the languages of worship/prayer and faith/belief; enables the student to develop foundations and skills for writing prayers, liturgies, and other ritual resources for public worship; and fosters theological/liturgical/pastoral evaluation of the liturgical texts and practices used by faith communities. This course requires instructor's approval for all doctoral students. (Clusters 1 and 3)
• STH TC 819: The Sacraments: Rites and Theologies
  Contemporary study of the sacraments brings together ritual studies, liturgical history, the history of dogma, and systematic reflection. This course examines the baptismal and eucharistic rites of the Church, both past and present, along with theological rationales of and commentaries on them offered by ecclesiastic writers of the patristic, medieval, Reformation, and modern periods. (Clusters 1 and 3)
• STH TC 822: Faith-Based Community Organizing for Justice and Peace
  It is estimated that 1 out of 3 people in a congregation will have some experience with intimate partner violence. It remains the leading reason women visit hospital emergency rooms. Although it is less frequent, men are also victimized. This course will examine the impact of gender based violence on families and congregations. It will give special attention to the general problem of gender based violence and to the role that theological understandings of suffering, obedience, and ownership may play in such violence. It will utilize pastoral counseling case studies (video vignettes of actual pastors) to begin to provide those in ministry with the tools they need to respond to people in their care and understand how to make appropriate referrals.
• STH TC 823: Spiritual Guidance in the Christian Tradition
  Are you seeking a "word of life"' Do you hunger to know more about the wisdom of Christian spiritual traditions' Do you feel called to grow in your ability to guide others' In this course students will explore selected writings from the Christian tradition -- both classic and contemporary. They will read the pithy sayings of the early desert abbas and ammas, the gentle counsel of Francis de Sales, the spiritual teaching of John Wesley and his mother Susanna, and the insights of the Russian pilgrim who wanted to pray without ceasing. They will analyze the various theological commitments reflected in these authors' spiritual teachings, and place them in their historical contexts. Then they will move to contemporary texts about the practice of spiritual guidance, addressing concerns such as spiritual direction of women, group spiritual direction, prayer, and cross-cultural spiritual guidance. (Cluster 3)
• STH TC 826: The Ecumenical Movement: Streams of Engagement and Liturgical Intersection.
  Graduate Prerequisites: Permission of instructor required. - This course examines the Ecumenical Movement--a "defining fact" of Christianity in the 20th century--and its implications for the life of the churches in the 21st century. The class will treat major streams of interchurch engagement including mission, faith and order, and life and work, and will give attention to ecumenical questions regarding worship and sacraments. In addition, the course will consider contemporary models of Christian unity as well as Christian dialogue with other faith traditions. (Cluster 1 & 3)
• STH TC 829: Spiritual Autobiographies
  In the course, students will explore classic and contemporary spiritual autobiographies. These autobiographies reveal the diverse paths of religious seekers, the crises and epiphanies that became focal points of meaning and revelation. Students will learn about the practices of faith that sustained and challenged religious people from Augustine to Teresa of Avila to Tolstoy. Through close, empathetic, and critical examination of the texts, students will reflect on their own spiritual journeys and identities. They also will engage first-hand in the crafting of spiritual autobiography, and students will have the opportunity to work intensively in small groups throughout the writing and sharing process. Throughout the course, students will explore potential uses of spiritual autobiography as pathways of discernment and growth in congregational and retreat settings, small faith groups, spiritual formation and companionship. (Clusters 1 and 3)
• STH TC 835: Evangelism and Contemporary Cultures
  This course explores the practice of bearing faithful, visible, and embodied witness to God's commonwealth in contemporary contexts and cultures. The course covers the biblical, historical, and theological foundations of evangelism, its practice within congregational life, and contextual strategies. (Clusters 2 and 3)
• STH TC 836: Gender, Culture, and Transformational Leadership
  This course examines the relation between race, gender, and ethnicity from the perspective of different multicultural identities and theological understandings, evaluating how religious structures have constructed these relations and challenged these dynamics. Analyzing various church contexts and social constructions, we will aim to re-evaluate diverse theoretical and experimental discussions among different ethnic groups in a global context as well as in the American context. This course introduces students to of the multiple dynamics present between race, gender, and ethnicity in various church contexts such as White/African American/Asian/Asian American/Hispanic/other immigrant churches and multicultural congregations. It investigates how church life and ministry interact with sociopolitical and cultural structures and how these processes impact people's everyday lives. The course analyzes the issues of race, gender/sex, body, age, and class in the North American context seeking also to understand colonial and post-colonial structures within American society and beyond. (Clusters 2 and 3)