Many Christian churches offer preparation classes for both baptism and marriage, but death preparation classes are much less common. Yet death is inevitable and grief abounds, not only as persons face the loss of loved ones but as grief shapes the culture of ageing churches in which elders have ‘golden memories’ of ‘better days’ in ‘former times’ of congregational life. This unit engages grief narratives in search of memento mori (‘remember that you will die’) in personal voice and connects that quest to wise pastoral engagement in a mood that can mark congregations.
Unit code: DP8072P
Unit status: Approved (New unit)
Points: 12.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Pastoral Theology and Ministry Studies
Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Demonstrate capacity to attend to pain and hope in the face of death. |
| 2. | Critique Christian doctrine (e.g. resurrection, post-mortem existence) in relation to a select range of narrative theologies. |
| 3. | Delineate the contours of pastoral theology appropriate to practice in ageing congregations. |
| 4. | Evaluate pastoral practice in relation to appropriateness to ageing congregations. |
Unit can be taken alongside Care at Death's Door
Class discussion, lectures, guided reading, guided exercises.
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Review - - | Briefly describe a critical incident (from participation in congregational life, or else a film, a book, play, or some appropriate source) in relation to experience of grief, and consider the pastoral actions it evoked. In your evaluation, articulate your own level of awareness of others' motivation, the wideness or otherwise of perspectives represented, and in your evaluation seek to balance critique and generosity. Highlight correlations and resonances with unit material from bibliographical sources. |
1000 | 30.0 |
| Portfolio | Record or deliver a 7-minute sermon for a liturgy on All Souls Day AND prepare ONE of the following: a. Write an essay in 1000 words that juxtaposes Christian doctrine pertinent to death and challenges to it in a select range of grief narratives in the context of ageing congregations. b. Compose a poem or lyric or create an artwork appropriate to the context of an ageing congregations. The artwork should juxtapose Christian doctrine pertinent to death and the challenges to doctrine found in a select range of grief narratives. Provide an interpretive statement of 200 words that explains how the creative decisions reflect doctrine and the real life challenges to doctrine. c. Present a journal in 1000 words engaging a select range of grief narratives with reflection on grief and/or ageing congregations. |
2000 | 70.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 15 Aug, 2025
Unit record last updated: 2025-08-15 17:00:38 +1000