Content

This unit focuses on the fact that graduates will, in many ways, assume positions of leadership within the Christian community. The roles will differ but this unit will help students develop principles and practices of leadership that are coherent with their personal faith commitment and their theological studies. Drawing on the sources of faith (Scripture, Tradition, experience) and the literature on leadership, students will develop methods for theological reflection, an understanding of the relationship between faith and community, an examination of qualities of leadership, pastoral planning skills, and creative approaches to the challenges that confront all who are called to leadership

Unit code: XS9992Y

Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Capstone

Unit discipline: Capstone Other S

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Outline and analyse biblical and theological approaches to leadership

2.

Evaluate Christian appropriations of contemporary leadership models

3.

Apply critical insights from the various disciplines of theology to the practice of pastoral leadership

4.

Develop approaches to pastoral planning and leadership

5.

Explain a personal approach to pastoral leadership in a faith community

Unit sequence

Capstone unit to conclude a Master’s degree (as required by AQF and UD)

Pedagogy

Weekly class of three hours conducted face to face. Also offered synchronous and asynchronous. Class begins with a student centered review of the set reading for the week which then flows into lecture and discussion

Indicative Bibliography

  • Barton, Ruth Haley. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry. Expanded Edition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018.
  • Davies, Mervyn and Graham Dodds. Leadership in the Church for a People of Hope. London: T & T Clark, 2011.
  • Day, David and John Antonakis, eds. The Nature of Leadership. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2012.
  • Doohan, Leonard. Courageous Hope: The Call of Leadership. New York/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2011.
  • Gaillardetz, Richard R. Ecclesiology for a Global Church: A People Called and Sent. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008.
  • Gula, Richard M. The Way of Goodness and Holiness: A Spirituality for Pastoral Ministers. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2011.
  • Habiger Institute for Catholic Leadership at the University of St Thomas, Minnesota. True Leadership. St Paul, MN: Sophia Consulting, 2015.
  • Martin, James. Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. Revised and Expanded Edition. San Francisco, CA: Harper One, 2018.
  • Massaro, Thomas. Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2008.
  • Northouse, Peter G. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc., 2010.
  • Nouwen, Henri. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1989.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Annotated Bibliography 1000 15.0
Essay 6000 85.0

Variant 2

Essay 3000 45.0
Essay 4000 55.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 25 Sep, 2023

Unit record last updated: 2023-09-25 12:36:50 +1000