Transforming Pastoral Leadership: A Case Study Approach

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

Undergraduate

1. identify the complexities of situations encountered in ministry settings;
2. demonstrate the use of case study methodology in theological reflection and pastoral response;
3. critically evaluate a range of personal and institutional issues in ministry practice;
4. articulate a reflective pastoral and theological response to cases presented; and
5. analyse the pastoral response to a case study, with reference to theological sources.

Postgraduate

1. identify the complexities of situations encountered in ministry settings;
2. demonstrate the use of case study methodology in theological reflection and pastoral response;
3. critically evaluate a range of personal and institutional issues in ministry practice;
4. articulate a reflective pastoral and theological response to cases presented;
5. analyse the pastoral response to a case study, with reference to theological sources; and
6. formulate a theology of leadership, indicating their style preference.

Undergraduate

• Five case studies (each 500 words) (50%)
• One essay (2,500 words) (50%)

Postgraduate

• Five case studies (total 4,000 words) (50%)
• One essay (4,000 words) (50%)

• Bass, Richard. Leadership in Congregations. Herndon, VI: The Alban Press, 2007
• Burns, Bob, Tasha Chapman & Donald Guthrie. Resilient Ministry: What pastors told us about surviving and thriving. Dowers Grove, Il: IVP, 2013
• Carroll, Jackson. God’s Potters: Pastoral leadership and the shaping of congregations. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006
• Chalk, Steve. Intelligent Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006
• Cole, Allan H. From midterms to ministry: Practical theologians on pastoral beginnings. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008
• Kinast, Robert L. Making faith-sense: Theological reflection in everyday life. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1999
• Pickard, Stephen. Theological Foundations for Collaborative Ministry. Surrey, UK: Ashgate, 2009
• Reed, Angela H. Quest for spiritual community: Reclaiming spiritual guidance for contemporary congregations. London: T & T Clark, 2011
• Stone, Howard W and James O Duke. How to think theologically. (2nd edn) Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996
• Swetland, Kenneth L. Facing messy stuff in the church: Case studies for pastors and congregations. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel, 2005
• Taylor, Steve. Built for change: a practical theology of innovation and collaboration in leadership. Unley, SA: Mediacom, 2016
• Wilson, Henry S, T. Mofokeng, J Poerwowidagdo, R Evans, A F Evans. Pastoral theology from a global perspective: A case study approach. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1996

Set texts recommended for purchase: Nil