ML537/637/737/837: Leaders, Social Games, Missional Churches (4 units)

Sherwood Lingenfelter, Professor of Anthropology
Spring 2006 Pasadena

DESCRIPTION:

The objective of this course is to enable students to describe and understand the social context of any church, and to grasp how it imposes powerful limitations on leaders and leadership. The course examines four prototype social games that define the cultural parameters of the organization and life of the church. Focusing on the social context of community life and leadership, the lectures and class discussions draw from texts in the Old Testament, case studies of contemporary church and mission organizations, and literature on church, mission, and leadership.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The student should achieve the following learning outcomes upon completion of the course:

• Master the theory of social games applied to leadership and the cultural expressions of the church.
• Develop skill in using questionnaires and interviews to gather data.
• Develop skill in data analysis using the theory of social games.
• Analyze the social context of a local church and draw applications for leadership.
• Critically evaluate the discontinuities between the social and cultural expectations for leadership and the metaphors for ministry leadership developed in scripture.
• Create a plan for leadership that incorporates a dynamic tension between the social game of the church and biblical metaphors of ministry.

COURSE FORMAT:

The class will meet for a three-hour session once weekly for ten weeks. Classes are designed to facilitate student learning through reading, discussion, clarifying lectures and research. Students should expect to read assignments and do ethnographic research in seven of the ten weeks.

REQUIRED READING: If you have previously read any of the required texts, please select an alternative text from the recommended reading list or a book approved by the instructor.

Guder, Darrell L. The Continuing Conversion of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.
Paul R. Gupta and Sherwood G. Lingenfelter. Breaking Tradition to Accomplish Vision: Training Leaders for a Church Planting Movement. Winona Lake, Indiana: BMH Books, 2006.
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. Transforming Culture. Second edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998.
Collected Case Studies of Mission and Church Organizations (unpublished research reports).

RECOMMENDED READING:

Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. Agents of Transformation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1996.
Thompson, Michael, Richard Ellis, and Aaron Wildavsky. Cultural Theory. Westview Press, 1990.
Wildavsky, Aaron. The Nursing Father: Moses as Political Leader. Alabama Press, 1984.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Classes begin and end with a writing reflection exercise on the readings and the class discussions. Students work in pairs to conduct weekly research, observing and interviewing leaders and followers in a local church or mission organization, and must submit seven 1000-1250 word (4-5 pages) research reports, which are the basis for a final paper.

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet research requirement (ISRR) in the MA & ThM programs.

FINAL EXAM: None.

Last Date Edited: January 9, 2006