BCM326 Church In The City - Gordon College



BCM 326 Church In The City – Spring Semester, 2013

Class Time: 8AM, Saturday – 5PM, Sunday (4 weekends as specified below)

Instructor of Record: Dr. Cliff Hersey Co-Instructor: Dr. Victor Price

Email: cliff.hersey@gordon.edu Phone: 978-867-4294/4399

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Course Description:

This course will expose students to the mission and vision of the church whose physical location is within an “urban” community. Students will be provided with opportunities to observe and learn directly from local church leaders and their ministries. A theological reflection on the city and the church within the city will be developed.

A Note About Course Structure:

This course will be structured across four weekends during the semester. Students will be expected to arrive on Saturday morning at 9AM. Transportation will be provided from Gordon College, leaving at approximately 8AM. The session will end on Sunday at approximately 5PM. Generally, four three-hour sessions will be held on each of the scheduled weekends. Students will be housed in Boston at the college’s expense on Saturday evenings at the Boston Hostel (19 Stuart Street). Two lunches (Sat and Sun.) and one dinner (Sat.) will be provided by the program. Public transportation passes will be provided by the program for use in visiting sites assigned by the course.

Course Objectives:

1. To identify the reality of the growth of urban populations in both the US and internationally.

2. To investigate and assess the biblical mandate to care for the city, by reflecting theologically on the city through the Old and New Testament witness.

3. To examine the role of race in the urban church.

4. To observe, document, and assess a specific worshipping community.

5. To contrast a complex urban church setting with a suburban or rural church setting.

6. To examine, on a macro-level, the role of the local church in Boston and its impact on community development in the city.

Texts:

1. The Holy Bible

2. Timothy Keller, Center Church, Zondervan, 2012, ISBN #9-780310-494188

3. Soong-Chan Rah, The Next Evangelicalism, IVP, 2009. ISBN #978-0-8308-3360-3

4. Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith, Divided by Faith, Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN #0-19-514707-3

5. Podcast of “Divided by Faith: 10 Years Later” (conference): 2010

6. “Contextual Traits in Urban Leadership” in Harvie M. Conn and Manuel Ortiz, Urban Ministry, 2001. This chapter will be distributed in the first session.

7. Other readings as assigned and distributed in class.

Attendance Policy:

You may not miss a weekend session and pass the class. Since each weekend session represents 25% of the instruction, missing a session automatically earns a failing grade.

BCM 326 Course Assignments:

I. Storytelling: Family Church History and Personal Church Experience Paper (3-5 pages) and Mini Class Presentation

Explore your “family tree” through your religious and ethnic linage. Each student will have approximately 5 minutes for the presentation, so your presentation should be concise and use visuals as are necessary to assist with covering the following:

1. Describe the history of your family’s church involvement, denomination, ethnic group, location, and worship style.

2. Describe your own church involvement, denomination, ethnic group, location and worship style (past and current).

3. Reflect on your family’s church experience and your own and discuss how these experiences influenced, positively or negatively, your current view of the church.

This paper and the presentation is due on the second weekend. (See course schedule)

II. Observation/Interview #1: Descriptions of Corporate Worship Paper (3-5 pages) and Mini Class Presentation

Students will choose an urban church (not one of the ones visited during Sunday assignments). Churches may be chosen from any community of more than 100,000 people. (Lynn, Lawrence, Malden, Quincy, and Boston are all good local choices) You should be prepared to study the corporate church environment and structure. Each student will have approximately 5 minutes for the presentation, so it should be concise and use visuals as are necessary to assist with covering the following:

1. Briefly describe the history and current make up of the church and surrounding community. Describe the worship experience.

2. Interview the pastor of the church and assess his/her “theology” of urban ministry. Use Keller or some other urban theological treatment as a sounding board. How does the structure of the worship experience speak to or reflect the urban context?

3. Ask the pastor to give an example of ways in which preaching is shaped by what they know about the urban congregation. Share that in your paper and presentation.

This paper and the presentation is due on the third weekend. (See course schedule)

III. Observation/Interview #2: Community Outreach and Involvement

Paper(3-5 pages) and Mini Class Presentation

Using the same church as in #2 above, students will prepare a study of the church’s involvement in community and helping ministry efforts. Each student will have approximately 5 minutes for the presentation, so it should be concise and use visuals as are necessary to assist with covering the following:

4. In what ways does the church provide a ministry outside the walls of the church? Describe ministries, associations, community development projects, and special outreach events.

5. How well do you think (from your experience and pastoral interview) the church “matches up” with what you know about the needs of the community? Are they effective?

6. How active is the pastor in local secular community efforts or in inter-faith community groups? How about political action or government-sponsored community development?

7. Share success stories. What does the church do particularly well in the area of social service?

This paper and the presentation is due on the fourth weekend. (See course schedule)

IV. Reading Reflections

Each student will prepare a one-page critique of the three major reading assignments for the course. These papers are due after each class discussion on that text. (See class schedule)

Grading:

50% Storytelling papers and presentations

15% Reading Reflections (5% each)

10% Participation in class discussion and panels

25% Final Exam (Take home?)

Students taking the course for 2 credits will we responsible for completing assignments I and IV and taking the final exam. The final grade will be calculated as follows:

25% Assignment I

50% Reading Reflections

25% Final Exam

All students need to attend all sessions, regardless of the amount of credit earned.

Those auditing the course will not participate in any of the written assignments. (Catalog, p36)

BCM 326 Church in the City Course Schedule:

Weekend #1 – February 2 and 3

Session #1: Saturday - 9am – noon

Introduction

Walking tour and lecture: Boston and its rich church history

Lunch served – check in at hostel, assignments and free time for city exploration

Session #2: Saturday - 6:00-9:00PM --- Group dinner and discussion

Developing a Theology of the City (Keller reading—Reading reflection #1 due)

Special Guest Lecturer – Rev. Dr. Victor Price, Senior minister at the Second Church in Dorchester

Students are dismissed to their housing arrangements at the Boston Hostel

Session #3: Sunday – 8:00-10:00AM

Boston’s Quiet Revival (case study) – Lecture: Jeff Bass, Emmanuel Gospel Center

Assignment: Students will be divided up and will attend urban church

worship services within walking distance or “T” ride from the classroom. Today we will concentrate of “historic pulpits—Tremont Temple, Park Street Church, First Baptist, King’s Chapel, St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Trinity Church, etc.

Session #4: 3:00-5:00PM – Debrief from services and application from the lecture

Transportation provided back to campus

Weekend #2 – March 2 and 3

Session #1: Saturday - 9am – noon

Does Race Matter in the Church? A Look at Divided by Faith (Smith reading—Reading reflection #2 due)

Lunch served –check in at hostel, free time for assignments and city exploration

Session #2: Saturday - 6:00-9:00PM --- Group dinner and discussion

Church as an Expression of Culture – A Panel Discussion with Urban Church Leaders and Pastors

Students are dismissed to their housing arrangements

Session #3: Sunday – 8:00-10:00AM

Storytelling: Presentations on Family Church History (See assignments)

Assignment: Students will be divided up and will attend urban church

worship services within walking distance or “T” ride from the classroom. Today we will visit “ethnic” churches—Tremont Spanish, Second Church/Dorchester, Leon de Judah, Boston Chinese Evangelical Church, North Boston Korean United Methodist Church, etc.

Session #4: 3:00-5:00PM – Debrief from services and applications of lecture/panel.

Transportation provided back to campus

Weekend #3 – April 6 and 7

Session #1: Saturday - 9am – noon

Christian Community Development: The Boston Project – Special guest speaker,

Paul Malkemes. Class will begin in Dorchester at the BP site.

Students will receive a lunch stipend and take the “T” back to the hostel for check in. The afternoon will be given to time for assignments and city exploration.

Session #2: Saturday - 6:00-9:00PM – Group dinner and discussion

Observation/Interview #1 – Descriptions of Corporate Worship - presentations

Students are dismissed to their housing arrangements

Session #3: Sunday – 8:00-10:00AM

Power Structures and Urban Ministry – A Discussion of The Next Evangelicalism

(Rah reading—Reading reflection #3 due)

Assignment: Students will be divided up and will attend urban church

worship services within walking distance or “T” ride from the classroom. Today we will visit African-American churches—Jubilee Christian Church, Morningstar Baptist Church, Charles Street AME Church, Bethel AME Church, Global Ministries Church, etc.

Session #4: 3:00-5:00PM – Debrief from services and lectures.

Transportation provided back to campus

Weekend #4 – May 4 and 5

Session #1: Saturday - 9am – noon

Special Challenges to Age-group Ministries: Panel Discussion with urban age-group ministers.

Lunch served – check in at hostel and free time for assignments and city exploration.

Session #2: Saturday - 6:00-9:00PM—Group dinner and discussion

“Contextual Traits of Urban Leadership,” Conn and Ortiz

Discussion: Do I have what it takes to be an urban minister?

Students are dismissed to their housing arrangements.

Session #3: Sunday – 8:00-10:00AM

Observation/Interview #2: Community Outreach and Involvement

Assignment: Students will be divided up and will attend urban church

worship services within walking distance or “T” ride from the classroom. Today we will visit churches that are geared toward impacting college students—Harvard Memorial Church, Marsh Chapel at Boston University, Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Cambridge, etc.

Session #4: 3:00-5:00PM – Debrief and Final Exam

Transportation provided back to campus.

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