PROC - Proclamation

This course is designed to advance the graduate student's understanding of and facility with transformational communication and/or the task of feeding a congregation spiritual truth from the Word of God. The course will focus on the three primary areas: the analytical tools needed to understand the cultural context and personal needs of the audience, the exegetical tools required to bring scriptural and Christian truths to bear on those needs, and the personal tools needed to communicate truth clearly and with conviction. The overall thrust of the course is to prepare students to understand and enact the leadership role that preaching and transformative communication plays in shaping the life of a church and other ministry contexts.

This course exposes students to the tools of effective communication in teaching and preaching children and youth. It explores the role of biblical narratives in youth and family ministry and the impact of learning styles, culture, and personality on effective communication.

This course is a comprehensive, integrative approach to Christian proclamation, beginning with biblical foundations and ending with the tools needed to communicate effectively in specific settings. Topics range from a theology of revelation to sermon preparation and various kinds of sermon. The course involves the practice of proclamation and so requires that a student currently be in an approved ministry setting. Prerequisite: MDIV-500

In this course, students will explore and experience the narrative sermon form by listening to and preaching sermons built on a narrative structure. Students will understand the differences between narrative sermons and other sermon forms. The course will provide an overview of the historical shift from the Old Homiletic, one which emphasized preaching as proposition, toward the New Homiletic, which held up preaching primarily as story, or narrative.

This course explores the preaching of early British and American Methodism, along with its contributions to the broader Church. Students will develop a theology of preaching, as well as compare/contrast it to a Wesleyan homiletic. Students will discern and apply historic habits and practices for faithful preaching today.

This course aims to provide students with the resources to think theologically and practically about preaching incarnational sermons in context. Students will also engage interdisciplinary conversation partners from neurobiology, sociology, history, and anthropology in their pursuit of empathic preaching. Students will experiment with practices designed to cultivate empathy in them and their preaching.

In this course, students will examine the unique theological, historical, and cultural forces that have shaped traditional black preaching and traditional black preachers. Attention will also be given to the broader expectations that Africana congregations have of the person who occupies the role of preaching pastor in Africana congregations. Prerequisites: PROC-600 or an equivalent

In this course, students will investigate the biblical world of the New Testament, particularly the Gospels. This exploration will focus on preaching the life of Jesus Christ, in a manner that is faithful to the historical context of the bible and fitting for the contemporary context. Students will consider how 1st century Palestinian geography, religion, social customs, architecture, art, archeology, and literature, impact bible interpretation and sermon development.

This course is a comprehensive, integrative approach to Christian proclamation, beginning with biblical foundations and ending with the tools needed to communicate effectively in specific settings. Topics range from a theology of revelation to sermon preparation and various kinds of sermon. The course involves the practice of proclamation and so requires that a student currently be in an approved ministry setting. Prerequisite: MDIV-500

This first course of the Doctor of Ministry in Transformational Preaching focuses on the holistic formation of the preacher. Students will experiment with and implement practices that foster spiritual, emotional, relational, intellectual, ministerial, and physical health and vitality by reading and reflecting on classic devotional texts, participating in the monastic life, and learning from nationally known preachers.

In this course students will be led by biblical scholars through an in-depth exegetical study of a single book of the Bible. Students will learn advanced skills for exploring the historical and literary biblical contexts, and interpreting the meaning for the contemporary context. A process for developing and delivering sermons that is faithful to both the biblical text and the contemporary context will be appropriated. Students will immediately employ exegetical and homiletical skills by preaching a sermon in class and receiving constructive feedback.

Strong biblical preaching can transform the trajectory of a community and nation. That's what happened in England through the preaching of John Wesley, George Whitefield, and others. In this course, students will travel to England and explore how God has historically used preaching to transform society. Students will visit and preach from historic sites in the Wesleyan-Methodist movement. Insights from some of the most impactful preachers of the past will be gleaned to shape the student's present homiletic practices.

The best preachers paint pictures with their words that people can see and not just hear. In this course, students will develop the skills necessary to increase their capacity for creativity, imagination, and story-telling. Students will explore how narrative plot and creative imagery can be employed through Christian preaching to transform people and cultures.

Students will explore the intersection of incarnational theology with contextual preaching. In this course, students will analyze the dynamics of various preaching contexts, as well as develop and deliver contextual sermons. Students will interact with leading practitioners who have preached effectively in very unique contexts.

In this course students will consider how to develop a thoughtful annual preaching plan that incorporates a variety of biblical genres and themes related to holy days and holidays. Students will develop tools to solicit congregational input for sermon planning. The unique dynamics of preaching for special occasions like weddings, funerals, Christmas Eve, Easter, camps, and community events will also be explored. A special occasion homily will be assigned and preached in class.