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J-Term Immersion Experience:

Flourishing in the Parish-The Pastoral Life

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa

Lead Pastor and Immersion Faculty: Peter W. Marty

Trinity Faculty: Emlyn A. Ott

January 5 to January 14, 2016

Cost:

Tuition: Three credit hours

Travel: covered and arranged by student; $100 student travel stipend available from the

congregation

Books: $50

Housing: Double occupancy rooms will be provided by congregation

Food: Breakfast is included with overnight accommodations. One meal/day provided by

congregation; students responsible for other meals

The Congregational Setting

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, IA, is a 3,600-member central city congregation

located in the Quad Cities metropolitan area (pop: 300,000). Known for both its

investment in local urban renewal and global mission efforts, St. Paul is also a center for

creative worship and a widely recognized music program. The setting of St. Paul serves

as an ideal location for a parish ministry immersion site.

Course Objective

The 10 day Parish Ministry Immersion course at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport,

IA, provides a firsthand opportunity for students to work with a lead pastor and staff in a

vibrant and growing central city congregation. The objective of the experience is to

witness and reflect upon the many facets of the pastoral life, and to observe the texture of

congregational practices and behaviors that foster a healthy and dynamic model for

church life. The greatest value of the course will emerge from the opportunity to gain

insight on what makes the pastoral life so good, so meaningful, so significant, and – yes,

on any number of days – so challenging. All class discussion, reading assignments, and

short reflection papers will be organized around the student imagining him or herself in

the vocation of parish ministry, of course situated in a host of different congregational

settings.

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The Nature of the Course Content

Because this is an immersion experience, students will meet together in an extensive

capacity for every day of the week. The most structured meeting times will be during the

weekday morning and afternoon seminars. Important group experiences and pastoral

encounters will take place outside of seminar or classroom time as well. Some of each

day will be spent experiencing the up-close work of pastors and a congregation in action.

Other time together will involve a behind-the-scene’s look at decision-making, strategic

thinking, planning, and collaborating for all levels of congregational leadership. Still

other time will be spent in worship, local culture, communal eating, and fun.

Schedule for Seminars

Because the St. Paul congregation’s life will not cease during this two-week course, and

the daily pastoral responsibilities that go with life at St. Paul will not grind to a halt

either, there will be some necessary flexibility surrounding specific seminar times. In

general, students will gather for a seminar each weekday morning from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.

and from 2:00 – 3:00 each weekday afternoon. These classroom times will be in addition

to other shared experiences of the group each day. Seminar readings and/or reflection

paper preparation or writing will be an expected component of each student’s daily

routine.

Orientation will take place on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 9 am at the church. The

closing seminar will take place on Thursday morning, January 14, 2016 at 9 am.

Seminar Topics

1. Pastoral Leadership will form the core subject matter for half of the total

seminar time. Every subject considered will attend closely to the character and

manner or style with which a pastor approaches particular ministry tasks and

people. This focus is different from a rigidly practical approach that dwells more

heavily on the technical skill requirements for accomplishing those same tasks

and working with those same people. At issue will be the heart, soul, and mind of

a person entering ordained ministry. Who is such a one in pursuit of a well-lived

life of rich texture and spiritual depth, who actually lives differently than that

other person who thinks of ministry as “a nice job in a pleasant setting where you

get to help people?”

Specific areas of pastoral leadership addressed will include:

Vision and Planning

Appreciating the Servant Character of Ministry

Loving All People Including the Hard-to-Love Ones

Grasping the Meaning of Mission

Helping Shape a Congregation in Intentional Ways

Leading Meetings with Creativity and Purpose

Attending to One’s Own Spiritual Life

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Reading People Well and Responding to Those Perceptions

Helping Others Find Their Theological Voice While Finding One’s Own

Addressing Tough Issues

Thoughtful Preaching

Teaching Effectively in a Range of Settings

Writing in a Manner That’s Worth Reading

Community Involvement and Commitment

Recognizing the Basics of Systems Theory in an Actual Setting

Professional Behaviors and Etiquette

Establishing Habits and Virtues for the Long Haul

Practical Parish Realities will constitute the other half of seminar time. This will be

an opportunity to not only discuss, with gifted people in the field, the practical aspects

of leading a congregation, but also to get behind the methodologies that inspire,

sustain, and provide deep fulfillment for routine tasks and ordinary responsibilities. It

is this joy with which one gets to engage an assignment that contributes to the deepest

vocational meaning. Specific areas addressed under this understanding of joy will

include:

Youth Leadership in Today’s World

Financial and Stewardship Considerations Vital to a Flourishing Congregation

Forming Faith in Ways that Transform Lives

Worship Creativity and Planning

The Ever-Evolving World of Church Music

Wise Communication that Thinks Congregationally

Fostering Valuable Pride in the Physical Plant

Developing a Nose for Hospitality, Not Just Friendliness

Being Smart About Technology in a Church with Limited Resources

Books and Articles

The final list of books and articles that will be used has yet to be assembled in this first

draft of a syllabus. Given the limited time frame for this J-term course, however, most of

the books will necessarily include the reading of only select chapters. As stated

elsewhere, the out-of-pocket book expense per student will not exceed $50.

Authors to be read will include such individuals as Eugene Peterson, Craig Barnes, Will

Willimon, Greg Jones, David Hansen, Barbara Brown Taylor, Joan Chittister, Richard

Lischer, N.T. Wright, and Peter W. Marty.

Writing Assignments and Seminar Expectations

The Parish Ministry Immersion experience will be highly reflection-oriented, not search-

engine or special-collections-at-the-library oriented. Active participation in group

discussion is expected. A thorough reading of assignments in preparation for each

seminar is also an understood commitment.

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There will be ample free time for students to explore the Quad Cities’ scene and to enjoy

personal time. When the class gathers for any function, common meal, short field trip, or

seminar, participation by all students is expected.

Two reflection papers on assigned subjects relating to seminar conversation and readings

will be due in the course of the 10 days. Each should be no less than two (or three) pages

double-spaced.