1 GOLDEN GATE BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAMPUS E1314-21, Administration & Church Growth (2 Credit Hours) Thursdays (September 3, 17, October 1, 15, 29, November 12, and December 3) 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM Dr. Jason Barker Fall 2015 Cell: 909-486-7432 Office: 909-425-1777
[email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION An introduction to basic principles and methods of administration and church growth. Unique aspects of biblical administration and church growth as applied to church, parachurch organizations, and denomination will be explored. Current resources and techniques are examined.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES 1) At the conclusion of the semester, the student will be able to demonstrate competence in practical skills for Administration: Administration: (C7, C10, MAEL DO5) • A student is capable of applying administrative skills to manage the physical resources of the church or organization.
2) At the conclusion of the semester, the student will be able to demonstrate competence in practical skills for Church Growth: Church Growth (M16, R19, MAELDO5) • A student is capable of applying administrative skills to lead a local church to grow. • A student will gain comprehension of multi-cultural administration and church growth • A student is capable of applying administrative skills to manage the human resources of the church or organization.
2 MANDATORY ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES GGBTS engages in regular assessment of its academic programs. Student participation is essential to this process through the following three activities. 1. ePortfolio Reflections - All degree-seeking students must reflect on the work completed as part of required courses by commenting upon the manner in which the course contributed to his/her growth in relation to five Essential Leadership Characteristics selected by the student and referenced in the syllabus under Course Learning Outcomes. These reflections must be recorded in the student's ePortfolio and a copy emailed to the professor no later than the last scheduled meeting of the class. 2. CoursEval Assessments – Each semester a link to a CoursEval survey for each course taken will appear in the student's MyGGBTS page. Students are required to complete this online evaluation of course/instructor no later than the last scheduled meeting of the class. A summary of results (without student ID) is released to the professor only after grades have been submitted for the course. 3. ePortfolio Artifacts – The syllabi of certain courses identify specific assignments which the student will both turn in to the professor for a grade AND attach to their ePortfolio as a "learning artifact." The institution reviews these artifacts as a way of judging the effectiveness of the Seminary's academic program. The review normally occurs after the student's graduation and without reference to student identity. Students are encouraged to remove title page or header/footer containing their name prior to attaching the artifact to their ePortfolio.
SEMINARY POLICY ON ACADEMIC CREDIT AND WORKLOAD EXPECTATIONS For each hour of academic credit granted for a GGBTS face-to-face, hybrid, or online course, the Seminary assigns a workload of approximately 45 clock hours of academic learning activities per academic credit hour earned. Traditional in-class format normally apportions 15 hours of in-class instruction and 30 hours of instructional exercises to be completed outside of class meetings per credit hour granted. For androgogical reasons, individual courses may adjust the ratio of assignments inside and outside class meetings.
COURSE LEARNING EXERCISES/ASSIGNMENTS I. Required Reading and Reading Responses Students will read the assigned reading from Church Administration Handbook for the day prior to that day’s class session. Reading assignments can be found on the course calendar below. A one page response to the reading will be due at the beginning of the class session. Reading responses may be informal in nature (first person tense, parenthetical citations, no cover sheet, etc.) and should specifically address at least two points of interest or application to the student’s ministry area Due Dates: See course calendar
3 II. Book Review Students will choose one book from the list of Book Review Reading Choices below and write a 4 page book review on it. The book reviews should be formal in nature and conform to Turabian guidelines. Participants should note that these are book reviews and not book summaries, and not only should summarize the content, but also should comment on the book’s strengths and weaknesses and make application of the material to their local church context. Utilize the rubric provided below. Due Date: December 3, 2013 Evaluation Rubric for Book Review Category Components Review length
No Credit
Insufficient
Meets Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
Review Not Submitted
4 double spaced pages
Spelling, grammar, and style
Review Not Submitted
More or less than 4 double spaced pages Multiple issues
N/A
10%
Few issues
No issues
Review Not Submitted
Insufficient summary
Sufficient summary
N/A
Review Not Submitted
1-2 points
3-4 points
Shows significant critical thought
Review Not Submitted
1-2 points
3-4 points
30%
Proof that you read the whole book
Review Not Submitted
Proof not given
Proof given
Significant thought given to local church application N/A
10%
Summary of purpose and content 10%
Critical assessment of content - strengths and weaknesses or areas of agreement or disagreement 30%
Local church application
10%
III. Class Presentation At the first class session, students will be divided into groups and given the assignment of developing and presenting a 20 minute teaching session on one of the following Baptist polity topics: The Southern Baptist Denomination, Deacons in the Local Church, Biblical Qualifications of Church Leadership, Primary Models of Church Governance, The Business Meeting, Robert’s Rules of Order, and Church Constitution and By-Laws. The presentations should include a handout, a PowerPoint presentation, and a suggested bibliography of helpful resources. Utilize the rubric provided below. Due Date: October 29, 2013
4 Evaluation Rubric for Class Presentation Category Components Presentation Length 10%
Slideshow
No Credit
Insufficient
Meets Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
No Presentation Given Not included
Under 15 or over 20 minutes errors, basic
15-20 Minutes
N/A
no errors, nicely done
N/A
Not Included
errors, basic
no errors, nicely done
N/A
Not included
Under 5 Sources
5-7 Sources
8-10 Sources
No Presentation Given
Doesn’t adequately explain topic or its importance, shows insufficient research or preparation, addresses some but not all content requirements
Adequately explains topic, shows scholarly research and ample preparation, addresses all content requirements
Excellent points made throughout, presents a truly engaging learning experience
10%
Handout 10%
Bibliography 20%
Content (theological foundations, history, information, local church application, class interaction, etc.) 50%
IV. Church Leadership and Administration Artifact Students will investigate a ministry and evaluate it against the administration and church growth principles taught in this course. The student will write a summary paper including a description of ministry setting, the strengths and weaknesses, and a strategy for improvement. The paper should be 10-12 pages long and conform to Turabian style. Utilize the rubric provided below. Due Date: November 12, 2013 Evaluation Rubric for Church Leadership and Administration Artifact Categories
Ministry setting description: Budget Planning: identify strengths and weaknesses w/ plan for improvement
25% Personnel Policies: identify strengths and weaknesses w/ plan for improvement
20%
No Credit
Below Expectations
Meets Expectation
Exceeds Expectation
None
Insufficient
Adequate
Application details for
Did not address
Incomplete strengths/weaknesses or inappropriate strategy for improvement
Did not address
Incomplete strengths/weaknesses or inappropriate strategy for improvement
At least one strength and one weakness w/ adequate suggestion for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles At least one strength and one weakness w/ adequate suggestion for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles
At least one strength and one weakness w/ detailed strategy for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles exceptionally well At least one strength and one weakness w/ detailed strategy for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles exceptionally well
5 Risk/Liability Management: identify strengths and weaknesses w/ plan for improvement 15% Constitution & Bylaws: identify strengths and weaknesses w/ plan for improvement 20% Model of Governance: identify strengths and weaknesses w/ plan for improvement
10% Church-wide organization, calendaring, coordination: identify strengths and weaknesses w/ plan for improvement
Did not address
Incomplete strengths/weaknesses or inappropriate strategy for improvement
Did not address
Incomplete strengths/weaknesses or inappropriate strategy for improvement
Did not address
Incomplete strengths/weaknesses or inappropriate strategy for improvement
Did not address
Incomplete strengths/weaknesses or inappropriate strategy for improvement
At least one strength and one weakness w/ adequate suggestion for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles At least one strength and one weakness w/ adequate suggestion for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles At least one strength and one weakness w/ adequate suggestion for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles
At least one strength and one weakness w/ detailed strategy for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles exceptionally well At least one strength and one weakness w/ detailed strategy for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles exceptionally well At least one strength and one weakness w/ detailed strategy for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles exceptionally well
At least one strength and one weakness w/ adequate suggestion for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles
At least one strength and one weakness w/ detailed strategy for improvement that reflects understanding of administration principles exceptionally well
10%
REQUIRED TEXT Powers, Bruce P. Church Administration Handbook. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2008.
BOOK REVIEW READING CHOICES Malphurs, Aubrey. The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting: A Guide for Starting Any Kind of Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011 Rainer, Thom S. and Eric Geiger. Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for Making Discples. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2011. Stanley, Andy. Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 1999 Stetzer, Ed and Thom S. Rainer. Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2010.
6 COURSE GRADES Course grades will be determined according to the following percentages: Class Attendance and Participation: Required Reading and Responses: Book Review Class Presentation Artifact
5% 25% 25% 15% 30%
Grading Scale A = 98-100 A- = 95-97 C = 80-83 C- = 77-79
B = 89-92 D = 72-74
B+ = 93-94 D+ = 75-76
B- = 87-88 D- = 70-71
C+ = 84-86 F = 0-69
Late Work Policy All written assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Late work will be accepted at a penalty of 5 points per day late.
COURSE CALENDAR Date Session Topic
Reading Chapter Assignments and Responses
Sept. 3, 2013
• Biblical Foundations for Church Administration • Planning, Part 1
Sept. 17, 2013
• Planning, Part 2 • Management, Part 1
Powers 1-3
Oct. 1, 2013
• Management, Part 2 • Stewardship
Powers 7-9, 12
Oct. 15, 2013
• Staffing
Powers 4-6, 17
Oct. 29,2013
• Church Polity • Starting and Finishing Well
Nov. 12, 2013
Dec. 3, 2013
• Biblical Foundations of Church Growth and Health • Demographics and Community Needs • Multicultural Ministry • Principles of Small Groups • Evangelism and Discipleship • Principles of Equipping and Service
Powers 14, 20-21
Course Assignment
Class Presentations
Artifact
Book Review
7 RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Anthony, Michael J. Management Essentials for Christian Ministries. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2005. Barna, George. Growing True Disciples. Colorado Spring, Colo.: WalterBrook Press, 2001. Bennett, A. Leroy. International Organizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002. Biehl, Bobb. Stop Setting Goals, If You Would Rather Solve Problems. Nashville: Moorings, 1995. Burke, John. No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come as You Are Culture in Your Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. Elmer, Duane. Cross-Cultural Conflict. Downers Grove, Ill: Intervarsity Press, 1993. Gibbs, Eddie. ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry. Downers grove, Ill.: Intervarsity Press, 2000. Lencioni, Patrick. The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Neighbour, Ralph. Where Do We Go From Here? A Guide for the Cell Group Church. Houston, Tex.: Touch Publications, 1990. Ratliff, Joe S., and Michael J. Cox. Church Planting in the African-American Community. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1993. Schaef, Anne W. The Addictive Organization: Why We Overwork, Cover Up, Pick Up The Pieces, Please the Boss & Perpetuate Sick Organizations. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. Senske, Kurt. Executive Values. Minneapolis: Augsburg Books, 2004. Stetzer, Ed. Planting Missional Churches. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Academic, 2006. Wagner, C. Peter. Our Kind of People: The Ethical Dimensions of Church Growth in America. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1979. Welch, Robert. Church Administration. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2005.
