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CL 610 Theology of Servant Leadership

Stephen L. Martyn

COURSE DESCRIPTION With the end in view of living as a Christian servant leader, students in CL610 J-Term 08 will enter into a highly unique situation for a seminary class: 1. Students will first go through the process of preparing for an overseas, third world trip (securing passport & Indian Visa permit; receiving necessary vaccinations; and raising the funds necessary for travel and tuition). 2. Before departing for India, students will be formed into various ministry teams. Each team will be expected to coordinate with one another (as much as possible) in order to plan their areas of service at Bethel Agricultural Fellowship. 3. Before departing for India, students will view the DVD provided to them by the professor and they will read The Art of Crossing Culture by Craig Storti as well as all other printed material handed to them by the professor. 4. Each student will be expected to bring one suitcase to India for their own personal needs and then one suitcase filled with group project materials and/or medical equipment. 5. While in India, learning and spiritual growth will take place through team meetings; through times of service to the Bethel community; through one on one relationships with those whom we are going to serve; through interviews with Indian Christian leaders, and through corporate times of worship. 6. After returning from India, students will then compose a final integrative reflection paper in which they articulate their biblical, theological, and experiential understanding of Servant Leadership.
CL 613 Equipping the Laity

Stephen L. Martyn

The Course Reading list.
CL 613 Equipping the Laity

Stephen L. Martyn
SF 502 The Spiritual Life of the Minister

Stephen L. Martyn

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course proposes to help students delve into and apply Christian spirituality to their everyday lives and ministries. Over a span of four months, we will swim in seven major spiritual streams: 1. Holy Leisure (the conditions necessary for a God-centered life); 2. Ministry From The Overflow (service that does not deplete); 3. The Well Ordered Life (balance in all things); 4. The Big Rocks (first things first on a daily basis); 5. Turning From Pride (humility); 6. Speaking The Truth In Love (spiritual direction); 7. Leading From Within A Family (team). All of these areas are essential to a joyful life in Christ and are necessary for vocational faithfulness. Through reading, reflection, interaction, and integration, we will seek to hear and obey the whisperings of the Holy Spirit who is ever wooing us into increasing Christ-likeness.
NT 510 The Gospel of Matthew

Michael D. Matlock

1. Holy Bible (NASB, NRSV, or RSV) 2. An Annotated Guide to Biblical Resources for Ministry by David Bauer 3. Bible Study That Works by David Thompson 4. Methodical Bible Study by Robert Traina
OT 501 Survey of Biblical Hebrew

Michael D. Matlock

1. Seow, C. L. A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew. rev. ed. Nashville: Abingdon, 1995. 2. Holladay, William. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972. 3. BibleWorks Ver. 7. BibleWorks, LLC, Norfolk, VA. 4. Elliger, K., and W. Rudolph. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1967-77. 5. Scott, William R. A Simplified Guide to BHS. Berkley, CA: BIBAL, 1987. 6. Arnold, Bill T. and John H. Choi. A Guide to Hebrew Syntax. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
OT 610 Pentateuch

Michael D. Matlock

Required Texts You may contact a salesperson at the Asbury Seminary Bookstore for all required resources at exlbooks@asburyseminary.edu or phone 859.858.4242 or 866.855.8252 1. Holy Bible (NASB, NRSV, or RSV) 2. An Annotated Guide to Biblical Resources for Ministry by David Bauer 3. Bible Study That Works by David Thompson 4. Methodical Bible Study by Robert Traina 5. A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax by Bill Arnold and John Choi, Cambridge, 2003 6. BibleWorks 7.0 or 6.0 or all three of the following resources: 6a. A Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible. Either Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 4th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1990 or The NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament. John Kohlenberger, editor. Zondervan. 6b. A concordance of the Hebrew Bible Either Even-Shoshan, A New Concordance of the Old Testament, Baker. or G. V. Wigram , The New Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance, Hendrickson. 6c. A lexicon of the Hebrew Bible William Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Eerdmans. or M. E. J. Richardson, The Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Brill.
NT 520 Introduction to the New Testament

Michael McKeever

A modern translation of the Bible, preferably the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), or New American Standard Bible (NASB). Achtemeier, Paul J., Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson, Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Message. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.B. Eerdmans, 2001. deSilva, David A. Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity, 2000. Green, Joel B., ed. Hearing the New Testament: Strategies for Interpretation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.B. Eerdmans, 1995. Theissen, Gerd. The Shadow of the Galilean. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1987. Jeffers, James. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament. Downers Grove: IVP, 1999.
NT 615 Exegesis of the Gospel of Luke

Michael McKeever

Joel B. Green, The Theology of the Gospel of Luke, New Testament Theology, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995). ISBN 0521469325 Tales from the Madhouse from Vision Video, available in both DVD and VHS formats.
ME 700 Principles of Church Growth

Art McPhee

Course Description In this course, we will study the foundational principles and strategies of the Church Growth Movement as one approach to the issues in mission strategy and evangelization, and as a means to inform congregational outreach and expansion. This we will do in concert with a review of the historical emergence and articulation of the apostolic vision and legacy of Donald McGavran. Along the way, we will examine both Western and Two-Thirds World Case Studies.
ME 820 Seminar in Evangelization: Applied Historical Perspectives

Art McPhee

Course Description and Objectives The plan of this seminar is to ground participants in readings—both primary and secondary, interpretive sources—related to the history of Christian expansion and evangelization. The aim is threefold: (1) to examine how the Christian Movement spread in specific contexts and times; (2) to learn from “apostolic lore,” from successes and mistakes of the past; and (3) to distill insights applicable to making disciples in our own times, cultures, and settings.
MS 615 Foundations of Church Growth ME700 Principles of Church Growth

Art McPhee

Course Description The foundational principles and strategies of the Church Growth Movement seen as one approach to the issues in mission strategy and evangelization and as a means to inform congregational outreach and expansion. Draws from the apostolic vision and legacy of Donald McGavran. Focuses on both Western and Two-Thirds World Case Studies. Prerequisite for MS615 students: IS501.
MS 620 ME 745 Leadership

Art McPhee

Course Descriptions MS620 Studies in organization leadership, especially the leadership of change, applied to the contemporary challenge of helping local churches move from tradition to mission and become effective “apostolic” churches. Draws from the writings and legacy of Lyle Schaller. Fulfills the United Methodist ordination requirement in evangelism. Prerequisite: IS501. Meets with ME745. ME745 Studies in organization leadership, especially the leadership of change, applied to the contemporary challenge of helping local churches move from tradition to mission and become effective “apostolic” churches. Draws from the writings and legacy of Lyle Schaller. Meets with MS620; however assignments and assessment differ, as described below.
MS 625 Dynamics of Interpersonal Evangelism

Art McPhee

Griffin, Em: A First Look at Communication Theory 6th edition Crandell, Ron: The Contagious Witness
IS 501 Christian Formation: Kingdom, Church, and World

Mark R. Mills

Course Description/Content What is the mission of the church? Behind this question is a cluster of related questions, the most important focused on the nature of God’s creative and redemptive purpose, its ongoing expression in the world, and its consummation in the eschaton. Participants in this course will explore how the church might discern, embrace, and participate in God’s own mission.
PR 632 Preaching from the Gospels: Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Preaching

Stacy R. Minger

COURSE DESCRIPTION ________________________________ The purpose of Preaching from the Gospels is to approach the study and practice of Christian proclamation through hermeneutical and theological engagement with the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Attention will be given to preaching from the teachings of Jesus, Jesus’ parables and miracles, as well as Jesus’ life (birth & infancy, baptism, temptation, transfiguration, passion, death and resurrection). This course encourages students to wed their skills in biblical interpretation with pastorally responsive and theologically reflective proclamation. The purpose of PR courses is to promote a partnership of teaching and learning that nurtures a vision of Christian preaching as a theological and pastoral activity of the Church in service to the Gospel. The core objectives of this course have been established to facilitate critical understanding of and competence in view of: 1) preaching as witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ revealed in Christian Scriptures and 2) preaching as both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a human vocation which serves the creation of a community called to worship the Triune God as revealed through the narrative of the whole biblical canon. This course approaches preaching as a theological practice and from a perspective shaped by the Wesleyan tradition; it is informed by a conscious integration of doctrinal and biblical exegesis and the practice of theological hermeneutics. Emphasis is placed on the life-long task of acquiring practical habits appropriate for cultivating judgment required for faithful communication of the biblical witness in service of the Word of God, as an act of Christian worship and within the context of personal, social and cultural challenge and change. This course will assume that proclamation of the Gospel by means of Scripture is the central (although not exclusive) activity by which the Church is continually created, sustained, corrected, and strengthened by God’s Word to worship and participate in the life of the Triune God. This course is therefore designed as an extended conversation that will exemplify and encourage pastoral competence in speaking the Word of God to form Christian conviction and character with a community what bears witness to the Kingdom that has arrived in Christ. Preaching will be regarded as an act of worship offered to the God of Israel and Jesus Christ who continues to speak and enact his gracious promises and saving purposes through the witness of the Prophets and Apostles in the power of the Holy Spirit. An important objective of this course will be to gain a vital and necessary understanding of preaching as a theological and ecclesial practice that requires: 1) the practices of daily prayer and obedience – pastoral discipline; 2) consistent reading, study, and appropriation of Scripture as the Word of God addressed to God’s people and for the world; 3) the testing of biblical interpretation by means of the central theological convictions of the Church Catholic, and in particular, the Wesleyan tradition, to insure faithful homiletic performance that glorifies God and produces Christian disciples who aspire to a shared life of holiness in Christ. To be consistent with the nature and purpose of preaching as a theological discipline, a strong emphasis will be placed upon the life-long task of acquiring practical wisdom appropriate to the pastoral vocation: the spiritual and moral attentiveness and insight necessary to call the Church to know, love, and serve the Triune God whose speech authors its life and secures its future.
SP 501 Communication as Christian Rhetoric

Stacy R. Minger

Holy Bible. (Please choose a translation to work from rather than a paraphrase). Schultze, Q. J. An Essential Guide to Public Speaking: Serving Your Audience with Faith, Skill, and Virtue. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006. ISBN 08-010-31-516 Schmit, Clayton. The Public Reading of Scripture. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002. ISBN:06-870-45-371 Volf, Miroslav. Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. ISBN 0-310-26574-6
SP 501 Communication as Christian Rhetoric

Stacy R. Minger

Holy Bible. (Please choose a translation to work from rather than a paraphrase). Schmit, Clayton. The Public Reading of Scripture. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002. ISBN:06-870-45-371 SP 501 Communication as Christian Rhetoric Syllabus Page 2 Schultze, Q. J. An Essential Guide to Public Speaking: Serving Your Audience with Faith, Skill, and Virtue. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006. ISBN 08-010-31-516 Volf, Miroslav. Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. ISBN 0-310-26574-6 1 VHS Tape or a DVD-R for recording your speeches. If you record to a DVD you will need to stay after class to finalize it. Finalizing the DVD allows you to view it on other DVD players. This process takes 5 – 10 minutes per speech.
IS 501 Kingdom, Church, and World

W. Jay Moon

Bartholomew, Craig and Michael Goheen 2004 The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story. Baker Academic. Snyder, Howard 2001 Kingdom, Church, and World: Biblical Themes for Today. Wipf & Stock. (Originally published as A Kingdom Manifesto, 1985, InterVarsity Press.) Jenkins, Philip 2002 The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Oxford University Press. Frost, Michael and Alan Hirsch 2003 The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church. Hendrickson Publishers. Claiborne, Shane 2006 The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. Zondervan. NOTE: This can also be purchased as an MP3 download if you prefer hearing the author read his book with his own emphases. Myers, Bryant 1999 Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development. Orbis.
MB 780 Cross-Cultural Christian Discipling

W. Jay Moon

A study of the role of ritual process in the shaping of believers. Rites and ceremonies, especially initiatory rites, from a variety of religious traditions provide both models of the role of ritual in the formation and nurture of persons and models for discipling Christian converts, especially those from traditional religious backgrounds. Students will construct their own structures for the discipling task based upon the insights and models provided by the course.
MS 671 Anthropology for Mission Practice

W. Jay Moon

a. Anthropological Insights for Missionaries, by Paul Hiebert (315 pp) b. Anthropology for Christian Witness, by Charles Kraft (493) c. Living in Color: Embracing God’s Plan for Diversity, by R Woodley (217 pp) d. Figu ring Foreigners Out: A Practical Guide, by Craig Storti (167 pp).
MS 671 Anthropology for Mission Practice

W. Jay Moon

b. Anthropology for Christian Witness, by Charles Kraft (493) c. Living in Color: Embracing God’s Plan for Diversity, by R Woodley (217 pp) d. Figu ring Foreigners Out: A Practical Guide, by Craig Storti (167 pp). e. The Anthropology of Globalization: Cultural Anthropology Enters the 21st Century, by Ted Lewellen (267 pp).
CH 500 ExL Turning Points in Church History

Robert Moore-Jumonville

This course is designed to introduce students to selected themes as turning points in the history of the Christian Church from its origins to the present time. Within the broad sweep of the four main periods of the Church (Early, Medieval, Reformation, and Modern), students will consider key persons, events, developments, movements, and theological concepts. Special attention is devoted to intellectual history (the history of ideas) and to religious biography (the role key individuals have played in the story of Christianity). Open to MA students (other than MATS) only.
CO 603 Orientation to Christian Approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

Tapiwa N. Mucherera

Course Description (This description applies to all the Treatment Planning Courses) In order to function as a competent clinician, one must develop competence in diagnosing and effectively treating a variety of problems with which they are confronted. In order to do this one must be thoroughly familiar with a variety of treatment modalities. This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to assessment, clinical diagnosis and treatment planning. Students will have an opportunity to become acquainted with material relevant to treatment issues both from a Christian historical perspective and current knowledge
CO 730 Advanced Issues in Cross-Cultural Counseling

Tapiwa N. Mucherera

Course Description The purpose of this course is to help students to develop a counseling ministry, which will be sensitive and helpful to various cultural groups. Counseling, whether it be in the USA or overseas, requires a basic understanding not only of how various ethnic groups live life but also one=s own possible stereotypes, which may hinder effectiveness in the counseling process. This course is an attempt to integrate material scripturally, experientially, psychologically and theologically. In addition, the course will examine issues of racism, differences in religiocultural values and world-views, verbal and non-verbal communication and other factors that effect the processes of counseling. Lectures, guest speakers, videos, role-plays, group discussions and a cross-cultural inventory (books and articles) will be used to present techniques and approaches in working in a cross-cultural context.