COURSES OFFERED FALL 2015
The following courses will be offered by Memphis Theological Seminary for students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry degree program (this includes all CYMT graduate residents) during the Fall 2015 semester. They are offered in retreat-based format on the campus of Memphis Theological Seminary.
All residents will take the following core course:
Introduction to Interpreting the Old Testament
Instructor: Judy Stack-Nelson (Ph.D. Princeton)
An introduction to the literature, history, and methods of interpreting the Old Testament. The course intends to assist the student in appropriating the biblical texts for the practice of ministry.
In addition to Old Testament, all second and third year residents will take the following course:
YM02352: Theological Foundations for Youth Ministry
Instructor: Andrew Zirschky (Ph.D. Princeton)
This course introduces students to youth ministry as a practical theological discipline and guides them toward developing and articulating their own theological rationale for the practice of youth ministry. With a shared understanding that theological commitments give shape to ministry, we will examine various theological starting points for conceiving and practicing youth ministry.
In addition to Old Testament, all first year residents will take the following course:
Youth Ministry Practicum 1
Instructor: Rev. Dietrich Kirk (MAR Memphis)
Students will gain in-the-trenches youth ministry experience by serving in a local church as a part of their practicum experience. The program is designed for all students to work full- or part-time as a youth minister during their education allowing them to put all the pieces together—everything they learn from peers in their cohort, the professors in the classroom, and from their coach.
All residents are enrolled in Formation for Ministry. They take three one-credit courses over the three years of the program.
Formation for Ministry I, II, and III
Instructors: MTS Staff
Spiritual formation for ministry and the integration of theological education with family life, church, and the larger community are essential for development as Christian servant leaders. Credit for this class is earned over a period of the first, second, and last semesters of the student’s degree program. This class will help ground participants in covenants of accountability that lead to lifelong theological learning, holy friendships, and a set of practices that will sustain pastoral excellence throughout their lives. Participants will explore major themes of Christian life and leadership, including: Being and Becoming a Beloved Child of God, God’s Dream for the World, Wholeness and Health, Building Relationships and Learning to Live in Solidarity With Those Made Poor and/or Marginal in Society, Keeping the Sabbath, Power, Money, Building the Beloved Community, Call, and Discipleship Over the Long Haul.
The following course is an elective courses. All residents are encouraged to participate in the Contemporary Issues in YM course even if they choose not to take it for credit.
Contemporary Issues in Youth Ministry — Preparing Parents for Spiritual Leadership
Instructors: Dr. Andrew Zirschky and Guest Lecturer Karen Marie-Yust
Contemporary Issues courses investigate a current topic of discussion in the field of youth ministry through engagement in a national or regional youth ministry event with additional guided course hours and readings in the topic. The course is repeatable with unique topics investigated at each offering. The topic for the fall semester 2015 is the preparation and nurture of parents for guiding their children and teenagers into spiritual experiences and growth. The course conference will be held December 3-5, 2015.