Growing in Faith: Practical Courses

Road to Service: Time to stretch and grow

Six 5-week courses – The practical course of study will give students a chance to build upon the foundation they have established through study in the following areas.

Note: Gap Weeks are intended as sabbath for students between classes but can be used as make-up sessions at the discretion of the instructor.

Healthy Congregations

All faith communities face challenges of change and conflict. This course will explore ways to understand and address change and issues of conflict. Through the use of family systems theory, we will explore the dynamics of congregational life and pastoral leadership.

Pastoral Care

Caregiving is the responsibility of the entire faith community. With differing gifts individuals care in a variety of ways. This course is intended to assist the faith community in its caregiving ministries and give practical guidance on how to care.

Cultural Diversity – Anti-bias Training

Participants will discover their own biases and those of the institutions of which they are a part, why those biases exist, and how to confront and overcome them.

Church History

Every 500 years society and its institutions go through major changes. The church, too, has been emerging in the same pattern. This course will explore those patterns, people, and factors that have led and are now leading to a continuing evolution of the Christian movement.

Communicating the Gospel (Elective)

Together we will explore what the Gospel is and how best to communicate the Gospel in the 21st Century. We will discuss practical ways for living out our baptismal calling. Our sessions will include discovering the “gospel” in the four Gospels, as well as how the gospel is communicated in worship, read and spoken word, preaching, the sacraments, and the arts.

Christian Ethics (Elective)

Participants will reflect on the implications of the Ten Commandments for contemporary life. They will be introduced to concepts and systems by which the Christian tradition has taught personal and public morality, for example, the “Deadly Sins” and “Cardinal Virtues,” the “Just War” Theory vs. Christian Pacifism, human nature and human sinfulness, and Luther’s “Two Kingdoms” theology. The course provides opportunity for disciplined reflection on ethical issues such as sexual ethics, sanctity of life, political witness, and economic justice.

Note on Elective Courses: Communicating the Gospel & Christian Ethics are the possible electives offered in 2024-2025 from Growing in Faith Ohio as part of our second year of course work. Additional electives may be available at different times and through different synods.