minary W orld Class Seminary - Bethel Seminary - Bethel University

Center for Spiritual and Personal Formationof biblical texts. An examination ofperiod movements and the histories ofrevivals among the many traditions ofthe church in the world will be used ina systematic effort to build an anthropologicallyinformed spiritual theology.Prerequisites: SP500/505, SP600.St. Paul only. Four hours.SP712 (SP212) • Marriage Enrichmentand Leadership. Students and spousesenter together into a marriage enrichmentand communications experience.Background on the marriage enrichment(ME) movement is also provided,and guidelines are laid out for leadershipof ME experiences. Christianprinciples for such prevention workare explained. (Cognate Credit withPC712.) Four hours.SP713 (SP213) • Personal Discipleshipand Spiritual Formation. Anexamination of the meaning of personalChristian discipleship as well asthe process of faith development. Thiscourse explores both classic and contemporaryresources pertaining to faithdevelopment including informationabout Christian disciplines and humandevelopment and their interaction.Opportunity is given to pursue thesetopics from the perspectives of pastors,ministers of Christian education, andlay persons. Four hours.SP739 (SP239) • Holistic Discipleship.An investigation into the ways that ourspirituality is tied to our emotional,physical, intellectual, and relationalhealth. This class is designed to encourageeach student to develop anintegrated and holistic understandingof spirituality with special emphasis onwhat it means to love God with yourheart, soul, strength, and mind and tolove your neighbor as yourself. Fourhours.SP749 (SP250) • Spiritual Direction.Development of a working definitionof spiritual direction and an understandingof the unique characteristicsof discipling, mentoring, counseling,and direction relationships. The rolesof director and directee, the life of faithand the growth of prayer, the conductof spiritual direction relationships,and possible benefits and hazards areamong the topics considered. Christianeducators, pastors, and lay persons re-spond to the assignments of the coursein ways that are suitable for their particularsituations. (Cognate credit withDC749.) Four hours.SP751A, B, C (SP104SOE) • SpiritualFormation IV: Disciplines of Spiritualand Personal Formation A, B,and C. The final track of spiritualformation challenges students to committhemselves to a lifelong process ofpursuing God and growing as disciplesof Jesus. Students will work on the patternsneeded to continue a posture andattitude of lifelong learning and personalformation that will help sustainthem throughout their lives and ministries.This is a two-hour course forone academic year. Students must be intheir final year of seminary to qualifyfor this course. Seminary of the Eastonly. Two hours.Academic DisciplinesThis center consists of several interdisciplinarycourses and two academic departments:Pastoral Care and Marriageand Family Studies. While complementaryin nature, the two departments aredistinct in the kinds of ministry preparationthey offer students.InterdisciplinaryCoursesThese courses offer students an opportunityto explore biblical, theological,and conceptual issues of spiritual andpersonal formation. Whether taken aselectives or as part of a concentration,these courses will enrich students’understanding of the historic andcontemporary traditions of soul careand will encourage students to entermore fully into the process of becomingwhole and holy persons who demonstratethe qualities described in thecenter’s objectives.SP/TS735 (SP/TS218) • Life and Theologyof Prayer. The purpose of thiscourse is to encourage and stimulate agrowing and meaningful life of devotion.Attention will be given to the historicaland biblical teaching on prayer.Personal sharing and practical experiencesof prayer provide a challenge toapply theory to life. Four hours.SP/PC725 (SP/PC225) • NurturingSpiritual Formation in SmallGroups. In this course, we will bothanalyze and experience the effectivenessof small groups in the nurture ofspiritual formation. We will discussmodels of spiritual development andtheir implications for group participation;group dynamics; distinctionsbetween content and process in groups;and the interaction of group participationwith other avenues of formation.Particular attention will be given togroup spiritual direction. This coursewill be taught primarily through theuse of discussion, case study examination,lecture presentations, and videos.A significant portion of time will begiven to experiential work. Four hours.Pastoral CareDon MortensonBen K. LimThe provision of pastoral care is theresponsibility of each member of thecommunity of the church of JesusChrist. Ministers must be equippedto take the initiative in training andchallenging the community of faith todevelop and implement both preventiveand responsive strategies of care.This care is appropriately offered, followingthe example of Christ, to personswithin and outside the immediatecongregational or parachurch settingand may require the addressing of systemicissues in the multiple contextssurrounding the ministry setting.Pastoral care courses, as compared tocourses in marriage and family studies,are offered from the perspective of thechurch-based minister rather than theclinic-based specialist. These courseshelp students combine reflective selfunderstanding,spiritual formation,pastoral care theory, and ministerialpractice. They do so by drawing onthe rich historic traditions of soul carefound in the writings of the churchsince its inception and on observationand understanding from both biblicalrevelation and well-grounded socialscience exploration. Students are encouragedto reflect on the interaction oftheir theological perspective, ministrypractice, and life experience as theySt. Paul • San Diego • Seminary of the East121