M1: Public Church and Ecclesiology
This module introduces learners to the concept of public church and encourages them to reflect on its personal meaning. Learners will identify and examine their communities to understand their needs and dynamics within a public church framework. The module also introduces the idea of ecclesiology, prompting learners to reflect on their theological beliefs about church. This reflection will guide learners in analyzing their contexts through the lens of the public church, fostering a deeper connection between theology and community engagement.
- MO1: Develop a practical and theological understanding of the public church.
- MO2: Explain how the concept of a public church is reflected in your context, including its structure, activities and engagement with the broader community.
- MO3: Analyze various ecclesiologies in public churches to deepen your understanding of the different types that exist.
- MO4: Examine your ecclesiology to recognize how it may impact your views of church and community.
M2: Key Issues of Equity Confronting Public Church Leaders
This module guides learners in considering the importance of equity for public church leadership. Using the public church as a framework, learners will examine five key equity issues: disability, gender, sexuality, ecojustice, and race. Learners will consider the ways in which each of these issues is relevant to church and society, and the relationship between the two.
- MO1: Explain the importance of equity for public church leadership.
- MO2: Examine disability, gender, sexuality, ecojustice and race as an equity issue in both church and society.
M3: Risks of Faith in Public Church Leadership
This module presents a foundational model of public church leadership. Building on this model, learners will start to identify their own understandings of public church leadership. This module will also highlight key emotional and spiritual challenges confronting public church leaders. Learners will identify relevant challenges in their communities, and theological resources that can help them to confront these challenges as public church leaders.
- MO1: Examine the basic principles of public church leadership.
- MO2: Assess your role as a leader in your community.
- MO3: Identify two spiritual and emotional challenges of public church leadership.
- MO4: Apply various theological approaches to your own leadership when confronting risks of faith.
- MO5: Evaluate the risks of faith you face as a leader in your community.
M4: Intercultural Competence
This module introduces learners to the concept of intercultural competence and its role in public church leadership. Learners will identify the ways in which intercultural competence is necessary in their communities. This module will guide learners through the assessment of their intercultural competence and equip them to plan for further development in this area.
- MO1: Define culture and intercultural competence.
- MO2: Examine the role of intercultural competence in efforts to seek equity.
- MO3: Describe intercultural competence as a quality of public church leadership.
- MO4: Analyze the importance of intercultural competence in your community.
- MO5: Assess your intercultural competence.
- MO6: Develop a plan for further developing your intercultural competence.
M5: Intersectionality and Public Church
This module introduces learners to the concept of intersectionality. Learners will identify ways in which different forms of privilege and oppression complicate each other in church and society. Learners will apply intersectional analysis to their communities and consider ways in which intersectional analysis can equip them for public church leadership.
- MO1: Identify the objects and purposes of intersectional analysis.
- MO2: Define the role of intersectional analysis in efforts to seek equity.
- MO3: Describe forms of intersectionality that are of particular relevance to churches.
- MO4: Analyze intersectional realities in your community.
- MO5: Explain intersectionality as a practice of public church leadership.
M6: Community Exploration
This module introduces learners to ethnographic study in the context of public church leadership. Learners will be introduced to basic practical and ethical principles of ethnographic study. They will then undertake ethnographic study in their communities through a community exploration exercise in which they record their observations, develop questions for further study of their community, and consider the impact of their perspective on their observations.
- MO1: Explain the key features and qualities of an ethnographic study.
- MO2: Examine ethnographic study as a practice of public church leadership.
- MO3: Explain the role of ethnographic study in efforts to seek equity.
- MO4: Conduct community exploration to engage in an ethnographic study of your community.
- MO5: Assess the impact of your perspectives and expectations on your practice of ethnographic study.
- MO6: Generate questions for further study of your community based on your community exploration.
M7: Principles of Community Organizing
This module introduces learners to key principles of community organizing. Learners will contextualize the community organizing principles in relation to public church leadership, paying particular attention to the principles’ theological and biblical grounding. Exploring different approaches to community organizing, learners will discern which approach or combination of approaches are best suited to seeking equity in their communities.
- MO1: Explain the role of community organizing in public church leadership.
- MO2: Examine three challenging community organizing principles: power, self-interest, and conflict.
- MO3: Describe theological and biblical support for community organizing principles.
- MO4: Analyze three different approaches to community organizing by their strategic and ethical considerations.
- MO5: Assess which approaches to community organizing seem most suitable for your community.
- MO6: Explain the role of community organizing in efforts to seek equity.
M8: One-to-One Relational Meetings
This module introduces learners to the community organizing method of one-to-one relational meetings. One-to-ones are a powerful tool for building relationships. Learners will consider both the effectiveness of and distinctions between one-to-ones and other forms of meaningful conversation as they identify the role of relational meetings in public church leadership. Learners will be equipped to conduct one-to-one relational meetings in their community, assessing their strengths and areas for growth in leading these meetings.
- MO1: Describe the function of one-to-one relational meetings in community organizing.
- MO2: Outline considerations of one-to-one relational meetings of particular relevance to church contexts.
- MO3: Explain the role of one-to-one relational meetings in public church leadership.
- MO4: Conduct a one-to-one relational meeting in your community.
- MO5: Assess your effectiveness in conducting one-to-one relational meetings.
- MO6: Explain the role of one-to-one relational meetings in efforts to seek equity.
M9: Consensus Decision-Making
This module introduces learners to the community organizing method of consensus decision-making. Consensus decision-making is an approach to decision-making that helps groups to build relationships, draw on the community’s wisdom, and prioritize equity in their means and not only their ends. Learners will consider consensus decision-making from both practical and theological perspectives. Learners will explore the fist-to-five practice as the first step toward implementing consensus decision-making in their communities.
- MO1: Describe the function of consensus decision-making in community organizing.
- MO2: Outline considerations of consensus decision-making of particular relevance to church contexts.
- MO3: Explain the role of consensus decision-making in public church leadership.
- MO4: Describe the function of listening sessions in consensus decision-making.
- MO5: Conduct the fist-to-five decision-making practice in your community.
- MO6: Explain the role of consensus decision-making in efforts to seek equity.
M10: Strategic Thinking in Community Organizing
This module introduces learners to the community organizing method of power mapping. Power mapping is an important strategic tool that learners will consider from both strategic and theological perspectives. Learners will examine their own communities in relation to an equity issue of their choosing to identify who in their communities has the power to make change possible and how those decision makers might be influenced to actively work for change. This module will also guide learners in assessing their effectiveness in power mapping.
- MO1: Describe the role of Theory of Change in community organizing.
- MO2: Describe the function of power mapping in community organizing.
- MO3: Describe the role of power mapping in public church leadership.
- MO4: Conduct power mapping in relation to your community.
- MO5: Assess your effectiveness in conducting power mapping.
- MO6: Explain the role of power mapping in efforts to seek equity.
M11: Public Narrative
This module introduces learners to the community organizing method of public narrative. Public narrative is public speech that brings a community together in a shared commitment to address a particular issue through a “story of self, us, and now.” Learners will craft and deliver theologically-informed stories of self, us and now in response to an equity issue of their choosing. This module will also guide learners in assessing their effectiveness in crafting and delivering public narrative.
- MO1: Describe the function of public narrative in community organizing.
- MO2: Examine considerations of public narrative of particular relevance to church contexts.
- MO3: Explain the role of public narrative in public church leadership.
- MO4: Generate a story of self, us and now in response to an equity issue in your community.
- MO5: Assess your effectiveness in crafting a story of self, us and now.
- MO6: Explain the role of public narrative in efforts to seek equity.
M12:Public Church Leadership in Your Context
This module invites learners to bring together the theological and practical learning they have gained throughout this set of modules. Drawing on connections they make between what they've learned of public church leadership and what they know about their communities, learners will develop a public church leadership statement that can help orient their continued development as leaders. This statement will be responsive to their communities’ values and needs, oriented toward the pursuit of equity, and theologically-informed. This module is most helpful to those who completed all of the previous modules in this resource.
- MO1: Write a statement articulating a model of public church leadership that is compatible with your sense of vocation.
- MO2: Construct a statement articulating a model of public church leadership that is responsive to your context.
- MO3: Devise a statement articulating a model of public church leadership that is oriented toward equity.
- MO4: Formulate a statement articulating a model of public church leadership that is consistent with your ecclesiology.
