MIN 230 - Introduction to Chaplaincy (3 credits)
Тематический план
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Introduction to Chaplaincy (3 credits) Instructor: Bob Zomermaand
CLA Volunteer Teacher Assistant: Dee Davenport (introtochaplaincysupport@christianleaders.net)
Overview: This course explores various kinds of chaplaincy, such as prison, military, and hospital chaplains, along with the potential for using online chat to minister as "chaplains." Students will engage in biblical and theological reflection about chaplaincy, develop personal qualities and skills, and learn basic practices for bringing Christ's healing presence into challenging situations.
Course Outcomes:- Know biblical principles and practical guidelines for chaplains.
- Develop personal qualifications and skills to be a chaplain.
- Understand basic practices for ministering to the ill, grieving, and dying.
- Know several types of chaplaincy positions and general guidelines for serving in them, including firehouse chaplain, military chaplain, and prison chaplain.
- Recognize theological aspects of chaplaincy.
Assignments:
- Read the written materials and watch the videos for each unit.
- Professor Bob Zomermaand presents content that can be used as grist for your own thinking in the ministry of chaplaincy.
- Review the materials carefully so you have a good grasp of them before attempting the quizzes. The instructor believes the quizzes will be difficult for anyone who has not spent a good bit of time reading, re-reading, and pondering the material presented. The same goes for the videos included as material for our instruction.
- Use the discussion forum to ask questions and exchange ideas with others. However, DO NOT discuss quiz questions and answers in a class forum, and do not communicate privately with other students about the answers to a quiz. That is cheating. Such cheating on quizzes can be detected through CLI's computer servers. Cheaters will fail the class and will be expelled from Christian Leaders Institute. As a side note, the questions, as well as the answers in the quizzes of this course, will be randomized—that means that question 1 will be different each time you take the quiz, and the answers will be arranged differently in each response section of the question.
- Take the online quiz for each unit. You will have 45 minutes to answer 20 multiple-choice questions for each quiz. Once a quiz starts, you must finish it and can't retake it. So be ready ahead of time. While taking the quiz, you may use your notes and refer to articles and other materials.
Tips for taking quizzes: Print out the readings for each unit, or save them in a folder on your computer. If you don't know a quiz answer, you can refer back to an article or to your notes. First, answer all the questions you know. Then try to look up answers to questions you don't know. When you have entered an answer for every question, submit the quiz for grading before the 45-minute limit.
*The course has a total of 200 points: 20 points for each of the ten quizzes.
Grading Scale:
A 95-100% A- 90-94% B+ 87-89% B 83-86% B- 80-82% C+ 77-79% C 73-76% C- 70-72% D+ 67-69% D 63-66% D- 60-62% F 0-59%
Your average grade must be at least 60%. Otherwise, you will fail the class and will receive no course credit.
Course Forum: Each course forum is at the beginning of the course, right before the first-course content section, and has comments and questions from other students in the class. The forum is a great way to post a question or comment for other students who are currently enrolled in the course to see. Additionally, you can search the forum to see if anyone in the past has addressed or discussed the issue, question, or comment you wanted to post about.
Deadline: You have 180 days to finish the course. Complete all assignments before the final deadline, or you will be automatically withdrawn from the course and all coursework will be removed. You will have to start over and retake the class to receive credit.
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In this first module, we consider the general idea of being a chaplain and its outworking in our lives.
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We ponder more about the concept of God With Us
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We will continue what the videos in the previous module focused on -- chaplaincy to those who are ill.
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In this module we will be reading and pondering what it means to offer God's sacred presence to those who are dying.
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In this module, we turn our attention from those who are dying, to those who are keeping watch with the dying and who have recently experienced bereavement.
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This is an article which takes a look at the whole concept of chaplaincy once again. Now that we have been on this journey together for a while, it is time to once again take a good look at the theological basis for this area of ministry. Take the time to ponder this monograph which addresses some of the issues facing those who would be chaplains. Once again, I present this to you for your reflection, not because I would say everything that this author does, but because we need to be challenged to think deeply about this very important subject.
Please note as well that all the "footnotes" have been placed at the end of the article as "endnotes".
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In this module, we delve into the call from God for Christians to be used to bring a sacred presence into the marketplace of business and industry.
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In this module, we look at chaplaincy in a key public service occupation -- the fire department. What is spoken of here could also be applied in many ways to the work of the chaplain in a police department.
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In this module we hear from various people about the work of chaplaincy as it is found among the armed forces of a nation.
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In this module, we learn about the role of a sacred presence in the confines of prisons around the world.
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As you complete this tuition-free course, let's pray for and thank the Vision Partners! Their sacrificial giving supports these tuition-free courses so that those with little or no extra resources can access high-quality ministry training.
If you are interested in becoming a Vision Partner, click the button below.
In this final module, we read three articles that help us reflect on what it means to be a bearer of God's sacred presence in our world today.
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Please keep in mind as you read this, that Christian Leaders Institute does not endorse all the theological statements contained in this article. It is provided to you as a service so that you can read a good article by an academically trained person whose specialty is in dealing with chaplaincy and its theological underpinning.
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Please note that the footnotes for the following article have been moved to a separate page of their own. This will facilitate easier reading. The footnotes are worthy of your perusal for all the information they contain!!
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Read the Inspiring Testimony of this Fellow Christian Leaders Institute Student:
God made it possible for her to work in ministry again!
CLI student Anita Wilson
"When I reached middle age, I became afflicted with a chronic illness. Eventually, my health made it impossible for me to work or to volunteer in ministry. This was a huge challenge to my faith. I never gave up on God, but I did fall into a sinful pattern in an effort to escape the depression, pain, and difficulty of the disease. I began abusing alcohol and pain pills so that I could escape feeling bad. This caused my depression to deepen and I attempted suicide.
But my family and friends banded together and held an intervention. I would get help from them. I would love them back and learn to love myself. While I was in the psychiatric hospital, I began to feel that familiar presence and hear that beautiful still small voice. These were the only thoughts of clarity I had and I relished in the scripture and song lyrics God streamed to me...
When I got home from the hospital, I researched through decades worth of journals to try and understand how I could have fallen so far. I discovered that in 2008 I began taking some bad advice from some well-meaning friends, even though I knew this advice was not supported by scripture. I extracted journal pages, wrote essays, and poetry to tell my story in words. I created original artwork to tell my story from the end of a paintbrush. When I was done I had an art journal that helped answer my questions...
Because of my story, I am especially burdened for Christians with depression and/or addiction. I have taken some certification courses on suicide intervention. I have also enrolled in the Chaplaincy Certificate program here at Christian Leaders Institute. I am taking this chaplaincy training in order to better minister to these precious people...
I'm not sure what that future looks like yet, but I am being obedient to the steps I see God laying out for me as I receive chaplaincy training at CLI. He has done miraculous things with endorsements, interviews, one-on-one ministry and public speaking ministry already and the book hasn't even been published a month yet."
Please keep Anita in your prayers! If you would like to join Vision Partners in supporting Christian leaders like Anita, please click on the link below:
Donate
If you already are a Vision Partner, we thank you for making this training possible for students like Anita!
The course has ended. Please make sure all quizzes have been completed. If your work is incomplete, it is considered a drop, and you will have to take the class again in order to receive credit.
Our staff will be using this time to review your work. Your grade should appear on your "My Home Page" in the "Course Overview" section. Please contact Helpdesk if you have any questions or did not receive your grade.
