Church and Ministry. Religious Leadership and Administration

LA501. Introduction to Religious Leadership and Administration

Credit, three hours. (Faculty)

This course explores the church as an organization and ministry as a vocation of organizational leadership. It draws on resources of organizational studies and theology to develop a practical theology of leadership with a particular focus on the local church congregation and church-related nonprofit organizations. The course addresses specific areas of administration, including organizational development and planning, conflict and decision-making, stewardship of resources (people, money, and buildings), and legal issues for the contemporary church.

LA503. Leading the Congregation

Credit, three hours. (Faculty)

This course introduces methods of understanding the character and context of a congregation. It develops a model of imaginative pastoral leadership—leading a congregation toward deeper awareness of its strengths and assets in order to use its cultural and organizational resources more effectively for ministry and mission. The course emphasizes skills for initiating pastoral ministry and leadership with a congregation.

LA505. Leading the Small Membership Church

Credit, three hours. (Faculty)

This course will address the issues unique to small membership churches through an exploration of the distinctive strengths, qualities, challenges, and difficulties inherent in small membership congregations. Students will come to understand the unique culture and dynamics of the small membership church, develop necessary pastoral leadership skills, mobilize and empower lay resources for church growth, and develop strategies for leading the small membership church into the future.

LA509. The Work of the Minister

Credit, three hours. (Faculty)

Contemporary issues in pastoral ministry. (LA509CEE when offered as a Contextual Education elective)

LA560. Principles and Practices of Moral Leadership

Credit, three hours. (Franklin) (Same as ES560.)

This course is intended to be a foundational class for the Laney Legacy Program in Moral Leadership and open to students throughout the university and offered annually. Through lectures, seminar discussions, guest presentations and student presentations, we will attempt to understand how some people are able through their modes of being and acting to elevate and transform others and produce desired outcomes.

LA612. Leadership and Administration in Black Church Traditions

Credit, three hours. (Faculty)

Five lenses are used to provide the interpretative framework for the study of leadership and administration in black church traditions: cultural, spiritual, relational, political, and practical. (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and/or Global Contexts)

LA645. Nonprofit Leadership and Management

Credit, three hours. (Faculty) (Same as CC645.)

This course is designed for those students considering vocations with nonprofit agencies, social service organizations, and faithbased, social justice ministries. It focuses on the practical skills needed to direct these organizations: board development, grant writing and fund-raising, personnel management, collaboration, strategic planning, community relations, program planning, and evaluation. Faith-based initiatives and charitable choice legislation also will be reviewed.

LA650. Church Financial Leadership and Management

Credit, three hours. (Jordan)

The clergy of a local church is in the role similar to that of an executive director of a not-for-profit organization. Leadership in the implementation and administration of temporal matters is often a learned skill set. Through real-life examples and exercises students will learn how to lead and manage congregational temporal matters more effectively and ethically. This course empowers students with practical skills for leading congregations financially. Students in this course get the knowledge necessary for sensitivity, awareness, and accountability of the processes surrounding sound financial management, protection of church assets, and engage the specific governing documents of students’ home congregations and denominations.

LA698. Special Topics in Religious Leadership and Administration

Credit, variable. (Faculty)

Special topic or one-time offering courses led by Candler regular and visiting faculty. Prerequisites may be required and are noted on the course schedule when applicable.