Cincinnati Bible Seminary
CincinnatiChristianUniversity
PMN 502 Spiritual Formation/section 99/online format Three credit hours
Spring semester, 2011 January 18 to May 12, 2011
Instructor: Bill Weber Crouch Building, study #7
Course Description:
A course designed to help students recognize the importance of a disciplined Christian life. While the focus is on one’s spiritual development, attention is given to the relatedness of the physical, emotional, and mental to the spiritual. Resources and practices will be presented to help the Christian leader personally, as well as guiding others to spiritual maturity.
Course Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will
- Be able to explain the need for Christian leaders to have a solid spiritual foundation built upon a love for Christ and a disciplined spiritual life.
- Be able to summarize biblical teachings concerning spiritual growth, spiritual disciplines, and spiritual maturity.
- Be able to identify the personal and professional factors that demonstrate the need for spiritual formation in the life of a Christian leader.
- Be able to describe factors that have formed and continue to for their spiritual character.
- Be able to list those aspects of spiritual development that are vital to integrate faith and life in a journey with Christ.
- Be able to write a plan for continued spiritual growth utilizing available resources and practices.
Course Textbooks:
Nouwen, Henri J.M. In the Name of Jesus. New York: Crossroads, 1989.
Hybels, Bill. Too Busy Not to Pray.2nd ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1998.
Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1998
Boa, Kenneth. Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.
Willard, Dallas. The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teaching on Discipleship. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006
Course Requirements:
A. Written Assignments: Various written assignments will be required throughout the course. Details will be available online in Moodle.
B. Book Reviews: Five book reviews are required. Details for each review will be available onlinein Moodle.
C. Twelve month plan for spiritual development.Details will be available online in Moodle.
D. Research paper: Requirements for the research paper on a spiritual discipline will be availableon linein Moodle.
E. Participation in class discussions in Moodle—FORUMS
This class is designed as a collaborative learning experience; therefore participation of all students is necessary for the success of the class. All students are expected to participate in the weekly discussion topics. Students must participate during the week of that discussion and may not go back and participate later. In order to earn an ‘A’ in the class, students must participate in all discussions. Grades will be reduced according to the following schedule for students who choose not to participate in all discussions. Students must participate in all fourteen discussions to earn an ‘A’ in the course.
A14 discussions
B12-13 discussions
C10-11 discussions
F9 or fewer discussions
NOTE: Students must complete all assignments to satisfactorily complete the course.
Course grading:
Book reviews25 %
Research paper 20 %
Twelve month plan20%
Assignments10 %
Forums25 %
NOTE: All terms and conditions stated in this course plan, including objectives, outline of contents, required texts, assignments, attendance policy, and grading scale, are subject to the professor’s unilateral revision at any point before, during, or after the semester.
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