CF662DE : Syllabus
Fall 2010
Sept. 27-Dec. 10, 2010
Distance Course
Delivery System: Blackboard
Debra Moncauskas
(858)565-4808 ext. 204
Children’s and Family Ministries Administration
Course Description
This course explores the many facets of the administrative process within the context of a staff ministry position. Administration may be viewed as bringing the resources of an organization together in such a way as to maximize working relationships of people and programs for the benefit of both the organization and the individuals who comprise it. Students will be encouraged to examine the biblical bases for visionary leadership and the practical skills of creating and maintaining healthy programs for children and families.
Course Objectives
For the student:
1. To explore purposeful development of ministry-specific mission and visionary leadership
2. To develop management strategies related to
· facilities (safety and design)
· personnel (recruitment, supervision, and nurture)
· finances (budgeting and sound fiscal principles)
· programs (development and evaluation)
· marketing (internal and external communication strategies)
· community relations
· policy and procedures
3. To evaluate and improve on personal skills such as time management, data management, and building a circle of support and accountability
4. To become familiar with strategies of leading through change
5. To explore a variety of current trends in programming for children and families
Required Texts
· Alley, Steve. Growing a Healthy Children’s Ministry: A step-by-step handbook to cultivating Christian kids in any environment. Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2002. 224 pgs. ISBN 0784713901
· Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfuntions of Teams. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. 200 pgs. ISBN 0-7879-6075-6
· McManus, Erwin. An Unstoppable Force. Orange County, CA: Yates and Yates, 2001. 224 pgs. ISBN 0-764423061
· Olson, Ginny, Diane Elliot, and Mike Work. Youth Ministry Management Tools. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001. 420 pgs. ISBN 031023596
· Stanley, Andy. Next Generation Leader: Five Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2003. 165 pgs. ISBN 159052046-7
· Wideman, Jim. Children’s Ministry Leadership: The you-can-do-it guide. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2003. 144 pgs. ISBN 0-7644-2527-7
Recommended Texts
· Wilson, Marlene. Volunteer Leadership Series. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2004.
Marlene Wilson ISBN: 076442744X
Recommended
Membership in “Church Volunteer Central” through Group Publishing. https://shop.grouppublishing.com/cvc/
Course Requirements:
Autobiography
Students will post by Sept. 29th, on the Discussion Board, an “Administrative Autobiography.” This should include information about their current ministry setting and administrative responsibilities. In this summary you should include the size and location of your church or ministry setting; your areas of responsibility; how many people you are responsible for—children and staff; how long you have served in this capacity; other ministries you have served in as a leader/administrator; what you see as your greatest strength in administration and what area of administration are you looking forward to growing in.
Administrative Self-Evaluation (ASE)
This is a two-part assignment. Part one is completed at the beginning of the quarter and part two is completed at the end of the quarter.
Part 1 For part 1, you will write a paper assessing your leadership and administrative skills and experiences and complete the Administrative Skills assessment found in “Course Documents”. The assessment paper should be 3-5 pages long. Submit your Administrative Self-evaluation and your Skills Assessment to the instructor, in the Assignments Link, by Oct. 4th. In this paper, include the following:
· For your Administrative Self Evaluation, consider carefully your experiences in leadership and administration. What are your gifts, training and life experiences in administration and leadership? What kind of leader are you? What is your leadership style? How do you feel about the administrative aspects of ministry? Please think about and include information you have gathered through any Bethel assessments that you have taken that speak to your current or past roles and gifting as a leader and administrator. (Strengths Finders etc)
· In addition to the above leadership evaluation, complete the Administrative Skills Self-Evaluation Assessment found in “Course Documents”. In taking this assessment, you will become aware of the many facets of administration to be considered in this course. Identify at least two areas of strength, two areas for intensive exploration (these many be areas you consider weaknesses, or areas in which you’d like to become “expert”), and include a strategy for how you will focus on this intensive exploration. (This may include reading additional articles, interviewing “experts,” or a practical self-improvement plan. I have included some resources you may find helpful for this assignment in the “Recommended Textbook” list.)
Part 2 By December 10th, submit a three-paragraph minimum post-class self-evaluation. (Assignment Link) Explain how you were able to utilize your areas of strength in the class, how your intensive exploration has contributed to your growth, and a summary of how your view of your role as an administrator has been affected by this class. You may share any other areas of self-reflection you choose to in this essay.
Administrative Tools Journal (ATJ)
Throughout the course, you will create your own personal administrative tools resource. For each facet of administration we cover in this course, you will be required to enter ideas or resources that will be helpful to you as a leader and administrator as a journal entry. You are creating a resource journal where you can have at your fingertips information or great ideas to help direct you as an administrator. This should include annotated bibliography references to books or articles, web sites, ideas or quotes from speakers or classmates, and quotes or ideas gleaned from your weekly reading. You don’t need to go and search for entries outside of your required course work, although you may. Make sure your entries in the journal are clear and complete so that when you reference them in the future, you easily remember their value and reason for inclusion. If your professor cannot make sense of them now, chances are that in a few years, you will not make sense of them either. Make sure your entries give clear and helpful information.
Think about how you might organize this journal so that it works well for you. Ask yourself, "How can I organize this information so that this will be a helpful tool in the future? If I refer to this journal 5 years from now, would the entries be helpful or confusing?” Be as clear and thorough as possible. You may choose to use the course session titles for your broad journal headings or you may choose to organize your journal with more detailed headings including the many facets of administration we will cover in this course.
This project will be submitted by Dec. 6th, through the Assignment Link.
Current Trends Project
Please choose one of the following current trends in children’s ministry programming (or another trend of your choosing with the permission of the instructor) to research and present to your small discussion group on the first day of week 7 (Nov. 9th). This research needs to be focused outside of your current ministry setting. The project should be the equivalent of 3-5 pages of written text. We will spend week 7 processing your presentations. Your project should include a description of the program philosophy/strategy, an example of a place this plan is working, and an analysis of the program. Your presentation should also answer the questions of what administrative and administrative support implications implementing this program would have. You may use both literary (books, articles, journals) and personal sources (interview, observation, training sessions) for this project.
Please post your paper to your small group on the Discussion Board. Use the Discussion Board to explore more fully the current trends presented within your group. Ask questions. Seek clarification. Share personal experiences with specific trends. The purpose of the Discussion Board is to engage in a dialog so that growth takes place. The Professor will be looking for dialog that is engaging and well thought out. You will be required to respond to each trend project submitted within your small group initially and then engage in the ongoing discussion.
Your grade for this project will include a 25% apportionment for engagement in the discussion process. Please select your topic and submit by e-mail for approval by October 4th.
· Multi-age groupings
· Small groups for kids
· Media/Video based ministry
· Satellite/multi-site ministry
· Emergent Church leadership or ministry
· Character education
· Intergenerational models of ministry
· The Externally Focused Church
· Family Worship Services
· Service learning
· Preteen/Tweeners ministry
· Kids as part of ministry teams
· A trend of your choice (please specify)
Administrative Practicum
For this project, you will create an administrative handbook for some area of ministry. This project allows you to apply to your ministry setting the many facets of administration that have been covered in this course. You may choose to do any of the following or choose a project that addresses a specific area of administration that you believe is lacking in your ministry setting and needs an administrative tune-up. Although we would like for this to be an original handbook addressing an area lacking in your ministry setting, you may choose to re-work a handbook currently in use in your ministry. This should only be an option if your ministry has been thorough in producing the necessary administrative documents needed for effective ministry. If you choose this option, you will need to submit both the old document along with the re-worked document. Please submit, by e-mail, your project proposal by Oct. 26th for approval. The final project is due Dec. 10th, and should be submitted by Assignment Link.
· Children’s Ministry Team Handbook—this should include clear expectations of CM staff. It may also include ministry mission and goals, welcoming procedures, staffing needs and training, health policies and safety guidelines, cleanliness, accident and emergency procedures, child abuse recognition and reporting, discipline policies, etc
· Policies and Procedures Manual for Nursery Ministry (see above)
· Children’s Ministry Parent Handbook includes most of the topics included in the Staff handbook above. The focus is on what parents need to know to feel their children are well cared for and safe. It may also include information on what is offered at the church for children and families, plans for the year, and a map to the children’s classrooms.
· Staffing handbook—includes applications, interview and screening processes, job descriptions and expectations, training, orientation process, job reviews, reporting relationships, etc .
· Develop a child security policy- address access issues, facility issues, Parent/child identification, staff qualifications and identification, discipline policies, Emergency plans and procedures, staff ratios, staff training, etc.
· Plan a large event or produce a detailed program proposal. Include rationale connecting program mission and goals with those of the church, program timeline, budget, people resources needed, target audience/potential fruit, facility resources needed, transportation needs, who’s in charge, plan for evaluation, etc
· Your choice...
Reading/Discussion Board
The purpose of the Discussion Board is to engage in a dialog so that growth takes place. I will be looking for dialog that is engaging and well thought out.
I’ve tried to allow for maximum flexibility in your participation in the reading and discussion component of the class. The following schedule is recommended, but you may feel free to beat the suggested deadlines according to your schedule. Late work in forums will not be accepted. Completing the participation components any later than recommended will hinder others from having opportunity to respond to you. The professor will read all posts during the dates of the forum.
Complete the text readings during weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.
By Tuesday of weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 post at least four paragraphs including:
· A response to your choice of one of the questions of the session. (These will be posted in the forum. Choose only one of these questions to respond to.)
· A one paragraph summary of the issue from the reading that resonated most closely with your experience,
· A one paragraph summary of the most uncomfortable concept you came across in the reading,
· A one paragraph summary of what you can apply directly to your ministry setting (including a description of what you areputting into your Administrative Tools Journal as a result of this section’s reading).
By Friday in your posting weeks, please interact with at least two other postings, demonstrating a critical processing of the original post and any questions it might have generated for you.
By Monday of the following week, please try to respond to any questions that may have been posted in regard to your previous session’s assignment.
You will submit a reading report the last day of class, by email, to the professor.
Course Grading
· Administrative Self-Evaluation –15% (15 points)
· Administrative Tools Journal – 15% (15 points)
· Current Trends Project – 20% (20points)
· Administrative Practicum Project—30% (30 points)
· Reading/Discussion Board –18% (18 points)
· Course Evaluation—2% (2 pts)
Please note: All work must be submitted on time to receive full credit. Late work received within one week of a deadline will lose one grade. (i.e. an “A” will become a “B”) Late work, 8-14 days late, will lose two grades. (ie. An “A” will become a “C”)
Please contact your professor if special circumstances might cause you to miss an assignment deadline.
Disability Services Statement
Accessibility: Please contact the instructor as soon as possible if disability-related accommodations are needed. Accommodations for students with documented disabilities are set up through the office of Disability Services. Contact Kathy McGillvray, Director of Disability Services at (651) 635-8759.
Academic Course Policies
(Please see catalog for full range of requirements.)
1. Academic Integrity (88-9): “Written material submitted must be the original work of the student. Academic dishonesty constitutes a serious violation of scholarship standards at Bethel and can result in denial of credit and possible dismissal from the school. Any act that involves misrepresentation regarding the student’s academic work is forbidden. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on assignments or exams, plagiarism, fabrication of research, multiple submissions of work in different courses, misrepresentation of academic records, the facilitation of academic dishonesty, and depriving others of necessary academic resources.”