2
PL 800 (2 Credit Hours)
Systems Thinking for Pastoral Leadership
Houston Graduate School of Theology
The mission of Houston Graduate School of Theology is empowering spiritual leadership through the intellectual, spiritual, and vocational development of men and women in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Professor: Peter H. Davids, PhD
Visiting Professor of Bible and Applied Theology
713.314.7886
Time: July 2014
Required Texts:
Gilbert, Roberta M. The Eight Concepts of Bowen Theory. Leading Systems Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0976345510.
------. Extraordinary Leadership: Thinking Systems, Making a Difference. Leading Systems Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0976345527.
Herrington, Jim, Robert Creech, and Tricia Taylor. The Leader’s Journey. Jossey-Bass, 2003. ISBN 978-0787962661 – For working lunches
Recommended Texts:
Friedman, Edwin H. Friedman’s Fables. New York: The Guilford Press, 1990. ISBN 978-0-89862-440-3.
McGoldrick, Monica, Randy Gerson, and Sueli Petry. Genograms: Assessment and Intervention, 3rd edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008. ISBN 978-0393705096.
Richardson, Ronald W. Becoming a Healthier Pastor: Family Systems Theory and the Pastor’s Own Family. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8006-3639-2.
Richardson, Ronald W. Creating a Healthier Church: Family Systems Theory, Leadership, and Congregational Life. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8006-2955-8.
Steinke, Peter L. Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What. Herdon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2006. ISBN 978-1-56699-328-9.
Steinke, Peter L. Healthy Congregations: A Systems Approach. Herdon, VA: The Alban Institute, 1996. ISBN 1-56699-173-0.
Background Texts for further reference:
Bowen, Murray. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1993. ISBN 978-1568210117.
Kerr, Michael, and Murray Bowen. Family Evaluation: An Approach Based on Bowen Theory. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1988. ISBN 978-0393700565.
Course Description:
An introduction to family systems as a context and a way to think about self, the family of origin, and the nuclear family. The eight concepts of Bowen Theory will provide foundational material for the study.
Course Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, each student will be able to:
1. Articulate a concept of ministry based on family systems thinking;
2. Create a family diagram as a way to understand his or her family of origin and the impact of observable patterns in life and ministry; and
3. Integrate family systems thinking into congregational systems.
Pre-seminar Assignments: Due Thursday, July 17, 2014
1. (10% of final grade) Answer the self-assessment questions from The Leader’s Journey as noted below and be prepared to share in a group discussion (working lunches printouts due Thursday, July 17):
· Monday – answer the first four bullets on page 13 (the end of chapter 1)
· Tuesday – choose five questions from page 25 (the end of chapter 2)
· Wednesday – choose five questions from pages 47-48 (end of chapter 3)
· Thursday – page 66 (end of chapter 4)
2. (30% of final grade) Two Critical Book Reviews – Following the direction and sample provided during the orientation, turn in a five-page critical book review for each of the Gilbert texts, or Gilbert’s The Eight Concepts and one of the volumes by Steinke (which would spread your reading over more authors). Come to class prepared to discuss and illustrate your understanding of the eight concepts of Bowen Theory. Please upload to Turnitin.com prior to the deadline.
3. (5% of final grade) Family Diagram – Using information described in your texts and in other resources, prepare a family diagram (hand-drawn on a large piece of paper is fine; it is also fine to create and project a diagram using appropriate software), which begins with you, includes your current nuclear family, and goes back 2-4 generations. In your presentation of this material to the class on Thursday afternoon you should stress relationships, i.e. how the family system worked and how it flowed from generation to generation. If you wish to use software, Genoware makes Genogram Maker Millennium that assists you in doing the project on your computer.
Post-seminar Assignments: Due August 15, 2014
1. (30% of final grade) Research the eight concepts of Bowen theory in at least two additional texts and two journal articles. Discuss any new thinking you discover through your research. Draw conclusions from class discussion and research, revealing your insights into how the integration of Family Systems Thinking can impact leadership in a congregational or ministry setting (8-10 pages). Please upload to Turnitin.com prior to the deadline.
2. (25% of final grade) Write a 4-page reflection paper in which you include insights gained, observations made, and conclusions drawn from observation of your family diagram as they relate to your nuclear family of origin and your current ministry involvement. This is a personal reflection, it is entirely appropriate to use the first person form in writing this paper.
Be sure to write in academic style and include appropriate introductions and conclusions with each paper.
Course Grading Scale: “A” represents excellent work in all categories (fulfillment of assignment, writing and formatting, and doctoral level content); “B” represents good work in all categories; anything below a “B-” is considered below doctoral level.
A 3.8-4.0 C+ 2.3-2.5
A- 3.5-3.7 C 2.0-2.2
B+ 3.3-3.4 C- 1.7-1.9
B 3.0-3.2 D 0
B- 2.6-2.9 F 0
Policies: Following are official HGST academic policies
A. Turnitin.com
1. All written assignments are subject to required submission to www.turnitin.com to check for originality and style. The assignments that are required for submission will be described in the syllabus.
2. Students will create an account at www.turnitin.com. After doing so, the student will join the course page with the code and password supplied by the instructor. A list of assignments and due dates will be available on the course page.
3. Students will submit assignments by the due date and time and may be required to submit the assignments in a hard copy format.
B. Electronic Equipment Usage in Classrooms
It is expected that students will use technology (cell phones, laptop computers, iPads, etc.) during classes only for the purposes of class work. Therefore, students should turn off cell phones and refrain from texting and using laptop computers during classes except for the purposes of taking notes or doing research specifically authorized by the course instructor. Students who have emergency needs not covered by this policy must ask for an exception from the course instructor.
C. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is presenting the work of another person as one’s own without giving proper credit for the use of the information. Students must not quote or paraphrase books, articles, essays, or Internet sites without giving proper credit to the author(s). Students should guard against plagiarism by crediting the original author through use of proper citations. Internet plagiarism is a particularly easy and tempting form of intellectual theft. Cutting and pasting sentences and paragraphs from the Internet without citations is plagiarism. Failure to cite Internet sources is plagiarism. Any student who is found guilty of plagiarism is subject to a range of consequences as outlined below.
1. If a faculty member suspects plagiarism, the instructor will investigate. If suspicions are confirmed, the faculty member will present the evidence to the appropriate Associate Dean as a record of the offense. If the Associate Dean concurs with the allegations, the following procedures should be implemented as applicable:
a. The faculty member may discuss the offense with the student following consultation with the Associate Dean, but the student will meet with the Associate Dean.
b. For a first offense, the faculty member, in consultation with the Associate Dean, may give opportunity for a rewrite of the assignment or may assign a grade of zero for the plagiarized assignment.
c. For a particularly egregious case of plagiarism on a major assignment, the consequences could result in automatic failure of the course.
2. The student may appeal the above-mentioned decisions of the faculty member in writing to the Academic Dean.
3. The second confirmed offense will result in expulsion from school. The student will be notified by a letter from the Academic Dean. His or her only opportunity for appeal will be to the President in writing. The President’s decision will be final.
D. Library Usage
A student’s ability to get the most out of library resources will enhance the possibility of earning a high grade in this class. Therefore, students should consider using, in addition to the HGST library, one or more of the following libraries.
Houston Public Library—Texas residents can obtain a free Houston Public Library card. Library cardholders have access to all of the books in the library system as well as the use of free interlibrary loans, meaning that HPL cardholders can borrow almost any book available. Cardholders can use the library’s website, www.houstonlibrary.org, to search the catalog and manage interlibrary loans. The website also contains links to WorldCat and other online databases that will enhance your research. The HPL location that is closest to HGST, the Collier Regional Branch (832-393-1740), is located at 6200 Pinemont, which is less than three miles from campus. A better option would be the newly expanded and renovated Central Library (832-393-1313), which is located downtown at 500 McKinney. In addition, HPL has many other locations. The HGST library can give you an application for an HPL library card, or you can print the application form from their website.
Fondren Library at Rice University— The Fondren Library (713-348-5113) is located at 6100 Main. Please visit www.rice.edu/fondren for more information. The procedure for borrowing books at the Fondren Library is, first, go to the online catalog [www.rice.edu/fondren] to search for available books; second, go to the HGST library and fill out a form, signed by HGST library personnel, to take with you to the Fondren Library for each book; third, retrieve the book(s) yourself; fourth, take the book(s) and the signed form to the circulation desk to complete checkout (return the yellow copy to the HGST library; when the book(s) are returned to the Fondren Library, they will indicate so on the pink and gold copies; return the pink copy to the HGST Library and keep the gold copy for your records).
Cardinal Beran Library at St. Mary’s Seminary—the home of an extensive theological library, St. Mary’s Seminary (713-686-4345) is located at 9845 Memorial Drive, only 4.6 miles from HGST. For more information, please visit http://beran.stthom.edu. The Doherty Library on the main campus of University of St. Thomas is also an option.
Library of the Presbytery of the New Covenant – as an HGST student you have borrowing privileges at this library located at 1110 Lovett Blvd, Houston. To search their online catalogue, go to http://www.pbyofnewcovenant.org/cgi-bin/rqm/rqm.cgi.
Other options include Harris County Public Library (www.hcpl.net), Lanier Theological Library (www.laniertheologicallibrary.org), and the libraries at the University of Houston and Houston Baptist University.
Doctor of Ministry Policies: (find the full listing of DMin Policies in the HGST Academic Catalog, pages 28ff)
A. Assignments
Students in the DMin program will read, research, study, experience, and evaluate applied theology and personal spiritual concepts. This degree promotes research on vital issues affecting the quality of life in faith communities as well as the development of new approaches, strategies, and styles of ministry in a wide variety of institutional and cultural settings. The resulting learning process equips the student for critical evaluation in the context and practice of ministry and fosters an integration of theory and effective pastoral practice with a view toward transforming communities.
Pre-seminar assignments are due no later than the course start date. Students are encouraged, however, to bring all written assignments the first day of the seminar week. Students with missing pre-seminar assignments may be dropped from those sections of the seminar, may not be permitted to attend those sections, and may receive a failing grade for those sections.
Students should expect approximately 2,000 pages of reading each semester. It is expected that the books will be acquired and that the reading assignments will be completed in order that candidates may be exposed to the material prior to the seminar.
Post-seminar written assignments are to be submitted within ninety days after the session ends, at prescribed deadlines. Assignments should be emailed directly to professors on or before the due date. Competence will be demonstrated through creative projects and papers, which apply professional experience in connection with course content. These assignments will demonstrate an understanding of the writing skills required for the doctoral level and of the subject matter, bibliography, theory, and methodology covered in the seminar.
Written work will follow the prescribed HGST/Turabian style and should meet the deadlines required in each course syllabus. Grades will reflect the meeting of these criteria as well as the content.
Students are encouraged to email copies of completed assignments to the Director and to keep hard copies and external digital copies on file to protect work from being lost due to a computer malfunction. Graded papers are usually available for pick up at the following seminar unless they are returned via email.
Written assignments for Project and Practicum completion are described and delineated in the “Project and Practicum Manual,” which is available via the website. The Manual also includes deadlines for Project and Practicum Report completion and all pre-graduation deadlines.
B. Extensions and Incomplete Grade Policy
Seminar assignments are to be completed and mailed or emailed on or before the established due date. However, upon receiving a completed Extension Request Form and payment of $50 per professor, a thirty-day extension (one for each professor) may be granted by the DMin Office. The extension request should be received before the original due date. The professor shall reduce the grade by at least one-half letter grade. Work postmarked after the due date or the one-time thirty-day extension due date is subject to a minimum one letter grade reduction. No class work will be accepted after the close of the semester (except for previously granted 30-day extensions), a grade of “F” will be given, and the semester will have to be repeated for credit. The student will be placed on Academic Probation at that time until a cumulative GPA of no less than a B average is earned during the next semester.