Parish Administration and Pastoral Formation for Leadership Course Catalog

Congregational Life and Leadership (PFL-101)
This course serves as an introduction to Christian ministry for lay persons. What does it mean to cultivate healthy congregational life? What does leadership in ministry entail? How can church lay leaders foster better communication, organization, and management so that local congregations and special ministries can flourish? This course is especially important for persons who wish to pursue the process for discernment for leadership and for students approved to participate in the process for diaconal formation.

Pastoral Ministry and Pastoral Offices (PFL-102)
This course approaches pastoral care as an ecclesial practice in which the specific context of care is the congregation. Students will be introduced to the literature, theory, and practices of pastoral care as a part of the church’s redemptive ministry, as well as basic practices of pastoral care as dimensions of congregational ministry. Special focus will be placed on the Pastoral Offices in The Book of Common Prayer (such as Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation, Ministration to the Sick, and Burial).

Introduction to Pastoral Care (PFL-103)
This course offers an introduction to the caregiving dimensions of ministry through theological and psychosocial analysis of personal, family, and congregational needs, and on principles and methods of care in response to them. This course is especially important for lay leaders who want to augment the level of pastoral care in their communities of faith, and it provides a foundational course for those who are pursuing ordained ministry.

Foundations of Episcopalian Identity: The Episcopal Church Welcomes You (PFL/AS-104)
What makes us Episcopalian? What connects our personal narrative to the narrative of the church? How does knowing our own story as Episcopalians help us to articulate what The Episcopal Church is all about to others? This course focuses on evangelism and church growth from the perspective of first knowing who we are and what we believe as Episcopalians. Cross-listed with Anglican Studies as AS-104.

Pastoral Care for Parishes in Leadership Transition Scenarios (PFL-105)
This series of classes introduces parishes to the idea of leadership transition. We work together to go through the cycle of grief, acceptance, resourcing, and growing with regards to the leaving of a church leader, like a rector or priest-in-charge. This course is especially helpful for parishes that are struggling with the aftermath of a leader’s departure: what happens next? Who is in charge now? How can we move forward? Led by sensitive and intuitive pastoral counselors, this course will empower faith communities to not only survive a transition in leadership, but to thrive as vibrant places where the Spirit still moves and lives. Learn how to tap into your home-grown gifts for flourishing and moving forward! This course will give you the tools to be the kind of parish that “lives beyond” a transition rather than “lives through” – join us for strength, power, and hope.

How to Lead and be Led by Morning Prayer (PFL-201)
For centuries, the church has engaged in Morning Prayer as both a personal, ascetical practice and to draw near to God in community through the words of Scripture. From earliest times, Christians gathered at regular hours of the morning to respond to God’s word through praise and to intercede for the salvation of the world. This course seeks to reclaim the beauty and wonder of Morning Prayer for a new generation by preparing and forming persons in the Diocese of Southeast Florida for the ministry of leading liturgy through the Daily Office, particularly in pastoral contexts and communities in which a priest is not available on Sunday mornings. The course will include the following units of study: Introduction to Liturgical Theology, History of the Daily Office and Morning Prayer, Worship as Pastoral Care, and a Prayer Book Practicum (a crash course in how to lead Morning Prayer in a congregation or faith community). Practical aspects of leading worship will be balanced with opportunities for creative expression: students will learn to write their own collects, for example, or create a special prayer for their congregations. Above all, students will be given concrete, practical instruction in how to put together a service of worship, using Morning Prayer, Rite II, in The Book of Common Prayer.

Adult Confirmation and Catechesis (PFL-202, -203)
This online confirmation course for adults will be offered jointly through a cooperative partnership between the Center for Christian Formation and Leadership and the diocesan program in Congregational Vitality. This course gives adults the opportunity to prepare for Confirmation in the Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida. Offered online and in small formation groups, the course will introduce students to The Episcopal Church and help them to strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and explore their calling as Christians.

Pastoral Liturgics (PFL-204)
This course investigates the pastoral dimension of our liturgical life, from Baptism to the Holy Eucharist and beyond. What congregational needs arise during the liturgical season of Advent? How are personal experiences of grief, loss, and loneliness exacerbated during Christmas? What are the pastoral dimensions of the season of Epiphany? How can persons in a congregation or faith community be mutually supportive to each other during the season of Lent? Students will have an opportunity to create a pastoral-liturgical workshop that they can use in a congregation, diocesan school, or special ministry.

Special Topics in Episcopal Church Studies (PFL-301, -302, and -303)
These courses explore specific topics of interest and importance and are offered periodically as electives. Examples may include but are not limited to: Introduction to Psychology; Pastoral Care in the Medieval Church; The Christian Church and Disability Studies; and St. Benedict and St. Francis: Creating Christian Community.