COURSE DESCRIPTION

YM326 takes a reflective examination and skill development of the relational dynamics for effective leadership through administration, vision casting, conflict metamorphosis, decision-making, and volunteer-equipping in the life and ministry of the student minister, including his/her healthy relationships with God, family, students, the ministry staff, church elders/deacons, the church community (weddings and funerals), and the world.

COURSE RATIONALE

For leaders to be effective, they must lead with a 360-degree perspective that starts by leading from the inside out. That means that there is a lot of interior work that must occur in order to maximize their leadership impact. This is called self-leadership. It happens when we are able to make sound self-assessments and organize ourselves through self-management. We will explore that. In addition, we will examine the interrelated and systemic interactions between everyone that you, the youth ministry leading servant, will encounter. 

There is a lot of work (reflective and inner world exploration), but I believe it will be worth it in the end. And when you finish, you will have been challenged to consider the relational dynamics of the way you think, feel, and act as a leader AND how that will affect others with whom you come in contact.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

• Semester-Long Paper Stock Trading Game (so we can talk about Minister’s Money, Taxes, and Investments)

• Intense Personal Assessment and Application of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

• Focus attention on the key relational dynamics of Team Empowerment, Risk, Conflict, Change, and Decision Making

• A Final Self-Reflection and Next Steps Application over each key topic from the semester