DMin Upcoming Classes ~ Reformed Theological Seminary

Winter 2019

January 30, 2019 – July 15, 2019 – Online course (Prerequisite: Must have completed 7 courses)
Doctoral Project and Research Methodologies
Dr. S. Donald Fortson
03DM901 – Charlotte and Orlando
Syllabus – Registration opens November 1

This online course will assist the student to understand the required components of the DMin Project and to prepare an acceptable Project Proposal. As an outcome of the course, students will write the first draft of a Project Proposal with bibliography and be prepared to submit this draft to the DMin committee on their home campus – Charlotte or Orlando.

Summer 2019

Charlotte

July 8 – 12, 2019
Fundamentals of Pastoral Ministry Dr. Charlie Wingard
03DM841 – Charlotte

Syllabus – Registration opens April 1
This course will explore pastoral ministry from a biblical, theological, cultural, and historical perspective. Topics include: The biblical foundations of pastoral ministry, ministry of the word, pastoral care, personal holiness, public worship, church administration, church government, the pastor and his public life, contemporary American culture, the work of the pastor in historical perspective, and the pastor’s self-care. Lectures present a theology of Reformed pastoral ministry and its application to the life of the pastor and his work. Class conversations offer time to discuss the challenges and opportunities of ministry, and to work together toward developing a biblical theology of ministry and practice.

July 15 – 19, 2019
Preaching from the Pastoral Epistles
Dr. Bill Barcley
03DM887 – Charlotte
Syllabus – Registration opens April 1
The Pastoral Epistles are unique among the Pauline epistles in that they address two men who have been given pastoral oversight over particular churches. While they address specific problems and specific circumstances, they are especially useful in identifying Paul’s priorities, not just for pastoral ministry, but also for the ministry of the church in general. This course will focus on the interpretation of these three letters with an eye toward preaching them, as well as ensuring that the ministry of our churches today matches the biblical model of a faithful church.

July 30, 2019 – January 15, 2020 – Online course (Prerequisite: Must have completed 7 courses)
Doctoral Project and Research Methodologies
Dr. S. Donald Fortson
03DM901 – Charlotte and Orlando
Syllabus – Registration opens April 1

Orlando

July 15 – 19, 2019
Christian Spirituality
Tom Schwanda
02DM843/01 – Orlando
Syllabus – Registration opens April 1

This course provides an overview to the history of the major leaders and movements of Christian spirituality. Beginning with the early church we will examine some of the primary writings that are representative of Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant spirituality. Our concern will be how these earlier voices might speak to our contemporary church. Three questions will guide our reading and discussion: What spiritual disciplines did these earlier Christians use to cultivate their relationship with God? If this person was your spiritual guide how might they have mentored you or the people from your ministry? What insights and resources could be retrieved from these Christians to strengthen and encourage you and your ministry?

July 22-26, 2019
Preaching from the Psalms
Dr. Mark D. Futato
02DM874/01 – Orlando
Syllabus – Registration opens April 1

Preaching from the Psalms is a course that combines hermeneutics and homiletics, as they apply to the book of Psalms. This course combines theory and practice. You will not only study “how to,” you will also “do” what you are learning in the books. This class is more of a graduate seminar than a lecture course, so there will be a bit more pre-class preparation than usual.

Winter 2020

Charlotte

January 20 – 24, 2020
Covenant Theology
Dr. Ligon Duncan
03DM879 – Charlotte
Registration opens November 1
This course is a study of Covenant Theology from exegetical, theological and historical perspectives. Covenant theology is the Bible’s way of explaining and deepening our understanding of (1) the atonement; (2) our assurance; (3) the sacraments; (4) the continuity of redemptive history; and (5) Dynamic of God’s sovereignty and Christian responsibility/piety. The doctrine of the covenants is thus important for both Reformed systematic and biblical theology (the study of special revelation from the standpoint of redemptive history). The course will survey the successive biblical covenants from a redemptive historical perspective as well as examine the bi-covenantal structure of creation and redemption. Consideration will be given to issues such as the relation of the Old and New Testaments, the significance of the covenants for the doctrine of the atonement, for understanding sacramental theology, the implications of Covenant Theology for Reformed hermeneutics and more. Emphasis will be placed on the role of the Biblical doctrine of the covenants for preaching and pastoral ministry.

January 27 – 31, 2020
Preaching from the Major Prophets
Dr. John Currid
03DM881 – Charlotte
Registration opens November 1
This course will present an overview of the content and theology of the major Old Testament prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. At the heart of the course will be to teach pastors how to preach from the prophetical literature and, in particular, from the material of these three books.

January 16 – 19, 2020
Church Revitalization
Dr. Harry Reeder
03DM819 – Charlotte (offered on-site in Birmingham)
Registration opens November 1
This course will address the contemporary church profile and the pressing need of church revitalization in North America, by seeking to acquaint the students with specific quality literature, dealing with the issues of church renewal and revitalization. We will determine Biblical models and theological principles applicable to church revitalization, and identify those factors with bring stagnation and decline to the local church, with a goal to develop a plan to initiate church revitalization in the student’s ministry that is faithful to the Scripture, relevant specific situation and clearly prioritized for practical application.

January 30, 2020 – July 15, 2020 – Online course (Prerequisite: Must have completed 7 courses)
Doctoral Project and Research Methodologies
Dr. S. Donald Fortson
03DM901 – Charlotte and Orlando
Registration opens November 1

Orlando

January 20 – 24, 2020
Christ-Centered Worship
Dr. Bryan Chapell
02DM810 – Orlando
Registration opens November 1

This course addresses Christian worship principles for pastors with an emphasis on preparing church leaders to develop structures and styles of worship that reflect the unchanging truths of the Gospel within particular and varied cultural contexts. We will emphasize the ways in which the grace that pervades Scripture and culminates in Christ affects the integration of worship and mission in the local church.

January 27-31, 2020
Trinitarian Theology
Dr. Michael Allen
02DM864 – Orlando
Registration opens November 1
C. S. Lewis speaks in “Meditation in a Toolshed” of the difference between “looking at” something and “looking along” something. The triune God is one worthy of “looking at” in contemplation and study, meditation and prayer. And the God of the Gospel is the only one for whom “looking along” can cast light on all other things. We need to explore and contemplate who God is, and we need to ask what a Trinitarian view of x, y, and z really means. In this course then we will consider ways in which looking at the triune God and looking along the triune God can faithfully and fruitfully be pursued, mindful of classical and contemporary approaches. We will examine key elements of the doctrine of God in their biblical, historical, and theological complexity, seeking not only to contemplate God more fully but to ask how they shape the active lives of Christians in a variety of ways.