Teaching

Over the years I have taught a range of subjects, primarily in the area of practical theology. My first teaching experience, however, involved teaching doctrine and then various courses in systematic theology. In more recent years my teaching has focussed more on my primary areas.

I currently teach the following courses at Acadia Divinity College related to the subjects of Preaching and Worship:

Preaching as a Practice and the Practice of Preaching

In this course, participants will focus upon three sets of skills. Firstly, the interpretation of the Scriptures for preaching. Secondly, the design of sermons. Thirdly, the delivery of sermons. The first will involve practicing basic exegesis to determine what a Scripture is talking about and what it is saying about what it is talking about. The second will focus on crafting sermon structure and content that enables communicating a clear message according to a predetermined purpose. The third will focus on matters of verbal and non-verbal communication in public speaking and negotiating mediated delivery. Throughout this course, participants will be required to prepare, design, and deliver various messages to be delivered publicly and on which they will receive peer and tutor feedback. In-between classes, participants will be expected to give time and attention to preparation, practice, and rehearsal.

After successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
A. Interpret portions of Scripture for preaching the main idea of a passage.
B. Design sermons that have a clarity of structure and content
C. Speak publicly with attention to good verbal and non-verbal communication
D. Deliver messages in mediated formats.

NB: This and my other courses are skills based courses. See my article: “Teaching Preaching: As Practical Theology,” for the rationale.

Creative Preaching

This course will focus upon preaching as the embodied oral/aural communication of biblically informed Christian convictions with the purpose of effecting some sort of change. Participants will be introduced to the embodied nature of preaching before exploring a variety of approaches and understandings of the practice of preaching. The course will cover-form sensitive; testimony; sequential; trouble and grace; collaborative; prophetic; evangelistic; extreme; and African-American celebratory styles of preaching. In exploring these approaches, the contribution that women’s styles of preaching, and black styles of preaching in particular make to our understanding will be highlighted and themes such as the use of multi-media, post- modern culture, preaching and politics, and “out-church” preaching discussed as appropriate. Participants will have the opportunity to focus on two approaches to preaching that particularly interest them and can enhance their own practice and will have the opportunity to design and deliver sermons in these styles receiving peer and tutor, group and individual feedback.

After successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

A. Identify, discuss, and critically reflect upon a number of different emphases and approaches to preaching as discussed in the homiletical literature for this course.
B. Design, deliver, and critically reflect upon, two sermons, explicitly influenced by two different approaches to preaching as discussed in the literature for this course.
C. Demonstrate skills of preaching as an embodied performance.

This was a course I developed a number of years ago based upon my own MTh studies and have continued to develop.

Christian Worship…Now

Participants will be introduced to the biblical, historical, and theological understandings of gathered Christian “worship”. With reference to history and geography the variety of potential approaches will be highlighted before focusing on what is meant by “traditional,” “contemporary,”, “blended” and “alternative” worship. The potential acts and activities that can constitute a worship service and the range of possible service ‘orders’ will be explored. Specific attention will be given to several key practices such as the public reading of Scripture, public prayer, the Lord’s Supper, and Baptism. Through observation, reflection and rehearsal, participants will have the opportunity to design worship services and develop the skills of leading public corporate worship.

After successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

A. Describe and critically discuss the practice of gathering for Christian worship with reference to the bible, theology, and context.
B. Design with demonstrated critical awareness of theological, contextual, and practical matters, the order for a regular weekly gathering for Christian worship.
C. Lead specific special acts of Christian worship with appropriate, theological, contextual, and practical sensitivity.

All these courses are delivered in a hi-flex, hybrid format thus allowing in-person and online asynchronous and synchronous participation.

Contact Acadia Divinity College if you would be interested in taking or auditing these courses.