COURSE DESCRIPTION

Before enrolling in their fifth class in the program, students will be expected to enroll and participate in this online mutual mentoring community with other students who have matriculated.  Though largely facilitated through the Internet, this experience will also be catalyzed by each face-to-face course encounter in which the student participates. Students will be expected to offer both support and challenge on behalf of each other’s personal and spiritual growth through reading assignments, active discussions, and integration projects over a twelve-month period.  Course entry points take place in both January and July. (This 2 credit hour course meets a Program Core curriculum requirement within the MA in Youth Ministry Leadership.)

A WORD FROM PROFESSOR ROGER …

Graduate education can be a fantastic source of connecting with others. Friendships formed between students and faculty should be personally and professionally rewarding. We ought to experience growth and emerge from our times together ready to give God our best in all of life. I think of our year of participating in a mutual mentoring community as a chance to spark each other as faithful followers of Jesus. Our agenda is life. Our method is interaction. If we all bring our “A” Game we’ll have a great experience together. Here are some expectations I have for the course:

• I expect us all to be well-prepared to participate in our learning experience.

• I expect us all to care about each other in ways that go beyond completing a course.

• I expect us all to use the course to become more faithful to the Lord Jesus and want us to discover how the Holy Spirit supplies us with help for that challenge through each other.

• I expect students to do graduate-quality work, completing their assignments on time so that they may contribute to others’ learning.

• I promise to communicate with students in a timely manner. You will have at least a one-month notice for major reading assignments. E-mail & web interaction can be expected at least bi-weekly. Grading and final feedback for the course will be received no later than 2 weeks after your one year experience concludes in either January or July.

• I expect us all to relax, give our best, respect others, be totally real and have fun.
   

YL 500 REGISTRATION DEADLINE: January 15 and July 1

YL 500 major assignments: More than 600 pages of reading from three books and various article selections; frequent one-page reflection papers held together by a master-plan of self-directed learning called a Life improvement Plan.  This big LIP  will be designed by each student in the first six weeks of the course and will identify growth goals, improvement action steps, benchmark timelines and accountability indicators to build our life infrastructure in four areas under the Lordship of Christ: Private World, Family First, Social Support, and Job Coaching.

 Additional YL 500 details are available to registered students only.