Offered By

Church Administration Theology and Time Management

Duke University

About this Course

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As church pastors and leaders, how should you manage Christian church administration? Shouldn’t Christian theology matter in church administration? If so, how? At the same time, how should you utilize management principles and techniques to make your church a more faithful church, rather than turning it into a secular enterprise?
In this Duke Divinity+ non-credit course for church pastors and leaders, you will learn the importance of approaching church administration theologically. More specifically, you will engage church admin as church practices whose theological goals are discipleship, formation, witness, and worship. As such, church administration should be a critically important component of pastoral leadership and competence. Given such a theological understanding of church administration, we will draw upon and appropriate management excellence and know-how to serve as tools for these theological goals.
 
As the first course in the Duke Divinity+ Church Administration Specialization series, this course will focus on developing a theology of church administration and then applying it to time management—a huge, ongoing challenge for pastors and church leaders alike–in such a way as to reshape classic time management principles and practices into a robust Christian stewardship of time.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

This course is for both professional and voluntary leaders of Christian churches.

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

Explain why church administration must be approached from a theological perspective.
Elucidate how Christian ethics and pastoral leadership inform a theology and practice of church admin.
Develop a time stewardship plan.

Skills you will gain

church administration
Time management
theology
Leadership
meeting management

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

This course is for both professional and voluntary leaders of Christian churches.

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Rae Cho

Visiting Assistant Professor

Duke Divinity School

976 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

Duke University

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

5 hours to complete

Church Admin as Church Practices

What’s distinctive about church administration? We will examine this crucial question by establishing why theology should matter in church admin. First, we will introduce the course by delineating our overall theological approach to church administration, namely, appropriating management tools as a means to achieving theological ends of church admin. Then, we will draw upon Stanley Hauerwas’s insights on Christian ethics to unpack why church admin constitutes church practices and what this means for its theological goals and stewardship. Closer to home, you’ll poll people in your church to discover their perceptions of “theology” and “church administration.” In doing so, you will better appreciate why Hauerwas’s critiques and insights are relevant for your church. Lastly, we’ll take some time to make sure you have a clear picture of how this course works and where it fits in the Church Administration Specialization.

5 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 59 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Church Administration Theology and Time Management 15mOverall Theological Approach to Church Admin 8mChurch Admin as Church Practices3mConnecting Hauerwas’s Christian Ethics to Church Admin20mPoll Results and Interpretations3mWeek 1 Wrap-up (Key Takeaways and Setup for Next Week)7m

8 readings

Church Administration Course Overview 5mAbout Duke Divinity+5mHow to Be Successful in This Course5mDownload Your Course Workbook5mAugustine, On Christian Doctrine, Book II, Ch 405mGet Started on Your Time Survey for Week 31hPolling Assignment: “Theology” and “Church Administration” 1hWorkbook: Individual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts 30m

1 practice exercise

Week 1 Quiz15m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Church Admin as Pastoral Leadership

How important should church admin be to your pastoral role and leadership? To address this question, we will begin by looking at the wisdom of the early church to glean what characterized effective church leadership. We will then examine why church admin is critical to pastoral leadership and competence and, therefore, why it’s crucial for your pastoral credibility, trust, and authority. As an important course assignment, you will identify your key pastoral priorities as the basis for a clear, shared understanding with your church leadership team.

4 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 49 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

4 hours to complete

Time Management to Time Stewardship

Given the theological foundations of church admin from Weeks 1 and 2, we turn to a concrete application of your time management. Time is one of the most precious resources we have, and in particular for pastors (and lay leaders), time management perennially ranks as a top ministry challenge. This week, you will learn key time management principles, a theology of time stewardship, and how these principles can be used as a tool for stewardship of time. Correlatively, you will examine how you actually spend your time and develop a plan to better steward the time God has given you.

4 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 55 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

Week4

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Delegation and Meeting Stewardship

Now that you’ve developed a plan to steward your time according to your theological convictions and your pastoral priorities, the challenge is to follow through and align your schedule with the intentions expressed in your plan. This week, you’ll develop the skills you’ll need to get and stay on track by exploring the power of “no,” the art of delegation, and principles of meeting stewardship.

5 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 59 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Delegation and Meeting Stewardship (Intro)3mThe Power of No and the Art of Delegation 14mEffective Meeting Management Principles11mFrom Meeting Management to Meeting Stewardship8mWeek 4 Wrap-up6mCourse 1 Summary & Key Takeaways13m

3 readings

Individual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts30mMeeting Stewardship Plan1hIndividual Reflection or Group Discussion Prompts30m

1 practice exercise

Week 4 Quiz30m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
How do I take this course for free as a Duke alum?
If you are a Duke alum with a degree from Duke University, you can take this course for free. You will need a Duke OneLink account, and then you will need to log into the Coursera for Duke Alumni portal.
If you do not already have a OneLink account, use these instructions to register for an account. Please note that after submitting the required information on the OneLink site, you will be emailed a link to complete the process, which expires after 7 days. Please be prompt in visiting that link so you can finish creating your OneLink account within that time frame, or you will have to start over.
Once you have a OneLink account, you can visit the Coursera for Duke Alumni portal. You will log in with your OneLink credentials, and then you will be able to search at the top of the page for this course. Once you select the course, select the button that says Enroll for Free.
If you encounter questions, please visit the Coursera for Duke website and use the instructions provided there to ask for help.
Which course materials will I have access to if I audit the course?
By auditing the course, you will have access to all course materials and will be able to preview the quizzes. However, you will only be able to submit the quizzes for grading if you enroll for a Certificate.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Church Administration Theology and Time Management

Church Administration Theology and Time Management

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain