THEO 500 LEADERSHIP THEOLOGY: Paper and Project

This course presents various perspectives and approaches to leadership. This paper serves as the culmination of the various streams of perspective. Students are to present a 5 page (1250+ words) paper that demonstrates their understanding of those perspectives, compares and contrasts them, and that critically evaluates them on the basis of scholarly investigation engaged during the course. This is the first formal APA style paper of the course, so attention to detail in presentation is required. Write the paper in third person. Omit any and all references to I, me, my, we, us, our, etc. State facts, and then support those facts with appropriate scholarly sources.

A suggested order of sections of the paper may be similar to the following:

• Title Page
• Introduction (no Abstract required)
• Main Body: 2-3 sections that discuss various theological perspectives on leadership
• Summary of the most appropriate approach (critical thinking important here)
• Conclusion
• References page (5 sources minimum for paper)

Students will write a 10-12 page paper (2500-3500 words) in APA style that expresses the theology of leadership they have developed over the weeks of the course. This paper should demonstrate the student’s ability to comprehend and analyze major biblical principles of leadership and various theologies of leadership and synthesize these into a life and ministry philosophy. The paper should also express a commitment to compassionate ministry, biblical values, and spiritual formation. Students should use as source material all lectures, readings, and additional reading. This is a research paper, not a personal reflection paper, and should include 7-10 sources that are cited throughout the paper in addition to the Bible. Write the paper in third person. Omit any and all references to I, me, my, we, us, our, etc. State facts, and then support those facts with appropriate scholarly sources. Additional guidelines for the paper are as follows:

• Present the theology of leadership found within the Bible derived from basic understanding of Scripture and contemplative theological reflection (i.e., what do biblical “leadership texts” tell us about God, about God as leader, and about how we should lead?).
• This theological essay is an exploratory endeavor towards understanding and doing theology that engages the topic of leadership throughout the Scripture.
• The essay should include:
  • An introductory paragraph which contains the thesis of the essay;
  • A presentation of the methodological approach chosen (how you actually intend to do or to approach leadership theology);
  • The body of the essay should explicate the theme of leadership as derived first and foremost from the biblical data along with the inclusion of secondary research that is both used for support and critique;
  • A summary analysis ties together the components of the leadership theology examined;
  • A concluding section applies leadership theology insights to the leader’s personal life, ministry, ethics, the Church, etc.