LAY
SCHOOL OF MINISTRY
Pastor Greg Kaufmann's Class
THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE YEAR ONE
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
All Readings come from "The Bible: An Introduction" by Jerry L. Sumney
|
September: Introduction to the Biblical Story
Beginning with the life of Jesus, we will work backwards
through the Biblical story. Using numerous overheads,
and a timeline your small group will create, we will
familiarize ourselves with the "high points" of
the Biblical timeline.Some representative questions
include:
- What other options did first century Jews have? What
led to the growth of apocalyptic literature? Why was
Jesus unacceptable to most of his contemporaries?What
led to the birth of Judaism after the exile? Why were
parts of the Southern Kingdom of Judah in exile? What
happened to the Northern Kingdom? Why were there two
kingdoms in the first place? Why did they have a king?
Why did the Exodus happen?What were the Israelites doing
in Egypt?
- Why did God choose a people?
October: Canonization of the Bible:
How did we get what we have in our Bibles? Sumney: Chapters
1, 2, 3
- Journal Summary: Reflect on issues raised during our
September discussion of The Story. Relate it to the story
you learned as you grew up.
November: Creation Literature
Sumney: Chapter 4
Genesis 1-3
Psalms 3, 19, 33, 100, 104
- Journal Summary: What do I mean/believe when I weekly
confess that "I believe in God the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth."
- What would change if we adopted Harry Wendt's suggestion
to add "and owner" after the word "creator?"
December: Following the Exodus Trail
Exodus 1-20
Psalms 78 & 105
Sumney: Chapter 5
- Journal Summary: We proudly point to the Reformation
as the birth of the Lutheran Church. The Exodus is the
defining event that created the people of Israel. Compare
these two events.
- What does a comparison of Psalms 78 and 105 with Exodus
suggest about the "10 plagues"?
January: The Passion of Jesus (Part 1)
Aland: Bring it to class!
Sumney: Chapter 10
- Journal Summary: React to the following statement "The
four canonical gospels are less interested in telling
their reader/auditor what happened and much more interested
in explaining how the death of Jesus could possibly
be good news."
February: The Passion of Jesus (Part 2)
Sumney: Chapters 11
Aland: Bring it to class!
Continue Reading your favorite Gospel. (If you haven't
finished it yet.)
- Journal Summary: How has your study of Jesus' arrest
and trial helped you understand the unique portraits
of Jesus in each of the four canonical gospels? Outline
your favorite gospel's account of Jesus' Passion. Why
is it your favorite?
- Outline your favoriate Gospel's account of Jesus' passion. Why is it your favorite?
- Is Luke's portrayal of Jesus' passion and crucifixion
more like John or Matthew/Mark?
March: The Four Gospel Accounts - Is that Good News?
Sumney: Chapter 12
Aland: Bring it to class!
- Journal Summary: Reflect on the church's practice of
using a three-year lectionary. Each year highlights one
of the synoptic gospels. How has this shaped your beliefs
about who Jesus is and what he did?
- What are the benefits/drawbacks of having four distinct
gospels in our NT?
April: God's Spirit in the Bible
The readings are on a series of
handouts which will be passed out at the close of the
March session.
- Journal Summary: Reflect on any surprises you discovered
as you worked through the OT and NT passages on God's
Spirit.Some scholars suggest that John portrays the Spirit
as none other than Jesus' presence after his return to
the Father. What do you think?
- How has the Spirit of God been active in your life?
May: The Catholic Letters
Read James, 1 Peter, and 1 John
Sumney: Chapter 16
- Journal Summary: No one operates with a portrait of
Jesus identical to any one of the four canonical gospels.
In our journal, reflect on how your congregation has
adapted Jesus' message to fit your situation. Which of
the Catholic letters comes closest to your congregations
adaptation?
Return to the LSM Homepage | Return
to Top of this Page
LAY SCHOOL OF MINISTRY
Pr. Greg Kaufmann's Class
THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE - YEAR TWO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
|
September: Psalms - Israel's LBW! Read Psalms 1,
2, 22, 23, 51, 137
Sumney: Chapter 9
- Journal Summary: Compare your own prayer life to that
exhibited in the Psalms. Do you find yourself more or
less
"reverent" in your prayer life? Why do you
think that is?
October:"Exilic Literature"
Read Isaiah 40-55, Lamentations, Psalms 74, 79,
137
Sumney: Chapter 6
- Journal Summary: Exile and the return of the remnant
to Palestine is the lens through which the Jewish community
views its theology. Baptism is our lens. Compare the
two.
- Change at any time is difficult. The experience of
Exile elicited a variety of responses from the Israelites
in Babylon and Palestine. Some confessed their past wrongdoings,
making exile inevitable. Others longed to return to the
good old days. Some just wondered whether or not God
was even out there! How does your congregation's response
to change (or yours) compare?
November: Paul and the Corinthians
Read 1 Corinthians
Sumney: Chapter 14
- Journal Summary: Paul is more important in shaping
Lutheran theology than any of the gospel writers. Do
you agree? Why or why not.
December: Paul and Galatians
Read Galatians
Sumney: Chapter 15
- Journal Summary: Parallel to Paul's task, missionary
work today faces the challenge of crossing cultural borders
and translating the gospel from one side to the other.
Where in the world today is this challenge most evident?
What kind of Paul do we need today to do the job? Which
Paul does your congregation need? Your community?
January: Life in the Promised Land - Part 1
Read 1 & 2 Samuel
Sumney: Chapters 5 & 7
- Journal Summary: Between the time of the Exodus (@1200
BCE) and the Exile (597 BCE), Israel struggled with its
relationship to God. Worship of Yahweh was only one of
many religious options. Compare this period with our
own in modern America.
February: Life in the Promised Land - Part 2
Read 1 & 2 Kings
Sumney: Chapter 8
- Journal Summary: One of the major dilemmas faced by
the Israelites was determining who spoke for God. How
did one know just what God expected out of the average
Israelite
"in the pew?" Was God more interested in an
individual's belief in God and his/her worship in the
temple, or in one's dealings with the stranger in our
midst? How does this compare to the tension in our own
church surrounding social justice issues?
March: Acts and the Early Church
Read Acts
Sumney: Chapter 13
- Journal Summary: Acts shows the struggle the early
followers of Jesus had in determining how inclusive the
church should/could be! Compare the choices made in Acts
with those made by your congregation/the ELCA.
- The Greco-Roman world was in many ways a very pluralistic
one, as is our own. How does the way Acts portrays Paul
and others dealing with this pluralism shed light on
our own struggle to deal with the pluralism in our age?
April: Apocalyptic Literature
Read Daniel and Revelation
Sumney: Chapters 8 & 17
- First the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, Persians,
Greeks, and finally the Romans romped and stomped on
Israel. One response to this experience was Apocalyptic
literature such as Daniel (written about 168 BCE) and
Revelation (written about 95 CE). How can the modern
Christian Community use these books filled with vivid
images and esoteric symbolism?
May: Your Biblical Questions
No additional readings
This will be our final meeting of the LSM. We will
spend the two hours answering any questions you wish
to pose. I look forward to this session!
Return to the LSM Homepage | Return
to Top of this Page
| LAY SCHOOL OF MINISTRY
Practical Congregational Leadership
Bishop Laurie Skow-Anderson
|
Dear Lay School Students,
I’m so excited about teaching the new leadership track in your program this year. The good news is, I won’t be adding any homework assignments for you! However, it would be helpful if you read the scriptures listed as foundations for each of the sessions before the session. I’m looking forward to meeting you all soon.
Bishop Laurie Skow-Anderson
Practical Congregational Leadership for Lay School of Ministry
Session 1 How to run a meeting and actually get something done.
1 Corinthians 12
We’ve all gone to meetings that never seem to accomplish anything. This session will examine your role as a leader in your congregation and how you can help get things done.
Session 2 Leading change and living to tell about it
1 Corinthians 15
Many congregations realize that they need to make changes in order to continue to be faithful to the work that God has called them to do. In this session we explore ways that you can help reduce the anxiety about change.
Session 3 Conflict is normal, really!
Matthew 18/Acts
Where two or three are gathered there is the possibility of conflict, even with Jesus in the midst of it all. Conflict is normal. What Christian leaders need to know about conflict itself, and ways to helpfully respond to it will be discussed in this session.
Session 4 Leading Congregational Renewal
Luke 10
Some congregations are stuck in the past and are in need of renewal. What you as a lay leader
can do to help renew and revitalize your congregation will be covered in this session.
Session 5 What do effective leaders actually DO?
This session will look at the leadership styles of Ezra and Nehemiah and compare them to the the E6 characteristics described in Brendon Burchard’s-YouTube. We’ll talk about how these six characteristics can help you be a better leader in your congregation.
Session 6 Leaders Do the Math
2 Corinthians 8-9
How your leadership makes a difference in the financial stability in your congregation, and how to help create a culture of generosity at home and in your church will be discussed in this session.
|
