Practical Ministries

Management issues are explored from the perspectives of human resource administration and business management. Human resource administration topics include authority and ethics, conflict management, and team-building (utilizing the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and congregational life theory). Business management topics include financial, personnel, and time management.

PRM 310 — Discipling. 3 hours.

Learners will be able to (1) effectively live a discipling lifestyle and (2) are empowered to plan and implement disciple-making strategies within their respective appointments. The model is Jesus, whose purpose was to make disciples and whose disciples continued to focus on this purpose. At the heart of their life and work was Christian community, where focus was maintained and purpose fulfilled through strategic planning that resulted in practical steps of action in developing an ever-expanding network of discipling relationships.

PRM 316 — Worship and Preaching. 3 hours.

This course explores the nature of worship in terms of its theology and its historical development. The components and dynamics of corporate worship are examined with particular attention given to the place of preaching. Contemporary and cultural factors influencing worship are examined.

PRM 360 — Youth and Family Ministry. 3 hours.

The needs of churched and unchurched people in the context of today’s culture are examined, along with the possibility for corps growth through effective programming for all ages. Particular attention is given to the developmental stages and self-esteem issues within the community of faith.

PRM 402 — Organizational Behavior. 3 hours.

This course examines organizations on the individual, group, and external environment levels. Emphasis is placed on current organizational and leadership theories. Learners also learn to analyze organizations as an open system. Topics of discussion include group dynamics, communication and interpersonal relations, strategic planning, goal-setting, change management, and volunteer administration. The course looks at both secular and Biblical styles of leadership.

PRM 403 — Spiritual Formation and Personal Development. 3 hours.

Topics in both personal and corporate spiritual formation that impact the totality of one’s life and work are explored. Additionally, attention is given to problems that may cause leaders to bring into question their call to ministry and impede their spiritual and ministry formation.

PRM 410 — Counseling. 3 hours.

Principles and practices of Christian and pastoral counseling are reviewed with emphases on counseling for common personal and emotional issues including depression, addiction, stress and anxiety, grief, managing anger and forgiveness. Special attention is given to ethical issues, counseling parameters, intercultural competence and counseling issues with co-occurring disorders. Students learn self-awareness and self-care techniques along with short term intervention strategies.

PRM 417 — Community Relations. 3 hours.

Salvation Army services and programs cannot be carried out in any community without adequate resources. This seminar examines four key elements for developing a successful program that generates the needed resources: public relations/marketing, grant- and proposal-writing for funding, fund raising, and community relationships.

PRM 421 — Faith in Action Through Social Work. 3 hours.

Social work is a caring ministry. This course integrates Christian faith with social work theory and practice. Topics to be covered are (1) the Biblical basis for social work, (2) the history of social work, (3) social work and Christian values and ethics, (4) social work practice, (5) case management, and (6) crisis intervention. Salvation Army policies and procedures are also reviewed as they relate to the caring community services ministries. There is a 45-hour social work component with this course.

PRM 424 — Cross-Cultural Ministry. 3 hours.

Explores the fundamentals of intercultural communication and implications for social interactions. The course will cover a variety of topics, emphasize self-reflection, and engage participants in experiences designed to develop competencies for leadership in multicultural settings.

PRM 432 — Chaplaincy for Crisis Response. 3 hours.

Providing effective chaplaincy ministry to individuals, families, and communities following critical incidents and in times of crisis requires special training, skills, and understanding of the unique role of the chaplain. This course builds on the basic crisis intervention principles taught in the required prerequisite courses and prepares participants to provide chaplaincy services in a variety of settings with diverse population groups. The focus is on strategic chaplaincy intervention for the immediate post-incident response, along with long-term assistance in connecting survivors with critical support systems throughout the journey of recovery.

PRM 471 — Family Dynamics and Intervention. 3 hours.

An introduction to the systems approach in understanding family dynamics. Topics presented include (1) structural and cultural variations, (2) Biblical and theological foundations, (3) ministry program development, (4) life-cycle assessment, and (5) the application of theoretical concepts for practical ministry.

PRM 602 — Organizational Behavior. 3 hours.

A look at organizations on the individual, group, and external environment levels. Emphasis is placed on current organizational and leadership theories. Learners also learn to analyze organizations as an open system. Topics of discussion include group dynamics, communication and interpersonal relations, strategic planning, goal-setting, change management, and volunteer administration. The course looks at both secular and Biblical styles of leadership.

PRM 603 — Spiritual Formation and Personal Development. 3 hours.

Learners will explore topics in both personal and corporate spiritual formation that impact the totality of one’s life and work. Additionally, attention is given to problems that may cause leaders to bring into question their call to ministry and impede their spiritual and ministry formation.

PRM 606 — Principles of Management. 3 hours.

PRM 610 — Discipling. 3 hours.

The purpose of this course is to develop learners who (1) effectively live a discipling lifestyle and (2) are empowered to plan and implement disciple-making strategies within their respective appointments. The model is Jesus, whose purpose was to make disciples and whose disciples continued to focus on this purpose. At the heart of their life and work was Christian community, where focus was maintained and purpose fulfilled through strategic planning that resulted in practical steps of action in developing an ever-expanding network of discipling relationships.

PRM 616 — Worship and Preaching. 3 hours.

The nature of worship is examined in terms of its theology and its historical development. The components and dynamics of corporate worship are discussed, with particular attention given to the place of preaching. Contemporary and cultural factors influencing worship are examined.

PRM 617 — Community Relations. 3 hours.

PRM 621— Faith in Action Through Social Work. 3 hours.

PRM 624 — Cross-Cultural Ministry. 3 hours.

PRM 632 — Chaplaincy for Crisis Response. 3 hours.

PRM 635 — Counseling. 3 hours.

PRM 660 — Youth and Family Ministry. 3 hours.

Examines the needs of churched and unchurched people in the context of today’s culture. The possibility for corps growth through effective programming for all ages is discussed, with particular attention to the developmental stages and self-esteem issues within the community of faith.

PRM 671 — Family Dynamics and Intervention. 3 hours.

The systems approach in understanding family dynamics is introduced. Topics presented include (1) structural and cultural variations, (2) Biblical and theological foundations, (3) ministry program development, (4) life-cycle assessment, (5) and the application of theoretical concepts for practical ministry.

PRM 698 — Ministry Practicum. 2 hours.

Learners are offered an opportunity for research and development in a specific area of ministry in which learners are directly related. Research should be practically applied in the learner's area of ministry. It is expected that this experience requires 80–90 hours of preparation. The practicum is to be approved by the program coordinator.

PRM 699 — Thesis. 4 hours.

Learners complete a thesis, with approval of the Graduate Committee. The subject must be directly related to the learner’s current ministry or the learner’s own personal ministry objectives. The thesis must demonstrate the learner’s ability to design, execute, and report on independent research. See the section on “Research Options” in Chapter 9 for further explanation of thesis design and expectation.