A Wesleyan Symphony of Discipleship by Robert L. Hundley
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A Wesleyan Symphony of Discipleship The Development of an Academy of Lay Ministry by Robert L. Hundley, Jr. Submitted to the faculty at Western Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Ministry Holland, Michigan May, 2007 l t,1);;,LlL I ' �st.m Theol'J11ca1 .:>cm1mi 101 E. 1:1111 SI e<!t HollancJ ft.I 4�423 · Table of Contents Preface page 3 Prelude page 10 Go Make of AllDisciples Movement I page 27 And Are We Yet Alive Movement II page 49 A Charge to Keep I Have Movement 111 page 79 The Church of Christ in Every Age Movement IV page107 Lord, You Give the Great Commission Postlude page 143 The Hymn of Promise Bibliography page 159 Addendum I page 161 Documents from the Institute of Clinical Lay Ministry Ingham Medical Center, Lansing, Michigan Addendum II page 162 Adult Education Classes offered At Mason First United Methodist Church (2001 - 05) Preface 'praefatio' Definition: "Jn the Roman Catholic Mass, the Preface (or the Latin: praefatio) is a short and solemn declaration of praise, immediately following the Sanctus that serves as an introduction to the Canon of the Mass." from the Harvard Dictionaryof Music 3 A preliminary explanation is in order at the outset of this paper to describe the organizational flowof: A Wesleyan Symphony of Discipleship. In a book titled, Basics of Teaching/or Christians (Baker Book House, 1998), author Robert W. Pazmino writes; Teaching needs to be playful, precise, and concerned for both process and product. Teaching can be analyzed in relation to a musical metaphor that includes a prelude, a "lude, " and a postlude. (pg. 10) The prelude sets the stage for what will follow. The lude designates the major teaching movements that are presented or played by the teacher. These teaching movements can be further divided by interludes. Interludes allow timesfor silence, reflection, or dialogue in relation to the teaching content. The Postlude brings the teaching movements to a conclusion or closure and includes elements of student response that encourage the actual of learning to contexts outside the immediate setting. The Postlude also anticipates what will follow in the sequence of teaching. (pg. 47-48) In his book, Robert Pazmino admits to coining the word lude, but claims that the word is derived from the Latin word ludere, which means "to play." In familiar musical terminology, the 'Pre-lude' establishes an introductory context. A 'Post-lude ' is a musical term that describes a concluding statement that often summarizes the motifs that have been introduced since the Prelude. Pazmino creatively suggests that the lude is the subject between Prelude and Postlude. It is the primary motif or theme. The 'Lude' may function as the playful way that a subject is developed and communicated. The author identified and developed a musical analogy and applied it to the Christian Education experience. Teaching, (according to Pazmino), is like a performance where the teacher functions as a conductor who orchestrates his or her classroom, not in an entertaining way, but rather in creating a teaching/learning environment with and for 4 the student. lt is an appropriate analogy. As a conductor, every rehearsal is like a laboratory classroom. The conductor teaches, gives opportunity for creativity, motivates the performer, and corrects mistakes so that the ensemble and conductor are participating in a learning process on the way toward perfo1mance. For the most part, Pazmino utilized a unique and creative metaphor to illustrate the similarity between the process of musical performance with the Christian Education process of growing in the grace and knowledge of God. Consequently, I have borrowed Pazmifio's imagery as a way to organize this paper. All worthy musical compositions have a primary motif. A motif is a brief thematic statement that is stated, developed, modified, and/or embellished throughout the composition. In a symphony, there are usually several primary and secondary motifs that are introduced by the composer. The motifs may (or may not) be related from movement to movement, yet there is always a thematic flow that unifies the composition. For example; Beethoven's FifthSymphony, is based upon a four note motif that is interwoven throughout the masterful composition. The astute listener is able to identify the four-note theme that recurs throughout the composition. The same composer, in his Ninth Symphony (the Choral Symphony - 'The Ode to Joy'), introduces four very different motifs in each of the movements, and still, the symphony has incredible melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic unity, making it one of the most beloved of all classical music compositions. As you begin to read the Prelude of A Wesleyan Symphony of Discipleship .. the introductory motif will establish a context of why the symphonic image is valuable and imp01iant in the process of 'recruiting, educating and empowering lay persons for 5 ministry.' The reader will experience the various motifs introduced as well as the thematic movement through the "Prelude, " "Lude, " and "Postlude " structure that is embraced and used in each chapter. • The Prelude is intended to give personal, historic, or experiential background of each of the chapter 'motifs' and why the topic is important. • The Lude is the 'primary motif.' The Lude represents the developmental aspect of the theme - theologically, experientially or practically. • The Postlude is a reflective statement that summarizes each chapter. The Postlude attempts to be more evaluative of both the topic and I or the implementation of the motif of that particular movement. Each movement of A Wesleyan Symphony of Discipleship introduces a hymn text that supports and/or develops the motif in a practical and experiential way. The reader is invited to sing the hymn as well as read the text, to experience the multi-sensory power of a text with melody and rhythm. As in any composition, (be it musical, literary, theatrical, sermonic, etc) form and structure are incredibly important forcomposer , performer, reader or listener. Thus, in this Wesleyan Symphony of Discipleship, the model that Pazmino introduced in his book is both valuable and appreciated as it has found application in this project! 6 Expressions of Appreciation Finally, the 'Preface' seems to be an appropriate place to express appreciation to the many people who have creatively and synergistically participated in this project. Many of the people named below are unaware of their significant contribution to this project as well as my life. It is important for me to identify them and to express my gratitude. • I am and will forever be grateful for my friendship with the late Dr. Robert J.L. Williams. He was a teacher and mentor forme at a crncialdevelopmental stage in my ministry. His presence in my life is a memory that I treasure. You will read of the formative affect that Dr. Williams had on my life and ministry in Movement II. • I am grateful for the five years that I spent in ministry as the Director of Pastoral Care and Senior Chaplain at Ingham Medical Center. It was a season of creative and visionary ministry because it was the birthplace and the original test tube of implementing a lay ministry paradigm that is the foundation of this project. I will always be grateful for those years of personal growth and spiritual enrichment. I am persuaded that the ministry made a difference to countless numbers of patients, families and staff members. I am particularly honored for the opportunity that was afforded me by President Edward McRee to serve in that capacity. I am also grateful for the friendship that Mr. McRee and I have enjoyed since our days of working together. • I am grateful for the many parishioners in the various congregations where I have been privileged to serve, including those prior to 1990. I am particularly grateful for the original Doctoral Committee members who were part of Lansing's First United Methodist Church, which is the congregation where I began the Doctor of Ministries journey. The committee included; Dan Pappas, Alda Henderson, Bud Belcher and Dick Gargett. • I am grateful for the people of Mason's First United Methodist Church where I have served as Senior Pastor since July of 2000. The Leadership Team as well as the Personnel Team has been gracious in providing me the freedom and the encouragement to take the necessary time to write this important work. Our partnership in ministry has been, is and will continue to be important to me as we grow together as pastor and people. We have accomplished remarkable things in these years and only God knows where the future may take us. 7 • Because of the nature of this project, I feelcompelled to acknowledge the conducting mentors who have had eno1mous influence on my life. Each of them modeled a balance of musical excellence, meticulous leadership ability, while being honorable individuals who were kind, caring and exacting in dealing with the people in their ensembles; and in particular, me. Each of the conductors/ teachers named below have, over time, transitioned from conductor/teacher to friend and colleague. f Dr. A. Raymond Roth - the former Band Director of Flint Southwestern High School. Dr. Roth left Southwestern when I graduated to earn his doctorate in music, becoming the Band Director and Music Department Chairperson at the Flint Campus of the University of Michigan. Dr. Roth was influential early in my life, helping to shape the choices that I made to pursue the study of music education and the original personal dream to be a performer and conductor. Professor John Shows - the Band Director, Trumpet teacher, and Chairperson of the Music Depaiiment at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. I spent my freshman year in college with Mr.