THCP524 - Power, Authority and Leadership in Ministry

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

THCP513 Exploring Parish Culture

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit forms part of the suite of ministry units that prepare participants for the exercise of authority through leadership in a variety of ecclesial ministries, such as diaconate, priesthood, pastoral associate, and leadership roles in the Catholic Health and Education Sectors. Exploring ecclesiological perspectives on the church as ordered communion, and appropriating theological enquiry and insights from the social sciences, participants will study the elements, frameworks and potential abuses of power in the exercise of pastoral leadership. As such, this unit will require participants to wrestle with the dynamics of power and authority as personal, relational and ecclesial realities as they prepare for their specific pastoral ministries. Overall, the unit introduces participants to an awareness of the central issues associated with the exercise of pastoral authority in ecclesial communion, in order to engage in responsible, creative and ethical leadership.