True to its Jesuit Catholic heritage, Loyola adheres to its promise of preparing people to lead extraordinary lives. The Pastoral Leadership minor provides students with academic opportunities through a structured curriculum that supports the university’s mission of seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice and faith. Students benefit from supervised leadership and service experiences that equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary for contemporary pastoral leadership.

The Pastoral Leadership minor affords a structured curriculum for students from all religious traditions to gain academic capacities commensurate with their leadership experience in Loyola’s University Ministry and in other co-curricular and community contexts. Though the program has its foundations in the Christian (Catholic) tradition, it is open to all who are interested in experiencing what pastoral ministry could mean for their future.

In particular, the minor helps students:

• Understand the foundation of Christian theology in areas such as scripture, sacrament, ecclesiology and tradition in forming pastoral leadership.
• Gain skills in the areas of leadership practices, social and cultural analysis, and organizational development as applied to pastoral leadership.
• Demonstrate an understanding of one’s faith and its call to leadership.
• Articulate a personal pastoral theology and model of pastoral leadership as it applies to a particular religious mission or identity.

Curriculum

The Pastoral Leadership Minor requires six courses. Students must complete three courses at the 100/200 level, preferably in the areas of Christian doctrine, Biblical Literature, and Christian Ethics, though the final selection is up to the individual student. Three courses at the 300- level are required. THEO 347 Creative Ministry and THEO 348 Supervised Ministry are required.

The pastoral leadership minor is offered by the Department of Theology (LSC) in conjunction with the Institute for Pastoral Studies located downtown (WTC).

Please note that students who complete the minor will also be granted ‘advanced standing’ towards a MA degree in Pastoral Studies or in Social Justice at the Institute for Pastoral Studies should they wish to pursue a graduate degree in one of their programs at a later date.

¹

This course should be tied to student's interests and courses taken at 100-level. Consult Director of Minors for course selection.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework.  An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study.  Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

Transfer-Student Residency Requirement

At least 9 credit hours of PASL-MINR requirements must be completed at Loyola

Learning Outcomes

Students completing the Pastoral Leadership Minor should be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge in at least two of the following areas:
  • the sources and historical development of beliefs and practices of Christianity with particular attention to the Roman Catholic tradition;
  • the application of scholarly methods to the understanding of scripture;
  • key theological concepts and doctrines of the Christian faith (e.g., Christology, trinity, ecclesiology, sacramental theology, etc.);
  • foundational knowledge of at least one other religious tradition outside of Christianity.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how Christian perspectives and sources inform responses to pressing ethical questions.
• Display basic good practices of service and leadership within a supervised pastoral setting.