Course Description

This course introduces students to the study of human behavior in organizational and ministry settings, integrating principles from organizational psychology with patristic insights on community, leadership, virtue, and stewardship. Students will explore how motivation, group dynamics, leadership, and organizational culture can be understood through both psychological theory and the wisdom of the early Church Fathers, preparing them to serve effectively in ministry, business, and nonprofit organizations.

Week 1's reading assignment introduces students to the foundations of organizational behavior, exploring how human beings function within groups and organizations. The introductory chapter of Organizational Behavior provides a framework for understanding workplace behavior, motivation, leadership, and group dynamics. When read alongside Genesis 1–2, students are invited to reflect on the theological foundation of work, creativity, and stewardship as aspects of being made in the image of God (imago Dei). Together, these readings highlight how organizational life is not merely functional but deeply connected to human identity, purpose, and community.

Week 2's reading assignment explores the patristic foundations of work, dignity, and love as understood by Basil the Great and Augustine. Basil emphasizes the sacredness of work as participation in God’s creation and as a means of serving others with dignity. Augustine introduces the principle of ordo amoris (ordered love), teaching that human flourishing and just action depend on loving God and others in their proper order. Through readings and videos, students will reflect on how these early Church Fathers provide a theological foundation for understanding work, vocation, and love in both ministry and organizational contexts.

Basil the Great on Work and Dignity

• Work is not merely economic necessity but a form of participation in God’s creative order.

• Labor provides dignity by aligning human effort with divine purpose.

• Work is an expression of love for neighbor, as it produces goods and services for the benefit of the community.

• Basil warns against idleness as a spiritual and social danger.

Augustine on Ordered Love (Ordo Amoris)

• Human behavior and decisions are guided by what we love.

• Sin is fundamentally a disorder of love: loving lesser things more than greater things, or misplacing ultimate love.

• The highest love is for God, and from this flows rightly ordered love for others, self, and creation.

• Ordered love creates balance in life, vocation, and leadership.

Week 3's readings explore the tension and harmony between ancient theological reflections on human nature and modern psychological insights.

Augustine’s Confessions (Books I–II) reveal the struggles of the human heart—desire, sin, and the search for meaning—while Jackson’s Modern Psychology and the Bible provides a framework for evaluating psychology in light of biblical teaching. Together, these readings invite students to consider how faith and psychology can be integrated to better understand the human condition and guide ministry practice.

Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Rule is one of the foundational texts on Christian leadership and ministry. Written in the 6th century, it provides guidance for pastors and spiritual leaders on the character, responsibilities, and challenges of shepherding God’s people. This work emphasizes humility, discernment, and the balance between inner holiness and outward service, offering timeless insights for those called to lead in ministry today.

The video, titled “What Is The Pastoral Rule By Gregory I?”, offers an engaging overview of Gregory the Great’s influential manual for pastoral leadership from the 6th century. It highlights the text’s enduring relevance, explaining how Gregory’s guidance on the character, responsibilities, and discernment required of church leaders remains a foundational resource for effective shepherding and ministry practice.

In On Wealth and Poverty, Saint John Chrysostom challenges believers to view possessions, status, and power through the lens of humility, generosity, and service. Preaching on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16), Chrysostom calls Christians to reject selfishness and embrace stewardship, teaching that wealth is not inherently evil but a tool to serve others. His vision connects humility with justice, showing that the true measure of a Christian community lies in care for the poor and vulnerable.

The video for Week 5 presents St. John Chrysostom’s First Sermon on the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19–31), part of his broader series On Wealth and Poverty. Chrysostom powerfully critiques the rich man’s indifference to Lazarus—a beggar suffering at his doorstep—calling out the moral blindness that luxury can breed. He urges viewers to understand that true wealth lies not in possessions, but in humility, generosity, and spiritual readiness.

David Deavel’s essay Learning Discernment & Consistency from the Desert Fathers explores how the early monastic figures in the Egyptian desert—known as the Desert Fathers—practiced spiritual discernment (Greek: diakrésis) and steadfastness. Far more than making simple yes/no decisions, discernment for these monks involved probing interior motives and aligning every action with God’s will. They championed unceasing prayer, vigilant self-examination, and humility—not presuming about their spiritual progress and entrusting themselves to Christ’s mercy. This reading invites modern readers to cultivate attentiveness to their own hearts and to let prayer guide daily choices.

Week 7's reading assignment explores patristic perspectives on the unity of the Church and the dangers of schism. The early Fathers viewed the Church as God’s covenantal household, bound together by truth, sacrament, and love. Schism was not merely an organizational rift but a spiritual wound that fractured communion with Christ. The text emphasizes how figures like Cyprian, Augustine, and others interpreted the nature of heresy, division, and reconciliation, reminding us that unity in Christ is both a gift and a responsibility.

This video, “The Great Schism of 1054: How the Church Became Divided”, produced by Theology Academy, provides a thorough and engaging exploration of the pivotal split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western Roman Catholic Church. It covers the theological controversies (such as the Filioque insertion), ecclesiastical power struggles between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople, cultural and political tensions, and the mutual excommunications that formalized the division—all of which continue to shape Christianity today.

In The Role of Patristics in Worship, S. Lee (2025) explores how the early Church Fathers shaped Christian worship through their theological, liturgical, and communal contributions. Drawing on figures such as Justin Martyr, Hippolytus, Augustine, Origen, and John Cassian, Lee highlights their influence on the structure of worship—particularly liturgy, sacraments, and prayer—and shows how these foundations continue to inform contemporary Christian worship and spiritual formation.

In On the Making of Man (De opificio hominis), Gregory of Nyssa presents humanity as a dynamic creation—“generated as a living and animated being” in which the soul’s power gradually manifests through the body’s material substratum. He rejects the idea of the soul’s pre-existence, arguing instead that soul and body come into being simultaneously at generation. Gregory emphasizes that while the lower attributes of the soul are temporary and will pass away, true perfection lies in the higher attributes that reflect the divine image (the imago Dei). He further highlights human exceptionalism: endowed with reason, moral capacities, and self-awareness, humans—though limited in material being—have an infinite capacity for spiritual growth toward God

In “Resting on Sundays Means Something,” Simone Rizkallah explores the deep Christian calling to reclaim the Lord’s Day—not merely as a weekly obligation to attend Mass, but as a sacred rhythm of rest, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Drawing from patristic insights, Church teaching, and personal practice, she invites Christians to recover Sunday as a countercultural protest against the tyranny of work and consumerism, affirming human dignity and resisting spiritual burnout. Through practices like “Lord's Day Dinners”—inspired by the Jewish Shabbat—Rizkallah illustrates how taking a day of rest helps Christians reconnect with God, one another, and the true meaning of life.

This YouTube Short titled “The Importance of Sabbath Rest” emphasizes the spiritual and psychological value of observing a Sabbath. It presents the Sabbath not just as a religious duty, but as a vital practice for spiritual well-being—something that helps shift our rhythms, restore our souls, and reinforce communal worship.

In The Harmony of the Gospels Book II, Chapters 2–4, Augustine addresses apparent differences among Matthew and Luke’s genealogies of Christ. He explains how Christ is rightly called “Son of David,” despite no ordinary legal descent via Joseph, by invoking Mary’s lineage and Aaronic priestly ties—thus unfolding a deeper theological harmony beneath textual variation. Augustine models a method of reconciling differences via interpretation that honors both divine mystery and scriptural unity.

Organizational Behavior (Robbins & Judge, 19th Edition)
Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of Organizational Behavior explore foundational elements shaping behavior in organizations: individual behavior and motivation; how perceptions, attitudes, and job satisfaction influence performance; and the role of personality, values, and cultural context in guiding workplace dynamics