Mission and Ministry

Students who choose the mission and ministry emphasis will complete the Foundations of Mission and Ministry course and pick a variety of electives relating to discipleship, teaching the Bible, and worship. Students also have the option of completing service learning or a ministry practicum.

• Foundations of Mission and Ministry: A study of the Bible’s teaching about the mission of the people of God and how the Christian Church understands mission and ministry. The course also explores the contextualization of the gospel in the Western and global Church.
• Foundations of Worship: A study of the Scriptural foundation for worship and of the components of worship. There will be a brief study of historic patterns of worship, leading to the preparation of liturgies and the practice of worship-leading skills.
• Teaching the Bible: This course explores the Reformational approach to teaching the Bible. Its primary goal is to equip lay and professional ministry practitioners and teachers with the skill of preparing and presenting biblical content to diverse audiences. Interpretive attention will be given to the text of Scripture, the situation of the learner, the process of preparation, the art of presentation. The course will cover theological and pedagogical foundations as well as the practical content of teaching Bible. This course is relevant for those teaching in a local church context as well as for those developing curriculum to teach the Bible in a high school classroom setting.
• Engaging World Religions: An exploration of how the major world religions function in human life. Major topics will include systems of religious belief and worldview, sacred literature, symbols, rituals, and practices. Students will explore diverse religious practices by bringing the biblical and theological perspective of the Reformed tradition into dialogue with different religious systems. The goal of this exploration is to use the tools of the Reformed tradition to gain a practical understanding of different religions in order to engage people of different faiths with the gospel.
• Engaging Mission and Ministry: An in-depth study of the contemporary issues that the Church faces in understanding and carrying out its mission and ministry in the 21st century and a global context. The course identifies issues such as contextualization and the relation of verbal proclamation to social involvement. It engages practical, biblical, and theological responses in mission and ministry at a personal and communal level.
• Gospel, Church, and Culture: Study of a Reformed approach to ministry in the context of the congregation and contemporary culture. The course includes the study of a Reformed philosophy of ministry, the nature of the church, cultural dynamics that affect both ministry and the church, and the character of leadership that takes all these factors into account.
• Leadership and Discipleship: This course explores leadership from a Reformational perspective by focusing on such issues as discipleship, character formation, working with teams, conflict resolution, leading small groups, and communication. The purpose of this course is to help students cultivate the insight and discernment needed to develop a biblical approach to leadership in dialogue with the fields of communication, organizational theory, and Christian ethics.
• Service-Learning
• Ministry Practicum

See the course catalog for more information.