The Centre for Church and Culture is a research centre for both Christian ministry and academic leaders. Its mission is to provide an interactive educational environment to enable pastors and other Christian leaders to navigate cultural issues that pose challenges to the mission of the church.

  • Church & Culture Graduate Certificate

    This 6-course certificate is designed to help you meet your ministry goals. Courses are directly applicable and provide training in a the area of Church and Culture. These specialized graduate certificates are designed for ministry practitioners and lay people alike, regardless of previous theological education. Remote learning options, including livestream and asynchronous learning, are available.

    Choose from courses like:

    Critical Events in Christian History
    Taught by Dr. Gord Heath

    Preaching in the 21st Century
    Taught by Dr. Michael Knowles

    Gender in Ministry
    Taught by Dr. Cynthia Westfall

    Critical Understandings in Ministry
    Taught by Dr. Lee Beach

    Theology of Suffering
    Taught by Dr. Phil Zylla

    Theology of Worship
    Taught by Dr. Wendy Porter

    Preaching in the Post-Christian Era
    Taught by Dr. Michael Knowles

    Spirituality of Exile
    Taught by Dr. Lee Beach

    For more information, visit our Graduate Certificate program page or contact our Admissions Team at divadmit@mcmaster.ca or 905.525.9140 x24402.

  • Events

    Upcoming Events

    Fostering Congregational Spiritual Formation
    February 15, 2024

    Pastors’ Lunch & Learn: Why Science Needs the Church & the Church Needs Science
    Guest speaker: Dr. Lydia Jaeger
    April 4, 2024

    Imaging God in a Technological World: AI, MAID, and Beyond
    Coming 2025

     

    Past Conferences

    Secularism and the Pursuit of Transcendence
    April 27, 2023

  • Centre Directors
  • Post-Christendom Studies Journal

    The McMaster Divinity College Centre for Post-Christendom Studies (PCS) is a research center for both Christian ministry and academic leaders. Its mission is to chart the course forward for post-Christendom churches. To this end, it describes and analyzes post-Christendom contexts and looks for solutions to the challenges they pose. Articles published in Post-Christendom Studies (PCS) will advance the Centre’s mission.

    Post-Christendom Studies publishes research on the nature of Christian identity and mission in the contexts of post-Christendom. Post-Christendom refers to places, both now and in the past, where Christianity was once a significant cultural presence, though not necessarily the dominant religion. Sometimes “Christendom” refers to the official link between church and state. The term “post-Christendom” is often associated with the rise of secularization, religious pluralism, and multiculturalism in western countries over the past sixty years. Our use of the term is broader than that however. Egypt for example can be considered a post-Christendom context. It was once a leading center of Christianity. “Christendom” moreover does not necessarily mean official public and dominant religion. For example, under Saddam Hussein, Christianity was probably a minority religion, but, for the most part, Christians were left alone. After America deposed Saddam, Christians began to flee because they became a persecuted minority. In that sense, post-Saddam Iraq is an experience of post-Christendom — it is a shift from a cultural context in which Christians have more or less freedom to exercise their faith to one where they are persecuted and/or marginalized for doing so.

    Post-Christendom Studies is a peer-reviewed journal.

    See Current Volume