Courses

 The mission of the church is always done in a context. The context is inevitably entwined with a culture. Thus, as the church engages in its mission it must understand its relationship with culture. This course is designed to help students consider the relationship between the church and culture and how to think effectively about how to do ministry in a contextualized way that aids its effectiveness. The course will consider topics like; the nature of culture, how culture is formed, a theology and philosophy of contextualization and some of the cultural issues that the church is and will face as it seeks to do mission in a Canadian, North American and globalized context.

Knowing

• As a result of this course students will be able to articulate what culture, as a concept, is.
• As a result of this course students will be able to identify and explain key trends that are shaping the contour of Western culture today.
• Upon completion of this course students will be able to articulate a coherent philosophy of contextualization based on biblical, historical and theoretical practices.
• As a result of this course students will be able to identify several major cultural issues facing the church as it moves into the mid-late 21^st century.

Being

• Upon completion of this course students will have had the opportunity to reflect on the impact of culture on their own lives and ministries.

Doing

• Upon completion of this course students will have a foundational philosophy for contextualizing their ministry in a mid-late 21^st century cultural context.
• As a result of this course students will have a foundational ability to anticipate the future of Western culture and its implications for ministry in the next 50 years.