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 and North American context.

As a hybrid course we will be using a course shell provided by McMaster Universities Avenue to Learn (A2L) as well as other online technology. Information about accessing and using these sites will be provided prior to the beginning of the course and as needed. It you have questions about the technological aspects of the course, or have any problems with the technology please contact the instructor. I will do my best to help and if I am not able to answer your questions I will work with our IT support team to get an answer for you as soon as possible.

The course is a combination of online and face to face meetings. One online class gathering will take place using the online meeting platform Webex on Monday Jan. 6^th, 7:00 – 8:15 pm ET. This gathering will provide a place for personal introductions and an overview of the course including course requirements and expectations. Students are encouraged to join this gathering if at all possible. An invitation to join the meeting with instructions on how to use webex will be sent out to students several days before the gathering

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 Canadian culture and its implications for ministry in the next 50 years.