Courses

This course is designed to help students wrestle with the nature and purposes of the church, as well as with the dynamics of contemporary Western culture and its impact upon ecclesiology and the practice of Christian ministry in that context. We will explore emerging theological trends and various recent and current attempts to develop approaches to ministry that meet the challenges of being biblically faithful to the purposes of the church and are relevant in the current Canadian cultural context (i.e. Emerging church, missional church, internet church, house church, new monasticism,etc.). Students will be invited to think critically about these trends and begin to construct their own philosophy of church ministry within current North American culture.

Knowing…

• To deepen students understanding of the nature and purposes of the church.
• To broaden the students understanding of contemporary culture and its implications for Christian ministry.
• To deepen the students understanding of recent theological trends in the contemporary church.
• To enhance the students understanding of emerging approaches to ministry in the post-modern milieu.

Being…

• To inspire students to identify ways in which their own lives and ministries can respond to the realities and challenges of the post-Christian Canadian context.
• To help students discern ways in which their own theology is evolving and responding to their changing context and experience.

Doing…

• To give students the opportunity for critical engagement with the issues of contextualization as it relates to contemporary church ministry.
• To give students the opportunity to develop their own
  philosophy of contextualization and church ministry.
• To give students the opportunity to develop their own
  views on the emerging trends in theological thought and ministry praxis.