Live Online Course

Many contemporary ‘missional church’ discussions have led either to creative practices without deep theological roots or to rigorous theology that lacks freedom to experiment with missional practices. This course will unfold a missional reading of scripture that inspires deeply-rooted theology for a creative leadership. We will trace the missional arc of scripture and bring alive the original missional contexts in Biblical law, the prophets, wisdom literature, the gospels, and the Pauline epistles. Using this exegesis we will trace the contours of a missional theology, including how this lens enlivens our doctrines of God, of the Spirit, and of the church. Through discussion we will imagine a fresh missional ecclesiology. We will ask how the missional core of the Biblical narrative informs the church’s cultural engagement—locally, globally, personally and structurally—and what practices can form and sustain the deep engagement of a missional community.

Pre-Recorded DE Course

This course has in mind the empowerment of the church in urban centers for mission and ministry. It recognizes the cultural, ethnic and social diversity of contemporary cities and the challenges this holds for effective witness and service.  It is also cognizant of the internal challenges facing the church with its religious consumer mentality, its lack of a corporate missional identity and its cultural captivity. This course presents the fundamental missional identity of the church and its call to be the servant of God's kingdom purposes. It will ground this missional identity and kingdom vision in the doctrine of the triune God. From this starting point, in the context of expositions from John 20 and the book of Acts, the course explores models of the church, strategies for effective witness and service, themes in holistic mission and the contours of a missional spirituality. These themes are explored within the setting of the challenges, problems and possibilities of our urban environments.