Forming Communities: Introduction to Church and Ministry

DA1001Z / DA8001Z

Understanding what it means to form a community of people who think, believe, pray, worship, and care in ways informed by the Gospel is essential to developing a sense of the church and its mission. God calls Christians to form communities through practices that deepen connections to one another through God’s mission in the world. This unit forms the foundation of a deepening journey into practical theology, pastoral care, liturgy, sacraments and communicating the Word of God. It takes a practical, reflective, and exploratory approach to support the integration of learning. In this unit, each student will commence a regular practice of theological reflection that will enable the process of integration.

Duration

One Semester

Availability

First semester

Core/Elective

Core

Delivery Mode

Mixed Mode - onsite or online

Prerequisites

None

Required Text/s 

Ward, Pete. Introducing Practical Theology: Mission, Ministry, and the Life of the Church. Baker Academic, 2017. 

Thomspon, Judith. SCM Studyguide to Theological Reflection. (2nd ed.) SCM Press, 2019. 

Doehring, Carrie. The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach. Presbyterian Publishing Corp, 2014. 

Recommended Text/s 

Osmer, Richard R. Practical Theology: An Introduction. Eerdmans, 2008. 

Green, Laurie. Let’s Do Theology: Resources for Contextual Theology. Bloomsbury, 2012. 

Chapman, Mark. D., Sathianathan Clarke, Martyn Percy. The Oxford Handbook of Anglican Studies. Oxford University Press, 2015 

Day, Juliette J. Reading the Liturgy: An Exploration of Texts in Christian Worship. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014. 

Thomason, Steve. The Visual Preacher: Proclaiming an Embodied Word.  Fortress Press, 2022. 

Prescribed Texts

Assessments

  1. Participation: Weeks 2-11. Weighting 10%

  2. Online Quizzes: (Weeks 3,5,7,9,11). Weighting 15%

  3. Essay: Week 8. Weighting 25%

  4. Portfolio: Week 14. Weighting 50%

TEACHING & LEARNING PLAN

This subject will involve:

  • Directed Online Learning 1 hour per week

  • Personal Theological Reflection 1 hour per week

  • Content Workshop 1.5 hours per week

  • Experiential Group Process Workshop 0.5 hours per week

Learning Outcomes

Students completing this unit will:  

  • Explain the role and function of theological reflection in life and ministry. 

  • Demonstrate a foundational understanding of the role of personal and shared narratives to the mission of forming Christian communities. 

  • Examine the ways in which the liturgical and sacramental life of the church animate its mission. 

  • Demonstrate an introductory level of understanding of the identity and story of the Anglican Church serves as a context for ministry. 

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