UM Mission of Church in the World

Did you see the announcment changing the due date for the group assignment? click here: Change of game plan for the group assignment - read this!!

Instructor: Cathie Kelsey, ckelsey@iliff.edu, @revskates,  text me at 303-968-9812 and include your name in the text

Course Synopsis: Historical, theological, and practical exploration of mission as the energizing and transformative purpose of Christian congregations everywhere - as interpreted in the Methodist movement.

Look at the Overview and Objectives to see the list of assignments and the learning goals with which they correlate.

Required texts: 

1. Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010.

2. Sanneh, Lamin O. Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

3. Putnam, Jim, Bobby Harrington and Robert E. Coleman. Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013.

4. Busick, Blake, Christie Latona, and California-Nevada Conference of UMC. Catch Fire in 50 Days - Readiness 360 Edition. Fun and Done Press, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0984618828

Recommended texts:

Bosch, David, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, Orbis, 1991/2011  This is the classic text on missio Dei. 

Course Overview

This course has six parts, plus readings.

1. Tweeting publicly daily - see assignment for specific content required and other parameters

2. A short 2-3 page meditation/opening devotion for your Ad Council  wk 2

3. A group project outlining the themes, content, and learning methods of a course for lay adults introducing the history of the expansion of Christianity weeks 4, 5 and due week 6

4. A diagram or chart (with explanatory notes) that translates one of the theories of disciple-formation into the theological language that is used by a specific congregation draft due wk 3, revised draft due wk 9

5. A 4 page statement of your theology of mission  wk 10

6. Short posts each week

 Course Objectives/Learning Goals:

1. students will establish the habit of looking for the activity of God around them in the world on a daily basis (assignment 1)
2. students will describe the basic theology of missio Dei in terms that their ministry site leadership or anticipated ministry site can understand (assignment 2, 5)
3. students will design an adult education course that introduces key themes (identified by the student) in the history of the expansion of Christianity to lay persons (assignment 3)
4. students will transfer their thinking globally about mission to thinking specifically about congregational and local organizational contexts (assignments 2, 3, 4 and 5)
5. students will examine two theories of disciple-formation and create a translation of a theory into the thought world of their theological context (assignment 4)
6. students will articulate their own theology of mission, including their role in it (assignment 5)

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by Monday of the second week.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Accommodations:  Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs.   Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. 

Writing Lab:  Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.