MIN500 Theology, Church and Ministry (16)
CSU Discipline Area: Theology (THEOL)
Duration: One session
Abstract:
This subject is the core theology unit in the Master of Ministry program and as such provides a strong theoretical framework to complement the practical orientation of other units. It focuses on ecclesiology as the interpretive key for understanding the task of theology and the nature of ministry in contemporary Australian society. Students examine the form and dynamic that gives rise to and sustains communal life in human society. Insights concerning the nature of God from within the Christian tradition are developed in relation to contemporary organizational and communications theory. This facilitates a critique of prevailing patterns of institutional life in Church and wider society. In this context the nature and character of the Church's ministry are reassessed.
+ Subject Availability Modes and Locations
| Session 1 | |
|---|---|
| Internal | Canberra |
| Internal | United Theological College |
| Distance * | Canberra |
*This subject offering contains a residential school. Please view following information for further details.
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: MIN500
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
Enrolment restrictions:
Master of Ministry
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
- be able to give an account of the theological and non-theological factors at work in the formation and endurance of human communities;
- be able to articulate the relationship between the doctrine of the Church and trinitarian understandings of God within Scripture and the Christian tradition;
- be able to evaluate critically the relevance for ecclesiology of modern social theory and post-modern approaches to human society;
- be able to articulate the implications of a renewed and self-critical approach to Church for the practice of Christian ministry;
- be able to demonstrate an appreciation of the importance of theology as a critical and constructive enterprise for the Church's engagement in ministry within Australian society.
Syllabus:
The subject will cover the following topics:
- the relationship between theology, Church and ministry: Biblical and contemporary paradigms - challenges for the Church within the context of 21st-century society - examination of theological and non-theological approaches to life in community - the Church as a communications system - the relationship between Church and ministry - Church and ministry in the context of worship - emerging patterns of ministry in the Church, and - issues in ministry in contemporary Australian society.
Residential School
This subject contains a compulsory 4 day residential school.
The residential is an exercise in learning and pastoral encouragement. Through a seminar-style of presentation students engage with the issues raised and they begin the process of critical reflection and evaluation of their various ministry contexts. In addition, the residential facilitates the integration of advanced theological reflection with practical application to the profession of Christian ministry through seminars, lectures, and ministry focus groups.
The information contained in the 2013 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 24 April 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.