Witness, Service, and Discipleship: Mission in Many Places and Many Voices (DA8011W)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This Unit reconceives Christian mission in response to the commissioning texts of the New Testament and reimagines this as the practices of witness, service, and discipleship; practices appropriate for Christian communities in any context, ‘many places’, and expressed differently in each context, ‘many voices’. In this Unit, students will review and explore the enduring significance of ‘commissioning’ texts such as Matthew 28, John 21, and explore what these mean for Christian communities in Australia and elsewhere in the world. Students will be exposed to teachers and practitioners from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Unit code: DA8011W

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Mission and Ministry

Delivery Mode: Intensive

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Critically review and analyse how Bible and context shape the theology and practice of mission in Christian communities in local and global contexts.
2.

Develop critical knowledge of place and location for the theology and practice of mission.
3.

Engage critically with scholars and practitioners (and the practice of Christian mission) in the majority world contexts.
4.

Articulate and appraise the role of global and local interculturality in diverse mission contexts.
5.

Critically analyse mission as collaborative witness and assess its distinctiveness in the emerging global mission context.

Pedagogy

The unit uses a mix of primary and secondary resources to achieve the learning outcomes. Students are engaged in case studies, discussions, guided reading and presentations to explore a new way of doing mission in diverse contexts.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: paradigm shifts in theology of mission. London: Orbis, 1991.
  • Carlisle, Keith and Gruby, Rebecca L. ‘Polycentric Systems of Governance: A Theoretical Model for the Commons: Polycentric Systems of Governance in the Commons’, Policy Studies Journal, 47(2), 2017: 6-9.
  • Cranston, David., and DeBorst Ruth. P. Mission as Transformation: Learning from Catalysts. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2014.
  • DeBorst, Ruth Padilla. “An Integral Transformation Approach,” in The Mission of the Church: Five Views in Conversation (Craig Ott, ed.), pp. 139-148. Ada, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2016.
  • Franklin, Kirk with Dave and Deborah Crough, Towards Global Missional Leadership. Oxford: Regnum, 2017.
  • Handley, Joseph. ‘Leading Mission Movements’, EMQ 54(2), 2018.
  • Hermann, Adrian and Koschorke, Klaus. Polycentric Structures in the History of World Christianity. Polyzentrische Strukturen in der Geschichte des Weltchristentums. Germany: Harrassowitz, 2014.
  • Kwok, Pui-lan. Hope Abundant: Third World and Indigenous Women's Theology. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2013.
  • Lin, A. ‘Two Important Research-Based Missionary Training Principles’ in Global Missiology, 20, 1, January 2023: 47-52.
  • Moltmann, Jürgen. The Church in the Power of the Spirit: A Contribution to Messianic Ecclesiology. Minnesota: Augsburg Fortress, 1993.
  • Volf, Miroslav. Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016.
  • Woodward, JR. Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World. UK: IVP Books, 2013.
  • Yeh, Allen. Polycentric Missiology: 21st Century Mission from Everyone to Everywhere. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Film or Video - One 10-minute video reflection

A 20-minute video reflection on the role of context and Scripture in the theory and practice of mission in multiple contexts with multiple voices.

 1500 20.0
Personal & Professional Evaluation - One 3,000 word summative reflection

A written summative reflection and critique on the practice of mission in a chosen context.

 3000 50.0
Oral Presentation - One Twenty minute oral presentation

A twenty minute oral presentation on the role of context and theology in the practice of mission with multiple voices in many places.

 1500 25.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 19 Jan, 2024

Unit record last updated: 2024-01-22 15:24:29 +1100