Missional Church
Module Title: Missional Church and Missional Leadership
Level: Level 4
Credit Rating: 30 Credits
Duration: 300 hours of student learning time
Contact Time: 100 hours
Academic Responsibility: David Lyon
Module Aims:
This module aims to enable the student to challenge traditional views on the nature of the church and develop an understanding of the church as an apostolic instrument of mission. Further, it will enable the student to develop the ability to assess the extent to which the church was missional in any period of church history and is missional in today’s world and the part that both leadership and ministries play in this.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this module students should be able to:
- Articulate a biblical basis for viewing the church as the sent instrument of mission for advancing the Kingdom of God.
- Explain how Scripture, tradition and context have contributed and do contribute to the concept of church in culture.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the transformative potential of every member of the church seeing themselves as leaders commissioned to make disciple-making disciples.
- Critically evaluate the misconceptions that have existed and still exist in the church concerning the role of leadership.
- Articulate a biblical basis for the extent to which ministries are intended as a release of mission.
- Reflect critically upon selected missional case studies seen in the UK and possibly overseas.
- Demonstrate that they can monitor and enhance their own progress as missional workers from within a church with reference to feedback from tutors and peers.
Indicative Module Content:
Students will be introduced to selected significant problems in understanding the nature of the church in contemporary society: for example seeing church as a building, as related to the State. They will engage with these arguments through studying biblical texts concerning the nature of the church and contextualising the issues raised at certain periods within church history; for example the Celtic church could be studies as a missional example. The module fosters the forming of a missional mindset in the students and enables them to evaluate the effectiveness of contemporary missional enterprises through field studies to certain churches and parachurch organisations. Further, under supervision students will engage in missional field studies by creating their own portfolio of missional enterprise.
Learning and Teaching Strategies:
This module will involve a series of 83 x 60 minute lectures/seminars:-
30 hours lectures/seminars: a biblical overview of the nature of the church and critical evaluation of selected church traditions
30 hours lectures/seminars: an overview of church history with particular reference to missional surges and the role leadership and ministries played in those times
18 hours lectures/seminars: a biblical examination of the expectations of the Kingdom
5 hours lectures/seminars: Contextualisation in Mission
The module will also involve 5 day visits to different missional examples in the UK. Possible visits to include: hear from a church with the longest running record of “Seeker Services” in the UK; visit a rapidly growing church that only meets in houses; visit to a large rapidly growing Anglican church in Sheffield using clusters; visit to a church once associated with the Restoration Movement in Bradford, now with a “TV ministry”; visit to a large Charismatic church in Liverpool with a building project to aid ministry to the poor.
Students will directly be involved in 25 x 2 hour mission field enterprises and will reflect on how and what they communicated to those from outside the church community about the message of the Gospel. This might include at least one activity in a setting outside of the UK.
Assessment:
Indicative Assessment tasks:
Formative work:
Individually write a 1,000 word reflective piece entitled: “What is the most personally transforming text I have read on this module and why?” In small groups peer review each other’s work, and produce a portfolio of the review process (this may include the use of small group forums in a VLE with a North American Institution). (Learning outcome 3)
Be involved in missional enterprise on regular missional field studies and write weekly reflections, which are peer reviewed and logged on to the learning blog in the “My thoughts” section. (Learning outcome 7)
Write a 500 word critical evaluation on each of the 5 missional examples visited. (Learning outcome 6)
Summative work:
1 x 2,500 word essay as a biblical discussion of the nature of church. (Learning outcomes 1,2 and possibly 3 or 4)
1 x 2,000 word essay on a church movement in history with specific reference to the understanding of and effectiveness of leadership at the time. (Learning outcomes 4 and 5)
2 assessed tutorial discussions on incarnational mission and leadership values. (Learning outcomes 1,3 and 4)
Illustrative Bibliography:
Barrett, L.Y. (Ed.) (2004) Treasures in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Berquist, L and A. Karr (2010) Church Turned Inside Out: A Guide for Designers, Refiners and Re-aligners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Bosch, D.J. (1991) Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. New York: Orbis.
Breen, M. (2002) The Apostle’s Notebook. Eastbourne: Kingsway.
Carson, D.A. (2008) Christ and Culture Revisited Nottingham: Appollos
Chester, T. and S. Timmis (2007) Total Church: A Radical Re-shaping Around Gospel and Community. Leicester: IVP.
Cole, N. (2005) Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Cole, N. (2009) Organic Leadership: Leading naturally Right Where You Are. Grand Rapids: Baker.
Devenish, D. (2005) What on Earth is the Church For? Milton Keynes: Authentic
Frost, M. and Hirsch, A. (2003) The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church. Peabody: Hendrickson
Gehring, R.W. (2004) House Church and Mission: The Importance of Household Structures in early Christianity. Peabody: Hendrickson.
Gibbs, I. and Coffey, I. (2000) Church Next: Quantum Changes in Christian Ministry. Leicester: IVP
Guder, D.L. (Ed) (1998) Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America. Cambridge: Eerdmans
Halter, H. and Smay, M. (2008) The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community : the Posture and Practices of the Ancient Church Now. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Hopkins, B. and Hedley, F. (2008) Coaching for Missional Leadership. Sheffield: ACPI.
Hopkins, B. and Breen, M. (2007) Clusters: Creative Mid-sized Missional Communities. Sheffield: ACPI.
Hirsch, A. (2006) The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press.
Hull, B. (1990) The Disciple Making Church Grand Rapids: Fleming Revell.
Jenkins, P. (2007) The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Oxford: OUP.
Jones, B. (1999) The Radical Church: Restoring the Apostolic Edge. Shippensburg: Destiny Image.
Mancini, W. (2008) Church Unique: How Missional Leaders’ Cast Vision, Capture Culture and Create Movement. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass
McNeal, R. (2009) Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Meek, D.E. (2000) The Quest for Celtic Christianity. Edinburgh: Handsel Press.
Moltmann, J. (1978) The Invitation to an Open Messianic Life-style Church. London: SCM
Nelson, G.V. (2008) Borderland Churches: A congregation’s Introduction to Missional Living. St Louis: Chalice Press.
Roxburgh, A.J. and Romanuk, F. (2006) The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Stetzer, E. Planting Missional Churches: Planting a Church that’s Biblically Sound and Reaching People in Culture. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group.
Stevens, R.P. (1999) The Abolition of the Laity: Vocation, Work and Ministry in a Biblical Perspective. Milton Keynes: Paternoster.
Van Gelder, C. (2007) The Ministry of the Missional Church: A Community Led by The Spirit. Grand Rapids: Baker
Van Gelder, C. (Ed.) (2008) The Missional Church and Denominations: Helping Congregations Develop a Missional Identity. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Van Gelder.C. (Ed) (2007) The Missional Church in Context: Helping Congregations Develop Contextual Ministry. Grand rapids: Eerdmans
Wright, N.T. (2005) Paul: In Fresh Perspective. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.