Summer 2015/Houston
IS503
Balasundaram
IS503: PRACTICE OF MISSION (4 Units: 160 hours). Uday Mark Balasundaram
DESCRIPTION: This is one of the three foundational practice courses. In this course students will be challenged to rethink the meaning of God’s mission and the Church’s practice of mission in light of their own experiences of mission. The overall concern is to understand God’s mission biblically, theologically, and practically considered.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, (1) students will describe theological perspectives on the missio Dei including the topics of ecclesiology, Trinity, and Christology; (2) students will demonstrate a Practical Theology approach to mission and evangelism including actual contextual engagement. In doing this, they will demonstrate the use of the basic disciplines of missiology, and (3) students will participate as reflective practitioners in embodied practices of mission in their personal lives and in small group activities.
COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-and-a-half hour sessions for a total of 35 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion (including 8 hours of participation in formation/Bible study groups focusing on the meaning of the Gospel in Luke and Philippians) plus 5 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.
REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pages of required reading(approx.)
Angrosino, Michael. Projects in Ethnographic Research. Waveland Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-1577663690, Pub. Price $12.50 [64 pp. assigned].
Newbigin, J.E. Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Eerdmans, 1989. ISBN: 978-0802804266, Pub. Price $25.00 [244 pp. assigned].
Sunquist, Scott W., Understanding Christian Mission: Participation in Suffering and Glory. Baker Academic, 2013. ISBN: 978-0801036156, Pub. Price, $34.99 [411 pp. assigned].
Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God, Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. IVP Academic, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830825714, Pub. Price $40.00 [510 pp. assigned].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission, Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Orbis Books, 2011. ISBN: 978-1570759482, Pub. Price $35.00
Carroll, M. Daniel. Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible. Baker Academic, 2008. ISBN: 978-0801035661, Pub. Price $16.99.
Documents of Vatican II. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/
Escobar, Samuel. Changing Tides, Latin America and World Mission Today. Orbis Books, 2002. ISBN: 978-1570754142, Pub. Price $28.00
Jenkins, Philip. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Third Edition. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199767465, Pub. Price $15.95.
Lausanne Covenant Documents http://www.lausanne.org/en/documents/all.html
Muck, Terry and Frances S. Adeney. Christianity Encountering World Religions, The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-first Century. Baker Academic, 2009. ISBN: 978-0801026607, Pub. Price $30.00
Robert, Dana L. American Women in Mission, A Social History of Their Thought and Practice. Mercer University Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0865545496, Pub. Price $40.00
Sanneh, Lamin. Disciples of All Nations, Pillars of World Christianity. Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0195189612, Pub. Price $19.95
Shenk, Wilbert R. Changing Frontiers of Mission. Orbis Books, 1999. ISBN: 978-1570752599, Pub. Price $28.00
Walls, Andrew F. The Missionary Movement in Christian History, Studies in the Transmission of Faith. Orbis Books, 1996. ISBN: 978-1570750595, Pub. Price $26.00
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
1,200 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcome #]. [80 hours].
Each student will write an initial (first week) 500-word self-reflection paper on their understanding of mission and missional practices in light of their own experiences. This will be rewritten at week 10 (10% each, 20% total). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2 and 3] [6 hours].
Three 500-word Moodle reflections on the reading, experience, and lecture topics and how your understanding of mission is changing in both thinking and practice. Choose three of the 10 weeks to write a reflection (5% each, 15% total). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, and #3] [9 hours].
Observe and describe in 1,000 words the social and religious landscape of a community (or the community) around your church and ask how your church is dealing with this context (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2] [5 hours].
Visit to a formal religious expression different than your own, and describe in 750 words what is happening and analyze the experience in light of the course material (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2] [5 hours].
2,500-words final paper which integrates the course material, focused on a particular mission practice. Students may choose from the following mission practices: interreligious dialog, youth outreach, poverty alleviation, evangelism, or at risk youth (20%). Other ideas may be discussed with the instructor for consideration. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2, and #3] [15 hours].
Presentation (DLA): Prepare a class presentation integrating key reflections, observations, and insights for mission from the above projects (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and #2] [5 hours].
PREREQUISITES: None. Recommended in first year of study.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integrative requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.