Summer 2016/Houston

IS503

Hébert

IS503:  PRACTICES OF MISSION (4 Units: 160 hours).  Brian Hébert

DESCRIPTION: Christian practices constitute the Christian life. The combined Christian practices of vocational formation, worship, community, and mission facilitate the integration of personal, spiritual, academic, and global formation into the vocational coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS503 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian mission as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (Witness, Mercy, Reconciliation, Inter-Religious Dialogue, Inculturation, Friendship, Creation Care, Advocacy).

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will reflect on their current and past experiences of Christian practices of mission; (2) Students will participate in local contexts and demonstrate the capacity to engage in activities and exercises related to Christian spiritual disciplines and practices of mission; (3) Students will demonstrate the capacity to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic practices of mission; (4) Students will articulate how mission practices impact their response to the Central Integration Question (CIQ) and will identify exercises, habits, and disciplines to embody these practices within their sociocultural context.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets twice per week for three hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion (which includes 8 hours of participation in vocation and formation groups) plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING: 821 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent time in viewing.

Bevans, Stephen B., and Roger P. Schroeder. Prophetic Dialogue: Reflections on Christian Mission Today. Orbis, 2011. ISBN: 978-1570759116, $35.00 [208 pp. assigned].

Bible: read Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

CORE PRACTICES

Witness

Singlehurst, Laurence. Sowing, Reaping, Keeping: People Sensitive Evangelism. 2nd Ed. InterVarsity Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-1844741380. Out of print. Available used or in eReserves. [pp. 21-105. 84 pp assigned]

Mercy

Kirk, J. Andrew. What Is Mission?: Theological Explorations. 96-117. Fortress Press, 2000. In eReserves. [20 pp assigned]

Optional Video Mother Theresa: https://youtu.be/Th2QzJwy8tI

Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. IVP Academic, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830825714, Pub. Price $45.00. Chapter 6 [31 pp assigned].

Reconciliation

Optional Video Rick Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQgohgp5UC0 [38 minutes]

Jones, Gregory L. “Forgiveness” in Practicing Our Faith. Jossey-Bass, 2010. ISBN: 978-0470484111, pp. 133-148. In eReserves. [15 pp assigned]

Inter-religious Dialogue

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 [102 pp. assigned].

Inculturation

Pocock, Michael, Gailyn Van Rheenen, and Douglas McConnell. "Contextualization." Chap. 12 The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends, 321-48. Baker Academic, 2005. In eReserves. [27 pp assigned]

Friendship

Elmer, Duane. Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility. IVP Books, 2006. Pp.11-36. In eReserves. [25 pp assigned]

Lingenfelter, Sherwood and Marvin Mayers. Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2003. ISBN: 978-0801026478, Pub. Price $15.99 [128 pp. assigned].

Creation Care

Kirk, J. Andrew. What Is Mission? Theological Explorations. 164-183. Fortress Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0232523263. Pp. 164-183. In eReserves. [19 pp assigned]

Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. IVP Academic, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830825714. Pub. Price $45.00. Chap 12 [24 pp assigned].

Optional Video: Our Father’s World

Advocacy

Sloane, Andrew. “Justifying advocacy: a biblical and theological rationale for speaking the truth to power on behalf of the vulnerable.” Evangelical Review of Theology 36, no. 2 (April 2012): 176-186. In eReserves. [10 pp assigned]

Optional Video Bryant Myers: A Biblical View of Poverty and Development

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 821 pages reading and videos, including at least 50 pages of biblical text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [40 hours].

  2. Classroom: for each practice, students will engage, reflect, create (utilizing instruction, participation, presentation, discussion, engaging practice-based theology cycle for theological reflection, case studies) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3]. [22 hours].

  3. Vocation Formation Group (VFG)-In a Vocation Formation Group, students will engage spiritual disciplines, practices, and discussion. Students will study the Bible, and share and listen to stories related to the practices (10%). (Vocation Formation Group Leader (VFGL) will let professor know if students have been present and engaged) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, and #4]. [8 hours].

  4. Students will participate in directed practices and disciplines over the course of the quarter (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [15 hours].

  5. Four fieldwork activities and reflections (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [8 hours + 8 hours = 16 hours].

  6. Autobiography related to core course concept (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [2 hours].

  7. Signature Assignment: 100 word CIQ response, Integration paper related to course practices, and Rule of Life (2,500 words total) (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [25 hours].

  8. DLA’s (Missional Contact) (20%). The student will engage in ten contact hours of ministry. This is to be approved in advance by the professor. It may include “shadowing” a particular ministry, interviews, inter-faith dialogue, demographic studies, visiting [This assignment is related to learning outcome 2 and 3]. [10 hours].

  9. Integrative Essay (2,500 words total). (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 3 and 4]. [22 hours]. The student will provide the theoretical overview, utilizing the readings as background, for whatever missional contact assignment was selected in assignment #8 and write a reflective essay about the experience.

PREREQUISITES:  None. Recommended in first year of study.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:  Meets a core integrative requirement in the 120 MDiv Program and the 80 MAT, 80 MATM, 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.

For your convenience, order these texts online through the Archives Bookshop.