Unit Descriptions

B5020 Introduction to the Old Testament

This unit provides an introduction to the story and contents of the Old Testament by examining each of its major sections (Pentateuch, History, Prophets, Wisdom Literature and Psalms) with particular emphasis on the meaning of the Old Testament writings in their original contexts and therefore the application of the biblical text to our contemporary world.

Focused study will include understanding the historical and social contexts in which the sections, books and passages were originally written, taking seriously the way in which God chose to inspire Scripture and will involve recognising how different kinds of writing (genres) have different goals and different means by which they reach those goals.  Finally, this unit will take into consideration how the circumstances of Ancient Israel impacted the first meaning of the texts and will explore the process by which we move from that ancient message to recognising God's message for us today, in the light of the ancient meaning.

This course unit aims to introduce students to the literary forms, historical and cultural contexts and theological themes of the Old Testament. It seeks to provide a foundation for further biblical and theological study.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a general understanding of the overall structure and contents of the Old Testament.
2. Identify the literary shape, themes, social and historical background of the individual books of the Old Testament.
3. Employ critical methodologies in the interpretation of Old Testament texts.
4. Access secondary literature.
5. Convey the relevance of the Old Testament to Christian life and the contemporary

CONTENT

1. Brief introduction to the Canon
2. Introductory questions of each section and book of the Old Testament (authorship, date, historical, political and cultural contexts, etc.)
3. Structure and outline of selected books of the Old Testament
4. Literary genres of Old Testament literature
5. Key theological themes of the Old Testament collection
6. Critical approaches to Old Testament interpretation

B5030 Introduction to the New Testament  

The 27 books and letters that make up the New Testament capture the ministry of Jesus and the development of the early Church. These documents are a source of guidance, inspiration, and encouragement, while at the same time challenging Christians on what it means to live lives conforming to the vision of God’s Kingdom. For many Christians certain passages, or sections of scripture are favourites and the rest of the New Testament is often shrouded in a dark cloud.

This unit will help the student have a sense of the whole New Testament and how the various documents fit together. Students will also be introduced to some basic exegetical skills to help them understand and apply the New Testament to various contexts in the modern world. After completing this unit students will have a solid foundation to build upon for future study in the New Testament.

This course unit introduces students to the critical study of the New Testament, its literary forms, historical and cultural contexts and theological themes. It provides a foundation for further biblical and theological study.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the contents of the New Testament
2. Display a general understanding of the historical, social and cultural context of the New Testament
3. Demonstrate basic exegetical skills in critical interpretation of New Testament texts
4. Access significant secondary literature
5. Apply the fruits of New Testament studies to a range of life and ministry situations

CONTENT

1. Outline of the books of the New Testament
2. Historical, cultural, political and religious contexts of the New Testament materials
3. Approaching the books of the New Testament as literary works
4. Key methodologies of Biblical interpretation
5. Developing skills in exegesis and writing an exegetical essay
6. Key New Testament themes

B5032 Synoptic Gospels  

Who is Jesus? What are the implications of his life and ministry? What do his death and resurrection mean? Followers of Jesus have been thinking about the answers to these questions for two thousand years. Answering these questions is not a mere academic exercise; Christians firmly believe that the answers should have implications on the manner in which one lives life. Influential biblical scholar Tom Wright comments, “With Jesus, it’s easy to be complicated and hard to be simple. Part of the difficulty is that Jesus was and is much, much more than people imagine.”1 Students will be challenged to think deeper about who Jesus is and the need to live out these convictions.

This unit of study will examine the accounts of Jesus found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These are commonly called the synoptic gospels because the way in which the story is presented is similar. Basic exegetical tools will be introduced to the student to aid deep understanding of the Gospel texts. A simple exploration of the cultural world that Jesus lived in will also be provided.

This course unit introduces the student to the synoptic gospels and provides an introduction to the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus; students will also learn basic exegetical skills.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Explain the historical, socio-cultural, and religious background of the Synoptic Gospels;
2. Identify the literary forms and theological themes of the Synoptic Gospels;
3. Provide a basic exegetical essay on selected passages from the Synoptic Gospels;
4. Demonstrate an ability to identify and use sound secondary literature on the Synoptic Gospels;
5. Employ their acquired knowledge in preaching, liturgy, and spiritual leadership.

CONTENT

1. Introduction to the life and ministry of Jesus
2. Basic research tools and methodologies for the study of the Synoptic Gospels
3. Introduction to the work of influential biblical scholars
4. Overview of significant events that formed the earthly ministry of Jesus
5. Exploration of what his life and ministry means for the 21st century

C5095 The Chaplain as Carer: Helping Youth in Need  

Many people are confronted with a broad variety of difficult issues each day. Specifically, there are categories of people who are more at risk of being affected by mental illness, psychological disorders and other social and economic difficulties. Among the vulnerable are children and youth. When working with vulnerable people, especially in chaplaincy settings, there are challenges and opportunities that we are faced with that are specific to the context of risk. How can we help them best? When do we refer? What options and resources are available to us? What legal and ethical obligations do we have when caring for vulnerable people?

The purpose of this unit is to assist students to develop an understanding of possible issues associated with vulnerable people, with a particular focus on children and youth. The aim is to learn how to use appropriate strategies, responses and pastoral care plans in the chaplaincy context.

This unit focuses on some key themes including holistic care, child to adolescent development and developmental disorders, mental health issues and illness, working with people at risk and the role of pastoral care including referral and mandatory reporting.

This unit has been written to help students address the requirements of the two mandated VET units CHCMHS001and CHCCCS016 required by Commonwealth-funded Chaplains in schools in some states. However, it is up to individual employing bodies as to what training is accepted for their employees.

This diploma course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at a basic level on an area (Chaplain as Carer) within a discipline or sub-discipline that is not available elsewhere in the curriculum. The particular topic might include: an examination of contemporary themes or current issues in the discipline; exploration of developments in research and theory; a consideration of the implications of developments in research and theory to a broad range of issues of current concern to Christian life, ministry or theology; an opportunity to learn new theories and skills and to apply them in practical or simulated circumstances.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the topic selected for consideration
2. Describe a range of primary and secondary literature dealing with the topic
3. Evaluate the topic using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline
4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to the topic
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life, ministry, or theology

CONTENT

1. Holistic Care
2. Understanding Mental Health and Developmental Disorders
3. At Risk Issues
4. Referral and Reporting
5. Best Practice

H5000 Introduction to Christian History  

Why study Christian History? Who cares about a bunch of old dates and dead people? Shouldn’t we be more concerned with the future than the past? People who are “required” to study Church History (including me when I began theological study) often pose such questions. Now, many years later, I offer a short answer. We intelligently study our past in order to gain an informed understanding of our present, so we may more wisely direct our future. My study of the church’s history has enabled me to “make sense” of all the theological and ecclesiological issues that have emerged and which continue to confront us. I trust that by the end of this unit, you will have started to develop some similar insights.

The approach of this unit is to focus on three key themes that emerge from a series of significant crises (pivotal “turning points”) at different stages of history. These crises have caused the church to re-think its identity and practices, with consequent re-direction of its history. Christology (the study of the person and work of Christ) is the theme of studies of the first millennium of the Church, as it was a strong influence in the Church’s movements and ideas. Ecclesiology (the structure and function of the Church) is the subject of heated debates in the mediaeval and Reformation churches through to the 16th century. Pneumatology (study of the Holy Spirit) was an influential factor in post-Reformation and modern church history. These three themes will guide the integration of our study in this unit.

This course unit introduces the student to the discipline of church history and provides an overview of significant historical periods and themes and the variety of methodological approaches to them.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of a number of key events in the Church’s past
2. Understand a number of approaches to researching, constructing and interpreting the past
3. Distinguish between primary and secondary source materials and use such sources appropriately
4. Show how historical knowledge provides a necessary context for theological studies
5. Construct and support a coherent historical argument in written form, according to the methodological conventions of the discipline.

CONTENT

1. Introducing the discipline of church history: approaches and tools
2. The Early Church and Christological Developments
3. The Emergence of Church Traditions: Rome, the East, Mystics and Dissenters
4. The Mediaeval Church and Ecclesiological Developments
5. The Reformation Church: Reformed and Pietistic Movements
6. The Modern Church: Missions, Fundamentals, Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism

H5094 Christian History Fieldwork (Holy Land)

Please Note: SCD policy limits students to studying one Field work unit per year of full-time study (i.e. every 8 units), and to one Field Work Unit overall per sub-discipline of study also. Please ensure that you do not exceed these enrolment limits. This unit is one of those Field work units.

Israel, the Holy Land, or Palestine are names used by different people to describe the same place – a place that is important to three of the world’s major faiths. This unit is based around the historical aspects of your trip to Jordan and Israel and the opportunity that it will provide you to connect what you will see with that which you have only ever read about. 

This unit is designed to support your Field Experience in two ways;

1. Creating a historical framework in which to interpret and appreciate all that you will learn and experience.
2. Preparing you and your expectations for what you will experience on this Field Experience.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in one or more remote locations relevant to the biblical, theological, historical or ministry narrative of theological texts and/or movements, in order to understand the impact of such locations on the interpretation of those narratives.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

6. Describe the main contextual features which relate to the field under study;
7. Explain the connection between local historical, geographical and cultural features in the development of the particular narrative within the field under study;
8. Review a topic within the field under study in terms of its local origin and influences;
9. Reflect on the impact of the travel experience on their personal development within the field under study;
10. Apply the insights gained from the tour to a presentation or project depicting the connection between the location visited and the narrative within the field under study.

CONTENT

Section A: Preparation

Students will learn about the historical elements of the region and the major sites to be visited. This will involve a significant guided reading program, which has been prepared by the college. This material is provided in the 5 Sessions of the Unit. 

Section B: Field Experience

Students will spend two weeks in the Holy Land, under approved faculty supervision and direction, to explore the historical significance of key sites.

The Field Experience will include;

1. Lectures, tutorials, visits, meetings with significant local people and cultural experiences in a cohesive program lead by an ACOM endorsed faculty member.
2. A Journal as part of the documentary evidence for the Field Experience
3. A final presentation and reflection detailing the key elements and significance of the Field Experience.

The SCD Fieldwork and Experiential Learning Policy & Guidelines are to be followed.

L5010 Introduction to Christian Worship  

This course unit outlines how expressions of Christian worship have changed and adapted from biblical times through to the present day. It introduces students to a broad range of liturgical practices and provides tools for analysing their own worship experiences. Students will further be encouraged to consider the importance of issues surrounding contemporary Christian worship practices and dialogue on future possibilities.

Students will explore practical expressions of worship cited in the Old and New Testaments, plus a range of key examples from history through to the present. Students will gain appreciation for a broad range of church worship traditions while gaining insight into the distinctiveness of their own worship heritage and practices, set against the backdrop of contemporary Christian worship practices issues and dialogue on future possibilities.

This course unit introduces students to concepts that provide a foundation for the study of Christian worship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a knowledge of the biblical, theological, cultural and historical foundations for the practice of Christian worship within a particular tradition
2. Demonstrate a knowledge of the current issues within Christian worship
3. Use a range of liturgical resources
4. Prepare and conduct a range of liturgical services
5. Discuss the riches of the Christian liturgical traditions

CONTENT

1. Biblical basis for Christian worship
2. The role of theology in worship (orthodoxy, orthopraxy, orthopathy)
3. The role of culture in the development of worship
4. The historical developments in Christian Worship
5. Current issues in Christian worship
6. Preparation of a Christian worship service

L5020 Proclaiming the Good News

This unit provides an introduction to the art and science of preaching. Principally, students will be taught one clear style of preaching; the strategy outlined by Andy Stanley in his book, Communicating for a Change, our text for the unit. Although this is very simple, it allows enormous diversity in practice. This unit will be helpful for: people who have never preached, and those with years of experience.

Critical to the unit will be the experience of preaching to a live audience in a facilitation with other students. For those who cannot get to a facilitation, another live audience will need to be found. The audience will then be asked to complete feedback forms and your video will need to be recorded and uploaded to YouTube or similar. This will be a valuable experience, as you will receive helpful, encouraging, positive feedback that will help you to see sides of your preaching that you are blind to.

This unit starts with the foundation that preaching is important, the gospel is life-changing and God’s word is worth proclaiming. Please take the time to learn the art and science of preaching well.

This course unit seeks to establish a theology of preaching that provides an adequate theoretical foundation to preaching practice and introduces students to the foundational skills needed for the preparation and delivery of homilies/sermons.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. assess the quality of homilies/sermons through the application of theological and theoretical principles
2. Look at a service of worship and explain the place of the homily/sermon
3. Explain the difference between written discourse and oral discourse and explain how they relate to each other
4. demonstrate two preaching styles
5. prepare and deliver sermons/homilies that exhibit a basic structure that fits the context.

CONTENT

1. The Goal of Preaching
2. Method, Manner and Megaphones
3. The Big Idea
4. Outlines and Maps
5. Know Your Stuff
6. Engaging Your Audience
7. Know Your Audience
8. Develop Your Own Style
9. Finding the Big Idea
10. Missional Preaching

M5060 Talking to My Neighbour

The first followers of Jesus were entrusted with the core task of bearing witness to what God was and had done through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The mission of the church to bear witness, to be an evangelistic community, through all ages is key to its self-understanding and core to the identity of all who call themselves followers of Jesus.

It is the task of each successive generation of believers to discover how they are able to faithfully fulfil this calling where they are and amongst the people they find themselves. The Christian Gospel message needs to be communicated in culturally appropriate and textured ways to ensure an effective reception. Historical and cultural factors always affect how people hear the Christian Gospel message, therefore one of the core tasks of the church is to continually seek to understand the context in which they live and how the Gospel continues to be good news to the world God so loves.

This course unit examines the good news of Jesus Christ from its biblical sources, along with the issues in communicating the gospel to contemporary Australians. It explores workable strategies for sharing faith in contemporary Australian society.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Recount the content of the Christian Gospel message drawn from its biblical and theological sources
2. Describe the Australian cultural context in which the Christian Gospel message will be proclaimed
3. Identify Australian cultural and historical elements relevant to communicating redemptive analogies suitable for communicating the Christian Gospel message in this context
4. Plan strategies through which the Christian Gospel message can be communicated in the Australian context
5. Use communication skills to present a clear and coherent Christian Gospel message in the Australian context

CONTENT

This course will help students understand the practice and theology of evangelism and mission in a contemporary context, specifically Australia. Content covered within this unit will include:

1. The foundations of the gospel from the biblical sources
2. The content of the gospel (kerygma)
3. A theology for missional/evangelistic practice
4. Australian culture and spirituality
5. The 'Engle Scale' and its applicability to evangelism
6. The praxis of evangelism: personal and corporate
7. Australians' objections to Christianity
8. Ethical considerations for evangelism
9. Strategies for evangelistic 'best practice'

M5086 Developing Cross-Cultural Competence (Mission Fieldwork)  

This course unit provides you with an opportunity to experience a supervised fieldwork placement in a cross-cultural context. Engaging in such fieldwork can be both challenging and transformative as it allows you to put your theoretical knowledge of working with other cultures to the practical test.

This course unit provides students with an in-situ experience of cross-cultural mission as a practical adjunct to their theoretical study and so to learn the significance of inter-cultural issues in a living and dynamic situation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Describe a number of key issues involved in a specific cross-cultural ministry;
2. Explain the implications for ministry of the interrelationships of culture and gospel within that culture;
3. Explain how some cultural elements in their own formation may need adjustments for effectual cross-cultural ministry;
4. Engage under direct supervision in a cross-cultural ministry experience;
5. Apply insights gained from the field experience to a program for personal preparation for cross-cultural ministry.

CONTENT

Section A: Preparation

Students must undertake supervised preparation for their cross-cultural ministry field-work. The preparation will include reading the set textbook and any other set readings pertinent to the specific cultural context to be experienced by their fieldwork coordinator.

In addition, the following preparation must be undertaken. Specific details are to be provided to the student by the Fieldwork Coordinator/Supervisor for each fieldwork placement:

• Students must attend an Information Meeting conducted and/or organised by the Fieldwork Coordinator well before departure, which will include all enrolled students, participating faculty and, where possible, a representative of the fieldwork partner involved. Such a meeting will cover, at a minimum:

1. Field risk assessment, including task and location hazards
2. Specific Travel and accommodation arrangements and costs involved
3. Insurance Arrangements
4. A full itinerary of the fieldwork, including relevant contact details of the fieldwork partner;
5. A full list of participating staff and any other personnel and their respective responsibilities;
6. Full details of any government requirements pertinent to the travel arrangements.
   • Students must meet all organisational requirements of the Fieldwork Placement. Special note must be taken of any additional preparation to be undertaken as required by the Fieldwork Partner (eg. international police checks, additional interviews prior to selection etc.) The Fieldwork Coordinator will advise the student of these requirements.

Section B: Field Work

The student will spend at least two weeks immersed in an unfamiliar culture. This learning experience may be local or international. Note that the fieldwork location is subject to an extensive approval process and cannot be modified in the enrolment period.

During the fieldwork, the fieldwork Coordinator will work with the student to:

1. Assist the student to make sense of their experience

1. Assist the student to deal with tensions, difficulties, cultural and health issues, including any placement related conflict.
2. Assist the student to connect their learning objectives with the field practices.
3. Guide and support the student in ethical behaviour

Section C: Post Field Work

The student will be debriefed upon return and will be required to reflect critically upon their learning. This will be achieved by:

1. Completing the post fieldwork assessment tasks.
2. A debrief session with the fieldwork coordinator. This session will include:

1. • A discussion of the Field Evaluation Report and how the learning outcomes were achieved through fieldwork placement
   • Reflecting on the fieldwork placement as a learning experience
   • Assisting the student to process ministry related challenges and difficulties and to refer them to specialised support if needed
   • Assisting the student to process specific cultural challenges and difficulties and to refer them to specialised support if needed
   • Identifying key areas for future learning
   • Collating Fieldwork Placement feedback for future coursework development.

SCHEDULE

The schedule consists of three components:

1. Pre-departure: The student must undertake supervised preparation for the cross- cultural ministry exposure. This will involve reading the set text and working with their Fieldwork Coordinator through specific cross-cultural material and any other preparation as required.
2. Field-work Experience: Undertake the field-work experience.
3. Post-return reflection: The student will reflect on their experience through a supervised debriefing process and post field-work assessment.

M5092 Introduction to Mission  

This course unit shows how the understanding and practice of mission has evolved throughout the centuries in response to the changing needs of the world. It introduces students to the contemporary theological understandings and entry points for mission.

For many, mission is synonymous with proclamation or evangelism. While proclamation has remained constant and urgent throughout the history of the Church’s mission, the demands, trends and insights into mission have changed over the centuries as the needs of the world have changed. It is critical to realise this, to map the changes and to discern the new missionary activities needed today.

For many also, mission is synonymous with missionaries travelling to nations other than their own; hence, mission is cross-cultural. Of course, this view needs to be challenged. The Church’s mission is to make disciples of Christ, at home as in other nations.

Over time the role of the Church’s evangelising mission, which is international in nature, has also changed in several important ways. To begin with, the direction of travel has changed dramatically. During the 19th and much of the 20th centuries missionaries travelled from the developed nations of Europe, North America and Australia to less developed nations such as Africa, Asia and South America. Missionary travel in that direction has not ceased, yet now, the majority of missionaries travel from those ‘developing’ nations to other nations, including many in Europe, North America and Australia.

During the 20th century the duration of the trips has also changed. Initially, most missionaries relocated for many years. Today, there is an emphasis on short-term trips (STMs) of a few days, weeks or occasionally months, with most missionaries not learning the language of those they are trying to reach, nor the culture. Currently, millions of Christians are undertaking STMs each year at a cost of billions of dollars annually. Biblical stewardship demands that the effectiveness of this be evaluated. It is for these, and other reasons, why the study of the Church’s evangelising mission is not only interesting and rewarding, but essential.

This course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at a foundational level on an area of study (the topic) within a discipline or subdiscipline that is not available elsewhere in the curriculum.

The particular topic might include: an examination of contemporary themes or current issues in the discipline; exploration of relevant theory in the area of study; a consideration of the implications of developments in the area of study to a broad range of issues of current concern to Christian life, ministry or theology; or an opportunity to learn new skills and to apply them in practical or simulated circumstances.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Detail the foundational theoretical knowledge and concepts relevant to the topic selected for consideration;
2. Describe a range of approaches to dealing with the topic;
3. Analyse information gathered on the topic to complete a range of activities appropriate to the discipline;
4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to the topic;
5. Apply the results of their study to a specific context in Christian life, ministry, or theology.

CONTENT

1. Biblical Foundations for mission including the Trinitarian basis of mission and Missio Dei
2. Historic and Contemporary missiology and practice
3. Trends in mission: long term; short term
4. Proclamation/witness and evangelism in mission
5. Contemporary entry points and strategies for mission in Australia
6. The ‘Five Marks’ of mission

P5001 Introduction to Personal Formation  

Christianity is about transformed lives, not just assent to Christian beliefs. This unit provides students with an opportunity to develop an understanding of Christian spirituality and the disciplines and attitudes necessary for personal spiritual formation. This unit encourages students to intentionally participate in the journey of personal spiritual formation. This unit will challenge students to grasp more fully the reality of their individual identity and who God has created them to be, both in their unique personality and in their God-given spiritual gifts. The overall goal of this unit is to provide a foundational understanding of Christian spiritual formation that will assist the students not only in their personal Christian walk, but that will further serve as a foundation for development as a Christian leader with spiritual practices that will sustain and enrich their longevity in ministry.

This unit promotes the foundation of self-awareness as pivotal to the development of deeply personal, faithful discipleship that equips the student for effective pastoral ministry to others.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Outline a general knowledge of self-awareness as it applies to their own personal maturity exercised in a pastoral context;
2. Interpret theologically their own personal developmental journey and its significance for their (actual or potential) pastoral role;
3. Explore and analyse the outcomes of key spiritual disciplines within a pastoral vocation;
4. Establish principles of accountability and transparency in the exercise of spiritual self-care;
5. Develop principles and practices for the promotion of spiritual growth in others.

CONTENT

1. Using personal narrative to understand self and others
2. Biblical foundations of spiritual maturity
3. Relevant psychological themes supporting an understanding of Christian spirituality
4. Vocational discernment: Personal drive or God’s calling?
5. Basic spiritual disciplines and practices

P5010 Introduction to Pastoral Theology & Ministry

This course unit is an introduction to pastoral theology for ministry. It is also an opportunity to overview the biblical and theological foundations of the caring ministry as biblical themes important to pastoral care are surveyed. Common aspects of ministry will also be considered giving particular focus to the functions of pastoral care within the church through the lens of ‘life together’ in the church community understanding that it is God’s love that motivates us to care for one another, both in the church and outside of it.

In particular, this unit trains leaders in delivering pastoral care through authentic communities which maximise the opportunities for providing support. It provides skills and resources for pastoral care, including the use of small groups, so people are equipped to care for others. Specific attention is given to examples of ways to care in the faith community and as a missional bridge to those outside the community.

Finally, it is noted that the ethics of helping are important and the unit ends with considering what good caring looks like for the carer as well as those we care for.

This course unit is an introduction to practical theology for ministry. It is also an opportunity to overview the biblical and theological foundations of ministry. Common aspects of ministry will be considered.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify key issues relating to the practice of pastoral care
2. Understand the role of the human sciences in pastoral theology and ministry
3. Apply the insights of biblical and theological foundations to the practice of ministry
4. Demonstrate the ability to reflect in the practice of ministry
5. Develop and make use of effective skills for pastoral ministry

CONTENT

1. The theological and biblical foundations of pastoral theology
2. Aspects of church ministry: Church structures and caring ministry
3. Developing basic listening skills
4. Theological reflection on contemporary pastoral issues
5. Methods of ministry and the place of ordination / leadership

 P5011  Introduction to Youth Ministry

In youth ministry we tend to reproduce what we grew up in unless we go through a paradigm-shift to help is think differently about how to best minister to this post-modern generation.

The aim of this unit is to bring about a shift in paradigm and to enable the student to think outside the box in terms of ministry to young people in the 21^st century. This unit will not offer a model of ministry to be copied, but rather will offer ideas and principles applicable to many different contexts with tools to evaluate and implement these principles.

This unit outlines a theological and biblical mandate for youth ministry and provides a foundational and strategic framework for youth ministry that will help students to understand, and apply principles and programs for effective ministry to youth.

This course unit is an introduction to the practice of youth ministry. It seeks to encourage students to think differently about how best to minister to this post-modern generation. Students will be introduced to ideas and principles applicable to many different contexts and tools to evaluate and implement these principles.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the nature of youth ministry within the church.
2. Understand the relevance of the various principals of youth ministry to the ministry of the local church.
3. Explain the theory and practice behind the various models for youth ministry and how to apply them to a local setting.
4. Understand the process for analysing the current context of a group with a view to setting and communicating vision and goals for the ministry in order to move forward.
5. Apply new ideas to effectively reach and minister to the youth of the 21^st

CONTENT

This course provides an understanding of the issues involved in effective implementation and development of Youth Ministry in the context of the local church. Content covered within this unit will include:

1. Biblical foundations for Youth Ministry
2. Defining Youth Ministry
3. Clarifying a Call to Ministry
4. Philosophy of Youth Ministry
5. Models for Youth Ministry
6. Getting started – Strategic Programming
7. The Principles of Programming
8. Prayer as a foundation for Youth Ministry
9. Setting Vision and Goals for Youth Ministry
10. Communication with Youth
11. Schools Ministry
12. The Future of Youth Ministry

P5017  Children’s Ministry  

Welcome to the Children’s Ministry course, which focuses on the faith formation and spiritual nurture of children. The course is designed to help you build foundational understandings of ministry with children and we hope that it will significantly shape your understanding, practice and advocacy for ministry with children within your situation for years to come.

We will begin the course by focusing on issues related to keeping children safe in ministry situations and your responsibility for this. You will then explore and reflect on children as whole beings, their development and how they learn. You will consider the important role of families and communities in the process of faith formation and the spiritual nurture of children. In the later weeks of the course you will explore resources, networks and your ongoing development needs in relation to ministry with children and you will explore themes and issues related to opening the Bible with children.

There are a number of learning activities throughout the course designed to help you to broaden your perspectives and understanding of children. These include activities involving contact with children as well as reflecting and sharing your thinking and experience with other course participants.

Assessment will involve three elements:

• Your participation in the discussion forums

• A mid trimester essay focused on theory and its implications for practice
• A final critical reflection on the ministry with children strategy in your situation

We hope that this course will be a rich and rewarding experience as you dig deep and learn all you can in your commitment to ministry with children.

This course unit aims to introduce the student to the field of Children’s Ministry. It provides a theoretical and practical framework for ministry among children in the church and a variety of community settings including child care, educational settings, community service agencies, and programs.  

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the basic concepts of children’s ministry as a missional activity of the local church
2. Identify the basic features of the learning characteristics, overall development and appropriate stages of faith of children.
3. Nurture, manage and ensure safety in children’s ministry in congregational and community settings using contemporary resources and techniques.
4. Select children’s ministry resources and techniques that are appropriate to stage of faith development and to particular congregational and community settings
5. Implement children’s ministry programs where children are full participants in their faith communities and where children’s spiritual and religious formation is nurtured.

CONTENT

• Keeping children safe in ministry situations and your responsibility
• Reflecting on children through Biblical history
• Children as whole beings, their development and how they learn
• The importance of family and community in the process of faith formation and the spiritual nurture
• Diverse ministry settings, resources, networks and your ongoing development
• Opening the Bible with children

P5021  Introduction to Youth Ministry (Vineyard Cohort Only)

Healing Prayer aims to establish a strong biblical and theological foundation for the student to better understand how God works , and how he wants to work through his church, in the area of healing. The unit also seeks to encourage and equip the student to engage in the practical ministry of healing.

A number of different categories of healing are examined such as physical, spiritual, emotional, demonisation, relational, etc.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit aims to provide for students a biblical and theological understanding of Christian healing and its practice as seen in biblical, historical and current day contexts. It will enable the student to reflect on the importance of healing in their own personal life and ministry, as well as its place in today’s church. The unit is an Elective unit within the Diploma awards.

LEARNING OUTCOMES  

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Articulate the biblical teaching on sickness and healing
2. Identify key theological positions on the Kingdom of God and how they impact healing ministry
3. Explain how the healing ministry of Jesus as depicted in the Gospels may serve as a model for us today
4. Explain how a diversity of healing approaches are used in the church today
5. Present a proposal for a particular exercise in healing in their own context

CONTENT

1. Worldview and Definitions
2. Healing and the Kingdom of God
3. Jesus’ Model and Kingdom Authority
4. Healing in the Church: Yesterday and Today
5. The Praxis of Ministry
6. Healing of Body and Spirit
7. Healing of Damaged Emotions and Past Hurts
8. Healing of Deliverance
9. Healing of Relationships, and of Death and Dying
10. A Church That Heals

P5062 Church Movement Distinctives: Southern Lights 

Southern Lights was born out of the CRC movement in the 1980’s. The CRC developed in the 1940’s and the cultural milieu of that time. It was a product of the Australian Pentecostal movement that started in the 1900’s. That in turn was a product of the Keswick and Holiness movements of the late 1800’s. If we are going to accurately understand the distinctives of Southern Lights, we need to understand whose shoulders we are standing upon. We need to look at the history of the church in Australia, the development of the Pentecostal movement and its evolution over the last 100 years, particularly since 1987 when Southern Lights was established.

 This course will examine the origins and development of Southern Lights in areas such as Vision and Values, Leadership and Organisation, and Doctrinal Emphases. In the area of doctrine, for example, students will discover views that Southern Lights holds in common with other major Pentecostal movements, and some which are more distinctive. Some doctrines and practices which were once distinctive have become more mainstream, while others have evolved and been refined over that time.

 For this reason Southern Lights’ Statement of Faith, which will be examined in this unit, is written in such a way as to allow for a variety of opinions within a framework that clearly states those things which are held to be essential. This unit will also examine the CRC's history in order to give students an understanding of the movement's development and distinctive doctrines, leadership and organisational style as a movement of interdependent churches and ministries and how that shaped Southern Lights as it is today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify elementary sociological, historical and theological perspectives that shaped the formation of Southern Lights;
2. Describe core distinguishing beliefs and practices that differentiate Southern Lightsfrom other Christian church groups;
3. Identify contemporary issues impacting Southern Lights;
4. Integrate perspectives from their broader theological studies with their analysis of Southern Lights; and
5. Apply the perspectives from the unit to the specific context of the student’s life, vocation and ministry practice.

CONTENT

1. Australian and Pentecostal Church History
2. CRC and Southern Lights History
3. Evangelical Distinctives of Southern Lights
4. Pentecostal Distinctives of Southern Lights
5. Other Distinctives

P5062C Vineyard Distinctives (Vineyard Cohort only)

This unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an introductory level on the distinctives of the Vineyard movement. It enables students to examine theological, historical and sociological perspectives within the Vineyard’s ministry practice and to examine how to apply those perspectives to contemporary ministry.

 The unit takes a thorough look at the history of the Vineyard from its early association with Chuck Smith and the Calvary Chapel movement through to becoming a global movement in the 21st Century. Special emphasis will be placed on the ministry of John Wimber and his ecclesiological and theological perspectives.

 An examination of core beliefs and practices, and the local and global implications they have had for the movement will be undertaken.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at a foundational level on the denominational distinctives of the Vineyard movement. This unit provides an opportunity for the student to explore their own vocation in relation to future volunteer or ordained ministry within the Australian Vineyard movement.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify elementary sociological, historical and theological perspectives that shaped the formation of the Vineyard;
2. Describe core distinguishing beliefs and practices that differentiate the Vineyard from other Christian church groups;
3. Identify contemporary issues impacting the Vineyard;
4. Integrate perspectives from their broader theological studies with their analysis of the Vineyard; and  
5. Apply the perspectives from the unit to the specific context of the student’s life, vocation and ministry practice. 

CONTENT

1. The life and legacy of John Wimber
2. The history and development of the Vineyard Movement
3. An examination of the theological themes and emphases of the Vineyard Movement
4. Vineyard Core Values

P5082 Supervised Ministry 1  

Supervised Ministry units allow students to explore the practice of ministry with greater depth. They require students to spend focused time in practical ministry in a certain area of interest, meet regularly with a supervisor, have a mentor, engage in relevant readings, interact with specialists in the field and write practical essays to anchor their learning.

A Supervised Ministry unit should be designated in a specific area of ministry. This may include Children’s Ministry, Mission, Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Chaplaincy, Pastoral Care, Worship and Creative Ministries and others. For students in Learning Centres your coordinators will help you to work out what area your ministry placement will be in. At the top of every assignment you submit for this unit, please state the specific area of your ministry placement (e.g. “Pastoral Care”).

This course unit incorporates learning experiences at a practical level as well as giving opportunity to reflect on both the practice and theory of ministry. This reflection occurs with both an appointed supervisor and mentor as well as the formal classroom situation. The mentoring would be with experienced pastors or those in recognised specialist ministries.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify important aspects of support for ministry settings
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the issues involved in interacting within the mentoring and classroom situation
3. Incorporate the supervisory process and personal journaling as a means of critical self-evaluation
4. Demonstrate a sound level of practical involvement and initiative in the process of practical church ministry
5. Appreciate the value and process of being mentored as means of personal growth

CONTENT

1. Substantial ministry placement
2. Involvement in the process of mentoring with an appointed Mentor
3. Reflection on the practice of ministry
4. Content specific to the area of Supervised Ministry

P5083 Supervised Ministry 2  

Supervised Ministry units allow students to explore the practice of ministry with greater depth. They require students to spend focused time in practical ministry in a certain area of interest, meet regularly with a supervisor, have a mentor, engage in relevant readings, interact with specialists in the field and write practical essays to anchor their learning.

A Supervised Ministry unit should be designated in a specific area of ministry. This may include Children’s Ministry, Mission, Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Chaplaincy, Pastoral Care, Worship and Creative Ministries and others. For students in Learning Centres, your coordinators will help you to work out what area your ministry placement will be in. At the top of every assignment you submit for this unit, please state the specific area of your ministry placement (e.g. “Pastoral Care”).

Most students who enrol in Supervised Ministry 2 will already have completed Supervised Ministry 1. This unit builds on Supervised Ministry 1, continuing the mentoring, practical ministry experience, reflection and readings. The readings will come from the same list provided in Supervised Ministry 1.

This course unit enables the student to work in a supervised ministry context for an extended period of time gaining valuable practical ministry experience within an existing ministry team. The process of reflection on practice is developed through personal and theological reflection. The unit expands and develops the Supervised Ministry 1 experience of the student. The student will work with both an appointed supervisor and mentor for the duration of this placement.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an ability to exercise public Ministry with evidence of leadership within a Supervised context
2. Outline the process for integrating theological understanding and practice
3. Discuss the dynamics of team ministry
4. Analyse both church / ministry setting and personal decision making processes
5. Appreciate the value of personal and peer reflection

CONTENT

1. Substantial ministry placement
2. Involvement in the process of mentoring with an appointed Mentor
3. Reflection on the practice of ministry
4. Content specific to the area of Supervised Ministry

P5094  Worship as a Lifestyle (Fieldwork) (Bethel) (Cohort only)

Pre-requisites:
Unit P5028 must be successfully completed (exemptions may be applied for). Must be a part of CRC Cohort to undertake the unit

Please Note: SCD policy limits students to studying one Field work unit per year of full-time study (i.e. every 8 units), and to one Field Work Unit overall per sub-discipline of study also. Please ensure that you do not exceed these enrolment limits. This unit is one of those Field work units.

This course unit continues from and builds upon the lessons learnt in P5028 – Introduction to Christian Worship. P5028introduced students to a broad range of liturgical practices and provided tools for analysing personal and corporate worship experiences. Students were encouraged to consider the importance of issues surrounding contemporary Christian worship practices and dialogue on future possibilities. This unit expands upon these themes by more fully examining contemporary worship, predominantly from a Western Pentecostal perspective.

Students will explore the differences and importance of both private and congregational worship, and the development of contemporary worship as an industry. The purpose of the unit is to demonstrate that worship is not simply church attendance or private and/or congregational singing, but rather a lifestyle to be embraced by all believers in all manner of ways.

As an integral part of the unit, students will attend the Bethel Worship School, an on-campus intensive at Bethel Church Redding California. This fieldwork training experience is often intensely spiritual and very demanding and grounds the understanding of worship as a lifestyle in a hands-on practical context.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This unit aims to provide candidates with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in one or more remote locations relevant to the biblical, theological, historical or ministry narrative of theological texts and/or movements, in order to understand the impact of such locations on the interpretation of those narratives.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Describe in detail the main contextual features which relate to the field under study;
2. Explain the connection between local historical, geographical and cultural features in the development of the particular narrative within the field under study;
3. Review a topic within the field under study in terms of its local origin and influences;
4. Reflect on the impact of the field experience on their personal development within the field under study;
5. Apply the insights gained from the field experience to a presentation or project depicting the connection between the location visited and the narrative within the field under study.

CONTENT

1. Participation in the CRC Fieldwork Training Experience to Bethel Church, Redding California USA
2. The importance of individual and corporate worship
3. Diversity of corporate worship in the 21^st Century
4. The rise of the Worship Industry
5. Critical Analysis of the Worship Industry
6. Preparing and returning from the Fieldwork Experience
7. Finding your worship expression

P5095  Disciple-Making Movements (Cohort only)

It is the conviction of this course that in the life of Jesus we not only see the means of salvation, but in Jesus God gave us the very model for the Christian life and mission in the world. Jesus as fully God and fully Human is the great mystery of the incarnation. In his lived humanity he demonstrated the perfect model of a life lived in full obedience to the Father’s kingdom agenda in the world and fully dependent on the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not simply live his life focused on the cross, but in his life he set in motion the Spirit-empowered movement that would carry the gospel of the kingdom into all ‘Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the World’ (Acts 1:8). Jesus gathered around him a group of followers whom he selected, invested himself in, trained, equipped and sent to continue the movement that he had begun. These first disciples were instructed to go into all the world, in the authority of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, to ‘make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything’ he had commanded (Matt 28:19f). As the Father had sent Jesus, so he sent his followers and this process continues wherever the Gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed. The Church, at its heart, is to embody the continuing mission of Jesus- a disciple-making movement that sees the world as its mission field.

All too often the church has been distracted from this core mission of making disciples and in our contemporary climate it is no different. People seek for the latest model that will make their church, mission or ministry grow and be effective. We desire instant results and quick fixes to our programs. Ultimately though, Jesus’ movement of disciple-making is not a quick fix, or an instant result, but it is our model for the church. It is in his life, teaching, mission and ministry that we see what we are to be like and on what we are to focus.

This course builds the foundations for developing a disciple-making framework drawn from the life of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels and the New Testament. It will help students form a missional hermeneutic for engaging with the Gospels and Acts. Students will draw core principles from the unfolding process of Jesus’ disciple-making and apply them in their own context.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of disciple-making movements
2. Describe a range of primary and secondary literature dealing with disciple-making movements
3. Evaluate the disciple-making movements using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline
4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to disciple-making movements
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian ministry.

CONTENT

1. The ministry of Jesus
2. Preparation and foundations for ministry
3. Outreach and multiplication
4. Movements

SCHEDULE

P5132  Kingdom and Spirit (Vineyard Cohort only)

A key focus of the theology of the Vineyard Movement is on the Kingdom of God: it is central not only to the movement’s theology, but also gives shape to the ministry practice of Vineyard churches. In this Unit we present teaching on the Kingdom of God which compares a variety of views on the Kingdom with the “inaugurated, enacted eschatology” viewpoint held by the Vineyard and based on the teaching of George Eldon Ladd.

The unit also presents teaching and practical application of a “third-wave” view on the work of the Holy Spirit, especially as it relates to spiritual gifts, and with a particular study of the gift of prophecy. Pneumatologies other than a third wave view are also discussed.

This unit aims to equip students with a strong theological and biblical grounding for the work of ministry. It has a strong emphasis on both theory and practice related to the kingdom of God and Spirit-empowered life and ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the basic concepts of Kingdom of God theology;
2. Identify different views on the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering Christians for ministry;
3. Explain the practical and pastoral implications of a “Now-But-Not-Yet” theology of the Kingdom of God;
4. Explain the role of prophecy and other spiritual gifts in the life of the local church;
5. Identify ways of implementing a variety of “3^rd Wave” ministry practices in their local church context.

CONTENT

1)      The Kingdom of God in 20^th Century Theology

2)      Contemporary Eschatologies, including 21^st Century expressions of 3^rd Wave theology and praxis

3)      The Here but Not-Yet of the Kingdom

4)      Inaugurated Eschatology

5)      Being a Kingdom Community

6)      Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

7)      Comparative Pneumatologies

8)      Empowered by the Spirit

9)      Spiritual Gifts – Traditional Views

10)  Spiritual Gifts – Explanation and Demonstration of an Expanded (3^rd Wave) View

11)  Prophecy

12)  The Holy Spirit and the Local Church

T5005 Introduction to Christian Doctrines  

Welcome to the unit ‘Introduction to Christian Doctrines’ which has been specially designed for the Diploma of Ministry. This unit will examine some of the foundations of theological discussion and introduce you to some key issues and topics that lie at the heart of what it is to ‘do’ theology today.

Of course, not many of us start out imagining that we are (or even could be) theologians. Most of us it seems have more interesting things to do! Indeed, the thought of having to open up dry, dusty books that contain the thoughts of people who are long dead doesn’t really appeal to those of us whose interest is in the here and now. We are rightly more concerned with our current ministries and helping those in need around us than in, for example, the value of Trinitarian analogies or the arguments that surround certain words of the Nicene Creed. But the simple fact is that whenever we engage in ministry or even just talk to someone about our faith we are actually doing theology—whether we know it or not! This is because theology is, by definition, what happens when we talk about God.

So the study of theology, or reflecting on why we believe what we do (and not, in fact, something else), is a task we should enter into with a sense of anticipation and enthusiasm. This unit of study is ultimately practical, for it will help to equip you with the tools and knowledge that you need to be able to communicate the truth of who God is and what God has done in the world to those around you. In other words, thinking about the Christian faith in more detail than we normally do is not about dusting off the old volumes because we have nothing better to do. Rather it is to discover what others have thought about God in the hope that their thoughts might challenge and guide our own so that we can in turn challenge and guide others. After all, the task of theology is never static because people, communities, and societies are never static. We must always be on the lookout for ways to express our Christian faith in terms our community can understand.

As an introductory overview of doctrine this course will necessarily only touch on some key topics. But even going on what could be considered a ‘helicopter flyover’ of the theological landscape will nonetheless open up the world of theological thinking to you in a systematic and welcoming way. In doing so you will begin to develop a solid framework with which to build upon in the future.

This course unit introduces the student to the beliefs of a Christian tradition, enabling them to explore their faith within the context and shape of that tradition. It provides a foundation for all future theology course units.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the major doctrines within a particular Christian tradition
2. Distinguish the core doctrines from alternatives held in other Christian traditions
3. Demonstrate an ability to think and reflect theologically
4. Analyse the writing of relevant theological thinkers and texts
5. Apply insights from their study to Christian life and ministry

CONTENT

1. Christian Creeds and Doctrine
2. The Value of Faith
3. The Christian Tradition: Essential Doctrines
   1. God the Father and Creator
   2. The Trinity
   3. The Person of Christ
   4. The Work of Christ
   5. Resurrection and Christ’s Reign
   6. The Spirit
   7. The Church
   8. The Christian Hope

T5031 The Person and Work of Christ  

Two thousand years have come and gone but still the story of Jesus of Nazareth remains a story that refuses to go away. It continues to be told because from the very beginning, the man ‘Jesus’ was identified as being not only ‘of Nazareth,’ but also, crucially, as ‘the Christ’. This title demands that Jesus be acknowledged, proclaimed and worshiped as the Messiah, the one anointed by the Spirit to bring salvation to the world.

Christology (literally, the study of Christ) is the word given to the theological investigation into what it means to affirm that Jesus of Nazareth is, in fact, the Christ. In this unit we will begin such a study, looking at two aspects of Christology – the person of Christ and what it is that Christ does (his works). There are key questions for both aspects that must be considered including, for example, what does it mean to say that Christ is both God and Man? How are we to understand what happened on the cross? How can that horrendous event possibly be necessary for redemption? How can I explain the saving significance of the cross in my context?

To help us address these questions (and more) we will look at Scripture, Church history and contemporary theological thought and practice in order to reflect on ways in which we can apply the truths we discover to our own life and ministry contexts. It is very easy - in some sense - to treat a study of Christology as an abstract, intellectual exercise. But we must always keep in mind that the Christ we talk and write about is the second person of the Godhead, who gave his life so that we might live. This will, therefore, be a personal journey of encounter—with the Jesus who walked the streets of Palestine and with the Christ of faith who will one day come again in power and glory.

This course unit is designed to provide students with a foundational knowledge of the person and saving work of Jesus Christ. It also seeks to enable students to begin to explore the relevance of this understanding in the light of contemporary Christian thought and discipleship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate familiarity with the New Testament foundations of the understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ
2. Develop an awareness of the evolution of Church teaching on Christology and Soteriology
3. Analyse selected source documents and theological literature relevant to the study of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ
4. Appraise theological attempts to relate the Christology and Soteriology to issues in contemporary culture and religion
5. Apply their knowledge of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ to their understanding of the Christian life as it is lived in different socio-cultural contexts.

CONTENT

1. Methodological issues and/or foundational concepts in the study of Christology and Soteriology
2. The New Testament and the Person and Work of Jesus Christ
3. The Church’s Teaching on Jesus Christ and Salvation
4. Major currents of thought in Christology and Soteriology
5. Contemporary Culture and the Person and Work of Jesus Christ
6. Implications for the life of the Church and Christian Discipleship 

A7101  Critical Thinking and Writing

This foundational course unit provides structured, practical instruction in the nature and skills of critical thinking and writing in a theological context. It is an excellent course for beginning students, especially for those who have not studied at higher education level recently. Although overall critical thinking and writing skills will be taught, the primary application of these skills will be in the area of writing excellent essays.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. explain the nature of critical thinking , memory, and the relationship between thought and knowledge
2. critically analyse arguments and identify deductively valid conclusions
3. explore that nature of creative thinking
4. demonstrate the application of basic critical thinking skills to research, essay writing etc.
5. show an understanding of thinking as hypothesis testing

The content for this subject includes:
1. Critical Thinking
2. The acquisition, retention and retrieval of knowledge, including theological knowledge
3. Reasoning: critical construction, drawing deductively valid conclusions, assessing relevance of arguments and sources
4. Analysis arguments
5. Analysing qualitative and quantitative data
6. Critical thinking in research and writing
7. Accessing and assessing research sources and databases
8. Organising research findings
9. Conventions and presentation

A7110  Hebrew I

This unit introduces students to the fundamentals of Biblical Hebrew as a basis for learning to read and translate the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. The unit will guide you through the teaching resources from Basics of Biblical Hebrew by Pratico and Van Pelt (BBH), with supplementary exercises, tips and additional short articles to help and inspire you on the adventure of learning Biblical Hebrew. This unit is designed to be followed by A7160 Biblical Hebrew II, with both units being equivalent to a year of language study.

Each session is structured around the video lesson, textbook chapter and exercises in BBH workbook and will involve the introduction of a new grammatical concept and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique.   There will also be sessions on introducing Hebrew dictionaries and software, and reading exegetical commentaries on the Hebrew text. By the end of this unit, students will be able to read simple Hebrew passages and, combined with Biblical Hebrew II, will have a strong foundation for exegeting the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in its original language and enjoying the fruits of learning Hebrew for ministry.

It is important that you understand that this, or any other language unit, must be given time and attention regularly (preferably daily). This is not a subject that can be ignored for a few weeks and then followed by some intense attention to catch up. To succeed at a language and this unit in particular, you will need to set aside time each day to learn your vocabulary and practise the week’s new concepts and avoid falling behind the schedule. It for this reason that you have weekly Assessed Exercises and unassessed workbook activities to help you keep up to date.

Additionally, you will be required to participate in weekly online tutorial sessions. These will be invaluable for you to discuss areas you are having trouble with, go through workbook questions and receive immediate assistance and feedback throughout the unit. Please ensure these are scheduled into your week. These will be online and mid-week and will be scheduled at a time the suits the majority of students in the class. While these tutorials will be recorded and can be watched at a later date, the maximum benefit will be gained if students join them live each week.

In most units, students have ten sessions of material to interact with. This unit has 12 such sessions, although only ten of these have new content to learn. Overall, though, this unit will require substantially more time and effort than other units. Please make sure that you start on time in week one, then allocate sufficient time EVERY single week of the trimester.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Memorise sufficient vocabulary to translate selected Biblical Hebrew passages.
2. Recognise basic Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
3. Translate,  , parse and analyse simple Biblical Hebrew into English.
4. Use Biblical Hebrew dictionaries and concordances.
5. Employ their knowledge to read critical exegetical commentaries on biblical texts.

CONTENT

1. Hebrew alphabet, basic Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
2. Lexical and grammatical study of selected Hebrew texts.
3. Translation of selected Biblical Hebrew texts.
4. Introduction to the use of Biblical Hebrew /English dictionaries and concordances.

SCHEDULE

A7120  Greek I 

This unit introduces students to the fundamentals of Biblical Greek as a basis for learning to read and translate the New Testament. The unit will guide you through the teaching resources from Basics of Biblical Greek (BBG) by Bill Mounce, with supplementary exercises, tips and additional short articles to help and inspire you on the adventure of learning Koine Greek. This unit is designed to be followed by A7170 New Testament Greek (Greek II), with both units being equivalent to a year of language study.

Each session is structured around the video lesson, textbook chapter and exercises in the BBG workbook and will involve the introduction of a new grammatical concept and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique.   There will also be sessions on introducing Greek dictionaries and software and reading exegetical commentaries on the Greek text. By the end of this unit, students will be able to read simple Greek passages and, combined with A7170 New Testament Greek (Greek II), will have a strong foundation for exegeting the New Testament in its original language and enjoy the fruits of learning NT Greek for ministry.

It is important that you understand that this, or any other language unit, must be given time and attention regularly (preferably daily). This is not a subject that can be ignored for a few weeks and then followed by some intense attention to catch up. To succeed at a language and this unit in particular, you will need to set aside time each day to learn your vocabulary and practise the week’s new concepts and avoid falling behind the schedule. It for this reason that you have weekly Assessed Exercises and unassessed workbook activities to help you keep up to date.

Additionally, you will be required to participate in weekly online tutorial sessions. These will be invaluable for you to discuss areas you are having trouble with, go through workbook questions and receive immediate assistance and feedback throughout the unit. Please ensure these are scheduled into your week. These will be online and mid-week and will be scheduled at a time that suits the majority of students in the class. While these tutorials will be recorded and can be watched at a later date, the maximum benefit will be gained if students join them live each week.

This unit has 12 sessions, although only ten of these have new content to learn. Overall, this unit will require substantially more time and effort than other ACOM units. Please make sure that you start on time in week one, then allocate sufficient time EVERY single week of the trimester.

LEARNING OUTCOMES    

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. demonstrate familiarity with basic Grammar and Syntax of New Testament Greek
2. memorise basic Greek vocabulary
3. translate selected texts into English
4. use dictionaries and concordances
5. apply the knowledge of New Testament Greek to translating the New Testament

CONTENT

1. Greek alphabet, basic NT Greek grammar and syntax.
2. Lexical and grammatical study of selected Greek texts.
3. Translation of selected NT Greek texts.
4. Introduction to the use of NT Greek dictionaries and concordances.

A7130  Introduction to Biblical Languages

This course unit gives an introduction to biblical Hebrew and Greek that will enable students to use various grammatical and lexical tools without requiring a fluency in the language. This will enable them to use with discernment English-language translations for exegesis.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) Recognise the alphabet and language structure of biblical Hebrew and Greek
2) Understand the nuances of the grammatical structures of the biblical languages
3) Utilise an English language translation and various grammatical/lexical tools in exegesis
4) Apply such tools to the exegesis of selected biblical passages
5) Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life and ministry

The content for this subject includes:
1) Introductory hermeneutical theory
2) Translation theory and practice
3) Introducing biblical Hebrew and Greek
4) Parts of speech and language structure
5) Simple sentence diagramming
6) Using reference works and word studies
7) Evaluating and using English language translations
8) Sample exegesis from an OT and an NT book

A7160  Hebrew II

This unit is a continuation of A7110 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. It builds on the foundations of grammar and vocabulary so that the student will have the necessary tools to read and translate the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. The unit will guide the student through the introduction to the Hebrew verbal system in the textbook, Basics of Biblical Hebrew by Pratico and Van Pelt (BBH), and through translation of Deuteronomy 6:1-9 and Judges 3:12-31.

Each session is structured around the lectures, textbook chapters and exercises in BBH and will involve the introduction of new grammatical concepts and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique.  These will be put into practice reading the chosen Biblical texts and using a technical commentary to build exegesis skills. By the end of this unit, students will have a strong foundation for exegeting the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in its original language and enjoy the fruits of learning Hebrew for ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1.  Expand their memorized Hebrew vocabulary.
2. Recognise more advanced Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
3. Translate, parse and analyse more complex Biblical Hebrew
4. Use Biblical Hebrew dictionaries and concordances with greater facility.
5. Read critical exegetical commentaries on biblical Hebrew texts with greater facility.

CONTENT

1. More complex forms of Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
2. Lexical and grammatical study of selected Hebrew texts.
3. Translation of selected Biblical Hebrew texts.
4. Independent use of Biblical Hebrew/English dictionaries and concordances.

SCHEDULE

A7170  Greek II

This unit follows on from A7120 Introduction to New Testament Greek. It completes the foundational study of Biblical Greek and enables students to develop and deepen their ability to read and translate the New Testament. The unit sessions will guide you through the completion of the teaching resources from Basics of Biblical Greek (BBG) by Bill Mounce.

Each session is structured around the video lesson, textbook chapter and exercises in the BBG workbook and will involve the introduction of a new grammatical concept and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique. By the end of this unit, students will have a strong foundation for exegeting the New Testament in its original language and enjoy the fruits of learning NT Greek for ministry.

It is important that you understand that this, or any other language unit, must be given time and attention regularly (preferably daily). This is not a subject that can be ignored for a few weeks and then followed by some intense attention to catch up. To succeed at a language, and this unit in particular, you will need to set aside time each day to learn your vocabulary and practise the week’s new concepts and avoid falling behind the schedule.

Additionally, you will be encouraged to participate in weekly online tutorial sessions. These will be invaluable for you to discuss areas you are having trouble with, go through workbook questions and receive immediate assistance and feedback throughout the unit. Please ensure these are scheduled into your week. These will be online and mid-week and will be scheduled at a time that suits the majority of students in the class. While these tutorials will be recorded and can be watched at a later date, the maximum benefit will be gained if students join them live each week.

This unit has 12 sessions, although only ten of these have new content to learn. Overall, this unit will require substantially more time and effort than other ACOM units. Please make sure that you start on time in week one, then allocate sufficient time EVERY single week of the trimester.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1) demonstrate familiarity with more advanced morphological and syntactic forms

2) know and utilise a more extensive Greek vocabulary

3) translate more complex New Testament Greek texts into English and make appropriate use of dictionaries, reference grammars, etc.

4) demonstrate an ability to carry out textual criticism

5) apply an understanding of New Testament Greek to interpretation of the New Testament

CONTENT

1. Further study of Greek grammar and syntax
2. Textual, lexical, and grammatical study of selected New Testament texts
3. Translation of selected New Testament texts
4. Further practice in consulting Greek/English lexicons, and theological dictionaries

SCHEDULE

B7120  Introduction to the Old Testament 

This course unit aims to introduce students to the literary forms, historical and cultural contexts and theological themes of the Old Testament. It seeks to provide a foundation for further biblical and theological study.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) demonstrate a general understanding of the overall structure and contents of the Old Testament
2) identify the literary shape, themes, social and historical background of the individual books of the Old Testament
3) employ critical methodologies in the interpretation of Old Testament texts.
4) access secondary literature
5) convey the relevance of the Old Testament to Christian life and the contemporary world

A threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is:
The books of the Old Testament are works of literature, written and received in a particular historical period, for a distinct religious purpose.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Introduction to the Canon
2. Introductory questions of each book of the Old Testament (authorship, date, historical, political and cultural contexts, etc.)
3. Structure and outline of the major books of the Old Testament
4. Literary genres of Old Testament literature
5. Key theological themes of the Old Testament collection
6. Critical approaches to Old Testament interpretation

B7130  Introduction to the New Testament 

This course unit introduces students to the critical study of the New Testament, its literary forms, historical and cultural contexts and theological themes. It provides a solid foundation for further biblical and theological study.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) demonstrate a sound knowledge of the contents of the New Testament
2) display a sound understanding of the historical, social and cultural context of the New Testament
3) demonstrate basic exegetical skills in critical interpretation of New Testament texts
4) access and use significant secondary literature
5) apply the fruits of New Testament studies to a range of life and ministry situations

A threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is:
The books of the New Testament are works of literature, written and received in a particular historical period, for a distinct religious purpose.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Outline of the books of the New Testament
2. Historical, cultural, political and religious contexts of the New Testament materials
3. Approaching the books of the New Testament as literary works
4. Key methodologies of Biblical interpretation
5. Developing skills in exegesis and writing an exegetical essay
6. Key New Testament themes

B7203  Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is a process that is always taking place. Every time we read or hear the Bible interpretation and application are taking place. The goal of this course is to provide tools and understanding so that this process is conducted in a manner that is healthy. The Bible contains texts that come from a time and place far removed from where we live today. Yet the Christian believes that these texts have application for modern life. The working assumption of this course is that Christians want to be people shaped by the Bible.

This course provides an introduction to some of the key ideas that need to be understood. Students then take these concepts and turn them into a practical exegesis of the text, and apply that exegesis to a context. While some of the terms that have just been used might be strange, the sentiment behind them is one that might sound familiar. The point behind healthy hermeneutics is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge; rather there must be application.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. demonstrate a sound knowledge of general hermeneutical principles
2. demonstrate a clear understanding of sound principles used in interpreting Scripture
3. evaluate a broad range of approaches used in interpreting Scripture
4. apply appropriate hermeneutical principles to biblical texts
5. appreciate the diversity of interpretative approaches used in the interpretation of the Scriptures within the Christian tradition

CONTENT

1. The need for biblical hermeneutics.
2. Terms of reference used in biblical hermeneutics.
3. The history of biblical hermeneutics.
4. Key issues in biblical interpretation.
5. General hermeneutical principles.
6. The application of hermeneutical principles to specific genres of biblical literature.
7. The application of hermeneutics to life and ministry issues.

 B7214  Studies in the Pentateuch

This course unit builds on the foundation unit(s) by examining the forms and content of the Pentateuch. It does so in light of its historical, cultural and religious settings and explores the role of the Pentateuch within the canon and the life of Israel.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) summarize the significant critical issues associated with the study of the Pentateuch including its formation, unity and history
2) identify the themes found within the Pentateuch and their relationships to the development of Israel’s faith
3) exegete selected passages from the Pentateuch
4) analyse literary forms and the contribution these forms make to understanding the text
10) demonstrate the application of a theme or text to a contemporary audience or community

The content of this subject includes:
1. Formation and composition of the Pentateuch
2. Historical, cultural, religious and political context of the Pentateuch
3. Literary forms within the Pentateuch and their influence on interpretation
4. Theological themes found within the Pentateuch
5. Exegesis of selected passages within the Pentateuch

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Pentateuch

B7231  Prophetic Literature

This course unit builds on the knowledge and skills developed in Intro to the Old Testament. It examines the literary forms and theological content of Israel’s prophetic books, with due consideration of their historical, cultural and religious settings/contexts. In particular, it seeks to recognise the unique character of the prophetic literature of the Bible and the theological consequences of the different character of these writings.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the critical issues associated with the study of prophetic literature
2. Show how various prophetic literary forms communicate their theological content
3. Exegete selected passages from prophetic books
4. Utilise the relevant secondary literature in a critical manner
5. Apply insights of prophetic literature to various aspects of teaching, ministry, and spirituality

CONTENT
1. Developing an appropriate context for the study of prophetic literature
2. Study of prophetic literary forms and their content/themes
3. Exegesis of selected texts from prophetic books
4. Aspects of the theology of prophetic books

B7273  The Four Gospels

This Course Unit builds on the Biblical Studies introductory units by investigating the principal literary, historical and theological features of the four Gospels through exegetical methodologies.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate knowledge of the historical, socio-cultural and religious background of the four Gospels
2. identify the main literary forms and theological themes of the four Gospels
3. employ exegetical methodologies in formal essay style on selected passages from the Gospels
4. access and use sound secondary scholarship on the Gospels
5. integrate their acquired knowledge into preaching, liturgy and spiritual leadership

The content of this subject includes:
1. Placing Jesus in his historical, cultural, and religious context.
2. Contemporary historical-critical methodologies for studying the Gospels.
3. The Quest for the Historical Jesus.
4. The principal literary features and themes of each Gospel.
5. Practical exercise in exegesis of a selection from one Gospel.
6. Application of critically researched knowledge of the Gospels to various ministry contexts.

B7372  Romans

The book of Romans has been described as the crown jewel of Pauline Epistles. It has often been read as a summary of Paul’s New testament teaching on matters of doctrine and practice. While that evaluation is open to debate, it is certain that the letter is a key to understanding many of the most vital aspects of the New Testament. The themes detailed and analysed by Paul in Romans are basic to Christian belief and the intensive study of them in this unit will provide a solid grounding for personal belief and public ministry.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit engages students in a critical examination of the English text of the Epistle to the Romans. It examines the historical context, structure and content of the Epistle with attention given to its theological themes and implications for ministry. As an Advanced Elective unit, this unit builds on the interpretive and exegetical skills formed in pre-requisite units and forms a part of a Biblical Studies major in the degrees.

 LEARNING OUTCOMES     

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. analyse the significance of the historical, socio-cultural and religious background for interpreting the Epistle to the Romans 
2. identify the major themes, emphases and principal theological arguments of Romans
3. exegete selected passages from Romans
4. integrate significant secondary literature into the critical study of Romans

5. incorporate insights from Romans to a range of life and ministry situations

CONTENT

1. Locating the Roman Church: The historical, geographical and socio-cultural context of Paul and the Roman Church
2. The structure, style, purpose and content of Romans
3. The distinctive theological themes of Romans
4. Contemporary methodologies for studying Romans
5. Exegesis of the English text of Romans 1-8

C7146  Introduction to Pastoral Counselling

This course introduces the field of pastoral counselling by examining its historical development, theoretical foundations, and practice approaches. Pastoral counselling can be considered a specialised form of pastoral care which integrates theology, spirituality, and counselling theory. The context in which pastoral counselling is practised can be quite diverse ranging from church, parachurch, schools, universities, community centres, and hospitals settings, to name a few. By the end of this course you will have explored the emergence of pastoral counselling, its practice, and key ethical considerations within the field.   

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course introduces students to various models of pastoral counselling that are integral to the process of pastoral ministry. Emphasis will be on learning the function of basic pastoral counselling skills within ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES   

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. demonstrate a sound knowledge of pastoral counselling ‘schools of thought’
2. display a sound knowledge of the historical development of the discipline
3. identify various components of the pastoral counselling relationship
4. differentiate basic listening kills
5. apply an understanding of the ethics of pastoral counselling

CONTENT

1. An introduction to Pastoral Counselling
2. The skills of Pastoral Counselling
3. Approaches and therapies in Pastoral Counselling
4. The Ethics of Pastoral Counselling

SCHEDULE

C7147  Pastoral Counselling in Ministry

This unit introduces the work of counselling within the pastoral context. Distinctions between counselling, pastoral counselling, and pastoral work will be examined. A range of topics will be explored including the nature and practice of pastoral counselling, an understanding of wellbeing and mental illness, and the importance of the therapeutic relationship and of hope in the therapeutic change process. In this unit the topic of depression and spiritual growth will be compared and examined with a view to clarifying the nature of problems in living. Approaches to short-term counselling will also be discussed with the aim of providing further understanding and skills for the pastoral counsellor. Finally, the importance of supervision, referral, and ethics in pastoral work will be noted.   

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course introduces students to various models of pastoral counselling that are integral to the process of pastoral ministry. Emphasis will be on learning the function of basic pastoral counselling skills within ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES  

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Interpret the pastoral context using insights from the behavioural sciences
2. Understand the significance and effectiveness of a counselling intervention
3. Evidence a rudimentary level of counselling skill in the pastoral context
4. Apply knowledge of the counselling context in pastoral practice.
5. Evaluate the significance of the contribution of the behavioural sciences to an understanding of the pastoral context, to pastoral practice.

SCHEDULE

C7295  Solution-Focused Coaching (formerly Chaplain as Coach)

Whether you are a pastor, pastoral care worker, chaplain, supervisor or counsellor you have the privilege of being with individuals in meaningful life-impacting conversations where important and often private information is shared.  These moments are sacred and demonstrate God’s presence and activity.  While your role is to listen, pray and care for the person, there is also opportunity to be an enabler of spiritual and personal growth, to bring out the best in those you are seeking to help! 

 In cooperation with what the Spirit of God is already doing, this unit will  help you learn the skills to take a person on a journey of change and transformation.

 Solution-Focused Coaching enables participants to utilise coaching skills as an opportunity to invest in others in a natural and ongoing way so that conversations are eagerly anticipated by the coach and the coachee.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an intermediate level of knowledge of Solution-Focused Coaching
2. Analyse a broad range of primary and secondary literature dealing with Solution-Focused Coaching
3. Evaluate the subject area of Coaching using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline of Pastoral Theology
4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to Solution-Focused Coaching and apply to diverse contexts
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life and  ministry

The content of this subject includes:

1. Understanding of coaching as a paradigm in comparison to other disciplines such as mentoring and pastoral care.
2. Approaches to coaching
3. Spiritual nature of coaching
4. Coaching skills
5. Contexts for coaching
6. Personal attributes of the coach
7. Understanding the person being coached

SCHEDULE

C7341  The Art and Science of Chaplaincy

This unit aims to equip the student to face the unique dilemmas, challenges and opportunities faced by chaplains in a wide variety of situations.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the key elements of the roles of chaplains in a range of contexts
2. Explain the vital nature of working in a team with others (chaplains, case workers, clinicians, managers, administrators and volunteers) in being a healthy and effective people helper
3. Formulate effective principles for developing the roles of self-differentiation, self-awareness and spirituality in effective people helping
4. Develop strategies for working effectively with a range of people helpers
5. Develop their own plans for professional development as key to their ongoing health, effectiveness and resilience as a chaplain.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Foundational skills of the chaplain
2. Self-awareness
3. Self-differentiation
4. Transdisciplinary relationships
5. Chaplaincy in a variety of contexts
6. Professional standards

C7395  Understanding and Working with Grief and Trauma

This unit aims to equip the student to face the unique dilemmas, challenges and opportunities faced by chaplains and pastoral carers in a wide variety of situations.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
1. Display perceptive understanding of the causes and effects of trauma
2. Demonstrate knowledge of different theoretical approaches to helping those dealing with a traumatic experience
3. Outline in broad terms how to approach grief, loss, and trauma in pastoral care
4. Articulate a variety of approaches to grief and trauma counseling
5. Identify appropriate and inappropriate forms of people helping with those experiencing grief, loss, and trauma
6. Understand best practice in self-care in relation to post-traumatic trauma and secondary post-traumatic trauma (compassion fatigue)
7. Show a critical appreciation of the ethical consideration of safety for the traumatised or grieving person

The content of this subject includes:
1. Introduction to trauma
2. Trauma and its effects on people
3. Unsafe people and their effect in creating trauma
4. Sexual abuse and trauma
5. Introduction to grief and loss
6. Post-traumatic stress
7. Compassion fatigue (secondary post-traumatic stress) in people helpers

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Pastoral Counselling: Grief, Loss and Trauma

Note: This unit does not have sessional introductions written for it. Students are provided an excellent variety of readings and other resources to process. However, they do not have a traditional introduction that guides the students through those resources.

H7100  Introduction to Christian History

This course unit introduces the student to the discipline of church history and provides an overview of significant historical periods and themes and the variety of methodological approaches to them.

At the end of this unit students will be able to
1) Demonstrate knowledge of a number of key events in the Church’s past
2) Understand a number of approaches to researching, constructing and interpreting the past
3) Distinguish between primary and secondary source materials and use such sources appropriately
4) Show how historical knowledge provides a necessary context for theological studies
5) Construct and support a coherent historical argument in written form, according to the methodological conventions of the discipline.

Students need to be able to grasp the concept that history is not just a chronological description of events but involves an interpretive element and a range of methodological approaches.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Introducing the discipline of church history
2. Research tools for the study of church history
3. Methodologies in the study of church history
4. Introducing the work of influential historians
5. Overview of significant shaping events and periods in the history of Christianity
6. Case studies of historical periods utilizing a number of methods.

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Introduction to the Study of Christian History.

H7294  Study Tour

Israel, the Holy Land, or Palestine are names used by different people to described the same place – a place that is important to three of the world’s major faiths. This unit is based around your trip to Jordan and Israel and the opportunity that will provide you to connect what you will see with that which you have only ever read about.

This subject is designed to support your Tour in two ways;
1. Preparing you and your expectations for what you will experience on this Tour

2. Creating a historical framework in which to interpret and appreciate all that you will learn and experience.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES
This unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in one or more remote locations relevant to the biblical, theological, historical or ministry narrative of theological texts and/or movements, in order to understand the impact of such locations on the interpretation of those narratives.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Identify key contextual features which have contributed to the field under study;
2. Explain the significance of local historical, geographical or cultural features in promoting or limiting the particular narrative within the field under study;
3. Analyse a specific topic within the field under study in terms of its local origin and development;
4. Reflect on the impact of the travel experience on their personal development within the field under study;
5. Produce a presentation depicting the connection between the location visited and the narrative within the field under study.

CONTENT
Section A: Preparation

Students will gain a familiarity with the historical elements of major sites to be visited. This will involve a significant guided reading program, which has been prepared by the college. This material is provided in the 5 Sessions of the Unit.

Section B: Tour
Students will spend two weeks in the Holy Land, under approved faculty supervision and direction, to explore the historical significance of key sites.
The Tour will include;
1. Lectures, visits, meetings with significant local people and cultural experiences in a cohesive program lead by an ACOM endorsed faculty member.
2. A Journal as part of the documentary evidence for the Study Tour experience
3. A final presentation and reflection detailing the key elements and significance of the Tour.

The SCD Guidelines for Study Tours are to be followed.

Please note: SCD policy limits students to studying one Field work unit per year of full time study (ie every 8 units), and to one Field Work Unit overall per sub-discipline of study also. Please ensure that you do not exceed these enrolment limits. This unit is one of those Field work units.

H7365  The Restoration Movement

This course unit assists students to study the background, inauguration and development of the Restoration Movement, focussing on the relationship between Christian liberty in non-essentials and concerns for Christian union and restoration of NT authority.

At the end of this unit students will be able to
1) assess the origins, nature and aims of the Restoration movement
2) construct an historical narrative of the Stone-Campbell movement and the British Churches of Christ movement, based on primary and secondary sources, situating them in their nineteenth century context
3) account for the Restoration Movement’s global spread
4) analyse the contribution of the Restoration Movement to the Ecumenical Movement
5) articulate the theological emphases of the Restoration Movement

Students need to be able to grasp the concept that history is not just a chronological description of events but involves an interpretive element and a range of methodological approaches.

1) The nineteenth century Evangelical and Revivalist context of the Stone-Campbell and Churches of Christ movements.
2) The origins and development of the Restoration Movement in America and Great Britain
3) The origins of the Restoration Movement in Australia and New Zealand
4) The development of the theology of the Restoration Movement
5) The literature and controversies of the Restoration Movement

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: History of the Restoration Movement

Note: This unit does not have sessional introductions written for it. Students are provided an excellent variety of readings and other resources to process. However, they do not have a traditional introduction that guides the students through those resources.

M7100  Introduction to Mission

This unit shows how the understanding and practice of mission has evolved throughout the centuries in response to the changing needs of the world. It introduces students to the contemporary theological understandings and entry points for mission.

For many, mission is synonymous with proclamation or evangelism. While this has remained constant and urgent throughout the history of the Church’s mission, the demands, trends and insights into mission have changed over the centuries as the needs of the world have changed. It is critical to realise this, to map the changes and to discern the new missionary activities needed today.

For many also, mission is synonymous with missionaries travelling to nations other than their own, so that mission is always cross-cultural. Of course, this view needs to be challenged since the church’s mission is to make disciples of Christ, as much at home as in other nations. Changing patterns of migration mean that now, more than ever, missionary activity at home is also cross-cultural.

But international mission has also changed in several important ways. For example, the direction of travel has changed dramatically. During the 19^th and much of the 20^th  centuries, missionaries travelled from the developed nations of Europe, North America and Australasia to the less developed nations of, for example, Africa, Asia and South America. While missionary travel in that direction has not ceased, most missionaries now travel from those “developing” nations to others, including the traditional sending nations. The duration of their trips has also changed, from many years to a growing trend of short-term mission trips (STMs) of a few days, weeks or months, with many missionaries not learning the language of those they are trying to reach, let alone their culture. In the early 21^st century millions of Christians are undertaking STMs each year at a cost of billions of dollars. Biblical stewardship demands that the effectiveness of this be evaluated.

For these reasons, among others, the study of the church’s mission is not only interesting and rewarding, but essential.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Explain the biblical basis of Christian mission and identify critical issues in contemporary theologies of mission as espoused by major branches of the Christian Church;
2. Outline key historical, cultural and strategic perspectives related to the practice of world mission;
3. Suggest strategies to strengthen local church commitment to and involvement in world mission;
4. Identify ways in which Australian churches might address cultural and religious diversity in their outreach to the local community;
5. Apply perspectives covered in this unit to the contemporary practice of mission and evangelism.

SCHEDULE

M7109  Introduction to Discipleship

This unit will introduce students to Biblically grounded and culturally adapted approaches to following Jesus in the contemporary context. It will investigate theories and practices of discipleship, spiritual transformation and disciple making for the 21st century.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. analyse the Biblical material and theological issues relating to discipleship
2. explain why and how different approaches to making disciples are employed in differing cultural and contextual situations.
3. explain the role and place of a disciple in the public arena
4. develop a discipleship pathway for a given setting
5. reflect upon the foundational importance and practical application of discipleship to Christian life and ministry

The content of this subject includes:
1. The Biblical basis for discipleship
2. Disciple making as a lifestyle
3. The influence of society and culture on discipleship
4. The role of spiritual practices in the maturity and development of a disciple.
5. A strategy for disciple making in the local congregation.
6. From personal growth to community transformation.

M7205  Paradigms for Contemporary Mission

This course unit aims to introduce the student to the paradigm shifts required to recast the church in a genuinely missional stance in western cultural contexts.

At the end of this course unit students should be able to:
1) demonstrate a broad understanding of the significant cultural shifts that have occurred over the last few centuries, and the various responses of the church to these
2) demonstrate a developed understanding of a genuinely missional ecclesiology
3) display a well-developed ability to analyse culture and identify points of contact with the gospel
4) articulate a genuinely missional ecclesiology and show a commitment to achieve greater relevance to today’s non-Christian world.
5) Critically discuss the ‘remissionalisation’ of the church.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Theological Considerations
1.1. Christology and Incarnational Mission
1.2. Towards a Missional Ecclesiology
1.3. Justice and Integrity in Mission
2. Cultural Considerations and Mission
2.1. Major Shifts in Modern History
2.2. Chaos and Complexity
3. Tools for Missional Revolution
3.1. Viable Models Characteristics of the Missional Church
3.2. Action Learning Systems
3.3 Creativity and Imagination

M7285  Cross-Cultural Mission

This course unit explores worldview and intercultural communication from theological and practical perspectives. It will help students understand their own worldviews and those of others, and assist them in effective cross-cultural ministry and mission at home or abroad.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. explain the concept of culture and foundational principles of cross-cultural communication;
2. demonstrate a broad understanding of the theological and theoretical foundations of cross cultural ministry;
3. evidence developing skill in analysing cross-cultural situations and discerning underlying assumptions and values;
4. develop strategies to cope with the complexities of cross-cultural ministry or mission;
5. apply a growing understanding of culture and worldview to the communication of Christian faith across cultural barriers

The basic anthropological distinction between form and function is critical to cross-cultural communication. Words or behaviours can mean different things in different cultures, and we must not assume they have the same meaning in another culture as they would in ours. The danger lies in equating our interpretation of observed behaviours with their actual meaning in another cultural context.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Biblical precedents for cross-cultural mission
2. Developing a theology of cross-cultural ministry and mission
3. Understanding culture and worldview; models of culture types
4. Identifying and understanding one’s own culture and worldview
5. Culture shock and reverse culture shock
6. Introduction to communication theory; dangers of miscommunication
7. Aspects of cross-cultural communication, including language and non-verbal communication; influence of social structures on communication; relationship of medium and message; and the distinction between form and function
8. Church and culture
9. Contextualisation, indigenisation and enculturation in cross-cultural ministry and mission
10. Dealing with prejudice, racism and cross-cultural conflict

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Introduction to Cross-Cultural Mission

M7286 Engaging in Intercultural Ministry (Mission Fieldwork)

This course unit provides you with an opportunity to experience a supervised fieldwork placement in a cross-cultural context. Engaging in such fieldwork can be both challenging and transformative as it allows you to put your theoretical knowledge of working with other cultures to the practical test.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit provides students with an in-situ­ experience of cross-cultural mission as a practical adjunct to their theoretical study and so to learn the significance of inter-cultural issues in a living and dynamic situation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify key issues involved in a specific cross-cultural ministry;
2. Articulate coherently the implications for ministry of the interrelationships of culture and gospel within that culture;
3. Analyse cultural elements in their own formation and propose adjustments needed for effectual cross-cultural ministry;
4. Engage effectively in a range of supervised cross-cultural ministry experiences;
5. Apply insights gained from the field experience to an actual or projected personal program in cross-cultural ministry.

Please Note: SCD policy limits students to studying one Field work unit per year of full-time study (i.e. every 8 units), and to one Field Work Unit overall per sub-discipline of study also. Please ensure that you do not exceed these enrolment limits. This unit is one of those Field work units.

CONTENT

Section A: Preparation 

Students must undertake supervised preparation for their cross-cultural ministry field-work. The preparation will include reading the set textbook and any other set readings pertinent to the specific cultural context to be experienced by their fieldwork coordinator.

In addition, the following preparation must be undertaken. Specific details are to be provided to the student by the Fieldwork Coordinator/Supervisor for each fieldwork placement.

1. Students must attend an Information Meeting conducted and/or organised by the Fieldwork Coordinator well before departure, which will include all enrolled students, participating faculty and, where possible, a representative of the fieldwork partner involved. Such a meeting will cover, at a minimum:
   1. Field risk assessment, including task and location hazards
   2. Specific Travel and accommodation arrangements and costs involved
   3. Insurance Arrangements
   4. A full itinerary of the fieldwork, including relevant contact details of the fieldwork partner;
   5. A full list of participating staff and any other personnel and their respective responsibilities;
   6. Full details of any government requirements pertinent to the travel arrangements.
2. Students must meet all organizational requirements of the Fieldwork Placement. Special note must be taken of any additional preparation to be undertaken as required by the Fieldwork Partner (e.g. international police checks, additional interviews prior to selection etc.) The Fieldwork Coordinator will advise the student of these requirements.

Section B: Field Work 

The student will spend at least two weeks immersed in an unfamiliar culture. This learning experience may be local or international. Note that the fieldwork location is subject to an extensive approval process and cannot be modified in the enrolment period.

During the fieldwork, the fieldwork Coordinator will work with the student to:

1. Assist the student to make sense of their experience
2. Assist the student to deal with tensions, difficulties, cultural and health issues, including any placement related conflict.
3. Assist the student to connect their learning objectives with the field practices.
4. Guide and support the student in ethical behaviour

Section C: Post Field Work

The student will be debriefed upon return and will be required to reflect critically upon their learning. This will be achieved by:

1. Completing the post fieldwork assessment tasks.
2. A debrief session with the fieldwork coordinator. This session will include:

• A discussion of the Field Evaluation Report and how the learning outcomes were achieved through fieldwork placement
• Reflecting on the fieldwork placement as a learning experience
• Assisting the student to process ministry related challenges and difficulties and to refer them to specialised support if needed
• Assisting the student to process specific cultural challenges and difficulties and to refer them to specialised support if needed
• Identifying key areas for future learning

Collating Fieldwork Placement feedback for future coursework development.

M7295  The Missional Leader

It is clear that both the western world and western Christianity are experiencing paradigmatic change. Western Christianity is often closely identified with western cultural values and mores. However, more recent cultural shifts have resulted in churches finding themselves increasingly on the margins of a rapidly changing society. The stage is set for some conflict, uncertainty and creativity within Christian organizations. There is an urgent need for leadership to be shaped by ‘kingdom’ values and practices and to redefine itself in light of the nature and mission of God in Christ. Leaders that embark on the transformational journey towards missional embodiment are essential for the future effectiveness and influence of the church in the Australian context.

This unit is designed to help leaders and potential leaders to understand the foundation of leadership founded in the essential nature of God and positioned within the kingdom of God, to develop crucial leadership character and skills and to position them to be persons of missional influence in churches and the culture.

LEARNING OUTCOMES       

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an intermediate level of knowledge of missional leadership
2. Analyse a broad range of primary and secondary literature dealing with missional leadership
3. Evaluate the missional leadership using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline of mission
4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to missional leadership and apply to diverse contexts
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life, ministry, or theology.

 CONTENT

This course unit examines the nature and practice of missional leadership. It lays a foundation for the shaping of the missional leader in light of God’s essential nature- love, and founded in the missio Dei (the mission of God). Participants will be challenged to develop a biblical model of leadership based on Jesus’ ministry and to develop a strategy for their own ongoing spiritual and personal nourishment. Participants will also understand the changing nature of ministry and church in the western context and the necessary changes to leadership styles and focus.

SCHEDULE

M7296  Community Development

In recent days there has been a lot of talk in our churches around community engagement and community development. Often when we think about community engagement, we immediately start talking about food hampers, feeding programs, visitation, Mainly Music type programs and perhaps even street evangelism. This is slightly different in an international context, where perhaps the focus is on orphanages, fresh water programs, education and relief from natural disasters. Whilst all these things are valuable and have their place, questions need to be asked about how much they engage the broader community (whatever our context) and certainly whether they are developing it.

A misconception when we think about community development is that we are talking about the development of our own Christian Community. You may have spent a lot of your life in various forms of community, and perhaps found that both challenging and rewarding. But when we talk about community development we are not primarily referring to the building up of our particular expression of community behind our walls. Rather, we are referring to what it means for the Church (the people of God in the world) to partner with God and others in the developing of God’s world for and towards His Kingdom.

Do you believe God has a picture of what our communities, our cities and our nation and even our world can look like? Isaiah 58 and 65 suggest that this picture is tied up with the concept of shalom, a very earthy presence of God with us now.

 Jesus of course in Matthew 6 talks about seeking first the Kingdom of God, which we sometimes tend to interpret as a personal spiritual reality. If we limit our understanding to this, we limit the impact we as the people of God are meant to have in the world.  This unit seeks to expand our understanding of what God is doing in our world and how we can partner with God and others. All this is grounded in a philosophy of community development that allows us to value those whom we are working with as co-labourers. We will also explore practical tools for this kind of engagement.

The first two sessions set up an understanding of the Kingdom of God and what God is doing in the world. Session Three explores our response to this as the people of God, the internal shape necessary for us to respond to God’s agenda. Here we are not so concerned about worship styles and outward expression but more about our attitude and orientation to the world. Often almost by default we can take on an adversarial approach to the world. The Scriptures tell us that God loves the world so how do we position ourselves to love the world? Session Four introduces an over-arching community development framework that is congruent with this understanding of God’s activity. Session 5 sets our Western context. Session Six deals with the context of the developing world, Seven with various approaches to community development we come across in the sector. Sessions 8-10 focus on practical tools and the project management cycle.

At the end of the unit students will be able to articulate a clear theology for community development, be able to work towards employing an empowering methodology and have some practical on the ground skills for effective community engagement.

LEARNING OUTCOMES  

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an intermediate level of knowledge of community development 

2. Analyse a broad range of primary and secondary literature dealing with community development
3. Evaluate the subject area of community development using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline

4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to community development and apply to diverse contexts
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life, ministry, or theology

CONTENT

Over the ten sessions of this unit we will cover:

• Theology - An understanding of the Kingdom of God and its unveiling in the present and how we can use this to create a framework for meaningful engagement with our communities. We will also explore the Church’s necessary response to the Kingdom.
• Context – At its core community development is about understanding a community and working with its strengths to see it become all it can be. This is impossible to do well without an understanding of the community’s social context, its culture and how these things have formed. We will paint a big picture view of the western and developing contexts.
• Methodology – Once we have begun to understand the context we will want to be able to employ a methodology that is true to the context and the gospel. Asset Based Community Development gives us principles that are applicable to both. We will also explore how a rights based approach works and the impact of relational thinking.
• Practical Tools – These include research methodologies, asset mapping and an exploration of the project cycle including evaluation.

SCHEDULE

M7395  Missional Spirituality

This unit will focus on the specific spirituality issues faced by people involved in pioneering mission to emerging global cultures. In relational to spirituality, it will relate to finding God outside the church and in strange places. Christian spirituality has been so tied to a Christendom mode of church, and as a result that we have become dualistic in our understanding of God, church and world. We divide life into sacred and secular, and God is found in one but not the other. This unit will seek to address this issue directly and help the student to reconceive his/her relationship to God and the world in a more holistic and biblical way.

We will also explore the nature and essential character of discipleship in relation to the cultural situations and the alternative religions of our day. We will focus particularly on consumerism as the major religious alternative to Christianity in our day.
Finally, because missional work is difficult, we will explore the whole concept of sustainability - staying in there for the long haul and developing disciplines and structures for sustainable mission.This unit presents new models of spirituality, consistent and sustainable for mission in a post-modern context.

The original Content Providers who wrote this unit are Alan Hirsch, Michael Frost and Darren Cronshaw.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING
Beaudoin, Tom, Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998).
Frost, Michael, Eyes Wide Open: Seeing God in the Ordinary (Sydney: Albatross, 1998).
Frost, Michael, and Hirsch, Alan, The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church (Peabody: Hendrickson Press, 2003), Section III on Messianic Spirituality.
Jones, Tony, Soul Shaper: Exploring Spirituality and Contemplative Practices in Youth Ministry (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003).
Willard, Dallas, The Divine Conspiracy (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998).
Frost, Michael, Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Empire (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2006).

P7101  Introduction to Pastoral Care

This course unit is an introduction to practical theology for ministry. It is also an opportunity to overview the biblical and theological foundations of ministry. Common aspects of ministry will be considered.

At the end of the unit students will be able to:
1) demonstrate a sound knowledge of key issues relating to the practice of pastoral care
2) display a sound understanding of the role of the human sciences in pastoral theology and ministry
3) apply the critical insights of biblical and theological foundations to the practice of ministry
4) demonstrate the process of reflection in the practice of ministry
5) develop and apply effective skills for pastoral ministry

The threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is the interdisciplinary nature of pastoral theology.

The content of this subject includes:
1. The theological, epistemological and biblical foundations of pastoral theology
2. Aspects of church pastoral and caring ministry
3. Human science perspectives on contemporary pastoral issues
4. Basic listening skills
5. Developing reflective practice in pastoral ministry
6. Methods of ministry and the place of ordination / leadership

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Introduction to Pastoral Theology and Ministry

P7102  Issues and Ethics in Professional Practice

This unit aims to examine the critical ethical, legal and professional issues faced by ministry professionals in a wide variety of contexts.  It explores how the study and application of ethics grounds effective and safe ministry practice by inviting us to become the kind of person who naturally and consistently does the right thing.  As we develop a coherent approach to ethical reasoning, it provides us with a toolkit to use in effective pastoral ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a knowledge of the principles involved in ethical ministry practice.
2. Display an understanding of ethical dilemmas present in a variety of ministry and community settings including the local church, diocese, mission field, aged care centres, schools, defence force, police force, counselling practice, welfare ministry, and/or emergency services.
3. Show a critical appreciation of the importance of how an ethical and legal understanding (particularly as it relates to privacy, confidentiality, reporting, boundaries, and advocacy) enhances effective professional and pastoral practice.
4. Articulate a personal approach to professional boundaries that: (1) meets community expectations; (2) complies with all national and state legislation; and (3) reflects ministry best practice.

CONTENT

1. Principles of ethics: the concepts of autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence
2. Confidentiality, trust and informed consent
3. Managing the multiple relationships found in pastoral and professional settings
4. Boundaries and boundary violations
5. Duty of care and fiduciary responsibilities
6. Power imbalance in relationships
7. Mandatory reporting obligations
8. Ethical decision making within a complex working environment

SCHEDULE

P7111  Foundations for Youth Ministry

The thinking and practise of youth ministry continues to shift as culture changes. The ways in which we engage effectively with young people therefore needs to be robust, yet agile.

In youth ministry, we can easily find ourselves simply doing what we have seen before or experienced ourselves if we grew up in a church or attended youth programs.

The aim of this unit is to encourage a shift in paradigm and enable you to think outside the box regarding how you can engage young people.  This unit will not offer a model of ministry to be copied, but an opportunity to step out of the trenches for a moment and expand your awareness of the ideas and principles applicable to many different contexts as well as tools to evaluate and implement these principles.

This unit provides a foundational and strategic framework for youth ministry for students to understand the theology and biblical mandates for Youth Ministry and apply principles and programmes for effective ministry to Youth.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the nature and strategic task of youth ministry within the church.
2. Understand the relevance of the various philosophies and principles of youth ministry to the ministry of the local church.
3. Explain the theory and practice behind the various models for youth ministry & how to apply them to a local setting.
4. Understand the process for analysing the current context of a group with a view to setting and communicating vision and goals for the ministry in order to move forward.
5. Apply new ideas to effectively reach and minister to the youth of the 21^st century.

CONTENT

This course provides an understanding of the issues involved in effective implementation and development of youth ministry in the context of the local church.

SCHEDULE

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Introduction to Youth Ministry

P7128  Introduction to Christian Worship

This course unit introduces students to fundamental principles and practices that equip them for constructing and leading Christian worship services.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1)      Explain the pastoral and theological significance of the various elements of Christian worship
2)      Identify the pastoral needs of  the congregation that influence the shape of Christian worship
3)     Analyse the key issues of current debates concerning Christian worship
4)      Assess the usefulness of a range of worship resources
5)    Construct a range of worship services suited to a variety of diverse Christian settings.

The content of this subject includes:
1. The biblical basis for Christian worship
2. The theology of Christian worship
3. The role of culture in the development of worship
4. The historical developments in Christian worship
5. Current issues in Christian worship
6. Preparation of a Christian worship service

P7129 Preaching 1

This course unit introduces students to the initial skills and fundamental principles involved in the preparation and delivery of sermons.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Articulate and prioritize the elements of an effective sermon and its delivery
2. Explain the role of the sermon in worship and spiritual formation 
3. Analyse a range of preaching styles
4. Identify a range of pastoral contexts and determine how they influence  the sermon and its delivery
5. Apply their knowledge and skills to the preparation and delivery of pastorally appropriate sermons.

The content of this subject includes:
1 The Goal of Preaching
2 Method, Manner and Megaphones
3 The Big Idea
4 Outlines and Maps
5 Know Your Stuff
6 Engaging Your Audience
7 Know Your Audience
8 Develop Your Own Style
9 Finding the Big Idea
10 Missional Preaching

P7132  Kingdom and Spirit (Vineyard Cohort only)

A key focus of the theology of the Vineyard Movement is on the kingdom of God: it is central not only to the movement’s theology, but also gives shape to the ministry practice of Vineyard churches. In this Unit we present teaching on the kingdom of God which compares a variety of views on the Kingdom with the “inaugurated, enacted eschatology” viewpoint held by the Vineyard and based on the teaching of George Eldon Ladd.

The unit also presents a teaching and practical application of a “third-wave” view on the work of the Holy Spirit, especially as it relates to spiritual gifts, and with a particular study of the gift of prophecy. Pneumatologies other than a third wave view are also discussed.

This unit aims to equip students with a strong theological and biblical grounding for the work of ministry. It has a strong emphasis on both theory and practice related to the kingdom of God and Spirit-empowered life and ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Analyse the core elements of Kingdom of God theology as expressed in a range of different views on the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering Christians for ministry;
2. Articulate ways of balancing the tensions within a “Now-But-Not-Yet” theology of the Kingdom of God;
3. Review a range of primary and secondary literature relevant to Kingdom of God theology;
4. Critically review the ways in which prophecy and the spiritual gifts are employed in the local church;
5. Establish a set of principles for a theologically supported program of “3^rd Wave” ministry practices in a local church context.

CONTENT

1)      The Kingdom of God in 20^th Century Theology

2)      Contemporary Eschatologies, including 21^st Century expressions of 3^rd Wave theology and praxis

3)      The Here but Not-Yet of the Kingdom

4)      Inaugurated Eschatology

5)      Being a Kingdom Community

6)      Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

7)      Comparative Pneumatologies

8)      Empowered by the Spirit

9)      Spiritual Gifts – Traditional Views

10)  Spiritual Gifts – Explanation and Demonstration of an Expanded (3^rd Wave) View

11)  Prophecy

12)  The Holy Spirit and the Local Church

P7195*  Disciplemaking Movements 1: Foundations for Disciplemaking Movements (SHIFTm2M Cohort Only)

It is the conviction of this course that in the life of Jesus we not only see the means of salvation, but in Jesus God gave us the very model for the Christian life and mission in the world. Jesus- fully God and fully Human is the great mystery of the incarnation. In his lived humanity he demonstrated the perfect model of a life lived in full obedience to the Father’s kingdom agenda in the world and fully dependant on the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not simply live his life focused on the cross, but in his life he set in motion the Spirit-empowered movement that would carry the gospel of the kingdom into all ‘Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the World’ (Acts 1:8). Jesus gathered around him a group of followers whom he selected, invested himself in, trained, equipped and sent to continue the movement that he had begun. These first disciples were instructed to go into all the world, in the authority of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, to ‘make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything’ he had commanded (Matt 28:19f). As the Father had sent Jesus, so he sent his followers and this process continues wherever the Gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed. The Church, at its heart, is to embody the continuing mission of Jesus- a disciple-making movement that sees the world as its mission field.

All too often the church has been distracted from this core mission of making disciples and in our contemporary climate it is no different. People seek for the latest model that will make their church, mission or ministry grow and be effective. We desire instant results and quick fixes to our struggling programs. Ultimately though, Jesus’ movement of Disciple-Making is not a quick fix, or an instant result, but it is our model for the church. It is in his life, teaching, mission and ministry that we see what we are to be like and on what we are to focus.

This course builds the foundations for developing a disciplemaking framework drawn from the life of Jesus. It will help students form a missional hermeneutic for engaging with the Gospels and Acts. Students will draw core principles from the unfolding process of Jesus’ disciple-making and apply them in their own context.

This unit is part of the SHIFTm2M process, a year-long learning experience which explores the practicality of seeing Jesus’ mission through his priority of building a disciple-making movement. Students engaging in this unit must be, or have been, participating in the SHIFTm2M process.

Much of the content provided in this course is originally created by SonLife Classic USA, and is authorised for use in Australia through Campus Crusade for Christ Australia under the name ‘SHIFTm2M’.

1. The need for a biblical Disciplemaking philosophy
2. Imitatio Christi- Christ as our model for life and ministry.
3. Establishing a Christocentric model for Disciplemaking
4. Ministry preparation and understanding the mission of Jesus and the Church in the world.
5. Ministry Preparation and developing a disciplemaking framework.
6. Understanding and developing the purpose, passion, product and process for disciplemaking.
7. Establishing foundational priorities for disciplemaking environments.
8. Equipping believers for participating in disciplemaking
9. Transforming from ministry to a philosophy of movements

*Please note: This unit is only available to students who are part of the SHIFTm2M cohort.
For further information about joining a cohort, please contact the National Office.

P7195  Administrative Leadership & Management for Ministry (Multi-Staff Cohort Only)

This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of administrative leadership and management as it applies to varying ministry contexts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Display perceptive understanding of the administrative tasks of leadership and pastoral ministry
2. Summarise management principles as they relate to organisational relationships in a ministry context
3. Facilitate the development of vision, mission and strategic plans for a ministry context
4. Plan and coordinate administrative tasks for a ministry context
5. Show a critical appreciation of the contribution that management principles bring to the administrative roles of ministry

CONTENT

1. Institutional Leadership
2. Managerial styles
3. Vision, mission and strategic plans
4. Management structures for the church
5. Boards and committees
6. Facilities management
7. Personnel management
8. Denominational commitments
9. Church membership

Note: This unit does not have sessional introductions written for it. Students are provided an excellent variety of readings and other resources to process. However, they do not have a traditional introduction that guides the students through those resources.

P7210  Children’s Ministry

This course seeks to address the value of children and ministry to them within the wholistic context of the family and the faith community, believing that scripture teaches us that this is the best model of helping a child's faith formation develop in a solid and strong way. We long to see children grow and develop a lifelong faith that helps them become the adults God intended them to be.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1) Explain the basic concepts of Children’s ministry as a missional activity of the local Church
2) Explain the basic features of the learning characteristics, overall development and appropriate stages of faith of children.
3) Discover and use contemporary resources and techniques to nurture, manage, and ensure safety in children’s ministry in congregational and community settings
4) Demonstrate broad familiarity with a variety of Children‘s ministry approaches in congregational and community settings
5) Implement children’s ministry programs where children are full participants in their faith communities and where children‘s spiritual and religious formation is nurtured in their homes and their Church

CONTENT
1) Biblical and theological perspectives on the faith formation of a child.
2) Intergenerational Christian formation practices
3) Developing the family-at-the-centre approach to faith formation.
4) Children’s ministry in the way of Jesus.
5) The Church’s role in helping to raise spiritual champions.
6) A study of the learning characteristics and overall development of children.
7) Discipling Children at appropriate faith stages
8) Mission with children in communities of faith and in the world.
9) Behaviour management and safe Environments for working with children.
10) Effective Communication and techniques to nurture and engage children in the faith community.

P7211  Developing a Youth Ministry

This course unit provides students with strategies for establishing a culture of discipleship and leadership development within the youth group. The unit guides them in the practice of recruiting and training youth leaders as well as building student leaders.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) Understand the key principles and strategies for making disciples in youth ministry.
2) Identify the key components for faith development & discipleship in youth.
3) Understand the importance of developing a relational approach to youth ministry.
4) Explain the context of programs in the discipleship and mentoring of young people and leaders.
5) Apply various models for equipping youth for leadership and ministry

The content of this subject includes:
1) Foundations for Making Disciples
2) Unleashing Potential in Youth
3) Relational Youth Ministry
4) Small Groups, Follow-up and Nurture
5) Equipping Youth for Ministry
6) Equipping Youth for Ministry – Techniques
7) Equipping Youth for Mission
8) Equipping Youth for Leadership
9) Mentoring Youth to Spiritual Maturity
10) Youth Ministry Development
11) Camps, Retreats and Mission Trips well done
12) Developing a Culture of Evangelism

P7221  Healing Prayer (Vineyard Cohort Only)

Healing Prayer aims to establish a strong biblical and theological foundation for the student to better understand how God works , and how he wants to work through his church, in the area of healing. The unit also seeks to encourage and equip the student to engage in the practical ministry of healing.

A number of different categories of healing are examined such as physical, spiritual, emotional, demonisation, relational, etc.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This undergraduate course unit aims to provide for students a biblical and theological understanding of Christian healing and its practice as seen in biblical, historical and current day contexts. It will enable the student to reflect on the importance of healing in their own personal life and ministry, as well as its place in today’s church. The unit is an Elective unit and may form a part of a Major in the Discipline of Pastoral Theology within the Bachelor awards.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Analyse the biblical teaching on sickness and healing
2. Explain key theological positions on the Kingdom of God and how they impact healing ministry
3. Articulate how the Gospels’ account of the healing ministry of Jesus may serve as a model for healing prayer today
4. Review a diversity of healing approaches used in the church today.
5. Present a proposal for the implementation and operational ethos and practices of a healing ministry

CONTENT

1. Worldview and Definitions
2. Healing and the Kingdom of God
3. Jesus’ Model and Kingdom Authority
4. Healing in the Church: Yesterday and Today
5. The Praxis of Ministry
6. Healing of Body and Spirit
7. Healing of Damaged Emotions and Past Hurts
8. Healing of Deliverance
9. Healing of Relationships, and of Death and Dying
10. A Church That Heals

P7261  Principles of Pastoral Leadership

This course unit assists those preparing for or engaged in leadership roles in ministry. It involves practical application of what is learnt in other course units and directs learning to the service of others in their faith journey

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) demonstrate an understanding of the biblical, traditional, theological and personal foundations of Christian leadership
2) engage with a personal understanding of pastoral leadership
3) examine one’s own strengths and areas requiring growth and development
4) identify the relationship between the spiritual leader and those served by leadership, within cultural and institutional contexts
5) summarise the various models of pastoral leadership with particular reference to team leadership and develop a working model for their own faith community

The content for this subject includes:
1) Christian leadership in its biblical, traditional and theological expressions
2) Qualities, knowledge and skills necessary for pastoral leadership
3) Needs and expectations of those seeking pastoral leadership
4) Leaders and leadership teams within the context of contemporary Christian community
5) The influence of culture and society on leadership

P7263  Vineyard Distinctives (Vineyard Cohort Only)

This unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an advanced level on the distinctives of the Vineyard movement. It enables students to critically examine theological, historical and sociological perspectives within the Vineyard’s ministry practice and to examine how to apply those perspectives to contemporary ministry.

The unit takes a thorough look at the history of the Vineyard from its early association with Chuck Smith and the Calvary Chapel movement through to becoming a global movement in the 21st Century. Special emphasis will be placed on the ministry of John Wimber and his ecclesiological and theological perspectives.

An examination of core beliefs and practices, and the local and global implications they have had for the movement will be undertaken.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an advanced level on the denominational distinctives of the Vineyard movement. It enables students to critically examine theological, historical and sociological perspectives within the ministry practice of the Vineyard and to examine how to apply those perspectives to contemporary ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Explain the sociological, historical and theological perspectives that shaped the formation of theVineyard;
2. Determine core distinguishing beliefs and practices that inform the theology and ministry practice of the Vineyard;
3. Analyse the impact and/or contribution of the Vineyard to the broader Christian community;
4. Analyse contemporary issues that impact the Vineyard;
5. Outline an intentional strategy for applying the movement/denominational distinctives to the student’s ministry context.

CONTENT

1. The life and legacy of John Wimber
2. The history and development of the Vineyard Movement
3. An examination of the theological themes and emphases of the Vineyard Movement
4. Vineyard Core Values

 P7274  Team Ministry Skills

This course recognizes that a person who is called to minister in a team situation will find their ministry enhanced if they understand more of the dynamics of team ministry. The content is designed to assist in the development of leadership skills and will provide practical skills for increasing organisational effectiveness. It will introduce the student to some of the dynamics of team ministry such as the nature of teams, their effectiveness as well as some of the pitfalls. A particular focus is on the development of intercultural teams both in terms of local church ministry and in working in cross-cultural teams to reach a different (i.e. non-shared) culture. This course unit builds upon previous theoretical and applied reflections in previous units.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature and breadth of team leadership skills
2. Exhibit an ability to relate various theories and skills to organisations
3. Show an appreciation of the necessity of developing teams and applying leadership skills in organisations, and of enlarging the capacity and character of team members
4. Display an understanding of personality differences and the ways in which these affect team relationships.
5. Show an appreciation of the overall impact a harmonious team in a larger church can have towards effective mission

The content of this subject includes:

1. The nature and importance of team building
2. The Myers-Briggs and other models which explain personality differences
3. Methods of teambuilding
4. Developing effective team communication skills
5. Priority setting and delegation
6. Supervising and appraising performance
7. Conflict management
8. Leading organisations through change

SCHEDULE

P7274  Leading in a Team Ministry Setting(Cohort Unit Only)

This graduate course unit is designed to challenge students to build and develop teams in their ministry context.  It will assist in the development of leadership skills and will provide practical skills for increasing organisational effectiveness. It may only be enrolled in by students who are participants in a Leading the Multi-Staff Church cohort.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Assess the relative merits of alternative theories of team building and team development
2. Explain how personality differences and communication preferences affect the operation of teams
3. Formulate strategies for enlarging the capacity and character of ministry team members
4. Critically appraise ministry teams to identify strengths and weaknesses
5. Substantiate a case for the positive impact of harmonious ministry teams on the effectiveness of churches in mission

SCHEDULE

P7294  Worship as a Lifestyle (Fieldwork) (Bethel) (Cohort Unit Only)

Pre-requisites:
Unit P7128 must be successfully completed (exemptions may be applied for). Must be a part of CRC Cohort to undertake the unit

Please Note: SCD policy limits students to studying one Field work unit per year of full-time study (i.e. every 8 units), and to one Field Work Unit overall per sub-discipline of study also. Please ensure that you do not exceed these enrolment limits. This unit is one of those Field work units.

This course unit continues from and builds upon the lessons learnt in P7128 – Introduction to Christian Worship. P7128 introduced students to a broad range of liturgical practices and provided tools for analysing personal and corporate worship experiences. Students were encouraged to consider the importance of issues surrounding contemporary Christian worship practices and dialogue on future possibilities. This unit expands upon these themes by more fully examining contemporary worship, predominantly from a western pentecostal perspective.

Students will explore the differences and importance of both private and congregational worship, and the development of contemporary worship as an industry. The purpose of the unit is to demonstrate that worship is not simply church attendance or private and/or congregational singing, but rather a lifestyle to be embraced by all believers in all manner of ways.

As part of the unit, students will experience a worship study tour, including the WorshipU on-campus intensive at Bethel Church Redding California. The tour is often intensely spiritual and very demanding. The focus of this is on learning and developing your craft, as well as renewing your mind and tangibly experiencing God.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This unit aims to provide candidates with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in one or more remote locations relevant to the biblical, theological, historical or ministry narrative of theological texts and/or movements, in order to understand the impact of such locations on the interpretation of those narratives.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Identify key contextual features which have contributed to the field of worship as a lifestyle;
2. Explain the significance of local historical, geographical or cultural features in promoting or limiting the particular narrative within the field of worship;
3. Analyse a specific topic within the field of worship in terms of its local origin and development;
4. Reflect on the impact of the travel experience on their personal development within the field of worship;
5. Produce a presentation depicting the connection between the location visited and the narrative within the field of worship as a lifestyle.

CONTENT

1. Participation in the CRC Study Tour to Bethel Church, Redding California USA
2. The importance of individual and corporate worship
3. Diversity of corporate worship in the 21^stCentury
4. The rise of the Worship Industry
5. Critical Analysis of the Worship Industry
6. Preparing and returning from the study tour
7. Finding your worship expression

P7295  Leading the Larger Church (Multi-Staff Cohort Only)

This unit introduces the student to the uniqueness of the larger church and its role in the processes of evangelism and mission in the Australian context and beyond. Students will explore the leadership theory, skills and perspectives necessary to effectively lead a larger church.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Display perceptive understanding of the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the large church
2. Categorize the skills necessary to lead a large church, i.e. as institution, as healing community, as political and economic cooperation, as social activist
3. Review the necessary steps and stages in founding, developing, and sustaining the large church
4. Distinguish the issues involved in leading a large church from their biblical, sociological, economic and political sources
5. Show critical appreciation of the support role that large churches can play towards smaller churches

SCHEDULE

Note: This unit does not have sessional introductions written for it. Students are provided an excellent variety of readings and other resources to process. However, they do not have a traditional introduction that guides the students through those resources.

P7326  Culture and Context of Youth Ministry

This course unit seeks to enable students to understand young people and the Australian culture, while equipping them to provide care to youth and their families. It provides an in-depth review of the research on the current generation of youth in their cultural context and on the deep issues that affect young people.

At the end of this unit students will be able to: :
1) Gain a understanding of cultural formation and how culture shapes identity, values and behaviours
2) Understand the different facets of culture, individualistic and collectivist cultures and subcultures
3) Have a greater awareness of the importance of gospel culture and how it can be paralleled to youth culture today in its presentation
4) Assess priorities and strategies for caring for young people and their families.
5) Be able to apply the aspects of culture to their youth ministry to gain a greater perspective on how to minister to youth.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Youth in Context
2. The Gospel & Youth
3. Strategies & Models for Counselling
4. Basic Skills for Counselling Youth
5. Caring for Young People
6. Intervention for Youth In Crisis & Hazards & Limitations in Counselling
7. Youth Development
8. Culture & Youth
9. Cultural Formation
10. Cultural Needs
11. Youth Issues – External
12. Youth Issues – Internal

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Culture and Context for Youth Ministry

P7326 The Theology and Practice of Social Justice

This unit explores the theology and practice of social justice from a Christian perspective.

Social justice has become a popular and often controversial topic within the church and broader Australian society. Social justice is, for some Christians, the centre of the faith while, for others, it is a distraction from what they see as the real work of the gospel.

By exploring social justice through a biblical, historical, and philosophical lens, this unit aims to help students to develop a comprehensive understanding of social justice, to learn to apply that perspective to a range of contemporary social issues, and to understand the crucial part that social justice plays in Christian discipleship.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This unit develops the student’s knowledge and understanding of social justice issues from a Christian perspective. It provides opportunities for personal development and critical insight into appropriate approaches to addressing issues of societal injustice. It is intended that this unit will expand the student’s capacity to reflect theologically on their response to related issues.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. explain the nature and content of a Christian understanding of social justice
2. outline the biblical, historical and philosophical perspectives of a Christian response to social justice issues
3. engage with contemporary literature on the theme of social justice
4. evaluate a contemporary Christian response to a social justice issue
5. apply perspectives from the unit to a contemporary social issue of relevance to the student

CONTENT

1. What is social justice? Its nature, content, and biblical basis
2.  The Bible and social justice: method, content, and implications
3. Social justice throughout church history: thought and practice across time and place, and political theology
4. Philosophy and social justice: various traditions and their implications
5.  Examples of engaging social justice issues:
   a. Ecological crises: creation, vocation, Christian witness
   b. Race and nationalism: historical context, global theological perspectives, Christian witness
   c. Economic justice: capitalism, biblical imperatives, and Christian witness.

SCHEDULE

P7327  Youth Ministry and Personal Growth

This course unit enables the student to appreciate balanced ministry, by establishing healthy ministry patterns to combat unrealistic expectations and burnout in youth ministry. The unit guides students to develop the necessary professional and personal tools for sustaining ministry to youth.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) Know how to establish healthy ministry patterns to combat unrealistic expectations and burnout in Youth Ministry.
2) Have an understanding of the tools necessary to develop initiative and personal management skills.
3) Articulate the factors contributing to the changing face of youth culture and society and how this impacts the local Church
4) Articulate the issues around caring for, resourcing and developing serves ass.
5) Apply balanced life principles to assist ministry and personal growth.

The content of this subject includes:
1) Longevity in Youth Ministry
2) Managing Self
3) Managing Time
4) Managing Change
5) Managing Diversity
6) Dealing with Conflict and criticism
7) Team Ministry – Building a Leadership Team
8) Youth Ministry and Christian Spirituality
9) Effective Team Leadership
10) Preventing Stress & Burnout
11) Budgeting, Fundraising & Financial Management
12) Responsible Practices for Youth Leadership

P7330 Preaching 2

This course unit enables students to develop a culturally effective biblical and theological framework for effective preaching in their current cultural context.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Analyse the significance of the social and cultural dynamics of their ministry setting for the preparation and delivery of culturally appropriate sermons
2. Establish a biblically and theologically grounded hermeneutic for application to a specific cultural context
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of sermons delivered in different social contexts
4. Design a range of sermons incorporating the specific hermeneutical and cultural insights acquired
5. Apply the acquired insights and skills to the delivery of sermons that contribute to worship in culturally appropriate ways.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The content of this subject includes:
1. Contextual issues in preaching
2. 21st Century: post-modern, post-structural, pseudo-modern?
3. Styles of preaching: cognitive and affective; inductive and deductive
4. Structures in preaching: declarative, pragmatic, narrative, visionary, integrative
5. Communication techniques and context

SCHEDULE

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Preaching and Context

P7364  Mastering Change

The focus of this unit is to understand what leads to effective and lasting personal, group and organisational change and to develop skills to implement such change.

Our task, therefore, is to become students of change in its wide variety of guises, forms and processes. We shall study what instigates change, what happens when change is happening, what causes resistance to change, and what helps changes to stick such that they become the new normal.

As we grow in our understanding of change, we will be applying these insights to ourselves, to other individuals, to groups and organisations. In these ways, we shall grow in our competence as change agents, authentically sponsoring change in ourselves and the lives of those around us.

To commence this journey well, please note the following:

• This unit maintains a focus upon personal, theoretical and skill-based outcomes. To get the most out of this unit, you are invited to engage personally and consider your own experience of change. This unit offers you the opportunity to develop your own change management practice framework, discover the particular ways you might resist change, the convictions you bring to change, and the resources that can inspire and support your change initiatives. We hope you can invest yourself in these tasks.
• Research and theorising of organisational change over the last 50 years has been focused on the corporate sector, with some work focusing on not-for-profit and community-based organisations. Certainly, there are a number of books examining change management as it relates to church settings, but in the majority of cases, they are applying theories gained from the corporate sector to congregational life. Because ACOM values learning from the original sources of ideas, many of the learning resources you will encounter through this course have been carefully selected from the corporate and NGO sectors without excluding Christian researchers and practitioners' insights.
• There are a dizzying number of models and frameworks for addressing organisational change available in the marketplace of ideas. Instead of developing a cursory understanding of the many different frameworks, this course takes the approach of working with a few models that offer integrated approaches to change.

Finally, a note concerning the textbooks for this unit. There are three textbooks selected reflecting three lines of inquiry that run though this unit:

1. The first line of inquiry relates to personal change; how do I as an individual change, and how do others make internal adjustments to change themselves or to change their response to situations. We shall investigate these dynamics through Kegan and Lahey’s book, ‘Immunity to Change’.
2. The second line of inquiry relates to group and organisational change. Here we shall work with the ADKAR model of change management introduced through the writings of its originators Hiatt and Creasy.
3. The third line of inquiry relates to the theological and ministerial implications and applications of change theory. Here we work with resources from the Alban Institute through Gilbert Rendle’s book, ‘Leading Congregational Change.’

We will frequently be working with all three resources in each session to plait these strands of inquiry into a solid rope supporting our approach to mastering change.

We hope that, through this course, your personal ‘toolbox’ will be enriched with fresh ideas, new skills, growing expertise and a rich understanding for navigating change as it happens and for instigating change that results in enduring transformation. Additionally, we pray that you will develop a sensitivity to the movement and leading of God, who is at work transforming people into the likeness of His Son and at work in this world to conform it to His Kingdom's principles. Participating alongside God in such change initiatives is part of life’s great adventure.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit acknowledges that students live their lives in times of change and perform their ministries as agents of change for the sake of the gospel. It seeks to equip students to understand the dynamics of change in history, in institutions, and in their private lives. This unit seeks to equip students to understand change positively, and to master it as a tool for Christian ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Construct a model of how change is given effect from biblical and theological foundations
2. Critique alternative theories of how change-movements are conceived, implemented and managed
3. Organise change as a positive feature in their own leadership
4. Facilitate change within their own circles of influence and assist others to embrace and grow through change
5. Explain their own critical appreciation of personal and organisational change as an opportunity for growth and service

 CONTENT

This unit recognises that students live their lives in the context of constant change, and the call of Christ is to live faithfully as agents of change for the gospel.  It seeks to equip students to understand and responsively engage with the dynamics of change in institutions, groups and in their private lives.

SCHEDULE

P7367  Conflict Management

Conflict occurs in all areas of life – personal and professional, private and public – and the Christian church is no exception. Unfortunately, conflict is often ignored or handled poorly, resulting in little or no resolution. When conflict remains unaddressed it can spread like a cancer creating deep seated rifts, rupturing relationships and potentially escalating to a full-scale crisis.  Yet conflict need not always be negative. As you will come to learn, the marriage of differences that first seeded conflict can also be a crucible for creative newness and transformation.

The intention of this course is to equip you to proactively and constructively respond to conflict by engaging in it with skill and confidence. There are two dimensions to this proactive and constructive engagement. Firstly, we aim to develop skills that address conflicted situations that involve you personally. These skills include: increasing your self-awareness, enabling you to manage emotions, insightfully diagnose root causes of conflict, and develop the skills to be able to approach the other person with both assertiveness and empathy.  Secondly, we aim to develop your skills as a third party in conflict resolution, so that you are able to make appropriate interventions and assist others in conflict.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit aims to provide students with a biblical, theological and theoretical framework for addressing conflict in personal, organisational and ministry contexts. It seeks to develop student’s competence in resolving and transforming conflict through interpersonal and communication skills as an expression of the gospel.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1)    Summarise the chief communication principles involved in situations of conflict

2)    Critically appraise the contribution of a biblical framework for responding to crisis and conflict

3)    Describe and analyse appropriate responses to types of crises

4)    Engage critically with one’s personal responses and reactions to crisis and conflict

5)    Design an informed and effective process of mediation

CONTENT

1. Biblical, theological and pastoral perspectives on conflict
2. The dynamics of personal, relational and institutional conflict
3. Individual responses to conflict
4. Conflict escalation and de-escalation
5. Conflict resolution versus transformation
6. Assessing conflicted situations
7. Interventions in conflict
8. The role of the leader in conflicted settings

SCHEDULE

P7395  Spiritual Leadership

Effective leadership brings together the power of spiritual formation with the skills required to recognise the potential in our people and processes.  The best thing any of us have to bring to our leadership is our transforming selves. It is crucial that we forge a connection between our own journey of transformation (soul) and our leadership practice (role). Becoming an authentic leader is not simply something we are born to. We must use our God-given strengths and develop them, acknowledging and learning from our shortcomings.  It is a journey of discovery to find where our greatest passion meets the world’s greatest need.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Identify for themselves a question to be posed or a topic to be investigated in the subject area of Spiritual Leadership
2. Demonstrate a good knowledge of Spiritual Leadership
3. Analyse in some depth a range of primary and secondary literature dealing with Spiritual Leadership
4. Evaluate the issue using the methodologies appropriate to the subject area of Spiritual Leadership
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life and ministry

CONTENT

1. The importance of spiritual formation for authentic leadership
2. The vocation of spiritual leadership
3. Qualities, knowledge and skills necessary for spiritual leadership
4. The empowerment of others through spiritual leadership.
5. The application of spiritual leadership to the context of contemporary Christian community

SCHEDULE

P7399 Capstone in Pastoral Theology

This unit is typically studied as the final element of a course of study. Its purpose is to allow students to take a reflective look back through their entire studies to date. Whereas other units ask students to look at a particular topic or area, the purpose of this unit is to integrate, consolidate, and synthesise all that has been studied.  It allows gaps in learning to be filled, connections to be established and a base for future learning established.

Questions that the capstone unit seeks to answer are: What have been common themes throughout the entire course?  What ideas that were taught were foundational to other ideas or areas?  Were there specific core skills, attitudes or knowledge that were shown to be pivotal?  How would you grow further in this area of study?  What can you identify as missing in your knowledge and skills in this area that you would like to still develop?  What were the challenges you faced?  How have you and will you apply what you have learnt to your life and ministry?

The coursework for the unit will be two-fold.  On one level it will draw upon all of the readings that students have already done across the course as a whole. However, it will also require students to engage in further extensive readings – at least 650 pages in total.  The actual books to be read should be chosen in consultation with the student’s supervisor. These readings should be selected by the student, in consultation with a supervisor, to address specific gaps or needs in the student’s knowledge, skills or character with respect to ministry preparedness. The purpose of this reading is to deepen the student’s overall knowledge in this area, fill in gaps in specific areas, and encourage a healthy synthesis and mastery of their studies overall.

Students will also be expected to attend approximately four two-hour online facilitation sessions with a supervisor and other students. Spread throughout the trimester, students will discuss their plans for the unit and make presentations to receive feedback on their final assessment.

Note: This unit may also be studied in other disciplines, such as Mission, Theology, Biblical studies and Christian Spirituality with appropriate modifications. To enrol in a capstone in any of those other disciplines, please discuss this with your Student Engagement Manager and note in your unit enrolment your discipline of choice.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This capstone course unit provides an opportunity for students to integrate what they have previously learned in the major area of study, in other course units that formed part of the degree, and in their life experiences beyond the formal course of study.  It enables students to demonstrate a broad mastery of learning across the curriculum, to consider its application in future life situations, and to plan further learning experiences designed to complement and extend their current levels of understanding. It normally introduces little new content although it may introduce new methodologies and techniques.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

A capstone unit may develop in many ways.  It has the potential for various learning outcomes.  The learning outcomes below are examples of typical learning outcomes.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. interrogate the disciplinary assumptions and intellectual history of their major area of study
2. reflect upon and articulate their personal reasons for studying and practising their particular area of theology and ministry
3. consider their personal experiences in studying theology and ministry in a broader social and critical context with a view to their future life experiences
4. engage in debate about the significance of theology to public discourse, and the relative merits of a formal education in studies in theology and ministry
5. construct an original argument in relation to a field of scholarly debate
6. support arguments with textual evidence using appropriate the critical skills
7. conduct formal textual analysis of works within their major area of study.
8. consolidate higher-level applied communication skills (written, oral, interpersonal, professional presentations)
9. apply theory to practice, work effectively in employment-related teamwork situations, and effectively use professional networking opportunities
10. demonstrate early professional dispositions and ethical stance.

CONTENT

The content of this unit is comprised of the readings approved for the student -650 pages.

ASSESSMENT

The assessment for this unit is two-fold. The first (30%) assignment is a personal analysis of the student’s preparedness for Christian ministry, with a plan for future enhancement. The second (70%) has several options including the development of a practical ministry tool for a specific purpose (eg training, teaching, consultancy) or a summary and synthesis of your learning through this course. Full assessment details will be provided in the course introductory booklet.

FACILITATION

In place of a standard three-day facilitation, this unit will have 8 hours of online student interactions throughout the trimester. This will allow students to develop their plans for the unit and present their draft major assessments to peers online. The timing of the facilitations will be negotiated with the students who have enrolled in the unit.

P7XX Church Planting

Over the last twenty years there has been much change in the Australian church and beyond. Church planting has been both the result of this change, and at the forefront of it.  It has been a period of undoing the shackles that have held our thinking and doing of church captive during most of the last century. Now there is both a freedom and encouragement to establish new expressions of church life as seen in church planting.

At the forefront of this new thinking and creativity in the Australian church has been the emerging missional church, as championed by the likes of Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost. Overseas there have been similar moves of church renewal such as the Emergent stream in the USA and emerging and “Fresh Expressions” examples in the UK and elsewhere.  The uniqueness of the Australian resurgence in church planting has been the strong “missional” emphasis that it has focussed on.

In this unit we will look at the models that are being used to establish new church plants. There is no one model that is best; it all depends on the context and the personnel available. We will also take a close look at the role of the key church planter, and a session to understand the value of the church planting team. This will enable you to see where you may fit best in the church planting task.

In a couple of sessions we examine the practical issues of getting a church plant started.  It is vital to ensure that a solid vision and a values-based ministry foundation are established, as well as putting in place the “nuts and bolts of ministry” as Aubrey Malphurs reminds us. And, of course, we look at the importance of trusting and following a sovereign God who is very much at work with us in the task of building his church, a church that will go on reproducing new Christians and new churches for his glory.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This introductory undergraduate course unit recognises that church planting is a key facet of church life, evangelism, and expansion. It establishes the biblical and theological foundations of church planting and equips students in relevant areas of ministerial and personal formation geared to a role in a church plant. The unit is an integration of theory and practice and encourages the student to engage critically and creatively in the “thinking and doing” of church planting. The unit is an Elective unit and may form part of a Major in the Discipline of Pastoral Theology within the Bachelor awards.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Outline the biblical and missiological foundations that inform an understanding of church planting
2. Identify key themes within modern research and scholarship on church-planting
3. Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of various church planting models with particular reference to church planting in an Australian context
4. Assess their personal potential and role in a church planting context
5. Present a proposal for a real or hypothetical church plant using the principles presented during this unit.

CONTENT

1. Why Church Planting?
2. Culture, Change and Challenge: Evangelism in the Australian Context
3. The Mission and Models of the Church
4. Church Planting Models
5. The Church Planter
6. The Church Planting Team
7. Vision and Values
8. Planning and Strategy
9. From Addition to Multiplication
10. The Church of God at Work

S7102  Introduction to Christian Spirituality

This subject introduces students to the study of Christian Spirituality, focussing on the biblical, theological and historical foundations of Christian Spirituality, and their application to ministry and mission through the art of soul-care.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Elucidate a clear understanding of what is meant by the term ‘spirituality’;
2. Identify the historical and cultural influences upon the development of Christian spirituality;
3. Distinguish the nature of Christian Spirituality and sketch its primary characteristics;
4. Evaluate various kinds of spiritual disciplines or practices within the Christian tradition against their biblical and theological foundations;
5. Apply insights from a variety of expressions in Christian spirituality to their own spiritual formation and practice.

S7103  Spiritual Formation 1

Spiritual Formation is the process of restoration in which we are formed into the image of God through Jesus Christ. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit that initiates, designs and implements this process in our lives. Our part is to be open and willing to participate in that reforming. Spiritual Formation Units are year-long in their duration involving practical and academic activities that cause us to awaken to God’s maturing action within us.

This particular unit explores sustainable models of personal transformation that are based on the life and ministry of Jesus.  An essential first step to experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promises is being and becoming a beloved child of God.  When we learn that we are graciously accepted in this way, we discover good and beautiful narratives that allow us to be drawn by love, vision and Spirit rather than driven by fear, guilt and shame. God’s Spirit empowers us to accomplish those things we cannot accomplish in our own strength.  When we participate with the Spirit to follow Jesus on this journey, we experience a radical integration of our head, heart and hands that transforms how we serve and lead.

ACOM considers Spiritual Formation units to be essential in preparation for Christian ministry as well as for those who already are well established in ministry because it’s a lifelong activity. Spiritual Formation units are designed for a variety of ages and stages in life in general. Students engaging with these topics and activities will increase their God-awareness, self-awareness, personal functioning and spiritual maturity for life and ministry. Spiritual Formation Units incorporate three integrated activities:

1. A small group community called a Formation Group that meets regularly throughout the year.
2. A personal spiritual mentoring relationship conducted throughout the year.
3. Thoughtful engagement with an online Spiritual Formation Curriculum

All are designed to awaken us to God’s divine initiative in our ordinary everyday life. These three elements are intertwined to create robust spiritual maturity throughout the year in providing character formation and ministry formation. 

Spiritual maturity involves:

• Deepening one’s intimate relationship with God thereby growing in God-awareness.
• Developing and sustaining prayerful vulnerability and humility as essential virtues for life and ministry
• Growing in discernment, wisdom and spiritual empowerment

Character Formation involves:

• Expanding self-awareness
• Enhancing relational capacity and virtues
• Developing emotional resilience
• Building personal integrity

Ministry Formation involves:

• Clarifying and developing vocational awareness
• Developing and sustaining self-care strategies
• Extending leadership capacity and skilling

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Appraise a number of sustainable models of personal transformation that are based on the life of Jesus
2. Explain the theological and operational connection between grace and personal transformation.
3. Evaluate the power of various narratives in establishing identity and shaping relations to God and others.
4. Analyse approaches to formulating a Christian framework for the distinctive role of the Holy Spirit in the transformation process
5. Construct a process by which the principles of personal transformation will impact a specific area of service or leading.

CONTENT

1. Christian models of personal transformation.
2. The role of Grace.
3. The significance of authentic and false narratives.
4. The particular role the Holy Spirit plays in the transformation process.
5. Serving and leading from our transformed selves.

S7162  The Art and Science of Formation

This unit examines how the spiritual disciplines function as a means of grace in Christian spiritual formation.  This practical unit invites us to reclaim the word ‘discipline’ as a creative and positive dimension in our spiritual life.  As we train in the spiritual disciplines, we create new patterns of interaction, giving rise to the kind of transformation that our heart and soul so deeply desires.  Integrating these patterns into an ‘rhythm of life’ releases us to find ourselves enveloped in God’s design and delight.  Out of a posture of growing awareness, a disciplined intentionality can help us abide in God and abound in God’s Kingdom.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an introductory level on role of spiritual disciplines in Christian spiritual formation.  Students will develop theological and practical insights into developing an integrated rule of life and an appreciation of its effects for apprenticeship into Kingdom living.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the elements and principles of the classical spiritual disciplines.
2. Explain the biblical foundations of spiritual disciplines.
3. Analyse the role of spiritual disciplines in the process of Christian spiritual formation.
4. Apply theological and practical insights to the development of an integrated rule of life.
5. Articulate ways in which an integrated rule of life may transform personal development and service by using appropriate methodologies in the discipline of spiritual formation.

  CONTENT

1. The role of the spiritual disciplines in the process of transformation.
2. Exploring the role of the classic spiritual disciplines in engaging with God and others.
3. The Biblical foundation of the disciplines of abstinence and engagement.
4. Integrating spiritual disciplines into a rule of life.
5. The implications of a rule of life for service and leadership.

S7202 Kingdom Life

This unit explores how the Kingdom of God is the environment in which the process of Christian spiritual formation takes place. Understanding discipleship and formation requires familiarity with the Kingdom Life that Jesus spends so much time announcing and demonstrating. When sharing the Kingdom, Jesus is concerned with more than simply “announcing” the availability of the Kingdom – He is also focused on “demonstrating” a distinctive Way of Life.  As we learn to follow the Way of Jesus, we enter into a whole-of-life interaction with God, steadily coming to understand more of the Kingdom as we are formed in Him. Only when the Jesus Way is joined organically to the Jesus Truth do we get the Jesus Life. Participating in Jesus’ vision of Kingdom Living transforms us and profoundly affects how we then serve and lead others in our local and particular contexts. 

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This unit introduces students to the importance of Jesus’ Kingdom vision and ministry for understanding Christian spiritual formation. It explores ways of integrating a practical theology of Kingdom living.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. appraise the Biblical and theological foundations for the reality of the Kingdom of God
2. determine the key elements in Jesus’ Gospel of the availability of life in the Kingdom
3. demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the Kingdom of God and Christian spiritual formation
4. investigate approaches to spiritual formation that are consistent with Jesus’ Kingdom vision
5. evaluate how Jesus’ teaching on life in the Kingdom can transform our ministry practice in a particular setting.

CONTENT

1. The Kingdom of God in Jesus’ teaching and ministry
2. The Kingdom as the environment for spiritual formation and discipleship
3. Authentic participation in Kingdom life
4. Integrating a practical theology of formation
5. Kingdom living and our ministry practice.

SCHEDULE

S7265  The Art of Discernment

Although this is new material, students who have studied Discerning God’s Will Together may not enrol in the Art of Discernment.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The decisions we make today are crucial for they determine our future tomorrow. God invites us to discern His good, pleasing and perfect will, as we live interactively with Him. Some of these decisions will have minor and other major implications. Nevertheless, living in a discerning way invites us to participate with God to see His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mat 6:10). For some, this will require a renewed approach, a transformation of the way we live in God’s world and go about making decisions.

This ACOM unit explores the principles, postures and practices of seeking after God’s will as an individual and as a group. Additionally, we also investigate the foundations for nurturing a discerning community.

We will not participate fully in the art of discerning God’s will without preparation. This unit will begin by exploring the personal practices helpful for cultivating a listening posture. Next, we will explore three key ingredients for any discernment journey. These steps date back to one of the key fathers of discernment, Ignatius of Loyola, known for his profound insights on this subject. Finally, we will seek to apply our approach for discerning the will of God individually, as a group and how it applies in developing a discerning community.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Explain the role of discipline(s) in developing spiritual discernment
2. Analyze the significance of team dynamics for spiritual decision-making
3. Articulate strategies for developing spiritual maturity within a group context
4. Develop a system of spiritual discernment that incorporates the interplay of spiritual gifts and experience
5. Apply the principles and processes of collective spiritual discernment to a personal or ministry context

CONTENT

1. Introduction to Discernment
2. Establishing a Listening Posture
3. Adopting the Three Key Steps to Discernment
4. Applying Discernment Postures and Principles

SCHEDULE

S7295  Spiritual Mentoring

This unit on the practice of Spiritual Mentoring will introduce the student to the ministry of coming alongside another with the intention of strengthening their walk with God. There are many forms of spiritual accompaniment. This unit focuses on the art of spiritual mentorship or spiritual direction. Leaders who are mentored are far less likely to drop out or fail in their ministry lives. Leaders who are mentored:

• Can discern the movements and invitations of the Spirit in their lives
• Focus on important things
• Hold more energy, joy and resilience
• Have stronger integrity including purity of heart thru accountability
• Keep processing their spiritual formation.

This unit will explore how a spiritual mentor develops these qualities in another. The unit will also offer a model of mentoring that can be personalised and adjusted for certain time frames and styles of mentoring. The unit will look at key areas that make spiritual mentoring a professional practice, such as Supervision, Deep attunement, Evaluation and Ethics.

Spiritual Mentoring has in the past been seen as a rather unintentional practice. Lately many in the church have been drawn to Spiritual Mentoring or Spiritual Direction as important and professional roles in the work of offering intentional spiritual accompaniment.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an intermediate level of knowledge of Spiritual Mentoring
2. Analyse a broad range of primary and secondary literature dealing with Spiritual Mentoring
3. Evaluate Spiritual Mentoring using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline
4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to Spiritual Mentoring and apply to diverse contexts
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life, ministry, or theology

SCHEDULE

S7296  Spiritual Formation 2 (Community Transformation)

Spiritual Formation 2 (Community Transformation) continues the restoration process in which we are formed into the image of God through Jesus Christ. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that initiates, designs and implements this process. Our part is to be open and willing to actively participate in that reforming. Spiritual Formation units are year-long in their duration involving practical and academic activities that cause us to awaken to God’s maturing action within us.

In the previous unit, the emphasis in the curriculum was looking at self in relationship with God: the role of grace, true and false images of God and the role of the Holy Spirit. SF2 directs attention to self with others. It is an exploration of the relational dynamics in Spiritual Formation. 

The most important Kingdom resource is a community of people who are fully alive and freely aligned. God’s Spirit draws us together and aligns us in a wonderfully creative team effort with increasing cycles of productivity and joy. It is as we follow Jesus with others that we most effectively participate in God’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.  This Spiritual Formation 2 (Community Transformation) unit explores how spiritual formation takes place over time, with others, in the context of disciplines and practices that open us to God.  A privatised approach to transformation that fails to see other people as necessary instruments of God’s grace will limit the work of transformation in our lives.

SF2 continues the 3-pronged process of awakening to God’s work in us through group work, a Spiritual Mentor and reading the online curriculum.  All are designed to awaken us to God’s divine initiative in our ordinary everyday life. These three elements are intertwined to create robust spiritual maturity throughout the year in providing character formation and ministry formation.   

LEARNING OUTCOMES    

1. Demonstrate an intermediate level of knowledge of Community Transformation
2. Analyse a broad range of primary and secondary literature dealing with Community Transformation
3. Evaluate the area of Community Transformation using the methodologies appropriate to Spirituality

4. Show competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to Community Transformation and apply to diverse contexts
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life, ministry, or theology

CONTENT

The themes of this unit include:

• The role of community in spiritual formation
• Practicing the way of Jesus together
• The centrality of praxis in narrative change
• Initiating and facilitating group experiments
• The importance of integrating intention in service and leadership

S7301  Spiritual Formation 3

This unit develops the context of personal spiritual formation as intentional preparation for Christian ministry. It further extends the students capacity to contemplate formational challenge and manage unique issues related to life of a minister.

At the end of this unit a student will be able to:
1) Critique the role of a contemporary Christian minister and categorize vital formational aspects related to the enhancement of this vocation.
2) Forecast key transformational and transitional phases a life of ministry
3) Process ministry failure and the formational invitations its presents.
4) Generate significant self-awareness using reflective practices to establish vocational clarity.
5) Formulate and organize a discernment process that manages and interprets ministry challenges

The content of this subject includes:
1) The vocational call to ministry
2) Transition in life and ministry
3) Challenges in ministry failure
4) Emotional & mental health in the minister
5) Personal & professional reflection practices: retreating, communal discernment

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Spiritual Formation For Ministry

All Spiritual Formation units involve a three day retreat. This retreat revolves around telling life stories in the confidentiality of your Formation Group (4 - 8 students). You may well find these life stories challenging, encouraging or simply moving- not necessarily easy to tell or hear, but vital for growth both individually and as a group.

Attendance at the retreat is compulsory (except for remote students with permission) for this unit, and an assessable reflective paper will be written on your experiences there.

The retreat is a highlight of the student’s spiritual formation year. Formation groups are not open for additional students to join after the retreat has been held.

Note: Retreat registration occurs automatically when you register for Spiritual Formation (there is no additional cost to attend the retreat).

T7101  Introduction to Theology

This course unit introduces students into the nature and tasks of theology and to theological methodology. It provides a foundation for all future theology course units.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature and purpose of theology
2. Identify and explain the doctrinal presuppositions that are the foundation for theology
3. Analyse the writing of several theological thinkers and key theological texts, ancient and modern
4. Make use of an appropriate methodology for particular theological tasks
5. Apply the skills of theological reflection to life in the community of faith

The threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is that theology is an engagement with the data of revelation, using reason and the entire conscience of the person as well as prayer.

The content of this subject includes:
1. The nature and purpose of theology
2. Overview of history of theology
3. Theological method
4. Presuppositions for doing theology
5. Context for theology
6. The vocation of the theologian

T7146  Biblical Theology for Mission

This course unit provides an overview of the Biblical teaching concerning God’s mission towards humankind. Attention is given to the foundations of God’s mission and to the manner in which God has worked out that mission in the world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. explain the basis of mission as an expression of the self-revelation of God
2. relate Old and New Testament texts to the flow of salvation history
3. analyse how the church functions effectively as a missionary community
4. articulate a biblical theology of God’s mission
5. apply a biblical theology of mission to the task of world evangelisation and social justice

CONTENT

1. The nature of a missionary God
2. Israel’s election and world salvation
3. Mission and ethics for an exilic people
4. The mission of God through Jesus the Christ
5. Mission in the early church and the New Testament
6. Mission theologies in church history
7. Emerging paradigms of mission
8. Contemporary ecumenical reflections on mission
9. Missional theology and missional church
10. A synthesis of Biblical foundations for mission

T7215  The Spirit of Life

The aim of this unit is to assist students to obtain a clear understanding of the foundations upon which a Theology of the Holy Spirit may be established. These foundations will emerge from an analysis of the biblical revelation and the theological formulations related to the Person, Works and Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is a time when experience is finding strong emphasis in the Christian Church’s corporate worship life and also in the personal faith-life of individual Christians. While encouraging that trend, this unit seeks to examine the biblical and theological roots which underpin the understanding of, experience in, and power from, the Holy Spirit today. On concluding this unit, students will have gained detailed knowledge of the biblical texts which speak of the Holy Spirit; have gained deeper insight into the theological issues relating to the Holy Spirit; have a critical awareness of the role of the Spirit in and through the Church; and will have grown in their own knowledge and experience of the Holy Spirit through sustained reflection.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This undergraduate course unit is designed to provide students with an understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology). It seeks to explore this understanding in the light of contemporary Christian thought and experience.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Articulate the doctrine of the person of the Holy Spirit within a biblical framework
2. Review biblical, theological and/or historical perspectives on the work of the Holy Spirit
3. Analyse an aspect of the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer
4. Critically assess contemporary perspectives on an aspect of the person or work of the Spirit
5. Incorporate an understanding of the work of the Spirit in the life of the Church today

CONTENT

1)      The Person and Work of the Spirit: Biblical Foundations

2)      The Holy Spirit and the Trinity

3)      The Spirit in Early Christian Understanding

4)      The Spirit in the Life of Christ

5)      The Work of the Spirit in Conversion and Sanctification

6)      The Baptism of the Spirit: Historical & Contemporary Perspectives

7)      Spiritual Gifts: Nature and Purpose

8)     Pastoral Implications: Keeping in Step with the Spirit

SCHEDULE

T7217  The Church

This unit is designed to introduce the student to the function, purpose, and mission of the church and to explore from a theological perspective why engaging in the church is not an optional extra for the Christian life but its very lifeblood.

CONTENT
1. Becoming the People of God
2. Who’s in? Who’s out?
3. What is the Church?
4. The Church and the Kingdom of God
5. Christ - the Head of the Church
6. The Sacramental Function of the Church
7. Sacrament Case Study (1) - Communion
8. Sacrament Case Study (2) - Baptism
9. The Mission of the Church
10. The Future of the Church

T7231  The Person and Work of Christ

This course unit is designed to provide students with an understanding of the person and saving work of Jesus Christ. It seeks to explore this understanding in the light of contemporary Christian thought and life.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate an understanding of the person and saving work of Christ in the New Testament;
2. demonstrate a critical awareness of the evolution of Christological and soteriological doctrine.
3. analyze source documents and theological literature relevant to Christology and Soteriology;
4. critically explore issues in Christology and Soteriology in the context of contemporary culture and religion; and,
5. apply Christological and Soteriological insights to the Christian spiritual life and discipleship.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Methodological issues and/or foundational concepts in Christology and Soteriology
2. Christological and Soteriological themes in the New Testament
3. The evolution of Christological and Soteriological doctrine
4. The development of the theological understanding of the person and saving work of Jesus Christ
5. Contemporary issues in Christology and Soteriology
6. Implications for Ecclesiology and the Christian Life

T7275  Theological Ethics

Welcome to the ACOM unit “Theological Ethics”.  This unit represents a thoughtful exploration of the issue of how we should act as Christians, given the fact that we have committed ourselves to be disciples of Jesus Christ.  If we have entered into the joy of the Master and become the beneficiaries of his salvation, what responsibilities and obligations does that commit us to?  In the words of the 1960’s theologian, Francis Schaefer: “How then should we live?”

This unit commences by looking at the pre-Christian antecedents of ethical inquiry, addressing ancient Greek treatments of the topic of morality.  It progresses to look at the ethical framework found in the Old Testament (e.g. the Decalogue or Ten Commandments).  It then looks at the ethical constructs found in the New Testament by paying particular attention to Jesus’ teaching (e.g., the Sermon on the Mount), and Paul’s teaching on how the post-conversion Christian community should  behave (e.g., freedom from the law, moral codes for Christian leaders and sexual ethics). Students are then introduced to the philosophical and cultural values which underlie ethical decisions, and provided with a framework for ethical decision-making.

In the sessions that follow a series of in-depth analyses and case studies are provided, around such issues as war, sexuality, oppression and consumerism – making use of the ethical models discovered in the biblical sources of Christian ethics discovered earlier in the Unit. The unit closes with a statement concerning a biblically-grounded Christian “ethical” theology for ministry praxis.

 The underlying commitment of this unit is that being a disciple of Jesus Christ has specific implications and measurable outcomes for how we behave as people in the world.  This has a direct impact on how we, as ministers of the gospel, and as leaders of Christian communities approach the social and spiritual issues which apply in contemporary Australia.  The Christian church ought to be God’s “shop window” to the world, representing the character and values of the Kingdom of God in 3-D sound and colour. 

 But, so often, the issues become clouded and the church so confused – that its leaders can lose both their bearings and focus on what is important.  This unit provides a fundamental reorientation back to the grounds from which the Christian faith sprang.  As such, it seeks to provide strong encouragement for students to discover reasons WHY they should incorporate ethical behaviours and impulses within their own lives and ministries, and seek to inculcate these into the Christian communities to which they belong and often lead.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Explain the biblical and theological foundations of Christian ethics
2. Identify a range of Christian and non-Christian approaches to ethical behaviour
3. Articulate a rationale for maintaining Christian ethics in a culture of diverse moral approaches
4. Establish the importance of theologically integrated behaviour as the link-point between faith and practice
5. Apply a theological ethic to a contemporary issue of personal relevance.

SCHEDULE

Note: students who have passed Biblical Answers for Life’s Questions can not study this unit due to an overlap of content.

T7305  Christian Apologetics

This course will introduce you to the major ideas and methods in contemporary Christian apologetics.  It will focus on relevance to faith and witness today, and also consider historical, cultural and theological connections. It will consider key arguments for and against theism from a Christian perspective.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature of Christian apologetics, and the various approaches available.
2. Discuss how various cultural and theological forces have changed the current environment for Christian apologetics.
3. Critically analyse the apologetic literature relevant to this unit
4. Articulate both classical and contemporary arguments and defences for Christian life and faith.
5. Critically apply the results of their study to contemporary questions raised by their society.

CONTENT

1. Apologetics: biblical foundations
2. Apologetic Methods
3. The moral argument for God's existence
4. The problem of suffering and evil
5. How human consciousness points to God
6. Scientific apologetics
7. The moral attack on God
8. Jesus: The historical evidence

T7320  Theology for Ministry

This course unit enables students to explore what it means to minister in the Church in the modern world. It will assist them to reflect on the foundations for their own practise of ministry.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate a well developed understanding of the relationship between ministry and the mission of the Church
2. research and analyse the history and present shape of ministry in the Church
3. articulate a theology of church and ministry that takes account of the ecumenical consensus and of their particular ecclesial context
4. develop a response to contemporary challenges
5. apply the theology of ministry in a collaborative ecclesial context

The content of this subject includes:
1. Ministry in Scripture and in the first Christian communities
2. The ministry of the church as the whole people of God
3. Theologies of ordination
4. The relationship between lay and ordained ministry
5. Ministry and leadership in ecclesial communities
6. An ecumenical perspective on ministry in the Church

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Ministry in the Church

CONTENT

1. Apologetics: biblical guidelines, contemporary challenges
2. New Atheism
3. The moral argument for God's existence
4. The problem of suffering and evil
5. How human consciousness points to God
6. Scientific apologetics
7. The moral attack on God
8. The reliability or otherwise of the NT
9. Contemporary arguments for and against Jesus

 T7333  The Trinity

The purpose of this unit is to focus exclusively on, and examine systematically, the Church’s teaching on the mystery of the Holy Trinity, a doctrine that stands at the very heart of Christian belief. In so doing it will want to demonstrate the profound soteriological and existential consequences of this doctrine to the way Christians live their life.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the key themes in the doctrine of the Trinity;
2) identify the key biblical features of this doctrine and its trajectory into the Patristic and/or modern traditions;
3) Critically review, analyse, and synthesise knowledge current literature on the Trinity;
4) show an ability to articulate a doctrine of the Trinity for a contemporary reader;
5) apply the doctrine of the Trinity to Christian living today

The threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is the importance of the Trinitarian doctrine for Christian living

The content of this subject includes:
1. Biblical foundations of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity; Old and New Testaments
2. The historical developments of the Trinitarian doctrine
3. Modern understandings of the Trinity
4. Systematic considerations: for example, persons, essence/substance, koinonia
5. Salvific and existential implications
6. Contemporary Trinitarian theology: problems and perspectives

T7396  Biblical Answers for Life's Questions

This course unit introduces students to the foundations of Christian ethics from the biblical sources. It identifies critical issues for Christian ministry in an amoral culture, providing students with a framework for theological reflection and a platform upon which to base their missional and pastoral ministries.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the foundations of Christian ethics from the biblical sources.
2. Identify a range of Christian and non-Christian approaches to ethics.
3. Formulate a defence of Christian ethics in an amoral culture.
4. Incorporate a distinctly biblical “ethic” into the ministries.
5. Appreciate the Christian community as the harbinger of the values of the kingdom of God.
6. Value the importance of ethical behaviour as the link-point between faith and practice.

The content for this subject includes:
1. Greek Philosophy and Classical approaches to Ethics
2. Old Testament Ethical Foundations
3. New Testament Foundations: Jesus and the Gospels
4. New Testament Foundations: Paul and the early Church
5. Ethical Models and their Practical Outworking
6. Approaches to Ethical Decision-Making as a Christian: Models, Mandates, Missions
7. Just War: its Christian Roots and Contemporary Issues
8. Life Issues: Abortion and Euthanasia
9. Sexuality in a Pornographic World
10. Responding to the Oppressed of the World
11. A Theological Response to Consumerism
12. Towards a Biblically-Grounded Christian "Ethical Theology" for Christian Ministry Praxis

P7282  Supervised Ministry 1

There are 2 Supervised Ministry Units, of 9 credit points each. It is expected that students will enrol in both units. Students should enrol in both at the start of the year, and will receive access to the unit information in trimester 1. However, they will technically be enrolled in Supervised Ministry 1 in trimester 2, and Supervised Ministry 2 in trimester 3. Students will be expected to work on the units throughout the year.

This course unit incorporates learning experiences at a practical level as well as giving opportunity to reflect on both the practice and theory of ministry. This reflection occurs with both an appointed supervisor and mentor as well as the formal classroom situation. The mentoring would be with experienced ordained pastors or those in recognised specialist ministries.

At the end of the unit students should be able to:
1) identify important aspects of support for ministry settings
2) demonstrate a critical understanding of the issues involved in interacting within the mentoring and classroom situation
3) incorporate the supervisory process and personal journaling as a means of critical self-evaluation
4) demonstrate a sound level of practical involvement and initiative in the process of practical church ministry
5) appreciate the value and process of being mentored as means of personal growth

The content of this subject includes:
1) Ministry placement
2) Involvement in the process of mentoring and theological reflection with an appointed supervisor
3) Seminars and group interaction
4) The theory and the practice of pastoral ministry
5) Develop an initial personal ministry profile
6)Legalities of pastoral ministry (e.g. Regulation check lists for children‘s workers)

P7382  Supervised Ministry 2

There are 2 Supervised Ministry Units, of 9 credit points each. It is expected that students will enrol in both units. Students should enrol in both at the start of the year, and will receive access to the unit information in trimester 1. However, they will technically be enrolled in Supervised Ministry 1 in trimester 2, and Supervised Ministry 2 in trimester 3. Students will be expected to work on the units throughout the year.

This course unit enables the student to work in a supervised ministry context for an extended period of time gaining valuable practical ministry experience within an existing ministry team. The process of reflection on practice is developed through personal and theological reflection. The unit expands and develops the supervised ministry one experience of the student. The student will work with both an appointed supervisor and mentor for the duration of this placement.

At the end of the unit students should be able to:
1) Demonstrate an ability to exercise public ministry with evidence of leadership within a supervised context
2) Outline the process for integrating theological understanding and practice
3) Discuss the dynamics of team ministry
4) Analyse both church / ministry setting and personal decision making processes
5) Appreciate the value of personal and peer reflection

The content of this subject includes:
1) Substantial ministry placement
2) Critical involvement in the process of mentoring and theological reflection with an appointed supervisor
3) Seminars and group interaction
4) The theory and the practice of pastoral ministry
5) Identity an initial personal ministry profile
6)Legalities of pastoral ministry (e.g. Regulation check lists for children‘s workers)

X7393  Independent Guided Study (9 credit points)

This course unit enables students with initiative and creativity to pursue ideas and areas of interest in a subject area. It affords the student an opportunity to develop independent research and study skills.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. identify a question to be posed or a topic to be investigated in the particular subject area,
2. describe a suitable method for resolving the question or for researching the topic,
3. outline a working bibliography for the area of their research,
4. show an informed competence in descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to the topic of their research,
5. produce a report (or reports) that is clearly expressed and well argued.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Process for choosing topic of interest.
2. Process for determining selection of necessary research skills.
3. Process for selection of sources of information that assist and guide the development of necessary research skills.
4. Process for obtaining approval by the appropriate academic authority in the MI to proceed with the unit.

Upon registering for this unit through Moodle, please indicate in the comments what sub-discipline you would like to study this unit in. It can be studied in any of Pastoral Theology, Mission, Biblical Studies, Theology, Christian Spirituality, Pastoral Counselling or Christian History. This sub-discipline should be what you hope to do the subsequent Research Project or Research Essay in.

X7394  Independent Guided Study (18 credit points)

This course unit enables students with initiative and creativity to pursue ideas and areas of interest in a subject area. It affords the student an opportunity to develop independent research and study skills.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. identify for themselves a question to be posed or a topic to be investigated in the particular subject area,
2. describe a satisfactory method for resolving the question or for researching the topic,
3. outline a working bibliography for the area of their research,
4. show an informed competence in descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to the topic of their research,
5. produce a report (or reports) that is clearly expressed and well argued

The content of this subject includes:
1. Process for choosing topic of interest.
2. Process for determining selection of necessary research skills.
3. Process for selection of sources of information that assist and guide the development of necessary research skills.
4. Process for obtaining approval by the appropriate academic authority in the MI to proceed with the unit.

Upon registering for this unit through Moodle, please indicate in the comments what sub-discipline you would like to study this unit in. It can be studied in any of Pastoral Theology, Mission, Biblical Studies, Theology, Christian Spirituality, Pastoral Counselling or Christian History. This sub-discipline should be what you hope to do the subsequent Research Project or Research Essay in.

X7399  Capstone Unit

This capstone course unit provides an opportunity for students to integrate what they have previously learned in the major area of study, in other course units that formed part of the degree, and in their life experiences beyond the formal course of study. It enables students to demonstrate a broad mastery of learning across the curriculum, to consider its application in future life situations, and to plan further learning experiences designed to complement and extend their current levels of understanding. It normally introduces little new content although it may introduce new methodologies and techniques.

A capstone unit may develop in many ways. It has the potential for various learning outcomes. The learning outcomes below are examples of typical learning outcomes.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. interrogate the disciplinary assumptions and intellectual history of their major area of study
2. reflect upon and articulate their personal reasons for studying and practising their particular area of theology and ministry
3. consider their personal experiences in studying theology and ministry in a broader social and critical context with a view to their future life experiences
4. engage in debate about the significance of theology to public discourse, and the relative merits of a formal education in studies in theology and ministry
5. construct an original argument in relation to a field of scholarly debate
6. support arguments with textual evidence using appropriate the critical skills
7. conduct formal textual analysis of works within their major area of study.
8. consolidate higher-level applied communication skills (written, oral, interpersonal, professional presentations)
9. apply theory to practice, work effectively in employment-related teamwork situations, and effectively use professional networking opportunities
10. demonstrate of early professional dispositions and ethical stance.

The class sessions include scaffolding students through the synthesis of their prior knowledge. They provide students with frameworks for planning, reflection, analysis, and synthesis. Sessions might include
• development of realistic and feasible topics.
• advice on the types of projects that could be undertaken and opportunities to discuss projects
• guidance on development of plans for achieving outcomes and on completing projects or reports
• assistance with working effectively and collaborating in a team,
• risk management associated with students’ participation in authentic professional and industry settings.

Upon registering for this unit through Moodle, please indicate in the comments what sub-discipline you would like to study this unit in. It can be studied in any of Pastoral Theology, Mission, Biblical Studies, Theology, Christian Spirituality, Pastoral Counselling or Christian History. This sub-discipline should be what you hope to do the subsequent Research Project or Research Essay in.

X7391  Research Project (9 credit points)

This course unit builds on the theological background, capacity and interests of a student and enables her or him to pursue broad research, often of a survey nature, into an area or topic within a discipline or across disciplines. This research cannot usually be done within the strictures of individual coursework units or the focused study of a particular topic.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate broad knowledge of the area chosen within the disciplines being studied
2. demonstrate undergraduate level skills of researching within a discipline and across disciplines where applicable
3. critically evaluate the topic under consideration using the methodologies of the subject area/s
4. integrate the topic being studied into a wider theological framework
5. evaluate the pertinent theological, ministerial and social implications of the topic

Advanced students must learn to study special-interest topics independently according to a valid method of research and analysis.

This course unit permits students to research a topic of their own choosing in consultation with the lecturer.

X7392  Research Project (18 credit points)

This course unit builds on the theological background, capacity and interests of a student and enables her or him to pursue broad research, often of a survey nature, into an area or topic within a discipline or across disciplines,. This research cannot usually be done within the strictures of individual coursework units or the focused study of a particular topic.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate broad knowledge of the area chosen within the disciplines being studied
2. demonstrate undergraduate level skills of researching within a discipline and across disciplines where applicable
3. critically evaluate the topic under consideration using the methodologies of the subject area/s
4. integrate the topic being studied into a wider theological framework
5. evaluate the pertinent theological, ministerial and social implications of the topic

Advanced students must learn to study special-interest topics independently according to a valid method of research and analysis.

This course unit permits students to research a topic of their own choosing in consultation with the lecturer.

X7398  Action Research Project (18 credit points)

This course unit enables the student to develop competency in a research approach that enhances their ability to reflect, act and learn in their ministry/work context

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) Plan an action research project that integrates established theory, professional practice, and personal development
2) Review current literature within the fields of the research project
3) Actively engage in a work/ministry-based context and apply established theories to the action being observed
4) Reflect on and plan for continuous improvement within the framework of best practice action research (multiple cycles of planning, acting, observing and reflecting)
5) Establish the research findings as reliable and trustworthy in accordance with best practice action research

The content of this subject includes:
1) Introducing the action research approach
2) Engaging stakeholders as co-researchers
3) Researching action
4) Integration of theory and practice
5) Recording and analysing the three unique contributions: development of self, development of organisation, and contribution to the body of knowledge

A8501  Critical Thinking and Writing

This foundational course unit provides structured, practical instruction in the nature and skills of critical thinking and writing in a theological context. It is an excellent course for beginning students, especially for those who have not studied at higher education level recently. Although overall critical thinking and writing skills will be taught, the primary application of these skills will be in the area of writing excellent essays.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate an advanced understanding of the nature of critical thinking, memory, and the relationship between thought and knowledge;
2. critically analyse arguments, draw deductively valid conclusions in the context of complex argumentation, critically analyse qualitative and quantitative data;
3. explore the nature of creative thinking and hypotheses testing and demonstrate a pronounced ability to apply critical thinking skills to research and essay writing;
4. widely access research repositories and assess their relevance for particular purposes and organise research data in a systematic and coherent fashion;
5. demonstrate the worth of personal systems or processes utilised for critical writing and research.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Critical Thinking
2. The acquisition, retention and retrieval of knowledge, including theological knowledge
3. Reasoning: critical construction, drawing deductively valid conclusions, assessing relevance of arguments and sources
4. Analysis arguments
5. Analysing qualitative and quantitative data
6. Critical thinking in research and writing
7. Accessing and assessing research sources and databases
8. Organising research findings
9. Conventions and presentation

A8510  Hebrew I

This unit introduces students to the fundamentals of Biblical Hebrew as a basis for learning to read and translate the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. The unit will guide you through the teaching resources from Basics of Biblical Hebrew by Pratico and Van Pelt (BBH), with supplementary exercises, tips and additional short articles to help and inspire you on the adventure of learning Biblical Hebrew. This unit is designed to be followed by A7160 Biblical Hebrew II, with both units being equivalent to a year of language study.

Each session is structured around the video lesson, textbook chapter and exercises in BBH workbook and will involve the introduction of a new grammatical concept and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique.   There will also be sessions on introducing Hebrew dictionaries and software, and reading exegetical commentaries on the Hebrew text. By the end of this unit, students will be able to read simple Hebrew passages and, combined with Biblical Hebrew II, will have a strong foundation for exegeting the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in its original language and enjoying the fruits of learning Hebrew for ministry.

It is important that you understand that this, or any other language unit, must be given time and attention regularly (preferably daily). This is not a subject that can be ignored for a few weeks and then followed by some intense attention to catch up. To succeed at a language and this unit in particular, you will need to set aside time each day to learn your vocabulary and practise the week’s new concepts and avoid falling behind the schedule. It for this reason that you have weekly Assessed Exercises and unassessed workbook activities to help you keep up to date.

Additionally, you will be required to participate in weekly online tutorial sessions. These will be invaluable for you to discuss areas you are having trouble with, go through workbook questions and receive immediate assistance and feedback throughout the unit. Please ensure these are scheduled into your week. These will be online and mid-week and will be scheduled at a time the suits the majority of students in the class. While these tutorials will be recorded and can be watched at a later date, the maximum benefit will be gained if students join them live each week.

In most units, students have ten sessions of material to interact with. This unit has 12 such sessions, although only ten of these have new content to learn. Overall, though, this unit will require substantially more time and effort than other units. Please make sure that you start on time in week one, then allocate sufficient time EVERY single week of the trimester.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Memorise sufficient vocabulary to translate selected Biblical Hebrew passages.
2. Recognise basic Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
3. Translate,  , parse and analyse simple Biblical Hebrew into English.
4. Use Biblical Hebrew dictionaries and concordances.
5. Employ their knowledge to read critical exegetical commentaries on biblical texts.

CONTENT

1. Hebrew alphabet, basic Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
2. Lexical and grammatical study of selected Hebrew texts.
3. Translation of selected Biblical Hebrew texts.
4. Introduction to the use of Biblical Hebrew /English dictionaries and concordances.

SCHEDULE

A8520 Greek I

This unit introduces students to the fundamentals of Biblical Greek as a basis for learning to read and translate the New Testament. The unit will guide you through the teaching resources from Basics of Biblical Greek (BBG) by Bill Mounce, with supplementary exercises, tips and additional short articles to help and inspire you on the adventure of learning Koine Greek. This unit is designed to be followed by A8570 New Testament Greek (Greek II), with both units being equivalent to a year of language study.

Each session is structured around the video lesson, textbook chapter and exercises in the BBG workbook and will involve the introduction of a new grammatical concept and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique.   There will also be sessions on introducing Greek dictionaries and software and reading exegetical commentaries on the Greek text. By the end of this unit, students will be able to read simple Greek passages and, combined with A8570 New Testament Greek (Greek II), will have a strong foundation for exegeting the New Testament in its original language and enjoy the fruits of learning NT Greek for ministry.

It is important that you understand that this, or any other language unit, must be given time and attention regularly (preferably daily). This is not a subject that can be ignored for a few weeks and then followed by some intense attention to catch up. To succeed at a language and this unit in particular, you will need to set aside time each day to learn your vocabulary and practise the week’s new concepts and avoid falling behind the schedule. It for this reason that you haveweekly Assessed Exercises and unassessed workbook activities to help you keep up to date.

Additionally, you will be required to participate in weekly online tutorial sessions. These will be invaluable for you to discuss areas you are having trouble with, go through workbook questions and receive immediate assistance and feedback throughout the unit. Please ensure these are scheduled into your week. These will be online and mid-week and will be scheduled at a time that suits the majority of students in the class. While these tutorials will be recorded and can be watched at a later date, the maximum benefit will be gained if students join them live each week.

This unit has 12 sessions, although only ten of these have new content to learn. Overall, this unit will require substantially more time and effort than other ACOM units. Please make sure that you start on time in week one, then allocate sufficient time EVERY single week of the trimester.

LEARNING OUTCOMES  
At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. demonstrate a thorough understanding of the basic Grammar and Syntax of New Testament Greek
2. demonstrate the knowledge of, and the ability to use, Greek vocabulary
3. display competency in translating selected texts into English
4. exhibit an ability to use dictionaries and concordances
5. employ their knowledge to read critical exegetical commentaries on biblical texts

CONTENT

1. Greek alphabet, basic NT Greek grammar and syntax.
2. Lexical and grammatical study of selected Greek texts.
3. Translation of selected NT Greek texts.
4. Introduction to the use of NT Greek dictionaries and concordances.

A8530  Introduction to Biblical Languages

This graduate course unit gives an introduction to biblical Hebrew and Greek that will enable students to use various grammatical and lexical tools without requiring a fluency in the language. This will enable them to use with discernment English-language translations for exegesis.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Recognise the alphabet and language structure of biblical Hebrew and Greek
2. Understand the nuances of the grammatical structures of the biblical languages
3. Evaluate English language translations in the light of the various language tools studied
4. Competently utilise an English language translation and various grammatical/lexical tools in exegesis
5. Apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life and ministry

The content of this subject includes:
1. Introductory hermeneutical theory
2. Translation theory and practice
3. Introducing biblical Hebrew and Greek
4. Parts of speech and language structure
5. Simple sentence diagramming
6. Using reference works and word studies
7. Evaluating and using English language translations
8. Sample exegesis from an OT and an NT book

A8560  Hebrew II

This unit is a continuation of A8510 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. It builds on the foundations of grammar and vocabulary so that the student will have the necessary tools to read and translate the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. The unit will guide the student through the introduction to the Hebrew verbal system in the textbook, Basics of Biblical Hebrewby Pratico and Van Pelt (BBH), and through translation of Deuteronomy 6:1-9 and Judges 3:12-31.

Each session is structured around the lectures, textbook chapters and exercises in BBH and will involve the introduction of new grammatical concepts and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique.  These will be put into practice reading the chosen Biblical texts and using a technical commentary to build exegesis skills. By the end of this unit, students will have a strong foundation for exegeting the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in its original language and enjoy the fruits of learning Hebrew for ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1.  Expand their memorized Hebrew vocabulary.
2. Recognise more advanced Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
3. Translate, parse and analyse more complex Biblical Hebrew
4. Use Biblical Hebrew dictionaries and concordances with greater facility.
5. Read critical exegetical commentaries on biblical Hebrew texts with greater facility.

CONTENT

1. More complex forms of Biblical Hebrew grammar and syntax.
2. Lexical and grammatical study of selected Hebrew texts.
3. Translation of selected Biblical Hebrew texts.
4. Independent use of Biblical Hebrew/English dictionaries and concordances.

SCHEDULE

A8570   Greek II

This unit follows on from A8520 Introduction to New Testament Greek. It completes the foundational study of Biblical Greek and enables students to develop and deepen their ability to read and translate the New Testament. The unit sessions will guide you through the completion of the teaching resources from Basics of Biblical Greek (BBG) by Bill Mounce.

Each session is structured around the video lesson, textbook chapter and exercises in the BBG workbook and will involve the introduction of a new grammatical concept and new vocabulary. Each session also builds on the previous session, assuming but also revising the work from earlier sessions. Throughout the unit, students will learn grammatical principles, memorise paradigms and vocabulary, and develop translation technique. By the end of this unit, students will have a strong foundation for exegeting the New Testament in its original language and enjoy the fruits of learning NT Greek for ministry.

It is important that you understand that this, or any other language unit, must be given time and attention regularly (preferably daily). This is not a subject that can be ignored for a few weeks and then followed by some intense attention to catch up. To succeed at a language and this unit in particular, you will need to set aside time each day to learn your vocabulary and practise the week’s new concepts and avoid falling behind the schedule.

Additionally, you will be encouraged to participate in weekly online tutorial sessions. These will be invaluable for you to discuss areas you are having trouble with, go through workbook questions and receive immediate assistance and feedback throughout the unit. Please ensure these are scheduled into your week. These will be online and mid-week and will be scheduled at a time the suits the majority of students in the class. While these tutorials will be recorded and can be watched at a later date, the maximum benefit will be gained if students join them live each week.

This unit has 12 sessions, although only ten of these have new content to learn. Overall, this unit will require substantially more time and effort than other ACOM units. Please make sure that you start on time in week one, then allocate sufficient time EVERY single week of the trimester.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1.      demonstrate thorough knowledge of advanced morphological and syntactic forms

2.      display well-developed knowledge of a substantial Greek vocabulary

3.      confidently translate complex New Testament Greek texts into English, making competent and appropriate use of dictionaries, reference grammars, etc.

4.      exhibit a well-developed ability to carry out textual criticism

5.      apply an understanding of New Testament Greek to interpretation of the New Testament

CONTENT

1. Further study of Greek grammar and syntax
2. Textual, lexical, and grammatical study of selected New Testament texts
3. Translation of selected New Testament texts
4. Further practice in consulting Greek/English lexicons, and theological dictionaries

SCHEDULE

B8520  Introduction to the Old Testament

This course unit aims to introduce students to the literary forms, historical and cultural contexts and theological themes of the Old Testament. It seeks to provide a foundation for further biblical and theological study.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate a general understanding of the overall structure and contents of the Old Testament
2. identify the literary shape, themes, social and historical background of the individual books of the Old Testament
3. employ critical methodologies in the interpretation of Old Testament texts.
4. access secondary literature
5. convey the relevance of the Old Testament to Christian life and the contemporary world

A threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is:
The books of the Old Testament are works of literature, written and received in a particular historical period, for a distinct religious purpose.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Introduction to the Canon
2. Introductory questions of each book of the Old Testament (authorship, date, historical, political and cultural contexts, etc.)
3. Structure and outline of the major books of the Old Testament
4. Literary genres of Old Testament literature
5. Key theological themes of the Old Testament collection
6. Critical approaches to Old Testament interpretation

B8530  Introduction to the New Testament

This course unit introduces students to the critical study of the New Testament, its literary forms, historical and cultural contexts and theological themes. It provides a solid foundation for further biblical and theological study.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. articulate a thorough knowledge of the contents of the New Testament
2. assess the historical, social and cultural context of the New Testament
3. demonstrate well-developed exegetical skills in critical interpretation of New Testament texts
4. integrate significant secondary literature into formal critical essays on the books of the New Testament
5. relate the fruits of New Testament studies to a range of life and ministry situations.

A threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is:
The books of the New Testament are works of literature, written and received in a particular historical period, for a distinct religious purpose.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Contents of the New Testament
2. Historical, cultural, political and religious contexts of the New Testament materials
3. The literary nature of the New Testament
4. Key methodologies and approaches to Biblical interpretation and critical issues
5. Developing skills in exegesis and writing an exegetical essay
6. Identification and analysis of key New Testament themes

B8596  The Four Gospels

This Course Unit builds on the Biblical Studies introductory units by investigating the principal literary, historical and theological features of the four Gospels through exegetical methodologies.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate knowledge of the historical, socio-cultural and religious background of the four Gospels
2. identify the main literary forms and theological themes of the four Gospels
3. employ exegetical methodologies in formal essay style on selected passages from the Gospels
4. access and use sound secondary scholarship on the Gospels
5. integrate their acquired knowledge into preaching, liturgy and spiritual leadership

The content of this subject includes:
1. Placing Jesus in his historical, cultural, and religious context.
2. Contemporary historical-critical methodologies for studying the Gospels.
3. The Quest for the Historical Jesus.
4. The principal literary features and themes of each Gospel.
5. Practical exercise in exegesis of a selection from one Gospel.
6. Application of critically researched knowledge of the Gospels to various ministry contexts

B8597  Prophetic Literature

This course unit builds on the knowledge and skills developed in Intro to the Old Testament. It examines the literary forms and theological content of Israel’s prophetic books, with due consideration of their historical, cultural and religious settings/contexts. In particular, it seeks to recognise the unique character of the prophetic literature of the Bible and the theological consequences of the different character of these writings.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the critical issues associated with the study of prophetic literature
2. Show how various prophetic literary forms communicate their theological content
3. Exegete selected passages from prophetic books
4. Utilise the relevant secondary literature in a critical manner
5. Apply insights of prophetic literature to various aspects of teaching, ministry, and spirituality

CONTENT
1. Developing an appropriate context for the study of prophetic literature
2. Study of prophetic literary forms and their content/themes
3. Exegesis of selected texts from prophetic books
4. Aspects of the theology of prophetic books

B9603  Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is a process that is always taking place. Every time we read or hear the Bible interpretation and application are taking place. The goal of this course is to provide tools and understanding so that this process is conducted in a manner that is healthy. The Bible contains texts that come from a time and place far removed from where we live today. Yet the Christian believes that these texts have application for modern life. The working assumption of this course is that Christians want to be people shaped by the Bible.

This course provides an introduction to some of the key ideas that need to be understood. Students then take these concepts and turn them into a practical exegesis of the text, and apply that exegesis to a context. While some of the terms that have just been used might be strange, the sentiment behind them is one that might sound familiar. The point behind healthy hermeneutics is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge; rather there must be application.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. demonstrate an advanced knowledge of principles for the interpretation of the Bible
2. evaluate a broad range of scholarly approaches used in interpreting Scripture
3. apply pertinent interpretation principles to biblical texts
4. recognize the various literary genres used in the Bible and interpret the texts according to the specific requirements of each genre
5. appreciate the value of a diverse range of approaches used in the interpretation of the Scriptures within the Christian tradition

CONTENT

1. The need for biblical hermeneutics.
2. Terms of reference used in biblical hermeneutics.
3. The history of biblical hermeneutics.
4. Key issues in biblical interpretation.
5. General hermeneutical principles.
6. The application of hermeneutical principles to specific genres of biblical literature.
7. The application of hermeneutics to life and ministry issues.

B9610  Studies in the Pentateuch

This course unit builds on the basic knowledge and skills of the foundational Biblical Studies unit, focusing in particular on the books of Genesis and Exodus, with special attention to their literary forms, theological content and historical, cultural and religious setting.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the biblical books that deal with Israel’s formative period.
2. show an awareness of recent secondary literature resources that discuss the books of Genesis and Exodus
3. exhibit a perceptive understanding of the importance of the books of Genesis and Exodus for Old Testament faith and Israelite identity
4. demonstrate well-developed skills in the exegesis of selected Old Testament texts
5. show a critical appreciation of Genesis and Exodus as expressions of Israel‘s faith in God's action in history and of their application to Christian life and worship in the present era.

The books of Genesis and Exodus discuss the key historical and theological factors that contributed to the formation of the ancient nation of Israel and that serve as the basis for religious and theological concepts that continue to be developed throughout the entire Canon of Scripture.

The content of this subject includes:
1. The historical, geographical, cultural, religious and political context of Israel’s formative period as represented in the narratives of Genesis and Exodus.
2. Characteristic literary forms and content of Genesis and Exodus
3. Exegesis of selected passages in the books of Genesis and Exodus
4. Aspects of the theology of Genesis and Exodus

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Israel’s Beginnings: the books of Genesis and Exodus

B9620  Joshua to Kings: History and Theology

This unit examines the books of Joshua, Judges, I & II Samuel and I & II Kings. The narrative in these books follows on from the end of the Pentateuch to tell the stories of Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan, life in the land led by judges, the institution of the monarchy, the division of the kingdom, and exile. The narrative covers a vast time period and significant political change but throughout all of these books, God continues to interact and intervene with his people and their leaders.

This unit will examine the books as story, history and theology. The story, or narrative, in Joshua to Kings is some of the richest and most “literary” in the Hebrew Bible: it is filled with human drama, vivid characterisation, suspense and political intrigue. Exegesis of individual texts will help to bring this narrative alive and appreciate its intricacy and depth. These books also narrate history, events that happened in Israel’s past. This history will be examined through two lenses: extra-biblical evidence for the events and a consideration of “what kind of history” are these books; and the introduction of the “Deuteronomistic History Theory,” a scholarly construct of how these books were written in the time of Israel’s exile to explain this recent disaster. Finally, this unit will consider the theology of these books. The particularity of the theology of each book will be compared with overall themes such as leadership, worship and obedience. This theology will be considered both in its ancient context and in its relevance for Christian theology and our contemporary contexts.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit aims to build on the basic knowledge and skills of the foundational Biblical Studies units, focusing in particular on the books Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, with special attention to their literary forms, theological content and historical, cultural and religious setting.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. articulate a cohesive knowledge of the historical and theological elements of the biblical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings
2. provide a cogent understanding of the importance of the books of Joshua to Kings for Old Testament faith and Israelite identity.
3. evaluate critically a range of recent secondary literature resources related to the history and theology of the books of Joshua to Kings
4. produce a scholarly exercise in the exegesis of selected Old Testament texts
5. apply a critical appreciation of Joshua to Kings as expressions of Israel’s faith in God's action in history to Christian life and worship in the present era.

CONTENT

1. The historical, geographical, cultural, religious and political context of Israel’s early leadership and the rise of the monarchy
2. Characteristic literary forms and content of Joshua to Kings
3. Exegesis of selected passages in the books of Joshua to Kings
4. Aspects of the theology of Joshua to Kings

SCHEDULE

B9629  Wisdom and Poetry in Israel

This unit considers together material from a wide range of genres. These range from hymns, thanksgivings, and laments/complaints among the liturgical poetry of Psalms to the erotic love songs of the Song of Songs. In between we will also examine a range of writings broadly classed as "Wisdom" literature, though their forms, expression, and advice about living are perhaps more strikingly different from each other than they are similar.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. explain the structures, literary forms and contents of the selected books and passages of the Old Testament
2. critically evaluate principal forms and patterns of biblical poetry
3. specify and appraise significant themes in the selected works
4. determine the appropriate methodology in analysing and exegeting selected texts
5. apply the relevance of the Wisdom literature to the contemporary church and society

CONTENT
Origins and characteristics of the Wisdom literature
Techniques and patterns of Hebrew poetry
Structure and contents of books and passages selected from Job, Qoheleth, Proverbs, Sirach, Wisdom of Solomon, Song of Songs, Lamentations, the Psalms, and other poetry in the Old Testament
Pertinent historical, social, religious, and cultural background
Exegetical study of selected texts
Major theological themes emerging from these books

B9636  Isaiah

The book of Isaiah is one of the larger Bible books, and (along with Psalms) is most used by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament. Isaiah has also been influential in the church and Judaism. However, as well as being long, it is complex. It speaks to (at least) three distinct phases of the history of the Jewish people. As well as talk of God’s Messiah, it also presents the mysterious figure of the Servant of the Lord. It is full of passion and poetry, fierce denunciations of wrong and beautiful declarations of God’s redemptive power and love. It is firmly rooted in the world of here and now, yet envisages New Heavens and a New Earth.

Because of this, our course will begin with an overview, and then address selected themes and passages moving through the book. The goal is to give you an understanding of the book as a whole, and a more detailed look at some key parts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Establish a thorough knowledge of the historical, geographical, and social background of Isaiah
2. Construct a detailed knowledge of the text of Isaiah
3. Critique the contemporary debates concerning the unity and themes of Isaiah
4. Develop an advanced critical ability to exegete passages from Isaiah
5. Apply an understanding of Isaiah to preaching and worship

 CONTENT

1. The unity and diversity of the book of Isaiah
2. Literary forms, and poetry of Isaiah
3. The historical, social, religious, and cultural background of the book.
4. Theological themes in Isaiah including Messiah, Servant, Zion.
5. Exegesis of selected passages

SCHEDULE

B9657  Lukan Literature

The New Testament books of Luke and Acts capture the ministry of Jesus and the development of the early Church. Some of the most familiar stories of the whole Bible, such as the Good Samaritan, are found only in Luke or Acts. This unit of study will provide an overview of the text of each of these books. Themes common to both books will also be explored. Students will be given tools that help them engage with the text in a holistic manner.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. account at an advanced level for the complex historical, religious and social background of Luke-Acts
2. explain the various literary forms used in the construction of Luke-Acts
3. interpret the theological themes of Luke-Acts
4. exegete select passages from the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles using appropriate methodologies
5. construct liturgies, homilies or biblical discussion group materials on Luke-Acts

CONTENT
· Introduction to Lukan Literature
· The Early Ministry of Jesus
· Jesus heads to Jerusalem
· The Church Starts
· Peter and Paul spread the news
· The Gospel gets to Rome
· God at Work, and other themes
· Women in Luke-Acts, and other themes
· The use of Scripture in Luke-Acts, and other themes.
· Application of Luke-Acts to ministry

B9672 Romans

The book of Romans has been described as the crown jewel of Pauline Epistles. It has often been read as a summary of Paul’s New testament teaching on matters of doctrine and practice. While that evaluation is open to debate, it is certain that the letter is a key to understanding many of the most vital aspects of the New Testament. The themes detailed and analysed by Paul in Romans are basic to Christian belief and the intensive study of them in this unit will provide a solid grounding for personal belief and public ministry.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit enables students to extend their critical abilities in Biblical research by studying in close detail one of the major texts of the New Testament.  It enables student in AQF level 9 programs to advance beyond foundational Biblical Studies.The unit engages students in a critical examination of the English text of the Epistle to the Romans and examines the historical context, structure and content of the Epistle with attention given to its theological themes and implications for ministry. As an Advanced Elective unit, this unit builds on the interpretive and exegetical skills formed in prior biblical studies and forms a part of a Biblical Studies major in the degrees.

LEARNING OUTCOMES     

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. critically account for the historical, socio-cultural and religious background of the Roman Christian communities
2. appraise the principal theological arguments of Romans
3. critically exegete selected passages from Romans
4. integrate into formal essay writing, critical scholarship on Romans
5. employ their acquired knowledge in preaching, liturgy and spiritual and pastoral leadership

CONTENT

1. Locating the Roman Church: The historical, geographical and socio-cultural context of Paul and the Roman Church
2. The structure, style, purpose and content of Romans
3. The distinctive theological themes of Romans
4. Contemporary methodologies for studying Romans
5. Exegesis of the English text of Romans 1-8

C8504 Introduction to Pastoral Counselling

This   course   introduces the   field   of   pastoral   counselling   by   examining   its   historical development, theoretical foundations, and practice approaches. Pastoral counselling can be considered a specialised form of pastoral care which integrates theology, spirituality, and counselling theory. The context in which pastoral counselling is practised can be quite diverse ranging from church, parachurch, schools, universities, community centres, and hospitals settings, to name a few. By the end of this course you will have explored the emergence of pastoral counselling, its practice, and key ethical considerations within the field.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This graduate course unit aims to introduce students to various pastoral counselling models and theories with the aim of enhancing their understanding of effective methods for engaging with and assisting people in pastoral contexts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES    

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. appraise and critique the concepts and theories of pastoral care and counselling as a distinctive professional activity from other modes of counselling practice
2. appraise, assess and critique information pertaining to various pastoral counselling models  
3. select a counselling model for use in pastoral care and develop the skills associated with the model so as to enhance the framework for pastoral counselling
4. formulate an advanced theological conclusion regarding an anthropological model of the human person, with reference to a Christian typology
5. establish and demonstrate a thorough knowledge regarding human 'limit' experiences (eg suffering; sin; forgiveness; meaning, etc.) as experienced in pastoral care and counselling relationships

CONTENT

1. An introduction to Pastoral Counselling
2. The skills of Pastoral Counselling
3. Approaches and therapies in Pastoral Counselling
4. The Ethics of Pastoral Counselling

SCHEDULE

C8507 - Fundamental Principles of Pastoral Supervision

This unit focuses on key theoretical approaches to pastoral supervision exploring stages of supervisee growth and development as well as the development of supervisors. The work of pastoral supervision is compared to other forms of professional supervision and to pastoral care more broadly. Common challenges faced by professional carers are identified and approaches to personal and professional reflective practice are examined. The importance of ethical issues such as confidentiality, boundaries, contracting, and mandatory reporting are also studied. The unit is designed to equip the student with fundamental knowledge and skills in the practice of pastoral supervision.     

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. identify and critically analyse relevant approaches to pastoral supervision with reference to their usefulness in the various life experiences of a client;
2. critically distinguish between pastoral supervision and other forms of support relationships such as spiritual mentoring, professional coaching, therapeutic counselling or spiritual directing;
3. develop effective skills of listening, inquiry, and personal reflection with interpersonal empathy appropriate to the supervisory relationship;
4. reflect critically on the process of integrating spirituality with emotional well-being in the context of ministry work and practice;
5. establish a framework of relevant ethical and regulatory principles to inform effective pastoral supervision.

CONTENT

1.         Theological understandings of pastoral care and human development

2.         Pastoral/professional supervision as a distinctive professional activity

3.         Common challenges faced by professional people helpers

4.         Emotional safety and professional accountability

5.         Various approaches to pastoral supervision

6.         Mandatory reporting and clinical/psychological referrals

7.         Ethical and professional considerations in supervision

SCHEDULE

C8525 - Solution-Focused Coaching (formerly Chaplain as Coach)

Whether you are a pastor, pastoral care worker, chaplain, supervisor or counsellor you have the privilege of being with individuals in meaningful life-impacting conversations where important and often private information is shared.  These moments are sacred and demonstrate God’s presence and activity.  While your role is to listen, pray and care for the person, there is also opportunity to be an enabler of spiritual and personal growth, to bring out the best in those you are seeking to help!

In cooperation with what the Spirit of God is already doing, this unit will help you learn the skills to take a person on a journey of change and transformation.

Solution Focused Coaching enables participants to utilise coaching skills as an opportunity to invest in others in a natural and ongoing way so that conversations are eagerly anticipated by the coach and coachee.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Display a perceptive understanding of the philosophy behind PP and SFBT while applying and evaluating the theories and the practice of these therapies
2. Investigate and analyse the empirical validation of these therapeutic interventions
3. Explore and analyse the role of happiness in positive psychology
4. Conduct interviews using PP and SFBT and demonstrate well-developed proficiency with each therapy
5. Apply professional competence in the process of integrating spirituality with the ideas and practice of PP and SFBT

The content of this subject includes:

1. Understanding of coaching as a paradigm in comparison to other disciplines such as mentoring and pastoral care.
2. Approaches to coaching
3. Spiritual nature of coaching
4. Coaching skills
5. Contexts for coaching in chaplaincy
6. Personal attributes of the coaching chaplain
7. Understanding the person being coached

SCHEDULE

C8546 Pastoral Counselling in Ministry

This unit introduces the work of counselling within the pastoral ministry. Pastoral workers provide care to others presenting with a wide range of issues requiring a clear understanding of the distinctions between counselling, pastoral counselling, and pastoral work. In this unit  several key topics related to pastoral counselling will be explored including the nature and practice of pastoral counselling, an understanding of wellbeing and mental illness, and the importance of the therapeutic relationship and of hope in the therapeutic change process. In this unit the topic of depression and spiritual growth will be compared and examined with a view to clarifying the nature of problems in living. Approaches to short-term counselling will also be discussed with the aim of providing further understanding and skills for the pastoral counsellor. Finally, the importance of supervision, referral, and ethics in pastoral work will be noted.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This graduate course introduces students to various models of pastoral counselling that are integral to the process of ministry and encourages critical reflection upon this. Emphasis will be both on learning the function of basic counselling skills within the pastoral context and on theological reflection upon this form of pastoral activity.

LEARNING OUTCOMES  

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. appraise, and critically reflect upon, the role of pastoral counselling skills in ministry
2. distinguish between, and appraise, various pastoral counselling models
3. interpret how various components of the pastoral counselling relationship apply to ministry
4. exhibit basic listening and reflective skills
5. apply an understanding of the ethics of the practice of pastoral counselling in ministry

SCHEDULE

C8548 Well-being and Resilience for People Helpers

Those who have a passion to help others often find themselves serving as church leaders, welfare workers, nurses, doctors, chaplains or in many other roles. These occupations may bring the joy of service, but also result in the draining of our emotional, physical and spiritual resources.

In this unit, like a mechanic looking under the bonnet of a car to examine and fine tune the engine, we will encourage students to go on a journey of personal discovery. It is time to get our hands dirty looking at the nuts and bolts of who we are and how we work with the goal of not only surviving, but thriving in ministry.

We will look at the joys and hazards experienced by those who aspire to be “people helpers.” We will learn that healthy, effective and resilient leaders are people helpers who can flourish when things get tough. We will understand that they have depth of faith, spiritual courage and the emotional energy to continue to serve their calling for the long-haul, knowing that the source of their soul-strength is God.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. articulate a thorough knowledge of the challenging issues likely to be faced when serving in a ministry role or allied people helping profession;
2. critically evaluate psychological and spiritual issues that may affect the life of a people helper;
3. construct a framework of a range of practices and disciplines that build healthy, effective and sustainable people helpers in a variety of contexts;
4. reflect critically and theologically on their own emotional health and spiritual well-being to achieve a high level of self-awareness and self-care;

5. develop a program for sustaining well-being and resilience in their own personal life as well as in their own work or ministry context.

CONTENT

1. Introduction to psychological well-being and spiritual health
2. Self-differentiation and healthy boundaries
3. Compassion fatigue and burnout
4. Self-awareness, self-care and personal resilience
5. Spiritual formation and disciplines for human flourishing
6. Nurturing emotional and spiritual health
7. Depression, anxiety and stress
8. Intersection of vocation, work and family life
9. Roles and role conflicts in ministry
10. Healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms

C8554 Pastoral Counselling: Marriage and Family

This unit introduces the field of marriage and family therapy within the practice of pastoral counselling. A theological understanding of marriage will be explored with a view to establishing some foundational principles for understanding the practice of marriage and family counselling. Key theories of marriage and family therapy will be introduced, as will related strategic interventions. 

It is not technically a pre-requisite, but it is recommended that students enrol in C8504 Introduction to Pastoral Counselling before Marriage and Family Counselling.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This graduate course unit introduces students to the theoretical perspectives of family therapy whilst concurrently integrating theological perspectives. It seeks to equip the pastoral practitioner to work effectively with engaged couples, families, married couples and individuals.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. assess, analyse and synthesise information in relation to biblical models of marriage and family life, and compare and contrast these with models prevalent in contemporary society
2. establish a thorough knowledge of the universal themes of Family Therapy and the unique contribution and clinical application of the various models
3. integrate the family life cycle stages, and literature on related issues, with the student‘s theological perspective, and derive implications for the Christian counsellor and Pastoral carer
4. show a critical appreciation of the need for professional and personal reflection and evaluation in shaping the student‘s individual counselling perspective and style 
5. exhibit a well-developed competency and evaluation in the development and practice of relationship preparation skills

SCHEDULE

C8565 - Understanding and Working with Grief and Trauma

This graduate course unit aims to provide an overview of the key concepts and main theoretical approaches pertinent in the pastoral counselling of people experiencing grief, loss and trauma. It further examines normal and pathological grief processes and equips the pastoral practitioner accordingly.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. articulate Biblical perspectives on the nature of human relationships, family dynamics, and how suffering impacts the person.
2. critically evaluate culturally appropriate theories of pastoral counselling and interventions
3. outline in broad terms how to approach grief, loss, and trauma issues in pastoral care and counselling and differentiate between them.
4. appreciate and define the importance of research and pastoral counselling theory for effective and responsible pastoral care and counselling.
5. Address both the reactions of people facing issues related to the terminally ill, and various other significant losses, and appropriate and inappropriate forms of support, assistance and Pastoral Care and discriminate between them.

Pastoral care requires the pastoral practitioner to engage often with issues relating to grief and trauma. An extensive understanding of the processes of grief is essential for a pastoral practitioner to engage effectively with those in their care beyond the week of the funeral. Additionally an understanding of the ramifications of trauma is key to effective pastoral care as post-traumatic stress disorder effects greater numbers every year. Rudimentary skills in this arena will not suffice as the ecclesia becomes increasingly pertinent in each of these arenas.

Topics to be addressed will include most or all of the following:
1. the nature and stages of grief – emotional, physical and interpersonal aspects;
2. the nature and meaning of death -- medical, cultural and biblical perspectives; the process of dying; relating to and meeting the needs of the dying and those caring for them; reasons for a funeral; a visit to a funeral parlour;
3. various causes of grief reactions, including bereavement and other significant losses, cultural patterns of grief and mourning;
4. recognising the dimensions of the normal uncomplicated grief process and facilitating normal grieving;
5. Pastoral counselling and care in relation to life crises and the terminally ill.
6. the needs of the dying, and the needs of those experiencing grief from various losses;
7. helpful and unhelpful support, and specific support groups;
8. abnormal grief reactions and their appropriate management;
9. strategies to prevent the pastoral practitioner becoming over-involved and the pastoral practitioner’s personal grief;
10. basic crisis intervention skills including critical incident stress de-briefing; Trauma counselling strategies and techniques for varying contexts e.g:
a. suicide;
b. life-threatening scenarios;
c. long-term injury;
d. sickness;
e. homelessness;
f. victims of crime (including sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse; alcoholic and drug abuse issues);
g. terrorism;
h. natural disaster.

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Pastoral Counselling: Grief, Loss and Trauma

Note: This unit does not have sessional introductions written for it. Students are provided an excellent variety of readings and other resources to process. However, they do not have a traditional introduction that guides the students through those resources.

C9641 - The Art and Science of Chaplaincy

This unit aims to equip the student to face the unique dilemmas, challenges and opportunities faced by chaplains in a wide variety of situations.

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Analyze the significant differences in the roles of chaplains in a range of contexts
2. Articulate a set of effective principles for managing a team of people helpers (chaplains, case workers, clinicians, managers, administrators and volunteers)
3. Apply principles for developing the roles of self-differentiation, self-awareness and spirituality within an identified personal or professional context
4. Develop strategies for facilitating operational efficiency in working within a group of professional people helpers in defined situations
5. Develop their own plans for professional development as key to their ongoing health, effectiveness and resilience as a professional chaplain.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Foundational skills of the chaplain
2. Self-awareness
3. Self-differentiation
4. Transdisciplinary relationships
5. Chaplaincy in a variety of contexts
7. Professional standards

D8501  Principles of Theological Education

PRE-REQUISITES: Enrolling in D8501 is only available to students with a BMin, BTh or similar, AND who have current or previous experience as a theological educator in the tertiary sector.

The Graduate Certificate in Theological Education is designed for those who are actively engaged as teachers in theological education, who wish to pursue a graduate qualification in theological education, in order to enhance their professional work. This unit is the mandatory first unit of enrolment in the course, as it sets out to establish the “ground rules” of those philosophical and practical principles which (should) undergird all theological teaching enterprises.  The ethos of the unit (as also the course as a whole) is that of active adult peer learning, which allows (indeed requires) the students to adopt a collegiate professional approach to their own learning, with a view to extending the horizons of their professional teaching practice.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This unit is a Core Unit in the Graduate Certificate in Theological Education. It provides a theoretical groundwork as a basis of all other units in the award by establishing the underlying principles that shape all programs in theological education.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1)      Articulate a personal statement of their philosophical and theological purpose in delivering theological education;

2)      Assess the effectiveness of a variety of historical and contemporary approaches to theological education;

3)      Establish a number of general principles of educationally engaging learners in different contexts and at different stages of life;

4)      Evaluate a number of learning and teaching methods in terms of their philosophical and theological bases;

5)      Establish basic design principles for curriculum design and development.

CONTENT

1. Philosophical Principles

• Aims of Education; Aims of Christian Education; Aims of Theological Education
• Transmission of received heritage vis-à-vis progression of faith
  • formation vis-à-vis transformation

1. Theological Principles

• Theological education in relation to the missio Dei
• Theological impact of educational philosophy
• Biblical mandate for theological education
• Biblical guidelines for theological education

1. Historical Principles

• Theological education through the ages
• Nexus between scholarship and faith development

1. Pedagogical Principles

• Human development characteristics (e.g. Erikson, Maslow, iGeneration)
• Approaches to learning and teaching
  • Lecture: teacher delivery of prepared content
  • Exploration: teacher sets parameters, learners explore individually or in groups
  • Discovery: learner involved in setting tasks, teacher facilitates discovery
• Multi-cultural implications

1. Curriculum Principles

• Content centred vis-à-vis learner centred
• Transfer of corpus of knowledge vis-à-vis formation of skills and values
• Curriculum structure
• Models of curriculum design

D9601  Theological Pedagogy

The Graduate Certificate in Theological Education is designed for those who are actively engaged as teachers in theological education, who wish to pursue a graduate qualification in theological education, in order to enhance their professional work. This unit is one of two compulsory units and builds on the pedagogical principles broadly outlined in D8501 Principles of Theological Education. In doing so, it sets out to ground those principles in professional teaching practice, by analyzing those underlying principles and translating them into direct teaching strategies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Analyse the teaching styles associated with different philosophical positions of theology and pedagogy;
2. Identify a variety of learning and teaching methods suited to various aims and needs of theological learning;
3. Utilise a variety of teaching methods to match different learning styles;
4. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of their personal teaching styles;
5. Create effective teaching programs and/or materials using appropriate learning and teaching methods.

CONTENT

1. Understanding Pedagogical Principles

• Understanding the Teachers: what they value and how they teach
• Understanding the Learners: what they value and how they learn

1. Developing Effective Techniques

• From Generic to Specific
• Influences on Pedagogy
• Distinctives of Pedagogical Approaches

1. Pedagogical Practice (1): Pedagogy and Andragogy

• Pedagogical Methods
• Andragogical Methods

1. Pedagogical Practice (2): Mathegenics in a Contemporary Context

• The Importance of Process
• Some Mathegenical Approaches to Theological Integration
• Critical Thinking

1. Bringing It All Together

• Bringing it all together
• Assessment
• What About Levels?
• Formation, Transformation, Integration

D9602 Theological Curriculum

The Graduate Certificate in Theological Education is designed for those who are actively engaged as teachers in theological education, who wish to pursue a graduate qualification in theological education, in order to enhance their professional work. In the introductory unit D8501 Principles of Theological Education, several key curriculum principles were noted. In this unit, engagement with those principles is extended and deepened with a view to equipping theological teachers and other leaders to design, develop, deliver and review what is arguably the core of a theological institution’s raison d’être: the curriculum.

CURRENT OBJECTIVES
This unit is an Elective Unit in the Graduate Certificate of Theological Education. It is designed to equip practising theological teachers to review, design and deliver a theological curriculum as an implementation of the principles of D8501 Principles of Theological Education. In doing so, it seeks to establish a coherent approach to curriculum design and development of contemporary theological education programs.

LEARNING OUTCOMES  

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1)      Analyse the theological curriculum design principles of various traditions and contexts;

2)      Identify the current and foreseeable needs for curriculum design in their own tradition;

3)      Evaluate the constructive alignment of curriculum components in examples of current curricula;

4)      Produce examples of effectively integrated Unit Learning Outcomes and Learning and Assessment Activities;

5)      Construct elements of curriculum design to enhance aspects of current practice.

 CONTENT

1. Elements of Curriculum Principles

• Guided by philosophical tradition
• Role in developing graduate outcomes

2. Pedagogical Philosophy and Curriculum Content and Design:

• Constructive alignment of Institutional Mission, Graduate Attributes, Course Objectives, Unit Learning Outcomes, Learning Activities, Assessment Profile

3. Curriculum Design

• • Part A Taxonomical Design
    o   (Bloom, Habermas, Osmer, Smith)
    o   Scaffolded learning

• • Part B Bases of Curriculum Design
    o   Governing Principleso   Integration 
    o   Curriculum Components
    Comprehensive content
    • Skills development
    • Values formation

4. Curriculum Review and Development

• Frequency
• Personnel
• Processes

H8501  Introduction to Christian History

This course unit introduces the student to the discipline of church history and provides an overview of significant historical periods and themes and the variety of methodological approaches to them.

At the end of this unit students will be able to
1. Demonstrate solid knowledge of a number of key events in the Church’s past
2. Understand and articulate a number of approaches to researching, constructing and interpreting the past
3. Distinguish between primary and secondary source materials and use such sources critically and appropriately
4. Show with precision how historical knowledge provides a necessary context for theological studies
5. Construct and support a coherent and historical argument in written form that demonstrates capacity for critical thinking and analysis, and utilises the methodological conventions of the discipline.

Students need to be able to grasp the concept that history is not just a chronological description of events but involves an interpretive element and a range of methodological approaches.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Introducing the discipline of church history
2. Research tools for the study of church history
3. Methodologies in the study of church history
4. Introducing the work of influential historians
5. Overview of significant shaping events and periods in the history of Christianity
6. Case studies of historical periods utilising a number of methods.

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Introduction to the Study of Christian History

H8563  The Restoration Movement

This graduate course unit explores the theological values and drivers of various Christian groups that have sought out a new way of expressing Christianity in their own context. By surveying the motives and historical setting of each of these groups a larger picture emerges of their common values. This course will have a particular emphasis on a group known as the Restoration Movement. The theological driver to seek fresh frontiers to explore the Christian faith, in new and practical ways, in an effective approach to Christian thought.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Evaluate, with a view to seeking the most significant, the theological features of various groups that throughout history have sought renewal, restoration, or reformation of the Church.
2. Analyse specific historical and sociological factors that have influenced change within Christianity.
3. Compare the theological similarities and differences of the groups studied.
4. Evaluate the theological emphases of the Restoration Movement.
5. Apply the insights of the Restoration Movement to the theological emphasis of contemporary ‘Frontier Thinkers,’ critiquing the strengths and weakness of new directions.

Students need to be able to grasp the concept that history is not just a chronological description of events but involves an interpretive element and a range of methodological approaches.

The content of this subject includes:
1. A survey of various historical movements that have sought to refresh, renew, restore, or radically challenge the Church.
2. The nature and key features of Primitive Church movements
3. The sociological factors that fuel the driver for change
4. A Special focus on the Restoration Movements around the world.
5. Contemporary movements that seek to find fresh ways to express the Christian faith
6. An exploration of where thinking that pushes frontiers might take the Church next.

Note: This unit does not have sessional introductions written for it. Students are provided an excellent variety of readings and other resources to process. However, they do not have a traditional introduction that guides the students through those resources.

H8594  Study Tour

Israel, the Holy Land, or Palestine are names used by different people to described the same place – a place that is important to three of the world’s major faiths. This unit is based around your trip to Jordan and Israel and the opportunity that will provide you to connect what you will see with that which you have only ever read about.

This subject is designed to support your Tour in two ways:

1. Preparing you and your expectations for what you will experience on this Tour
2. Creating a historical framework in which to interpret and appreciate all that you will learn and experience.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES
This unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in one or more remote locations relevant to the biblical, theological, historical or ministry narrative of theological texts and/or movements, in order to understand the impact of such locations on the interpretation of those narratives.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) Analyse key contextual features which have contributed to the field under study;
2) Assess the relative importance of various local historical, geographical or cultural features in terms of their positive or negative contribution to the particular narrative within the field under study;
3) Critically analyse a specific topic within the field under study in terms of its local origin and its subsequent broader development;
4) Reflect on the impact of the travel experience on their personal development and theological and/or ministry understanding within the field under study;
5) Produce a presentation depicting the connection between the location visited and the narrative within the field under study, with a focus on an application to contemporary theological understanding and/or practice.

CONTENT
Section A: Preparation

Students will gain a familiarity with the historical elements of major sites to be visited. This will involve a significant guided reading program, which has been prepared by the college. This material is provided in the 5 Sessions of the Unit.

Section B: Tour
Students will spend two weeks in the Holy Land, under approved faculty supervision and direction, to explore the historical significance of key sites.
The Tour will include;
1. Lectures, visits, meetings with significant local people and cultural experiences in a cohesive program lead by an ACOM endorsed faculty member.
2. A Journal as part of the documentary evidence for the Study Tour experience
3. A final presentation and reflection detailing the key elements and significance of the Tour.

The SCD Guidelines for Study Tours are to be followed.

Please note: SCD policy limits students to studying one Field work unit per year of full time study (ie every 8 units), and to one Field Work Unit overall per sub-discipline of study also. Please ensure that you do not exceed these enrolment limits. This unit is one of those Field work units.

M8509  Introduction to Discipleship

This unit will introduce students to Biblically grounded and culturally adapted approaches to following Jesus in the contemporary context. It will investigate theories and practices of discipleship, spiritual transformation and disciple making for the 21st century.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. critically appraise the Biblical material and theological issues relating to discipleship
2. explain why and how different approaches to making disciples are employed in differing cultural and contextual situations.
3. explain the role and place of a disciple in the public arena
4. construct a contextually adapted discipleship pathway for a given setting
5. integrate theories of discipleship with personal critical reflection on the foundational importance and practical application of discipleship to Christian life and ministry

The content of this subject includes:
1. The Biblical basis for discipleship
2. Disciple making as a lifestyle
3. The influence of society and culture on discipleship
4. The role of spiritual practices in the maturity and development of a disciple.
5. A strategy for disciple making in the local congregation.
6. From personal growth to community transformation.

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Framework for Discipleship

M8595  Contextualisation for Mission

This course unit provides an overview of contextualisation and missional hermeneutics. Focus is given to models, tools, processes and case studies for interpreting Scripture inter-culturally, appreciating global theology, and contextualising theology and ministry for various local contexts.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Models and maps of contextualisation
2. Biblical mandate for contextualisation
3. Missional hermeneutics
4. Guidelines and limits for contextualisation
5. Comprehensive and critical contextualisation
6. Conceptual tools for contextualising theology
7. Case studies from Australia and globally: facilitators, guides, heralds, pathfinders, prophets and restorers
8. Future trajectories
9. Applying contextualisation to student contexts

M8595  Missional Spirituality

This unit will focus on the specific spirituality issues faced by people involved in pioneering mission to emerging global cultures. In relational to spirituality, it will relate to finding God outside the church and in strange places. Christian spirituality has been so tied to a Christendom mode of church, and as a result that we have become dualistic in our understanding of God, church and world. We divide life into sacred and secular, and God is found in one but not the other. This unit will seek to address this issue directly and help the student to reconceive his/her relationship to God and the world in a more holistic and biblical way.

We will also explore the nature and essential character of discipleship in relation to the cultural situations and the alternative religions of our day. We will focus particularly on consumerism as the major religious alternative to Christianity in our day.

Finally, because missional work is difficult, we will explore the whole concept of sustainability - staying in there for the long haul and developing disciplines and structures for sustainable mission.This unit presents new models of spirituality, consistent and sustainable for mission in a post-modern context.

The original Content Providers who wrote this unit are Alan Hirsch, Michael Frost and Darren Cronshaw.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING
Beaudoin, Tom, Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998).
Frost, Michael, Eyes Wide Open: Seeing God in the Ordinary (Sydney: Albatross, 1998).
Frost, Michael, and Hirsch, Alan, The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church (Peabody: Hendrickson Press, 2003), Section III on Messianic Spirituality.
Jones, Tony, Soul Shaper: Exploring Spirituality and Contemplative Practices in Youth Ministry (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003).
Willard, Dallas, The Divine Conspiracy (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998).
Frost, Michael, Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Empire (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2006).

M8586 Engaging in Intercultural Ministry (Fieldwork)

Please Note: SCD policy limits students to studying one Field work unit per year of full-time study (i.e. every 8 units), and to one Field Work Unit overall per sub-discipline of study also. Please ensure that you do not exceed these enrolment limits. This unit is one of those Field work units.

This course unit provides you with an opportunity to experience a supervised fieldwork placement in a cross-cultural context. Engaging in such fieldwork can be both challenging and transformative as it allows you to put your theoretical knowledge of working with other cultures to the practical test.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit provides students with an in-situ­ experience of cross-cultural mission as a practical adjunct to their theoretical study and so to learn the significance of inter-cultural issues in a living and dynamic situation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Analyse key issues involved in a specific cross-cultural ministry;
2. Assess the relative importance of various cultural issues in terms of the interrelationships of culture and gospel within that culture;
3. Analyse cultural elements in their own formation and propose adjustments needed for effectual cross-cultural ministry;
4. Initiate effective personal engagement in a range of cross-cultural ministry experiences with limited supervision;
5. Apply insights gained from the field experience to an actual or projected personal program in cross-cultural ministry.

CONTENT

Section A: Preparation 

Students must undertake supervised preparation for their cross-cultural ministry field-work. The preparation will include reading the set textbook and any other set readings pertinent to the specific cultural context to be experienced by their fieldwork coordinator.

In addition, the following preparation must be undertaken. Specific details are to be provided to the student by the Fieldwork Coordinator/Supervisor for each fieldwork placement.

1. Students must attend an Information Meeting conducted and/or organised by the Fieldwork Coordinator well before departure, which will include all enrolled students, participating faculty and, where possible, a representative of the fieldwork partner involved. Such a meeting will cover, at a minimum:
   1. Field risk assessment, including task and location hazards
   2. Specific Travel and accommodation arrangements and costs involved
   3. Insurance Arrangements
   4. A full itinerary of the fieldwork, including relevant contact details of the fieldwork partner;
   5. A full list of participating staff and any other personnel and their respective responsibilities;
   6. Full details of any government requirements pertinent to the travel arrangements.
2. Students must meet all organizational requirements of the Fieldwork Placement. Special note must be taken of any additional preparation to be undertaken as required by the Fieldwork Partner (e.g. international police checks, additional interviews prior to selection etc.) The Fieldwork Coordinator will advise the student of these requirements.

Section B: Field Work 

The student will spend at least two weeks immersed in an unfamiliar culture. This learning experience may be local or international. Note that the fieldwork location is subject to an extensive approval process and cannot be modified in the enrolment period.

During the fieldwork, the fieldwork Coordinator will work with the student to:

1. Assist the student to make sense of their experience
2. Assist the student to deal with tensions, difficulties, cultural and health issues, including any placement related conflict.
3. Assist the student to connect their learning objectives with the field practices.
4. Guide and support the student in ethical behaviour

Section C: Post Field Work

The student will be debriefed upon return and will be required to reflect critically upon their learning. This will be achieved by:

1. Completing the post fieldwork assessment tasks.
2. A debrief session with the fieldwork coordinator. This session will include:

• A discussion of the Field Evaluation Report and how the learning outcomes were achieved through fieldwork placement
• Reflecting on the fieldwork placement as a learning experience
• Assisting the student to process ministry related challenges and difficulties and to refer them to specialised support if needed
• Assisting the student to process specific cultural challenges and difficulties and to refer them to specialised support if needed
• Identifying key areas for future learning
• Collating Fieldwork Placement feedback for future coursework development.

M8596  Community Development

In recent days there has been a lot of talk in our churches around community engagement and community development. Often when we think about community engagement, we immediately start talking about food hampers, feeding programs, visitation, Mainly Music type programs and perhaps even street evangelism. This is slightly different in an international context, where perhaps the focus is on orphanages, fresh water programs, education and relief from natural disasters. Whilst all these things are valuable and have their place, questions need to be asked about how much they engage the broader community (whatever our context) and certainly whether they are developing it.

A misconception when we think about community development is that we are talking about the development of our own Christian Community. You may have spent a lot of your life in various forms of community, and perhaps found that both challenging and rewarding. But when we talk about community development we are not primarily referring to the building up of our particular expression behind our walls. Rather, we are referring to what it means for the Church (the people of God in the world) to partner with God and others in the developing of God’s world for and towards His Kingdom.

Do you believe God has a picture of what our communities, our cities and our nation and even our world can look like? Isaiah 58 and 65 suggest that this picture is tied up with the concept of shalom, a very earthy presence of God with us now.

Jesus of course in Matthew 6 talks about seeking first the Kingdom of God, which we sometimes tend to interpret as a personal spiritual reality. If we limit our understanding to this, we limit the impact we as the people of God are meant to have in the world.  This unit seeks to expand our understanding of what God is doing in our world and how we can partner with God and others. All this is grounded in a philosophy of community development that allows us to value those whom we are working with as co-labourers. We will also explore practical tools for this kind of engagement. 

The first two sessions set up an understanding of the Kingdom of God and what God is doing in the world. Session Three explores our response to this as the people of God, the internal shape necessary for us to respond to God’s agenda. Here we are not so concerned about worship styles and outward expression but more about our attitude and orientation to the world. Often almost by default we can take on an adversarial approach to the world. The Scriptures tell us that God loves the world so how do we position ourselves to love the world? Session Four introduces an over-arching community development framework that is congruent with this understanding of God’s activity. Session 5 sets our Western context. Session Six deals with the context of the developing world. Seven with various approaches to community development we come across in the sector. Sessions 8-10 focus on practical tools and the project management cycle.

At the end of the unit students will be able to articulate a clear theology for community development, be able to work towards employing an empowering methodology and have some practical on the ground skills for effective community engagement.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This graduate course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an intermediate level in the area of Community Development.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. demonstrate a thorough knowledge of Community Development
2. appraise a range of primary and secondary literature dealing with Community Development
3. critically evaluate the topic of Community Development using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline
4. show skilful competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to Community Development
5. discerningly apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life, ministry, or theology

CONTENT

Over the ten sessions of this unit we will cover:

• Theology - An understanding of the Kingdom of God and its unveiling in the present and how we can use this to create a framework for meaningful engagement with our communities. We will also explore the Church’s necessary response to the Kingdom.
• Context – At its core community development is about understanding a community and working with its strengths to see it become all it can be. This is impossible to do well without an understanding of the community’s social context, its culture and how these things have formed. We will paint a big picture view of the western and developing contexts.
• Methodology – Once we have begun to understand the context we will want to be able to employ a methodology that is true to the context and the gospel. Asset Based Community Development gives us principles that are applicable to both. We will also explore how a rights based approach works and the impact of relational thinking.
• Practical Tools – These include research methodologies, asset mapping and an exploration of the project cycle including evaluation.

SCHEDULE

M9600  Introduction to Mission

This unit shows how the understanding and practice of mission has evolved throughout the centuries in response to the changing needs of the world. It introduces students to the contemporary theological understandings and entry points for mission.

For many, mission is synonymous with proclamation or evangelism. While this has remained constant and urgent throughout the history of the Church’s mission, the demands, trends and insights into mission have changed over the centuries as the needs of the world have changed. It is critical to realise this, to map the changes and to discern the new missionary activities needed today.

For many also, mission is synonymous with missionaries travelling to nations other than their own, so that mission is always cross-cultural. Of course, this view needs to be challenged since the church’s mission is to make disciples of Christ, as much at home as in other nations. Changing patterns of migration mean that now, more than ever, missionary activity at home is also cross-cultural.

But international mission has also changed in several important ways. For example, the direction of travel has changed dramatically. During the 19th and much of the 20th centuries, missionaries travelled from the developed nations of Europe, North America and Australasia to the less developed nations of, for example, Africa, Asia and South America. While missionary travel in that direction has not ceased, most missionaries now travel from those “developing” nations to others, including the traditional sending nations. The duration of their trips has also changed, from many years to a growing trend of short-term mission trips (STMs) of a few days, weeks or months, with many missionaries not learning the language of those they are trying to reach, let alone their culture. In the early 21st century millions of Christians are undertaking STMs each year at a cost of billions of dollars. Biblical stewardship demands that the effectiveness of this be evaluated.

For these reasons, among others, the study of the church’s mission is not only interesting and rewarding, but essential.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Critically appraise the biblical basis of Christian mission and contemporary theologies of mission as espoused by major branches of the Christian Church;
2. Explain key historical, cultural and strategic perspectives related to the practice of world mission;
3. Evaluate strategies designed to strengthen local church commitment to and involvement in world mission;
4. Develop contextually appropriate ways in which Australian churches can address cultural and religious diversity in their outreach to the local community;
5. Integrate biblical perspectives and theologies of mission with personal critical reflection on the importance and practical application of mission.

SCHEDULE

M9685  Cross-Cultural Mission

This course unit explores worldview and intercultural communication from theological and practical perspectives. It will help students understand their own worldviews and those of others, and assist them in effective cross-cultural ministry and mission at home or abroad.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. examine the concept of culture, and explain principles of cross-cultural communication from an interdisciplinary perspective;
2. demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the theological and theoretical foundations of intercultural ministry and mission, with reference to recent developments in the field;
3. analyse a range of cross-cultural situations, discerning assumptions and values underlying surface cultural forms and behaviour;
4. develop culturally sensitive strategies for dealing with the complexities of cross-cultural ministry and mission;
5. apply principles learned in this unit to strengthening Christian ministry and mission in cross-cultural settings.

The basic anthropological distinction between form and function is critical to cross-cultural communication. Words or behaviours can mean different things in different cultures, and we must not assume they have the same meaning in another culture as they would in ours. The danger lies in equating our interpretation of observed behaviours with their actual meaning in another cultural context

The content of this subject includes:
1. Biblical and theological foundations of cross-cultural mission;
2. Culture and worldview; models of culture types;
3. Examining one’s own culture and worldview in comparison with others; the importance of adopting a learner’s posture and showing sensitivity in approaching other cultures;
4. Culture shock; reverse culture shock;
5. Modern communication theory: principles and terminology; perils of miscommunication; distinguishing form and function and the pitfalls of misattribution;
6. Aspects of cross-cultural communication, including language and non-verbal communication; relationship of medium and message; and the influence of social structures on communication;
7. Church and culture;
8. Contextualisation, indigenisation and enculturation in cross-cultural ministry and mission
9. Dealing with prejudice, racism and cross-cultural conflict

M9695  The Missional Leader

It is clear that both the western world and western Christianity are experiencing paradigmatic change. Western Christianity is often closely identified with western cultural values and mores. However, more recent cultural shifts have resulted in churches finding themselves increasingly on the margins of a rapidly changing society. The stage is set for some conflict, uncertainty and creativity within Christian organizations. There is an urgent need for leadership to be shaped by ‘kingdom’ values and practices and to redefine itself in light of the nature and mission of God in Christ. Leaders that embark on the transformational journey towards missional embodiment are essential for the future effectiveness and influence of the church in the Australian context.

This unit is designed to help leaders and potential leaders to understand the foundation of leadership founded in the essential nature of God and positioned within the kingdom of God, to develop crucial leadership character and skills and to position them to be persons of missional influence in churches and the culture.

LEARNING OUTCOMES       

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of missional leadership
2. critically analyse a range of primary and secondary literature dealing with missional leadership
3. critically evaluate missional leadership using the methodologies appropriate to the discipline of mission
4. show advanced competence in practical skills and/or descriptive, critical and analytic skills with respect to missional leadership
5. perceptively apply the results of their study to enrich Christian life, ministry, or theology.

CONTENT

This course unit examines the nature and practice of missional leadership. It lays a foundation for the shaping of the missional leader in light of God’s essential nature- love, and founded in the Mission Dei. Participants will be challenged to develop a biblical model of leadership based on Jesus’ ministry and to develop a strategy for their own ongoing spiritual and personal nourishment. Participants will also understand the changing nature of ministry and church in the western context and the necessary changes to leadership styles and focus.

SCHEDULE

P8121  Healing Prayer (Vineyard Cohort only)

Healing Prayer aims to establish a strong biblical and theological foundation for the student to better understand how God works , and how he wants to work through his church, in the area of healing. The unit also seeks to encourage and equip the student to engage in the practical ministry of healing.

A number of different categories of healing are examined such as physical, spiritual, emotional, demonisation, relational, etc.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This postgraduate course unit aims to provide for students a biblical and theological understanding of Christian healing and its practice as seen in biblical, historical and current day contexts. It will enable the student to reflect on the importance of healing in their own personal life and ministry, as well as its place in today’s church. The unit is an Elective unit and may form a part of a Specialisation in the Discipline of Pastoral Theology within the postgraduate awards.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Reflect critically on the biblical teaching on sickness and healing
2. Assess the validity of key theological positions on the Kingdom of God and their impact on healing ministry
3. Extrapolate principles and practices from the Gospels’ account of the healing ministry of Jesus that may be appropriate as a model for healing prayer today
4. Evaluate a range of contemporary healing practices used both in the church and beyond in terms of their applicability to their ministry context
5. Develop a strategy for the implementation and operational ethos and practices of a healing ministry

CONTENT

1. Worldview and Definitions
2. Healing and the Kingdom of God
3. Jesus’ Model and Kingdom Authority
4. Healing in the Church: Yesterday and Today
5. The Praxis of Ministry
6. Healing of Body and Spirit
7. Healing of Damaged Emotions and Past Hurts
8. Healing of Deliverance
9. Healing of Relationships, and of Death and Dying
10. A Church That Heals

P8132  Kingdom and Spirit (Vineyard Cohort only)

A key focus of the theology of the Vineyard Movement is on the Kingdom of God: it is central not only to the movement’s theology, but also gives shape to the ministry practice of Vineyard churches. In this Unit we present teaching on the Kingdom of God which compares a variety of views on the Kingdom with the “inaugurated, enacted eschatology” viewpoint held by the Vineyard and based on the teaching of George Eldon Ladd.

The unit also presents teaching and practical application of a “third-wave” view on the work of the Holy Spirit, especially as it relates to spiritual gifts, and with a particular study of the gift of prophecy. Pneumatologies other than a third wave view are also discussed.

This unit aims to equip students with a strong theological and biblical grounding for the work of ministry. It has a strong emphasis on both theory and practice related to the kingdom of God and Spirit-empowered life and ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Outline the basic concepts of Kingdom of God theology;
2. Identify different views on the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering Christians for ministry;
3. Explain the practical and pastoral implications of a “Now-But-Not-Yet” theology of the Kingdom of God;
4. Explain the role of prophecy and other spiritual gifts in the life of the local church;
5. Identify ways of implementing a variety of “3^rd Wave” ministry practices in their local church context.

CONTENT

1)      The Kingdom of God in 20^th Century Theology

2)      Contemporary Eschatologies, including 21^st Century expressions of 3^rd Wave theology and praxis

3)      The Here but Not-Yet of the Kingdom

4)      Inaugurated Eschatology

5)      Being a Kingdom Community

6)      Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

7)      Comparative Pneumatologies

8)      Empowered by the Spirit

9)      Spiritual Gifts – Traditional Views

10)  Spiritual Gifts – Explanation and Demonstration of an Expanded (3^rd Wave) View

11)  Prophecy

12)  The Holy Spirit and the Local Church

P8501  Introduction to Pastoral Care

This course unit is an introduction to pastoral and practical theology for ministry. It is also an opportunity to overview the biblical and theological foundations of ministry. Common aspects of ministry will be considered.

At the end of the unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate advanced knowledge of the contemporary complex issues relating to the practice of pastoral care
2. present a critical evaluation of the role of the human sciences in pastoral theology and ministry
3. apply advanced critical skills and insights of biblical and theological scholarship to the practice of ministry
4. demonstrate mastery of complex theological reflection in the practice of ministry
5. use technical and communication skills to independently analyse professional practice

The threshold concept to be acquired in this unit is the interdisciplinary nature of pastoral theology and evaluation of professional practice.

The content of this subject includes:
1. The theological, epistemological and biblical foundations of pastoral theology
2. Aspects of church ministry: Church structures and caring ministry
3. Key methodologies: Human sciences
4. Developing basic listening skills
5. Theological reflection on contemporary pastoral issues
6. Methods of ministry and the place of ordination / leadership

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Introduction to Pastoral and Practical Theology

P8502  Issues and Ethics in Professional Practice

 This unit aims to examine the critical ethical, legal and professional issues faced by ministry professionals in a wide variety of contexts. It explores how the study and application of ethics grounds effective and safe ministry practice by inviting us to become the kind of person who naturally and consistently does the right thing. As we develop a coherent approach to ethical reasoning, it provides us with a toolkit to use in effective pastoral ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the principles involved in ethical ministry practice.
2. Display a critical understanding of ethical dilemmas present in a variety of ministry and community settings including the local church, diocese, mission field, aged care centres, schools, defence force, police force, counselling practice, welfare ministry, and/or emergency services.
3. Show a critical understanding of the importance of how an ethical and legal understanding (particularly as it relates to privacy, confidentiality, reporting, boundaries, and advocacy) enhances effective professional and pastoral practice.
4. Demonstrate thorough knowledge of the models of ethical decision-making, in relation to pastoral care and counsellingDevelop and articulate a personal approach to professional boundaries that: (1) meets community expectations; (2) complies with all national and state legislation; and (3) reflects ministry best practice.

CONTENT

1. Principles of ethics: the concepts of autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence
2. Confidentiality, trust and informed consent
3. Managing the multiple relationships found in pastoral and professional settings
4. Boundaries and boundary violations
5. Duty of care and fiduciary responsibilities
6. Power imbalance in relationships
7. Mandatory reporting obligations
8. Ethical decision making within a complex working environment

SCHEDULE

P8504  Practice of Pastoral Supervision

Practice of Pastoral Supervision will introduce you to the concept of Pastoral Supervision and help lay the theological foundations for it. Recent developments arising from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will see an increase in demand for Pastoral Supervision over the coming years across all religious institutions. This unit provides foundational training with a view to equipping you to serve in this role. We examine the distinctive nature of theologically grounded pastoral supervision as compared with traditional models of therapeutic relationship. We explore the range of tools available for engaging in effective supervisory practice both with individuals and groups. Finally, we examine the benefits of pastoral supervision in reducing disorders such as burnout and compassion-fatigue. Our ultimate goal is to increase the self-awareness and flourishing of those being pastorally supervised.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This graduate course unit aims to introduce students to the underlying principles of pastoral supervision and develop their understanding and practice skills as a supervisor of those in a helping profession.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1.  articulate a coherent expression of the principles undergirding the effective practice of pastoral supervision;
2.  explain how a deeper pastoral understanding may inform human experiences (e.g. trauma; grief; suffering; mid-life; sin; forgiveness; meaning; etc.);
3.  critically analyse how such pastoral considerations are manifested in professional supervisory situations;
4.  utilise reflective practice as a means of improving the self-awareness, coping and flourishing of those being pastorally supervised;
5.  apply the principles of pastoral supervision to their current work or ministry situation.

CONTENT

1.  Understanding of the basic principles of pastoral supervision
2.  The impact of the human condition upon the practice of pastoral supervision
3.  The contribution of pastoral theology to an understanding of significant life events (such as: mid-life; trauma; grief; death;etc)
4.  Assessing the spiritual and emotional dimensions of health and wellbeing
5.  Spiritual awareness and vocation
6.  Reflective practice as a key approach to effective pastoral supervision

SCHEDULE

P8510  Foundations for Youth Ministry

The thinking and practise of youth ministry continues to shift as culture changes. The ways in which we engage effectively with young people therefore needs to be robust, yet agile.

In youth ministry, we can easily find ourselves simply doing what we have seen or experienced ourselves if we grew up in a church or attended youth programs.

The aim of this unit is to encourage a shift in paradigm and enable you to think outside the box in how you can engage young people.  This unit will not offer a model of ministry to be copied, but rather ideas and principles applicable to many different contexts and tools to evaluate and implement these principles.

This unit provides a foundational and strategic framework for youth ministry for students to understand the theology and biblical mandates for Youth Ministry and apply principles and programmes for effective ministry to Youth.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced understanding of the nature and strategic task of youth ministry within the church.
2. Interpret and compare the various philosophies and principals of youth ministry to the ministry of the local church.
3. Assess and critique the theory and practice behind the various models for youth ministry & how to apply them to a local setting.
4. Derive and formulate the process for analysing the current context of a group with a view to setting and communicating vision and goals for the ministry in order to move forward.
5. Collect and compare new ideas to effectively reach and minister to the youth of the 21^st century

CONTENT

This course provides an understanding of the issues involved in effective implementation and development of youth ministry in the context of the local church.

SCHEDULE

P8511  Developing a Youth Ministry

This course unit provides students with strategies for establishing a culture of discipleship and leadership development within the youth group. The unit guides them in the practice of recruiting and training youth leaders as well as building student leaders.

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Exhibit an advanced understanding of the key principles and strategies for making disciples in youth ministry.
2. Understand knowledge of recent developments in the area of faith development & discipleship in youth.
3. Exhibit an advanced understanding and professional practice of the importance of developing a relational approach to youth ministry.
4. Exercise advanced skills in applying models for equipping youth for leadership and ministry.
5. Apply knowledge and skills with creativity and initiative in the area of discipleship and mentoring of young people and leaders.

The content of this subject includes:
1. Foundations for Making Disciples
2. Unleashing Potential in Youth
3. Relational Youth Ministry
4. Small Groups, Follow-up and Nurture
5. Equipping Youth for Ministry
6. Equipping Youth for Ministry – Techniques
7. Equipping Youth for Mission
8. Equipping Youth for Leadership
9. Mentoring Youth to Spiritual Maturity
10. Youth Ministry Development
11. Camps, Retreats and Mission Trips well done
12. Developing a Culture of Evangelism

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Developing Youth Ministry

P8512  Children's Ministry

This course seeks to address the value of ministry with children within the wholistic context of the family and the faith community, believing that scripture teaches us that this is the best model of helping a child's faith formation develop in a solid and strong way. We long to see children grow and develop a lifelong faith that helps them become the adults God intended them to be.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1) Articulate an advanced understanding of the theory and concepts of children’s ministry as a missional activity of the local Church

2) Critically analyse a variety of children‘s ministry professional practices and approaches in congregational, family and community settings

3) Evaluate the established theories of the learning characteristics, overall development and appropriate stages of faith of children, with reference to specific ministry contexts

4) Use and evaluate a variety of contemporary resources and techniques to nurture, manage, and ensure safety in children’s ministry in a range of congregational, family and community settings

5) Develop and evaluate effective programs for implementation in children’s ministry in their specific context.

CONTENT
1) Biblical and theological perspectives on the faith formation of a child.
2) Intergenerational Christian formation practices
3) Developing the family-at-the-centre approach to faith formation.
4) Children’s ministry in the way of Jesus.
5) The Church’s role in helping to raise spiritual champions.
6) A study of the learning characteristics and overall development of children.
7) Discipling Children at appropriate faith stages
8) Mission with children in communities of faith and in the world.
9) Behaviour management and safe Environments for working with children.
10) Effective Communication and techniques to nurture and engage children in the faith community.

P8528 Introduction to Christian Worship

This graduate course unit introduces students to concepts that equip them to lead and evaluate Christian worship services

At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1. Account for the variety of approaches to Christian worship in a number of diverse Christian traditions
2. Analyse the theological and cultural bases of a variety of Christian worship services
3. Critically evaluate the merits of a range of current debates regarding Christian worship
4. Categorize a range of worship resources in terms of their suitability for various pastoral purposes
5. Construct and critique a range of Christian worship services.

The content of this subject includes:

1.  The biblical basis for Christian worship
2.  The theology of Christian worship
3. The role of culture in the development of worship
4. The historical developments in Christian worship
5. Current issues in Christian worship
6. Preparation of a Christian worship service

Please note the official SCD name for this subject is: Introducing Christian Worship

P8529 Preaching 1

This graduate unit  introduces students to the foundational skills and principles involved in the preparation and delivery of sermons. 

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Explain the significance of the elements of an effective sermon and its delivery in a variety of Christian traditions
2. Assess the role of the sermon in worship and spiritual formation
3. Evaluate a range of sermons exemplifying different styles in terms of their pastoral purpose
4. Evaluate the impact of the pastoral context on the shape and delivery of a pastoral sermon
5. Apply their knowledge and skills to the preparation and delivery of pastorally appropriate sermons with diverse purposes.

SESSIONS & TOPIC
1 The Goal of Preaching
2 Method, Manner and Megaphones
3 The Big Idea
4 Outlines and Maps
5 Know Your Stuff
6 Engaging Your Audience
7 Know Your Audience
8 Develop Your Own Style
9 Finding the Big Idea
10 Missional Preaching

P8562 Administrative Leadership & Management for Ministry (Multi-Staff Cohort Only)

This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of administrative leadership and management as it applies to varying ministry contexts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Display perceptive understanding of the administrative tasks of leadership and pastoral ministry
2. Summarise management principles as they relate to organisational relationships in a ministry context
3. Facilitate the development of vision, mission and strategic plans for a ministry context
4. Plan and coordinate administrative tasks for a ministry context
5. Show a critical appreciation of the contribution that management principles bring to the administrative roles of ministry

CONTENT

1. Institutional Leadership
2. Managerial styles
3. Vision, mission and strategic plans
4. Management structures for the church
5. Boards and committees
6. Facilities management
7. Personnel management
8. Denominational commitments
9. Church membership

Note: This unit does not have sessional introductions written for it. Students are provided an excellent variety of readings and other resources to process. However, they do not have a traditional introduction that guides the students through those resources.

P8563 Vineyard Distinctives (Vineyard Students Only)

This unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an advanced level on the distinctives of the Vineyard movement. It enables students to critically examine theological, historical and sociological perspectives within the Vineyard’s ministry practice and to examine how to apply those perspectives to contemporary ministry.

The unit takes a thorough look at the history of the Vineyard from its early association with Chuck Smith and the Calvary Chapel movement through to becoming a global movement in the 21st Century. Special emphasis will be placed on the ministry of John Wimber and his ecclesiological and theological perspectives.

An examination of core beliefs and practices, and the local and global implications they have had for the movement will be undertaken.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This course unit provides students with an opportunity to focus at an advanced level on the denominational distinctives selected by the Teaching Body. It enables students to critically examine theological, historical and sociological perspectives within the ministry practice of the Vineyard and to examine how to apply those perspectives to leadership in contemporary ministry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1)       Assess the significance of the sociological, historical and theological perspectives that shaped the formation of the Vineyard movement;

2)      Analyse the contemporary relevance of core distinguishing beliefs and practices that inform the theology and ministry practice of the Vineyard;

3)      Evaluate the role of the Vineyard within the broader Christian community;

4)      Analyse the Vineyard’s engagement with contemporary issues from the perspective of its distinctives;

5)      Develop an intentional strategy for applying Vineyard distinctives to a leadership role within the student’s ministry context.

CONTENT

1. The life and legacy of John Wimber
2. The history and development of the Vineyard Movement
3. An examination of the theological themes and emphases of the Vineyard Movement
4. Vineyard Core Values

P8570 Foundations of Christian Leadership

(Core for Master of Leadership)

Leadership is not for the select few, but within the grasp of everyone who seeks to honour God through effective self-stewardship and proactivity. The world and our communities desperately need leaders who have the vision to see what needs changing and the skills to lead others into getting things done. This unit lays the foundations for extraordinary Christian leadership that draws on biblical models and frameworks as well as time-tested, contemporary leadership theories. It affirms that broad lessons on leadership are useful, but because leadership is always embodied in unique individuals in specific times and places, attention must be paid to both.

This course explores the nature of leadership needed in the context of the overriding changes of the 21st century and the Australian context for non-profit and faith-based organisations. Practitioners will thus finish with a deeper understanding of their unique leadership style in addition to becoming familiar with a range of leadership tools and frameworks that will help them navigate tumultuous times by building trust with team members and stakeholders, empowering others to act, leading change, and creating cultures of health and well-being. Coursework is designed to be both academically rigorous and practically useful.

Finally, this course affirms that God’s desire is to work in a leader as much as through a leader and that the foundation to life-long, fruitful leadership is the leader’s repeated positive response to God’s ongoing invitation to go deeper personally and professionally. Consequently, participants will be challenged to commit to their leadership development not just for this course or degree, but rather for the whole of their lives.

Each session will draw on theological and business resources with videos and literature, and include historical or contemporary stories or case studies of exemplary leaders.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This graduate course unit focuses on the foundational elements of Christian leadership and details the distinction between leadership functions required for success in a religious, non-profit ministry versus a commercial, for-profit business.

This unit is a core unit for the award of Master of Leadership.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Articulate an integrated knowledge of the historical, biblical and theological frameworks that shape a Christian leadership approach 

2. Explain in detail the leadership functions required for success in a religious, non-profit ministry as distinct from a commercial, for-profit business 

3. Critically analyse the relationship between specialised leadership qualities and the effectiveness of an organisation’s mission 

4. Analyse scholarly literature to reflect on their own personal strengths and identify opportunities for personal growth as a Christian leader within a specific context 

5. Apply knowledge of a Christian leadership framework to provide practical recommendations for the effective governance, management or ministry operations of their own organisation. 


CONTENT

1. Historical, biblical and theological backgrounds that shape a Christian leadership approach
2. Historical and contemporary exemplars of Christian Leadership
3. Research-based models of leadership in addition to contemporary management theories.
4. Qualities, knowledge and skills necessary to lead a religious, non-profit ministry as distinct from a commercial, for-profit business
5. Leadership demands and dynamics for leading change.
6. Self-stewardship with regard to leveraging and developing one’s unique gifts for leadership as well as attending to holistic wellbeing.
7. Developing emotional intelligence personally and organisationally.
8. Creating and sustaining functional systems and organisational culture.

SCHEDULE

P8572  Spiritual Leadership

Effective leadership brings together the power of spiritual formation with the skills required to recognise the potential in our people and processes.  The best thing any of us have to bring to our leadership is our transforming selves. It is crucial that we forge a connection between our own journey of transformation (soul) and our leadership practice (role). Becoming an authentic leader is not simply something we are born to. We must use our God-given strengths and develop them, acknowledging and learning from our shortcomings.  It is a journey of discovery to find where our greatest passion meets the world’s greatest need.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the biblical, traditional, theological and personal foundations of Christian leadership
2. Engage critically with a personal understanding of spiritual leadership
3. Examine one’s own strengths and areas requiring growth and development
4. Critique the various models of spiritual leadership and develop a working model for their own faith community
5. Formulate the relationship between the spiritual leader and those served by leadership, within cultural and institutional contexts

CONTENT

1. The importance of spiritual formation for authentic leadership
2. The vocation of spiritual leadership
3. Qualities, knowledge and skills necessary for spiritual leadership
4. The empowerment of others through spiritual leadership.
5. The application of spiritual leadership to the context of contemporary Christian community

SCHEDULE

P8581  Accounting for Not-for-Profits

Let’s start by saying that some people may think administration sounds boring. But to be clear, God sees this differently, and here’s why – administrators get things done!

 The spiritual ‘gift of administration’ is the ability to turn God-given vision into reality. Effective administrators have a vision of the whole. This is where we transition into the area of a spiritual gift, rather than merely a secular ability. They can see how all the parts fit together for a unified mission vision. This stretches both the intellect and the heart as they are informed by the detail but are not slaves to it. They are solution focused while being aware of the risks and limits of the resources available.

 Managing finances is one of the significant areas where you can use your administrative gifts. It is also a primary responsibility of both the board of directors and managers of a not-for-profit. Yet many leaders in the not-for-profit world either glaze over or tremble in fear when the financial reports are tabled. Why? In this unit we will seek to demystify the main financial statements that a not-for-profit will use. Whether it is a small food bank, a medium sized church, or a large national outreach program, the financial statements are essentially the same. We will work through each of the statements and the underlying principles that they are built on.

 CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

This unit will enable the student to understand and apply the foundational accounting principles required for financial reporting for a non-profit religious organisation in Australia.

LEARNING OUTCOMES       

By the successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

1. Give an account of the environment of accounting generally and within the non-profit religious sector in Australia (eg a local church, denomination, hospital, welfare agency, advocacy group, school etc);
2. Explain the application and requirements of the accounting framework including the Australian Accounting Standards and Auditing Standards;
3. Reflect personally on how God works effectively through those with the gift of administration;
4. Analyse and interpret financial statements applicable to a small to medium non-profit religious organisation in Australia (Balance Sheet, Income and Expenditure Statement and Statement of Cash Flows, and end of year reporting;
5. Apply the use of administrative data to effectively pursue mission and ministry.

CONTENT

1. Stewarding the gift of administration
2. Introduction to the accounting system
3. Understanding the Standards
4. Debits, Credits and The Accounting Equation
5. Understanding a Balance Sheet
6. Understanding an Income and Expenses Statement
7. Understanding a Statement of Cash Flow
8. Preparing the Trial Balance and Accounts
9. Analysing and interpreting financial reports
10. God’s mission through administrative gifts

 SCHEDULE