SYLLABUS MISSIONAL STRATEGIES IN EMERGING CULTURE GB 5643-01 HST -03 MACP January 11- April 2 Spring 2016 Office: Ez 220B Earl Lavender earl.lavender@lipscomb.edu Ezell 234 5-8pm ext. 5834 Catalogue description: A practical and theological analysis of contemporary efforts to be and become missional churches in both domestic and international settings. The study includes biblical foundations, historical implications, and contemporary applications. Emphasis is given to the mission of the church in postmodern and cross-cultural contexts. Special Note: I am teaching this course in four formats simultaneously. Section 1 is a classroom-based course offered to students in the Hazelip School of Theology (HST). Section 2 is a web-based course offered to students in the HST. Section 3 will meet with Section 1 in the classroom same time and place, but offered to students pursuing the MACP degree. Section 4 is the webbased version for the MACP. This syllabus is for sections 1 (HST) and section 3 (MACP) NOTE TO THE STUDENT: It is your responsibility to produce the work required in your section of the course. This is the combined syllabus for the web-based sections. The different requirements will be noted in bolded brackets [ ]. Where there is no noted difference, the requirements are the same. Required texts: Bible (version of your choice, ideally a Bible in which you will be able to freely mark) Briggs, Alan. Staying Is the New Going: Choosing to Love Where God Places You. (NavPress: 2015) Goheen, Michael W. A Light to the Nations. (Baker Academic, 2011) Gorman, Michael J. Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation and Mission (Eerdmans, 2015) Guder, Darrell L. Called to Witness: Doing Missional Theology. (Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2015) Roxburgh, Alan J. Structured for Mission: Renewing the Culture of the Church. (IVP, 2015) Roxburgh, Alan, and Fred Romanuk. The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World. (Jossey-Bass, 2006) Course Design: 1. The course will begin by studying the root of mission in the heart of God in the biblical text. The importance of a narrative reading of the redemptive story of which we are a part will be a major point of emphasis. Goheen s book will serve for this purpose. 2. We will then work on developing a missional theology and ecclesiology, based on the biblical story as well as Guder s Called to Witness. This will include a brief historical survey on the historical development of Christian missions, leading to our current post-modern culture. 3. Gorman s Becoming the Gospel will form the basis for our continuing study. We will consider
the writing of Christianity s greatest missionary the apostle Paul for what he says specifically about evangelistic outreach. At this point in the class (half way), we will have established a biblically based missional theology (the focus of the mid-course paper see below). This will serve as the foundation for the second half of the course. 4. The study will next focus on the heart of the leader. Using The Missional Leader as a guide, we will work though the characteristics and skills needed to lead a church in a missional direction 5. How, then, should a church be structured for mission? Using Roxburgh s Structured for Mission we will work toward implementing a missional plan in a specific context (chosen by the student this is the subject of the final project). 6. The final section of the course delves into a much needed discussion how might we involve every member of the church in a missional life? Brigg s Staying Is the New Going will guide our exploration of this possibility. Course objectives Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: Identify a biblical view of the world and understand God s missional essence. The primary intent of the course is to aid the student in developing a genuine passion for missio dei. Understand the historical development of missions, gaining insight into why the church has to some extent misidentified God s purposes for her Identify a theology of mission that one will consciously and fervently pursue, which is consistent with the apostle Paul s understanding of living out God s mission. Verbalize awareness of the cultural changes that provide exciting opportunities for God s mission Identify and develop the organizational skills needed to plan kingdom expanding efforts wherever one is working. Recognize and pursue the role of spiritual leadership in the calling of all believers to full participation in missio dei. Have the ability to coach congregants into an active pursuit of the purposes of God unique and appropriate for that individual within the community. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING: Pre-Course Essay (10% - due by January 11 th ) All students are to write a 1,000 word (minimum, no more than 1,500 words) description of your understanding of God s mission in the world, concluding with an explanation of what you hope to gain for this study. You are encouraged to briefly review your own spiritual journey in the context of this assignment. Mid-Course Paper (25% - Due March 1 st ) Each student is to write a carefully researched paper entitled, A Biblical Theology of Mission. The paper is to be a minimum of [HST - 3,000 words (no more than 5,000)] [MACP minimum 2000, maximum 3,000]. It is to take into consideration the class readings and discussions, but should be built on a strong biblical foundation. This paper will serve as the underpinning for the final class research project. Note: This is to be sent as an attachment to earl.lavender@lipscomb.edu. Class participation (20%)
Each student is expected to attend each class and be fully prepared with the pre-class readings. Quizzes may be given to make sure the reading is being done. Each absence subtracts 10% from the participation grade. 3 or more absences results in course failure. Well-informed participation in class discussions will be rewarded. Final Exam (15% of grade, due April 30 th ). An open book and open note exam over the content of the course will be provided the last meeting of class (April 26 th ) to take home and complete. Submit the exams as an attachment to earl.lavender@lipscomb.edu. Final Research Project 30% of grade, due April 22 nd. Each student is to write a carefully researched project based on the missional principles studied in class. Work off of one s theology of mission paper, the student is encouraged to choose a possible approach to a missional project. It is strongly suggested this project be doable by the student. It is of particular value is the project involves a current ministry in which the student is involved. [HST -The paper should be no less than 5,000 words with a bibliography involving at least 20 sources of varied media (master s level research, writing and sources used are expected. The required books for this course COUNT as sources for the required 20 if they are cited. [MACP- The paper should be no less than 3,000 words with a bibliography involving at least 12 sources of varied media (master s level research, writing and sources used are expected. The required books for this course COUNT as sources for the required 12 if they are cited. Course requirements and calendar: Remember this course is being taught simultaneously on campus and via the web. While some requirements are different, the basic calendar will be the same. Assignments are to be done by the date given reading must be done before the class meeting. It is imperative that the work for this course is done in a timely manner. Please note that all writing assignments are to be turned in as attachments through regular e-mail (send them to earl.lavender@lipscomb.edu as an attachment that can be opened on a PC -.doc,.docx,.pdf), not BlackBoard. Date Required Reading or Assignment (before class) Class content 1/12 Pre-course essay due Introduction and purpose; design, assignments 1/19 Goheen preface-119 From creation to Jesus Resurrection: Missio Dei 1/26 Goheen 121-199 The Missional Church in the New Testament 2/2 Guder chap. 1-5 From Missions to Missional 2/9 Guder chap. 6-conclu. Mio Dei and missional theology 2/16 Gorman chap. 1-4 Becoming the Gospel, Paul as missional leader 2/23 Gorman chap. 5-concl. Embodying peace and justice. 3/1 Rox and Rom Part 1 Context and challenge of missional leadership 3/8 Rox and Rom Part 2 The missional leader 3/15 Rox Structured Part 1 Loss of place 3/22 SPRING BREAK no assignments
3/29 Rox Structure Part 2 Reframing our imagination 4/5 Special reading Strategies for missional living? 4/12 Briggs chap. 1-5 The Resurrection of life 4/19 Briggs chap. 6-9 Stay forth! The great commission reconsidered 4/26 No Reading Course summary and conclusion, celebration! 4/30 Final Exam Due Bibliography (Books only note the required books for this course are not listed again here. There are many excellent articles on missional church and the influence of culture, but they are not listed here): Anderson, Ray S. 2006 An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Bartholomew, Craig G. and Michael W. Goheen 2004 The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Bauckham, Richard 2003 Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Barret, Lois Y. et al 2004 Treasure in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co. Boren, Scott M. 2010 Missional Small Groups: Becoming a Community That Makes a Difference in the World. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. Burke, John 2005 No Perfect People Allowed: Creating A Come As You Are Culture in the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Claiborne, Shane 2006 The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Cosden, Darrell 2006 The Heavenly Good of Earthly Work. Peabody, MA. Hendrickson Press. Driscoll, Mark 2004 The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 2006 Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Duvall, J. Scott and J. Daniel Hays 2012 Living God s Word: Discovering our Place in the Great Story of Scripture. Grand Rapids, Zondervan Fitch, David E. 2005 The Great Giveaway: Reclaiming the Mission of the Church from Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Frost, Michael 2006 Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. 2011 The Road to Missional: Journey to the Center of the Church. Grand Rapids, Baker. Frost, Michael and Alan Hirsch 2003 The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 st -Century Church. Peabody, MA. Hendrickson Publishers. 2009 ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Pub. Glasser, Authur F. 2003 Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God s Mission in the Bible: Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic) Goll, James W. 2005 The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Pub. Guder, Darrell, ed. 1998 The Missional Church: A Vison for the Sending of the Church in North America. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman s Press. Halter, Hugh and Matt Smay 2008 The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community. Jossey-Bass. Heibert, Paul G. 2009 The Gospel in Human Contexts: Anthropological Explorations for Contemporary Missions. Baker Academic. Helland, Roger and Leonard Hjalmarson. 2011 Missional Spirituality: Embodying God s Love from the Inside Out: Grand Rapids, IVP. Henderson, Jim. 2005 Evangelism Without Additives. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press. Henderson, Jim and Matt Casper 2007 Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation about Faith, Churches, and Well- Meaning Christians. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Hill, Graham 2012 Salt, Light, and a City: Introducing Missional Ecclesiology. Eugene, OR. Wipf & Stock. Holloway, Gary and Earl Lavender 2004- Meditative Commentary Series. Abilene, TX: Leafwood Publishers. Hirsch, Alan 2006 The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press Hirsch, Alan and Lance Ford. 2011 Right Here Right Now: Everyday Mission for Everyday People. Grand Rapids: Baker Howerton, Mike 2004 The Relevant Church: A New Vision For Communities of Faith. Relevant. Jenkins, Phillip 2002 The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Oxford 2006 The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. Oxford Keifert, Patrick 2007 We Are Here Now: A New Missional Era. Eagle, Idaho: Allelon Publishing. Kimball, Dan 2007 They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Kirk, Andrew J. 2006 Mission Under Scrutiny: Confronting Contemporary Challenges. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. McClaren, Brian D. 2006 The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group (Thomas Nelson) McKnight, Scot 2010 One.Life: Jesus Calls We Follow. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. McNeal, Reggie 2003 The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church. San Francisco: San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 2009 Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 2011 Missional Communities: The Rise of the Post Congregational Church: San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Minatrea, Milfred 2004 Shaped By God s Heart: the Passion and Practices of Missional Churches. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass. Muck, Terry and Frances S. Adeney 2009 Christianity Encountering World Religions: The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-first Century. Baker Academic Newbigin, Lesslie 1989 The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Peterson, Eugene 2005 Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Pocock, Michael, Gailyn Van Rheenen and Douglas McConnell 2005 The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Putman, Jim 2010 Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches that Make Disciples. Colorado Spr. NavPress. Rainer, Thom S. and Eric Geiger 2006 Simple Church: Returning to God s Process for Making Disciples. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman. Rouse, Rick and Craig Van Gelder 2008 A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Jounrey of Transformation. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress. Roxburgh, Alan J. and M. Scott Boren 2009 Introducing the Missional Church: What It Is, Why It Matters, How to Become One. Grand Rapids, Baker Books. Roxburgh, Alan J. and Fred Romanuk 2010 Missional Map-Making: Skills for Leading in Times of Transition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass. Scandrette, Mark 2011 Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love. Grand Rapids, IVP. Stevens, R. Paul 1999 The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Biblical Perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Stevens, R. Paul and Michael Green 2003 Living the Story: Biblical Spirituality for Everyday Christians. Eerdmans. Stetzer, Ed 2006 Planting Missional Churches: Planting a Church That s Biblically Sound and Reaching People in Culture. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman. Stetzer, Ed and David Putman 2006 Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers. Sweet, Leonard 2009 So Beautiful: Divine Design for the Life and the Church. Colorado Springs, CO: David Cook. Van Gelder, Craig. 2007 The Ministry of the Missional Church: A Community Led By the Spirit. Grand Rapids, Baker Books. Van Gelder, Craig, ed. 2007 The Missional Church in Context: Helping Congregations Develop Contextual Ministry. Grand Rapids, MI. Eerdmans Publishing. 2009 The Missional Church & Leadership Formation: Helping Congregations Develop Leadership Capacity. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Publishing. Van Gelder, Craig and Dwight J. Zscheile. 2011 The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation. Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
Webber, Robert E. 2003 Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. Willard, Dallas 2006 The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus Essential Teachings on Discipleship. San Francisco: Harper SanFrancisco. Woodward, JR 2012 Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Wright, Christopher. 2006 The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible s Grand Narrative. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 2010 The Mission of God s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church s Mission. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Wright, N.T. 1999 The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 2005 Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. Downers Grove: IL: InterVarsity Press. 2008 Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. New York, NY: HarperOne. 2010 After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters. New York, NY: HarperOne. 2012 How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. New York:HarperOne. Zscheile, Dwight, ed. 2012 Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans.