Students without prior degrees in theology will be required to complete foundational training in the nature and methods of the discipline.
For practitioners, Systematic Theology has the most relevance for ministry when Christian beliefs and practices are examined in dynamic tension with beliefs and practices in the prevailing worldviews in the minister’s context.
As the epicentre of Christianity moves to the Global South, there are seismic shifts in Christian understandings of the nature of the church and of the kingdom of God that have far-reaching implications for ministry praxis. Forces at work such as the collapse of Christendom, the demise of colonialism, the decline of mainline denominations and the rise of independent churches and networks, and the emergence of the New Apostolic Reformation with its propagation of dominion theology, and the mass Pentecostalisation of Christianity, often with prosperity gospel overtones, require that Christian leaders think deeply about their philosophy of ministry. The aim of this course is to help students to formulate their beliefs about the church and the kingdom and to develop ministry practices that are consistent with their convictions.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of significant ecclesiologies on both a global and local scale.
- Critique the theological premises and exegetical foundations of selected ecclesiologies.
- Compare and contrast the biblical concept of the kingdom of God with prominent understandings in your faith community.
- Evaluate the ministry practices of your church in the light of your understanding of the Bible’s teaching about the church and the kingdom of God.
- Implement ministry practices that reflect your understanding of the Bible’s teaching about the church and the kingdom of God.