MA Cross Cultural Mission Modules
Core Modules
ML1 – The Contemporary Culture of the Challenge of Mission
ML2 – Missional Leadership – Theory & Practice
Specialist Modules
CM3 – Migration & Mission
CM4 – Cross Cultural Ministry & Community
Module Descriptors
Title
Contemporary Culture & the Challenge of Mission
Code
ML1
Faculty
Education & Theology
Cost Centre
Level
FHEQ 7
YSJU M
Credits
30
Total Learning Hours
300
Barred Combinations
None
Pre-requisites
None
Learning and Teaching
Type of Learning Activity
comprises
hours
weeks
Timetabled Contact:
Block learning (+ regional networks)
30
16
Independent Study:
Reading primary and secondary sources, accessing and
completing verbatim, researching and preparing
assignments
270
16
300
16
Total:
Rationale and Aims
The term ‘missional’ is now widely used but not necessarily well understood. This module explores the
historical, theological, and contemporary contexts for this concept, with particular reference to how mission
can relate to contemporary Western culture.
Aims:
1. To critically engage with and appreciate the nature of cultural theory and its relevance for missional work
2. To critically explore how Western culture has changed in recent years and gain advanced knowledge of the
historical background to these changes
3. To examine and analyse the elements of a culturally-attuned approach to mission in the West (including
evangelism, social action and church planting)
4. To identify and critically examine both historical and more recent expressions of ‘missional church’ and
evaluate them in the light of contemporary culture
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Critically analyse concepts of Western culture and develop greater awareness and appreciation of the
need for a ‘missional’ approach to evaluate contemporary mission
2. Critically analyse the ways in which churches and/or faith-based organisations can engage in a variety
of forms of mission relevant to contemporary culture
3. Critically reflect on the application of missional thinking to their own ministry setting and apply robust,
reflective and contextually-appropriate approaches to their ministry
Assessment (please include expected word length (for text-based assessment))
#
description
weighting
learning
outcomes
1 5000 word essay
80%
1, 2, 3
2 Personal development task
20%
3
Qualified Failures: in order to pass the module, students must achieve at least:
(for modules with more than one summative assessment component please delete as applicable)
A mark of 20 in each component and an overall pass mark
Indicative Content
Students will:
1.
Explore theories of culture, particularly the influence of secularisation, post modernity, (and their
epistemological assumption) and the waning influence of Christendom within Western societies
2.
Explore contemporary challenges to mission, including philosophical (e.g. science and the new atheism),
cultural (e.g. consumerism, individualism) and theological challenges (including that of Islam and other
major world faiths), and how these may be overcome.
3.
Examine examples of mission in the West since the Enlightenment, including an assessment of
contemporary missional movements and reflect on the development of the ‘missional conversation’.
4.
Assess the different ways in which evangelism, social action and church planting can be undertaken in the
context of the West as components of Christian mission.
Library Resources
Indicative essential book provision (5 examples):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Smith, J.K.A., Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012)
Van Gelder, C. & Zscheile, D., The Missional Church in Perspective. Mapping Trends and Shaping the
Conversation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011)
Day, A. and Lövheim, M. (eds.), Modernities, Memory and Mutations: Grace Davie and the Study of
Religion (Ashgate, 2015)
Barker, C., Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice, (London: SAGE, 2011)
Murray, S., Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World (After Christendom) (Bletchley:
Paternoster, 2011)
Indicative journals / periodicals (3 examples from current subscriptions):
1. Missiology - An International Review (American Society of Missiology)
2. Journal of Missional Practice (The Missional Network)
3. International Review of Mission (WCC)
Audio-visual / non-printed material:
None
ICT Resources
Hardware
N/A
Specialist software
Moodle (online VLE)
ATLA database and e-library
Media Resources
AV equipment
Data projectors, DVD player
Title
Missional Leadership –Theory & Practice
Code
ML2
Faculty
Education & Theology
Cost Centre
Level
FHEQ 7
YSJU M
Credits
30
Total Learning Hours
300
Barred Combinations
None
Pre-requisites
None
Learning and Teaching
Type of Learning Activity
comprises
hours
weeks
Timetabled Contact:
Block learning (+ regional networks for p/t study)
30
16
Independent Study:
Reading primary and secondary sources, accessing and
completing verbatim, researching and preparing
assignments
270
16
300
16
Total:
Rationale and Aims
The Church in the West is undergoing profound change as it adjusts to a new context for mission. Students
will study the core leadership attributes and skills required to lead Christian communities (including mission
organisations and churches) in this changing landscape. Effective leadership encompasses the use of particular
skills to shape organisations and these skills are similar for faith and non-faith based organisations. Yet
Christian leadership cannot be studied from the perspectives of theory and skills alone and the role of personal
formation is a central aspect of leadership development. The impact that a leader him/herself has on others
also depends in large part on the development of character and an understanding of their personality. Selfawareness is, therefore, another important factor in leading effectively.
Aims:
1. To critically evaluate the theory and processes of leadership in churches and mission organisations
2. To critically explore models of managing change and conflict and the concepts of imagination and
innovation in organisations
3. To enhance self-awareness in order to enable students to improve their interpersonal leadership skills
4. To enable students to critically engage with the major academic and critical issues in the fields of
personality theory and communication theory as they impact upon missional work
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Critically analyse the elements involved in effective Christian leadership in different contexts
2. Critically evaluate the various approaches to self-awareness and personal formation in the
development of missional leaders
3. Engage in critical personal reflection around the development of their identity as Christian leaders.
Assessment (please include expected word length (for text-based assessment))
#
description
weighting
learning
outcomes
1 3500 word essay
55%
1, 2, 3
2 Personal development task
20%
1, 3
3 1500 word critical review of a key published academic book or article
25%
2
Qualified Failures: in order to pass the module, students must achieve at least:
(for modules with more than one summative assessment component please delete as applicable)
A mark of 20 in each component and an overall pass mark
Indicative Content
Students will:
1. Evaluate and critique the task of leadership and its challenges in our current cultural
context
2. Critically assess key skills for Christian mission and leadership in a time of societal
change, including the management of transitions
3. Evaluate the concept of ‘character’ and critique its importance to Christian leadership within
missional situations with reference to issues such as the use of power, servanthood and
accountability
4. Critically assess the importance of self-awareness to effective leadership especially within
missional contexts: including critical analysis of a range of approaches (phenomenological,
narrative, psychometric testing etc.)
Library Resources
Indicative essential book provision (5 examples):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Francis L. J., Faith and Psychology: Personality, Religion and the Individual, (London: DLT, 2008)
Roxburgh, A., & Romanuk, F., The Missional Leader: Equipping your Church to Reach a Changing World
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011)
Wheatley M.J., Leadership and the New Science - Discovering Order in a Chaotic World (San Francisco:
Berrett-Koehler, 2010)
Collins, J. and Hansen, M. T., Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite
Them All (Random House Business, 2011)
Guder, D., Hirsch, A., Catchim, T., & Breen, M., The Permanent Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and
Practice for the 21st Century Church, (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2012)
Indicative journals / periodicals (3 examples from current subscriptions):
1. Missiology - An International Review (American Society of Missiology)
2. International Review of Mission (WCC)
3. International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church (Routledge)
Audio-visual / non-printed material:
None
ICT Resources
Hardware
N/A
Specialist software
Moodle (online VLE)
ATLA database and e-library
Media Resources
AV equipment
Data projectors, DVD player
Title
Migration & Mission
Code
CM3
Faculty
Education & Theology
Cost Centre
Level
FHEQ 7
YSJU M
Credits
30
Total Learning Hours
300
Barred Combinations
ML3,
UM3,
MS3
Pre-requisites
None
Learning and Teaching
Type of Learning Activity
comprises
hours
Weeks
Timetabled Contact:
Block learning (+ regional networks)
30
16
Independent Study:
Reading primary and secondary sources, accessing and
completing verbatim, researching and preparing
assignments
270
16
300
16
Total:
Rationale and Aims
We are living in the age of globalisation and migration where many people, Christian or otherwise, are
moving from the Majority World to the West. This module explores the rising phenomenon of non-Western
Christian presence in the West and its potential impact on mission among Westerners. It also examines the
implications of the resultant cultural diversity in the West to mission.
Aims:
1. To explore and critically engage with current trends in globalisation and migration
2. To evaluate the historical and theological relationship between migration and mission
3. To develop a critically robust theology of migration
4. To explore and critically engage with the significance of ‘reverse mission’ and the impact of this on
particular localities
5. To formulate an advanced understanding of missional responses to cultural diversity as well as to
critically engage with the challenges of such responses
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Theologically reflect and critique the challenges posed by migration and globalisation
2. Critically evaluate the factors behind the rise of reverse mission
3. Investigate and critically evaluate the impact that reverse mission has on local communities in the
West and on the student’s own particular local context
Assessment (please include expected word length (for text-based assessment))
#
description
weighting
learning
outcomes
1 3000 research project
50%
1, 2
2 Presentation
30%
2, 3
3 Personal development task
20%
1, 3
Qualified Failures: in order to pass the module, students must achieve at least:
(for modules with more than one summative assessment component please delete as applicable)
A mark of 20 in each component and an overall pass mark.
Indicative Content
Students will:
1. Explore concepts of postcolonial theory and engage with distinctive expressions of postcolonial
Christianity
2. Explore concepts of neo-colonialism, globalisation and globalisation and critically evaluate
contemporary cultural shifts and evaluate global and local trends in cross-cultural mission
3. Critically engage with multi-directional migration and in particular non-Western Christian migration to
the West
4. Assess and critique the implications of cultural diversity in local contexts, and evaluate the concept of
multiculturalism in the West, in particular how that informs and challenges homogeneous churches in
the West
5. Evaluate and critique a variety of expressions of ‘new Christianities’ in the West and the impact on
their host communities, as well as critiquing the form and structure of traditional and contemporary
expressions of the church in the West
Library Resources
Indicative essential book provision (5 examples):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Adogame, A., The African Christian Diaspora: New Currents and Emerging Trends in World Christianity.
(London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013)
Hanciles, J., Beyond Christendom: Globalization, African Migration, and the Transformation of the West
(Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2008)
Kwiyani, H. C., Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2014)
Wan, E., Diaspora Missiology: Theory, Methodology, and Practice (Portland: Institute of Diaspora Studies,
2012)
Lechner F. J. and Boli, J., The Globalisation Reader, 5th ed. (Wiley 2014)
Indicative journals / periodicals (3 examples from current subscriptions):
1. The Journal of African Christian Thought
2. African Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Africa in a Global World.
3. International Bulletin of Missionary Research (Overseas Ministries Study Centre)
Audio-visual / non-printed material:
None
ICT Resources
Hardware
N/A
Specialist software
Moodle (online VLE)
ATLA database and e-library
Media Resources
AV equipment
Data projectors, DVD player
Title
Cross-cultural Ministry & Community
Code
CM4
Faculty
Education & Theology
Cost Centre
Level
FHEQ 7
YSJU M
Credits
30
Total Learning Hours
300
Barred Combinations
ML4,
UM4,
MS4
Pre-requisites
None
Learning and Teaching
Type of Learning Activity
comprises
hours
Weeks
Timetabled Contact:
Block learning (+ regional networks)
30
16
Independent Study:
Reading primary and secondary sources, accessing and
completing verbatim, researching and preparing
assignments
270
16
300
16
Total:
Rationale and Aims
st
Mission in the West in the 21 Century will involve, to a significant extent, the work of many non-Western
missionaries and Christians living and serving in the West. This module explores the contextual issues that
these non-Western missionaries need to negotiate to be effective in their work.
Aims:
1.
To explore and critically engage with contemporary and appropriate expressions, models and
examples of discipleship, leadership, community-formation and church-planting within a crosscultural ministry setting
To explore and evaluate the barriers faced by non-Western Christian missionary work in the
Western context
2.
3.
To evaluate and critique skills, practices, and competencies for effective cross-cultural mission and
community-formation in Western contexts
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1.
Critically reflect and apply advanced knowledge and skills for engaging effectively with crosscultural ministry with non-Western Christians in contemporary Western contexts
2.
Evaluate and critique the challenges to cross-cultural mission in Western contexts and evaluate the
formation of new Christian faith communities
Critique the ways in which non-Western Christians may effectively contextualise the Gospel in
Westerners contexts
3.
Assessment (please include expected word length (for text-based assessment))
#
description
weighting
learning
outcomes
1 5000 word essay
80%
1, 2, 3
2 Personal development task
20%
1, 2
Qualified Failures: in order to pass the module, students must achieve at least:
(for modules with more than one summative assessment component please delete as applicable)
A mark of 20 in each component and an overall pass mark
Indicative Content
Students will:
1.
2.
Explore non-Western anthropological readings of Western culture
Assess and critique the role of race, class, and culture in reverse mission and the interface of these
issues in multicultural contexts
3.
Evaluate and critically engage with examples and models of discipleship, leadership and
community-formation in cross-cultural ministry contexts
Library Resources
Indicative essential book provision (5 examples):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Branson, M.L., and Martinez, J., Churches, Cultures and Leadership: A Practical Theology of
Congregations and Ethnicities (Downers Grove: IVP, 2011)
Hardy, A., and Yarnell, D., Forming Multicultural Partnerships: Church Planting in a Divided Society
(Instant Apostle, 2015)
Hofstede, G., Cultures and Organisations: Software of the Mind: Intercultural Cooperation and Its
Importance for Survival (New York: McGraw Hill, 2010)
Escobar, S., The New Global Mission: The Gospel from Everywhere to Everyone (Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 2003)
Magesa, L., What Is Not Sacred?: African Spirituality (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2013)
Indicative journals / periodicals (3 examples from current subscriptions):
1. Missio Africanus: The Journal of African Missiology
2. Mission Studies: Journal of the International Association for Mission Studies
3. Journal of Intercultural Studies
Audio-visual / non-printed material:
None
ICT Resources
Hardware
N/A
Specialist software
Moodle (online VLE)
ATLA database and e-library
Media Resources
AV equipment
Data projectors, DVD player