PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT GUIDE
CMIN 2003 THE CHURCH IN MINISTRY
Course Description: CMIN 2003 The Church in Ministry – An introductory study of what the church is and
what it does. The study includes an overview of the biblical theology of the nature and mission of the church.
The biblical teaching concerning ministry, including the giftedness of all believers for ministry and the concept
of a divinely called clergy, is examined. The roles of various church leaders are explored and various functions
and programs of the church are surveyed.
Background: Church Partnership Program (CPP) students spend two years of full-time work within their church
or ministry. During these years, students gain a very broad and deep understanding of the nature and mission
of the church, the roles and functions of church leaders, and an overview of church programs. CPP students
have acquired sufficient knowledge to challenge CMIN 2003 The Church in Ministry through Northwest
University Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) process.
Procedure:
During the second year of students’ CPP program, Site Coordinators will work with students to fulfill the
following steps to submit for credit consideration. It is expected that students acquire the knowledge
referenced below throughout their program, but should understand that some research will be required and
some interviews may be conducted in association with some questions. The questions below should not be
considered a final exam for the course where there are specific correct and incorrect answers. Rather, they are
intended to guide students in describing their knowledge of what the church is and how it functions. The
document is to be typed double-spaced following MLA style guidelines.
1. Review the following biblical passages: Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-49/ Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15-18; John
20:21-23. In 1-2 pages answer these questions:
a. Why do you think there are four different mission statements in the Gospels?
b. What is one implication of multiple mission statements for today’s local churches?
2. In 3-4 pages describe the history of the Christian church including major church leaders, councils, and
events:
a. birth and beginning of the church in the first century AD
b. post-apostolic church fathers up to the late medieval church prior to the Reformation
c. Reformation to the present day western Christian church, including the rise of the Pentecostal
Movement in the 20th century.
3. In 2-3 pages, describe the role and function of your current church within its community. Include the
following information:
a. What is its mission, vision, objectives, or other statements that provide direction and focus for its
ministries
b. How effective do you feel these statements are in helping leadership to determine which
ministries to add or close?
c. Within your community, what additional ministry or ministries could be added? How would this
ministry fit within the mission and vision statements?
4. Describe your ministry’s process for the proposal, consideration, approval, budget allocation, initiation,
and evaluation of a new ministry. Use whatever method is easiest to describe the process, such as an
annotated outline (describing the various steps), flow chart, or other approach.