Missional Church
Christians in the 21st century U.S. culture find themselves in a new, post-Christendom world. Such a world represents both new challenges and new opportunities for the ministry of the church; new models of ministry are called for. This course serves as an introduction to the theological curriculum at Biblical Seminary. Groundwork is laid for understanding the current context and for lighting a passion in the student for ministering effectively to people needing the message of Christ, whether inside or outside the walls of the traditional “church.”

Formation & Ministry
A course designed to explore how we can incarnate the story of Jesus and engage in his mission. Priority is given to assessment of character, temperament, gifts, talents, abilities, ministry and relational skills, sense of call and other characteristics relevant to spiritual formation and ministry. Special attention is given to the spiritual formation process and how it is expressed through the practice of spiritual disciplines and a missional engagement with a postmodern culture.

Pursuing Authentic Biblical Interpretation
This course provides a general orientation to various skills and disciplines related to understanding the Bible and appropriating and communicating the biblical message. You will learn principles of interpretation (hermeneutics) and will develop an understanding of Christ as the hermeneutical center of Scripture. You will also engage the questions of postmodernism as they impact the task of biblical interpretation and will grow in your ability to engage contemporary culture appropriately, competently and responsibly with biblical wisdom, godliness and truth.

Leadership Development
Missional leaders model, inspire, and invite others to: enter the conversation, to be imaginative, to experiment, and to innovate. Missional leaders are adaptive and grow comfortable with discontinuous learning and leading. This course explores the biblical, theological, philosophical, and methodological approaches to Christian leadership. Various paradigms, mental models, and strategies will be discussed with emphasis on leadership development in various contexts. Principles of assessment, organization, planning, delegation, and decision making will be examined and discussed.

Exegeting the City

Missional Theology 1
This course addresses the question of what it means to be a good theologian in the contemporary setting. It provides an introduction to the discipline of theology and a consideration of the sources and methods employed in doing theology and formulating doctrine in the context of contemporary culture. The course includes the nature and task of theology, the significance of theology for Christian faith, the sources for theology, theological method, and the relationship between theology and culture. .

Reading the OT Missionally
This course introduces students to the first part of God’s plan of redemption, from creation to the return of Israel from exile. You will see an overview of God’s mission as it is embodied in the Hebrew Scriptures, with attention to each of the biblical writings.

Church Leadership in an Urban Context

Old Testament Narrative/History book study
The story of God’s covenant with his people focuses on some of the most dramatic events in Scripture: the creation of the cosmos, the deliverance from Egypt, the conquest of Canaan, the establishment of the monarchy, the exile of both kingdoms and finally the re-building of Jerusalem and the temple. Within this context, this course will focus on one narrative book, examining in detail one aspect of God’s redemption of his people. As a result, students will gain skills to enable them to not only profitably study the text but also to gain biblical perspective on their role in the story of the God’s ongoing mission.

Old Testament Prophets book study
Prophets were the heroes of the Old Testament. They spoke for God, often risking their lives to confront rulers and nations, and all the while anticipating a future Messiah. This course will begin by looking at the literature of the prophets generally, but then primarily focus on one prophetic book specifically. Particular attention will be devoted to the unfolding of God’s mission within the book and how it, along with other prophetic literature, impacted the writings of the New Testament. Students will thereby be equipped both to understand prophetic texts as well as to apply them into their pluralistic contemporary contexts.

Reading the NT Missionally
This course introduces students to the second half of the drama of redemption, beginning with the coming of Christ, followed by the founding of the church, and continuing through the consummation. You will learn the story of the NT from a missional perspective. Through this lens you will learn the basic content of the NT and apply it to your life as a follower of Christ.

Missional Theology 2
This course examines the Christian story and Christian beliefs concerning the being and character of God, his works of creation and providence, the nature of human beings, the nature and implications of sin, and the identity and mission of Christ. In addition, the identity and mission of the Holy Spirit, the nature and application of salvation, the nature and mission of the church, and eschatology . Attention is given to the biblical teaching, historical appropriation, and contemporary expression of these beliefs as well as their implications for Christian life and spiritual formation.

Difficult Issues in Counseling

Gospels book study
If Jesus was the prophesied Messiah, why was he rejected by his own people and abandoned by his own disciples? Why did Jesus speak and act in such mysterious ways? Why did Jesus so often appear to act in tension with the Old Testament ? Why are there four gospels that differ significantly from each other? Why do the gospels ignore so much of Jesus’ life? As you focus on one of these gospels, you will tackle these and many other vital questions and in the process be confronted by the bewildering majesty of Jesus, challenged to a more radical discipleship, and instructed in how to read and communicate the gospels in missionally relevant ways.

Acts/Pauline book study
The book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles are missional works. The book of Acts describes what the risen Christ continued to do by his Spirit through his chosen emissaries in the first-century, Greco-Roman world; Paul’s letters give us first-hand knowledge of one of those emissaries as he embodied Jesus’ Spirit driven mission to the Gentile world. In this course, you will focus on the content of one of these texts with the goal of integrating and applying it to the pastoral and missional task facing the church in a 21st-century world.

Church Planting in an Urban Context 2

Homiletics
Authentically living and skillfully communicating the gospel is integral to spiritual formation and missional engagement of a biblical community. There is both an art and a science to such proclamation. This course is designed to develop the skills and passion necessary to construct and present Christ-centered and culturally relevant sermons. The course includes in-class preaching experience in a context of peer and professor critical evaluation using oral and written feedback, videotapes, and private conference.

World Christian History 1
This course explores the formation and expansion of the church from the beginning of the second century to the eve of the Reformation. This course is designed to examine and reflect upon the theology, worship and missional practices of the major Christian traditions prior to the Reformation. The goal of this course is for each student to acquire a critical appreciation for a period of church history that has been long neglected and much maligned, but has nourished the souls of millions of Christians throughout the ages.

World Christian History 2
Church History 2 explores the formation of new church traditions, as well as the renewal of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, from the time of the Reformation to the present. This course is designed to examine and reflect upon the theology, worship and missional practices of the major Christian traditions after the 16th century. As a part of the course we will also explore how God has used his people to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. The end result is a diverse global church made up of many ethnic groups, cultures and languages, who as one people of God bend the knee and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

Community & Mission
This course is designed to encourage you to continue to develop a missional Christian lifestyle. You will integrate biblical and theological principles of spiritual formation and missional living in the context of Christian community along with historical and contemporary expressions and applications. Each student participates in a small group, and is assigned the responsibility to engage in spiritual conversations outside of the classroom. Special attention will be given to the nurture of Christian community through exposure to the theory and practice of select missional communities.

Urban Mission 1

Senior Missions Trip
In this capstone experience, you will engage in a 12-day overseas missions trip designed to give you a vision for the world. The course concludes with a post-event session that will include critical reflection on this experience. Under the guidance of a qualified mission agency, you will receive assistance in support raising, passports and visas, etc. before embarking on this opportunity to serve God with your cohort members. You are strongly encouraged to bring your spouse so that the two of you together will develop a greater passion for God's work in the world.

Organizations and Change
In this course you will come to understand how organizations actually form, work, think, and learn. Navigating through the maze of human dynamics and complex structures that comprise organizational culture, you will be able to readily identify the mission, vision, and values of an organization. What organizations think and say they are doing is often very different from what is actually happening in practice. As a result of this course, you will be able to discern the delta that exists between perception and reality. You will aid your organizations by identifying blinding paradigms, and stimulating a healthy and helpful culture of continuous organizational learning.

Theology, Ethnicity, Gender

Urban Mission 2

Christianity & World Religions

OT or NT book study

Senior Seminar
This course serves to culminate your studies at Biblical. Assignments in this class are designed to refine, apply, and present the ministerial function of the biblical, theological, and missional truths you have garnered throughout your studies. You will reexamine the program goals and assess your growth since beginning your studies. You will consider the challenges of ministry, leadership, and personal spiritual growth in your ministry setting after seminary. Student initiative and leadership will significantly impact and guide specific class format and assignment structure.