Welcome

Welcome to the homepage of the Department of Community Renewal. The reality of sin and it's resulting turmoil causes human hearts, diverse societies and communities to make renewal and transformation a necessity in our world today. This department concerns itself with activities and programs that contribute towards community renewal and the realization of biblical "shalom" (peace).

Why Community Renewal?

The Department of Community Renewal works side by side with the School of Community Ministry (SCM) to ensure that experiential learning components are integrated into its various program offerings such as Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy, Health Services, Community Development, Social Work and Ministry and Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

The department supports the SCM mission to provide training for individuals who seek to restore hope to the masses. Since this hope includes striking a balance between sharing faith and demonstrating God’s love in service to the community, SEL’s Department of Community Renewal create avenues for practical hands-on learning experiences and other experiential learning approaches that integrates faith with service.

Practical hands-on learning experiences provide the environment for students to make sense of theories and principles they have learned in their online classrooms in a real-world setting. Some of the experiential learning types that are employed are observation practice, participant observation practicum, action learning, action research, and missional clerkships or internships.

Depending upon program requirements, each SCM student is required to successfully complete one or more of the following experiential learning courses: observership, practicum, field instruction, internship, mentorship, capstone, portfolio, project, research and thesis courses.

Why Missional University?

Experiential learning in Community Renewal at Missional University is based on the six core values of the University:

Biblically Based:

Implicit in the Great Commandment recorded in Mark 12:28-31 is the command for followers of Jesus to be an agent of community renewal or transformation. This is evident in Christ's mandate to both "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "love your neighbor as yourself," which he followed with the injunction that "there is no other commandment greater than these." Obedience to these commands leads to the transformation of the individual’s physical, social and spiritual lives. As individuals experience transformation, they, in turn, become agents of change in their respective communities. The Department of Community Renewal exists in acknowledgment of this reality.

Missionally Driven:

Missional University is driven by the concept that Christian believers should become part of the missio dei -- the mission of God in this world. The same applies to the Community Renewal department in the School of Experiential Learning. The department seeks to be an agent of change in the lives of MU students, faculty and other stakeholders, keeping in mind the university’s passion to faithfully serve in the mission of God.

Interculturally Focused:

As a higher education institution, Missional University celebrates the cultural diversity that exists in this world as a reflection of the creative nature of the image of God in humanity. The Community Renewal department encourages individuals to express their faith in a manner that is consistent with their personal cultural background and in accordance with what is deemed appropriate in their culture under the Lordship of Christ.

Contextually Informed:

The Community Renewal department advance its work by being mindful that it exists to make a difference not just in the life of the members of Missional University, but in the lives of the members of varied communities that will be impacted by the ministry of MU. Therefore in its decision-making, it will consider the varied contexts where organizational members work, minister or generally hail from.

Practically Minded:

While understanding basic theories in a given practice is important, Missional University gives equal value to practical understanding of serving in the mission of God in a given discipline. In keeping with this, the Department of Community Renewal commits to provide opportunities for practical hands-on learning experiences that will enable students to try out principles they have learned in their online classrooms.

Experientially Transformed:

The Community Renewal Department integrates experiential learning components in the courses students take in the School of Community Ministry (SCM). In order to successfully complete their degrees, SCM students are required to complete Observership, Practicum, Internship, and other experientially oriented courses. These learning experiences are designed to better equip students to deal with real life problems in their chosen field. They also empower students to more easily transition into their professional careers.