An investigation of the biblical theology of mission. The student will analyze three distinct but interrelated areas: The biblical and theological foundations of mission; the Kingdom of God as the theme of mission; and progressive revelation throughout salvation history. The student will be able to construct his/her own mission theological framework.

Students will assess different approaches to integrating spirituality with missionality in current and past literature. They will explore various forms of spiritual development and soul-care that encourage participants in both their spiritual depth and missional practice. Students will experience creative spiritual practices and develop customized spiritual development plans for their missional context.

This course compares and contrasts the principles and practices of various practitioners and theorists in the area of millennial spiritual formation. Special emphasis is given to the concept of the new life stage of emerging adulthood as well as recent research pointing to rise in narcissism among this cohort. The student will evaluate and critique the various positions, synthesizing them into their own conceptual framework to be utilized in their ministry to millennials in various cultural contexts.

This course compares various trends and issues in millennials faith formation. Students will learn about generational theory, the rise of postmodernism and the epistemological turn, the prevalence of moralistic therapeutic deism, and the ongoing academic discussion between institutional vs. missional ecclesiology. Students will compare and contrast the various positions of these concepts and formulate their own position which can be used in the development of others.

This course examines various models of millennial ministry, such as traditional vs. missional ecclesiology, innovative discipleship and mentoring programs, and social justice/outreach efforts. Students will compare, contrast, and critique these various models and construct his or her own strategic plan to be implemented in millennial ministry.

This course traces the social history of the first ‘digital natives,’ the millennials. The student will become familiar with various positions taken by sociologists, demographers, and practical theologians who have written on the lived experience of the millennial generation in this new digital age. The student will evaluate these positions with an eye toward developing their own perspective on effective methods of engaging millennials using technology and social media. The student will design a workshop that can be used to equip leaders who are working with millennials regarding the impact of social history and technology of millennial culture.