Foundations in Missional Ministry and Church Leadership
Certificate: 4 courses
The completion of any 4 courses will merit a certificate in Foundations in Missional Ministry and Church Leadership. The following four courses are the foundational courses which are suggested to be taken first. Courses do not have to be taken in this sequence.
- Bible Interpretation
- God's Mission & His Church
- Survey of the Old and New Testaments
- Basic Bible Doctrines
Diploma*: Certificate + any 4 courses
The successful completion of any 8 courses will merit the diploma in Foundations in Missional Ministry* . Courses do not need to be taken in the sequence listed.
- Introduction to Urban Mission
- Developing Intercultural Leadership
- Church and Pastoral Ministry**
- Spiritual Formations for Missional Ministry
- Leading Your Congregation in Missional Ministry
- Window on Global Mission
* This is a Non-Credit Diploma.
** Church and Pastoral Ministry is a course delivered by respective partners, according to their denominational affiliation. For example, GCF would ask leaders from CBOQ to deliver training that would instruct participants, regarding the ministry distinctive of that denomination.
For upcoming courses, please click here. If you have further questions or would like to register for a course, please contact TIM Centre:
Click here to download a copy of our entire Curriculum.
Basic Bible Doctrines
Course Instructor: Dr. Bob Morris
This course is not a “systematic Theology” or “Philosophical Theology” course designed to provide a comprehensive examination into foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. Rather, it is designed to explore the “underlying themes that are woven all through the Bible’s grand narrative – themes that are foundational pillars of the biblical worldview and therefore also of biblical theology…” – We will examine Monotheism in Genesis 1, and its implication for developing a relevant biblical worldview; Doctrine of Humanity developed in Genesis 2-11; The doctrine of Soteriology arising from Genesis 1-11; The Doctrine of Ecclesiology, development of the purposes and the mission of the church; and the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, its role in creating and directing the church in its mission to the World.
- How to read the narrative of the Bible to gain insights into who God is, who we are, and what God is doing in the World to reconcile all creation onto Himself.
- To gain a deep appreciation of the artistry, the construction, and the depth of meaning in the grand narrative of the Bible.
- To explore and gain insights into the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith.
- To develop a personal Biblical Worldview that will shape the way you live as a person, and as a leader in the church.
Course Instructor: Rev. Dr. Michael Krause
We all discover meaning in the Bible. Even though most of it was written more than 2000 years ago to people who had different languages and cultures than we do, it still speaks to us today. This process of discovering what the text is really saying in its original context is called exegesis. Interpreting what that text means to us is called hermeneutics. This course is designed to help students read and study the Bible with greater understanding by teaching them the basics of good interpretation for the various types of literature (genres) that make up the Bible. Once we have understood the text and discerned its meaning, we also need to communicate it to others. This course will also incorporate exercises that outline the text to help find the main idea of passage so that it can be taught and preached more effectively – which is Homiletics. Please remember that any time we interpret Scripture we are interpreting language and grammar and sentence structure. This course will require a good basic understanding of the English language. The course is based on the book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.
- Demonstrate the hermeneutical framework, progressing from exegesis (what the text meant) to exposition (what it means to the Christian Church at large) and on to appropriation (what it means to individual members of the faith community). This will demonstrated using block diagrams, exegetical and homiletical outlines, an exegetical summary and a class presentation in the form of a teaching or sermon.
- Follow the principles of good exegesis in understanding “The World behind the Text.”
- Describe the major literary genres of the Old and New Testaments displaying how each genre impacts interpretation (sometimes called “the first horizon” or “The World of the Text”).
- Incorporate an understanding of the role of our culture and current context to correctly interpret the Bible displaying the principles of proper appropriation and application (sometimes called “the second horizon” or “The World in front of the Text”).
Developing Intercultural Leaders
Course Instructors: Robert Cousins, and Chris Pullenayegem
God’s people are called to participate in God’s mission of blessing the nations of this world. With the movement of peoples Toronto has become one of the most multicultural cities of the world. If we are going to engage in missional ministry, in Toronto and beyond, it will mean having to cross cultural boundaries to build trusting relationships’. This course seeks to develop intercultural competencies for Christian leaders engaged in intercultural ministry.
- Understand the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity
- Understand the process of intercultural communication
- Be aware of how their own cultural values influence communication
- Understand cultural differences and how they impact communication
- Appreciate the adaptation process of entering another cultural context
- Have some skills for effective in intercultural relationships
- Develop skills for handling intercultural conflict
- Have developed self-awareness regarding his/her intercultural leadership capacity
- Be able to articulate a biblical theology of cultural diversity
God's Mission & His Church
Course Instructor: Trevor Seath
It's common to measure the success of a church in terms of the size of it's congregation, budget, or building. While these kinds of statistics provide insight into a church, they don't always reveal whether a congregation has been swept up into God's mission for their lives. What if we started to ask new questions? What if we looked carefully at our city to discover the opportunities to engage with our neighbours for Jesus' glory? What if we celebrated not only how many gathered on Sunday but also how many felt excited and equipped to join in God's mission in our everyday lives? What if we lived expecting to meet and work with God in every single nook and cranny of our routine? We've all had days like that - we all long for more! In this course we'll explore a biblical vision of the Church and experiment with new ways of thinking and living as God's people caught up in His mission. It will be a blast!
Introduction to Urban Ministry
Course Instructor: Dr. Michael Krause
This course will provide an overview of the various approaches to urban ministry found in Toronto with a particular focus on inner-city ministry with the poor and marginalized. The goal of the course is to understand some of the issues involved in inner-city life, to discover what various ministries are doing in Toronto, to learn how to approach ministry in an urban context and to design more effective ministry with marginalized people. Students will learn how to evaluate their own communities and discover ways of reaching their neighborhoods.
Leading Your Congregation in Missional Ministry
Course Instructors: Rev. Dr. Brian Craig, and Rev. Clint Mix
With the mission of God as our reason for existence, we are called to lead, equip and care for the people of God as they engage in that mission. As church leaders, what are the understandings, skills and practices that serve this mission and the church? This course will look at who we are as leaders, and how we can grow and develop in our ability to lead effectively and empower others to do the same. One aspect of the course will be to address the life and character of leadership, and another will address the specific tasks and areas of ministry we are most commonly called to undertake in church ministry.
- Express key aspects of what leaders are called to do in the context of local church ministry
- Mentor and empower others in mission and ministry
- Identify your own gifts and tendencies in leadership
- Practice various skills required for effective leadership
Spiritual Formation for Missional Ministry
Course Instructor: Dr. Rob Elkington
“As the Father has sent me, so send I you.” These powerful and challenging words from the Lord Jesus Christ are filled with momentous and eternal implication. The Father sent the Lord Jesus Christ, filled with grace and truth, to seek and to save that which was lost. The risen Lord Jesus Christ calls us to be filled with grace and truth, and in turn for us to seek to save that which is lost, to lead people to saving faith in the finished work of Christ, and to disciple them in a way that leads to kingdom living in a fallen world. How is this incredible mission accomplished through our lives? This course seeks to equip you as a follower of Christ, to cultivate the spiritual disciplines that will enable you to accomplish the mission of Christ.
- Understanding the Trinity as Foundational for Spiritual Formation
- Understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in Spiritual Formation
- Understanding the role of the Bible in Spiritual Formation
- Understanding the Gospel of the Kingdom and Spiritual Formation
- Understanding the Transformational Process
Survey of the Old and New Testaments
Course Instructor: Dr. Narry Santos
Understanding the content and the flow of Scripture is fundamental to understanding God’s missional purposes for humanity. It is not just understanding the characters and events that is important but also understanding how God consistently worked in the lives of his people, in the nation of Israel, and in the church. His purposes are consistent throughout Scripture, from the creation to the consummation.
Window on Global Mission
Course Instructors: Experienced missionaries with high academic qualifications
Window on Global Missions is designed to introduce God’s people to how God is at work in His world. The living God is a missionary God. Wherever his people are in the world, they have the privilege of being his co-workers. Window on Global Missions is a course designed to empower church leaders to help the people of God better understand how God is at work and to enable them to fulfill their part in His purposes. This course will address the Theological, historical, strategical and cross cultural aspects of engaging in Global mission. We will show how mission begins on our doorstep to the ends of the earth.