This module gives a biblical-theological vision for the missional nature of the church and the patterns of life, action and speech which that requires. The importance of this for an understanding of the nature of the church and its perceived mission in other times and places is identified. With awareness of the way social and cultural factors contribute to the form of the church, the learner is assisted to form a vision of missional service for the contemporary church.

The module helps the learner understand the meaning of biblical Christianity and its relationship to faith and practice within contemporary cultural contexts. Special attention is given to the corporate dimensions of spirituality and spiritual formation as defined in the New Testament. Those historical and cultural factors that have led to the privatization of Christianity are analysed and discussed. A paradigm of spiritual growth and maturity that focuses on the assembly rather than the individual is developed. In this study spiritual direction is identified as a spiritual discipline utilised from the early Christian church to the present. Consideration is given to its relationship to culture, its expression in religious communities, and insights from psychology and for pastoral care.

This module will assist the learner to appreciate the importance of taking the cultural context of the modern church seriously. It will explore biblical content referring to worship, the history of worship in the Church, and various current perspectives on worship. It will identify the varieties of worship in ancient Israel, in the New Testament churches, in the church throughout history, and in various modern cultural contexts. Learners will be introduced to emerging forms of worship in a variety of traditions and they will develop their own theology of worship, as well as gaining skill in developing worship for an emerging culture in their own contexts. Learners will learn to reflect theologically on the essential elements of Christian worship and on their capacity to shape faith communities and engage culture. The module will include a strong practical component, offering principles, methods, and skills for both the design and leadership of worship.

The primary purpose of this module is to guide the learner toward the development of a biblical foundation for the study, research, and practice of proclamation in the local church. During the learning process, learners will be introduced to different theories of communication and exposed to the challenges identified by communication scholars and faced by those working in the field of communication. The emphasis of this module will be on understanding the role and function of communication in and from the life of the local church. Special attention will be given to the primary message of the church and how this is communicated in our culture.

The purpose of this module is to critically explore the constructive relationship between theological reflection and articulation on the one hand, and the socio-cultural contexts in which such reflection and articulation take place on the other. The fundamental questions guiding this exploration are: (1) what is the relationship between a theology and its context; (2) in what ways are theology and context mutually influenced and determined; and (3) what is the role of the local church?

Passionate about the Church? culturally aware, thoughtful and reflective? Ready to learn from those on the ground?

Openseminary aims to equip leaders for the church who are able to think critically and constructively about the ways in which the church shapes its life to respond to what God is doing in our world!

Openseminary networks educational institutions, academics and practitioners to provide graduate level education.

Complete a degree in Australia through Tabor Victoria and in South Africa and the United States of America through Palmer Seminary of Eastern University.

• Integrity The curriculum uses the practices of the local church as the lenses of study rather than the traditional subject divisions of theological study. Each one of these lenses becomes the focus of a module of study.

This module develops a theology of Christian community considered in light of the contemporary leadership context in the local church. The module will address spiritual and moral qualities of community and leadership; understanding the emotional system of the congregation; building teams; probing the nature of change; practising observation of key elements of church culture; as well as leadership self-care. Above all, the module is designed to be a learning conversation about Christian community and leadership, with every learner participating in sharing and evaluating the reading and leadership experiences of others.

This is a welcome to all the new students

OpenSeminary partners with the following organisations for delivery:

• Tabor Victoria http://www.tabor.vic.edu.au/study/church-practice
• Eastern University <http://www.palmerseminary.edu/progra

Dr Wynand de Kock founded Open Seminary in 2001 in South Africa.