The third vow of the Baptismal Covenant invites Christians to “Proclaim God’s Good News Through Word
And Example.” This invitation asks Christians – individually and collectively - to connect the story of God’s
action in human history with our own stories through a three-fold practice of Story-Keeping (collecting and
maintaining the wisdom of a community), Story-Sharing (listening to another’s experience and offering our
own) and Story-Making (adding to the communal story by putting faith/beliefs into action). The challenge
for today’s Christian leaders and ministers is that a significant portion of the U. S. population – baptized as
well as unbaptized - does not know the Christian Story. Course members will learn to read context/s
(generational, cultural, ecclesial), to assess individual and communal needs, and to develop skills in the use
of appropriate story-sharing methods and media for evangelization and faith formation.

“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in one in whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?”
NRSV Romans 10:14

ML 561/661: Reimagining Congregations and Mission

June 4-8, 2018

Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

The Rev. Dr. Bonnie A. Perry, Instructor

 Contact information bonnie@allsaintschicago.org cell: 773-315-9028

 Office Hours on Request

 Course description

 This course explores inherited assumptions and patterns of Christian congregational life in light of new apostolic environments.  Perspectives on missional ecclesiology offer a framework for renewing congregational identity and practice.  Students engage insights from organizational, leadership and innovation theory as well as bring insights from their own contextual experiences.

 Christianity, at its roots is dynamic, relational, and incarnational.  Once upon a time, people walked to the ends of the earth preaching, teaching and embodying the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because their lives had been completely changed by their encounters with Jesus and Jesus’ followers.  Early Christianity, as it told of and incarnated the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was a movement, a tsunami, upending and rearranging religious, social, economic and governmental structures. 

How do our faith communities embody these attributes today?  How have we strayed from our origins? How do we as lay and ordained Christian practitioners, lead communities of faith that embody the promise of God’s Kingdom as it was made known to us in Jesus?  How might we re-imagine our congregations and our ministerial structures so that we might return to the missional origins of the Gospel?

I am not interested in saving the church as it is, rather I long to change our church so that it may embody the love of God as it was made known to us in Christ Jesus.  This will be the focus of this course and these will be the goals with which we will wrestle.  I look forward to our conversations and our ability to learn from one another. 

This course uses a hybrid format:  teaching and learning take place both online and in the classroom.  The course uses the Moodle online learning platform for communication, conversation, readings, assignments, and reflections. 

 The course will meet at Bexley Seabury Seminary at 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on June 4-8, 2018.  Prior to the classroom week, students are asked to complete reading assigments and prepare a 15- minute presentation, lavishly illustrated with visuals, to be given the first days of class that introduces his or her own congregational context.  Through lecture, interactive exercises, video, and classroom dialogue, participants will actively engage the course topics.

 Issues of global contexts and diversity will be incorporated into the theological and practical reflection sessions and in the student final paper. Classroom presentations will prompt discussion and reflection around such concerns as community inequality, difference and ethnic/racial diversity.

Differing learning styles will be honored through use of both individual and interactive learning activities, written and oral contributions, and varied presentation strategies.

A community forum

A travel course on contemporary mission and ministry through the lens of growing, vibrant churches in London, UK. A travel course. Class meets in London 20-26 May 2017. 3 Credit Hours.