Master of Arts in Christian Outreach
A Joint Program between Concordia University-Portland and Concordia University-St. Paul. Details available at: www.csp.edu/maco
Prof. Hoefer teaches the course "History of Mission" as a web-based course.
Click here to view the introductory session for this course. (Uses Tegrity Weblearner Software)
SYLLABUS:
Master of Arts in Christian Outreach
History of Mission - THY541
The mission of Concordia University , St. Paul , a university of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod,
is to prepare students for thoughtful and informed living, for dedicated service to God and humanity,
and for the enlightened care of God's creation, all within the context of the Christian Gospel.
The vision of Concordia University is to be an exemplary Christian university.
Instructor
Rev. Dr. Herbert Hoefer, STM, EdD
Division of Theological Studies, Concordia University
2811 NE Holman St. , Portland , OR , 97211
Phone Numbers: office - 503-493-6494; FAX - 503-280-8519
Email Address: hhoefer@cu-portland.edu
Hours of Availability: M-F, 8:30am-5:00pm , PST
Program Coordinator: Dr. Eugene Bunkowske, Concordia University , St. Paul , MN., Bunkowske@CSP.edu
Catalog Course Description
THY541 - History of Mission , 3cr
Students will study the historical expansion of the Christian church and its impact on church and society over the centuries in light of God's mission. It will develop in students an awareness of God's hand in the growth of the church in all areas of the world from the time of Christ until today.
Instructional Goals and Objectives
1) KNOWING (Cognitive Formation) Objectives: The students will
• grasp the scope of various outreach methods over the centuries;
• understand the Scriptural prototypes and directives for mission;
• comprehend the flow of the Spirit through great leaders of mission outreach;
• understand the impact of Christian missions on societies through the centuries.
• ATTITUDE (Affective Formation) Objectives: The students will
• gain an appreciation of the various mission traditions through history and active yet today;
• receive inspiration and guidance from great missionaries of the past;
• learn from the healthy and unhealthy impacts of mission on societies through the ages.
• DOING (Conative Formation) Objectives: The students will
• gain comfort in learning from leaders of different mission traditions;
• conceive of partnerships from different traditions and agencies in local mission situations;
• analyze probable positive and negative impacts of mission strategies in a local situation.
Instructional Philosophy
The instructor expects to engage the students in a thoughtful reflection on the history of Christian mission. Students are expected to relate past mission history to their present situation or to the general contemporary mission situation of the church. Students will engage each other in creative dialogue on their opinions, analyses, and applications. Past events and leaders are to inform and inspire current thought the commitment. Students will engage current mission leaders from other traditions as they seek historical perspective on the fundamental issues of mission history past and present. Through this thoughtful dialogue between past and present, we anticipate that the Holy Spirit will open His People's minds and hearts to His leading in their mission call.
Student Goals and Objectives
This course is grounded in the principles and practices of adult learning. The instructional model is to be collaborative, making use of student experiences to enrich and enliven the learning. Knowledge will be constructed in the dialog between experience, reflection, and theory. Part of the class process is a deliberate effort to incorporate student goals and objectives into the practicum. Your goals and objectives include:
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• Project/Thesis Connection: How will this course connect with your MACO project/thesis? You should begin to plan how this particular course might support the final project/thesis. Though you may still not know exactly what it will be, you should begin to think how this course might support it.
Grading Policy
The assigning of the final grade for the course will be based on the following criteria:
• 8 mini-papers @ 6 points each = 48
• 16 reaction essays @ 1 point each = 16
• 2 interview reports @ 5 points each = 10
• 5 missionary letters @ 4 points each = 20
• 20 threaded discussion contributions = 6
The following scale is used to assign grades:
A = 93-100 B = 84-92
C = 70-83 D = 60-69
F = below 60
TOTAL POINTS = 100pts
In-Progress Policy
Students who are unable to finish all of the required coursework for a course may request an In-progress (I) for the module. After discussion with the Instructor, students must fill out a REQUEST FOR IN PROGRESS GRADE form before the last day of the course they are requesting the "I" grade for. A copy of this form can be downloaded from CSP's homepage (if near campus, students may get the form from the registrar). You should negotiate with your instructor the completion date for your coursework. Include this date on your REQUEST FOR IN PROGRESS GRADE form. Except for unusual circumstances, all successful requests and completions of in-progress grades will receive a one-grade markdown for the final grade. This form is now considered a contract with the instructor and Concordia University for the completion of your work. If you are unable to complete the work by the contracted date, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor and resubmit the request for an extension. If you are unable to finish the work by the contracted date and have not requested an extension, you will receive a grade for the course based on the work that you have completed.
Required Texts
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya , by Ruth Tucker (Zondervan, 1983)
And one of the following Christian history books:
A History of Christianity , 2 vol, by Kenneth Latourette (Harper and Row, 1975)
A History of Christian Missions , by Stephen Neill (Penguin, 1974)
Keywords
Access more Christian mission history information by searching the following words on the web: Christian mission history, Christian missionaries
Primary Sources of Information in the Field
Introductory Presentation on WebCT
Other resources/people: Dr. Robert Kolb, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis , MO. ; Dr. Milton Rudnick
Course Outline
Beginning of course with Introductory
Presentation (on WebCT) Aug. 15
Due date for mini-papers: Sept. 15
Due date for reactions to mini-papers: Oct. 6
Due date for interview papers: Oct. 20
Due date for missionary letters: Nov. 24
Due date for threaded discussion: Dec. 8
Tardy postings will be graded at 10% reduction in grade per every three days late. Because other students need your papers in order to post their reactions/threaded discussions, it is essential in this course that everyone is punctual
The instructor will clear off the WebCT postings of the mini-papers by Oct. 20 th to make room for the next papers. The interview reports and the missionary letters will be left posted until the end of the course so that students can refer to them in posting their threaded discussions
Assignments and Basis for Student Grading
Prof. Hoefer has provided an Introductory Presentation on the biblical background for mission history, available on the Tegrity link of the WebCT site. Including the student's own study and reflection time, the Presentation will take about two hours to complete.
Note that postings done in "rich text format" will be accessible to all students, no matter what their word processor.
• Mini-Papers
1. The student will write eight 3-4 page mini-papers and post them on the course web site. The papers will respond to two questions for each of the historic periods of 0-500, 500-1500, 1500-1800, and 1800-2000.
• One mini-paper will be in response to one of these two questions:
• What mission outreach method impressed you during this period and why?
• What relationship did you find between evangelism and care-giving/social ministries and what is your evaluation of the relationship?
• One mini-paper will be in response to one of these three questions:
• What event was pivotal in the development of mission history, either positively or negatively, in your opinion, and why?
• What positive/negative impact of mission in the general society did you observe during this period. Analyze the situation.
• What sources/causes of mission lassitude did you identify? Analyze the causes.
These papers will be evaluated for their accuracy of historical understanding, for their depth of missiological analysis, and for the relevance of contemporary application.
Percent of Scoring on Mini-Papers:
Historical understanding . . . . . . . . 40%
Missiological implications . . . . . . 30%
Contemporary application . . . . . . 30%
2. The student will write sixteen one-page mini-paper reactions to the posted mini-papers. The student will react to four of the mini-papers during each historic period and post the reaction on the web site. These papers will be graded on a pass/no pass basis. Therefore, if they are done adequately, they will receive full credit.
B. Interview Reports
The student will interview two mission workers . S/He will choose two from this list: Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, parachurch, institutional, or your own church tradition. The interviews may be lay or clergy, a mission worker or a parish worker with mission involvement. The interview guidelines follow. Each paper will be 3-4 pages in length. At least one interviews must be with a mission worker outside the student's own church tradition. The student is expected to include a paragraph or two on what s/he gained personally from the interview. Each paper will be graded on a pass/no pass basis. Therefore, if they are done adequately, they will receive full credit. The interview reports will be posted on the course web page for threaded discussion interaction among the course participants. See D.
Guidelines for Interview
• How do you understand the mission of the Church?
• What mission method(s) have you found most effective in your experience?
• What historical figure has been an inspiration to your understanding of the church's mission, and why?
• What person that you have met personally has been a guide and model of mission for you, and why?
• What is the relationship between care-giving ministries and evangelism in the mission of the Church, according to your understanding and experience?
• What is the place of social justice concerns in the mission of the Church?
• What do you feel has been a major failure of your church/institution in its mission work?
• What do you feel has been a major strength of your church/institution in the Kingdom work of God?
• What positive impact on society from the Church's mission have you observed?
• What negative impact on society from the Church's mission have you observed?
• What sources/reasons of lassitude in mission have you observed in your church/institution?
• What word of encouragement/direction do you have for me as a student of missions?
C. Letters to Historical Figures
The student will choose one missionary from each of the five units in From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya , one with whom you identify in some way. Probably the best way to choose a missionary is to consider what mission issues the student wishes to address and then identify the missionary who has addressed such an issue in the past. In his/her analysis, the student may agree or disagree with the past missionary's approach. The student will then write a 2-3 page personal letter to this figure asking advice on a mission situation that you are facing or that the church today is facing. Indicate in your letter why you think this historic figure could give good advice on this contemporary situation.
Thus, the first section of your letter might begin: "I am writing you about a situation I (or the church) am facing.." The second section, then, might begin: "I have selected to write to you because.." Finally, the third section might begin with: "I agree/disagree with how you handled this because.."
This paper will be evaluated on the basis of the student's analysis of the present mission context and the student's understanding of the historic figure. The letters will be posted on the course web page for threaded discussion interaction among the course participants. See D.
Percentage of Scoring on Letters:
Historical understanding . . . . . . . . . 50
Relevance of application . . . . . . . . . 30
Contemporary missiological analysis 20
D. Threaded Discussions
Students are expected to participate in the "threaded discussions" on each other's interview reports and missionary letters. A combined total of 20 responses to the reports/letters and/or each other's comments is expected. The responses will be graded on a pass/no pass basis, so all adequate responses/comments will receive full credit. Adequate responses include depth of insight, critique, reflection, and personal evaluation in a paragraph or two.
The purpose of the threaded discussions is to replicate a class discussion of each other's work, so normally the student will post a response with a copy to everybody else in the cohort. Others may, then, respond to your response. If the student wishes to keep her/his response confidential only to the author, then s/he may send it only to the author with a copy to Professor Hoefer.
The student is requested to copy and paste her/his threaded discussion responses in an e-mail to Prof. Hoefer (either on WebCT or to hhoefer@cu-portland.edu ) so that he can keep track of the number of responses.