Mi 421 Missionary Preparation Syllabus 2008
College mission statement and goals
The mission of Eugene Bible College is to glorify God through biblically-based college education that disciples and equips servants of Jesus Christ to become life-long learners who offer effective and relevant Spirit-filled ministry and leadership in the church and the world.
Program mission statement and objectives
To prepare students with knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to use God-given gifts in cross-cultural living and ministry.
Course description
This course is a survey of the problems, relationships and challenges facing the missionary, and the pre-field preparation need to get ready for each of them.
Course objectives
The student should leave this course with an understanding of
· Current mission theory and practice in different areas in the world today.
·Understand the similarities and difference in cultures
· Appropriate responses to the target culture
· Techniques for building quality relationships with God and others
· Monitoring your spiritual, emotional and physical health on the field
Textbook(s) and required reading
Spiritual Classics : Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups on the Twelve Spiritual Disciplines Richard J. Foster; Harper San Francisco, 2000.
Ministering Cross Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships
Sherwood G Lingenfelter and Marvin K Mayers, 2003.
A Missionary Biography or Autobiography of the student's choice, approved by the Instructor.
Course requirements
· Read and be prepared to discuss assigned readings before class.
· Choose a missionary biography or autobiography and present in class about their life and ministry. Correspond to a current missionary on the field and find out how they prepared for ministry.
· Learn and be able to show understanding of the current geographical and cultural geography.
Explore the Christian disciplines through readings of historic Christians and personal experience. Participate in a cross-cultural experience at home and respond to it.
· Explore cultures within Christianity by attending another style of church service in a different tradition than you are used to.
· Present research on a specific a place in the world. What is its history of missionaries, present situation, language and popular culture like?
Course evaluation
Grading for missionary preparation will be based on the following criteria.
Class participation and reading discussion 10%
Missionary biography/autobiography report 10% Due October 10, 2008
Maps and quizzes 5% Weekly
Contemporary missionary report 10% Due October 24, 2008
Personal spiritual growth responses 10% Weekly
Midterm 10% October 31, 2008
Cross-cultural experience report 10% November 7, 2008
Church from a different tradition report 10% Due November 14, 2008
Target presentation 15% Due December 1 and 3, 2008
Final 10% December 10, 2008 at 1PM
Course calendar
The reading for each class period will correspond with the day of the week and is listed on the reading schedule. Have the reading done before the class assigned. You may read ahead of the schedule as long as you are prepared for class discussions.
Missionary Biography/Autobiography
This report is to reflect learning from missionaries in the past whose experiences can be lessons for the today's missionary in preparation. The students are encouraged to read biographical and autobiographical writing to find their information. The report should answer the questions; How was this missionary prepared? What cultural, spiritual, physical and emotional challenges did they face? And what can I learn from their experiences? The length should be about 400-500 words. Please include bibliographic information.
Contemporary missionary report
This report is to reflect learning about current missionaries and how they are preparing today. Students are encouraged to correspond with a current missionary in the field or home on furlough by letter, phone or email adhering to the correspondence guidelines. The report should answer the questions; How was this missionary prepared? What cultural, spiritual, physical and emotional challenges did they face? And what can I learn from their experiences? The length should be about 400-500 words.
Cross-cultural experience report
The students are required to participate in an activity of at least an hour in length that gives an opportunity to interact with a person of a different culture. There are several international events that will be recommended in class. The report should answer the following questions; Who was the person or people I interacted with? What were my expectations about the interaction? What can I learn from this interaction? The length of this paper should be 300-600 words. Use specific details rather than generalities if possible.
Maps and quizzes
Each week, we will look at a different area in the world and the students are to fill in the blank maps with the correct countries to help familiarize them with the political world today. Completed maps can be turned in each week.
Personal spiritual growth responses
Each week we will look at a different spiritual disciplines. Foster's book has a compellation of several historical Christian authors that look at each of 12 subjects. Each week I encourage the students to read at least one author per subject and respond to two questions at the end of the section. I also encourage the students to try the different disciplines themselves and write about their own experiences. Each response is due on the Friday of the week and should be 100-300 words long.
Church from a different tradition report
In missions, it is common for Christians of different traditions to work together for a common purpose. To better appreciate another tradition the students are assigned to attend one worship meeting during this term from a church that is not from the Pentecostal tradition. A bulletin or order of service should be brought back and turned in with a report that answers these questions; What was similar and different about the worship service from what I am used to? What did I have difficulty understanding or appreciating? What can I learn from or appreciate about it? The length should be 300-600 words.
Target area presentation
The largest portion of the students' grade this term will come from a presentation about a single place as if they were preparing to minister there. It is hoped that the student will be able to use this project to assist them in preparation for missionary work beyond their time here at EBC. The presentation will be given in front of the class and reflect different aspects culture, religion, history and current situation.
The students are encouraged to be creative in their 15-minute presentation. The students are required to answer an additional 5 minutes of questions from the other students. The students are encouraged to use their other readings and projects as information gathering sources for their final presentation. Students may help each other, but are each required to give their own, separate presentations. Students are required to attend other students' presentations and ask questions at the end. A bibliography of no less than ten sources, in MLA format, will be due at the time of the presentation. Presentations will be given the week before finals.
Late papers are docked points but are accepted for partial credit until the week before finals. Low scoring papers may be rewritten and turned in be for the All Papers Due date.
Recommended Readings from class materials (These are optional and not required for this course.)
· From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth A. Tucker
· Cross-cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer
Other resources for class assignments
* http://www.missionary-blogs.com/missionary-blog-watch.html This website has links to missionaries currently in the field.
* http://www.mislinks.org/ A thorough database of information about missions
Absence Policy
This course will follow the EBC absence policies. Please contact the instructor about an adjustable due date before missing class if possible.
Helpful information
Here are some ideas to make Missionary Preparation go more smoothly:
· Coordinate your projects if possible. For example, if you want your final presentation target area as Russia; read about a missionary to went to Russia, email a missionary currently there, and attend an Russian Orthodox church for your other assignments.
· Start early, because you will only get busier later during the term.
· Get a study group going from the class to encourage each other and gain ideas from one another.
· This course is a great way you can explore different cultures and make new contacts. Please take advantage of it for future networking opportunities.
· Use this as a chance to develop personal study habits and prayer routine that you can take with you wherever you go.
· The goal of this class is not just to get a good grade, but to prepare you for working in different cultural situations and with people from different traditions for the greater purpose of glorifying God and spreading the Good News.
· Preparation for missions is just a portion of life that you are preparing for. In ministry, you will have opportunities that present themselves without warning and you must be able to think and speak immediately. You might not get the chance to go back and change it later. Likewise, prepare your assignments so that you will be ready in season and on time.
Reading Schedule
Spiritual Classics : Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups on the Twelve Spiritual Disciplines by Richard J. Foster; Harper San Francisco (Mondays and Wednesdays)
Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter (Mostly Fridays)
Please have the texts read before the class period and be prepared to discuss on the date listed:
| Date | Monday | Wednesday | Friday | Papers Due |
| Sept 29 – Oct 3 | Meditation | Prayer | Lingen 1. | |
| Oct 6 – 10 | Fasting | Study | Lingen 2. | Missionary Bio. |
| Oct 13 – 17 | Simplicity | Solitude | Lingen 3. | |
| Oct 20 – 24 | Submission | Service | Lingen 4. | Contemp Miss. |
| Oct 27 – 31 | Confession | Midterm review | Midterm | |
| Nov 3 – 7 | Lingen 5. | Worship | Lingen 6. | Cross-cultur exp. |
| Nov 10 – 14 | Celebration | Spiritual Growth | Lingen 7. | Church dif trad. |
| Nov 17 – 21 | Guidance | | Lingen 8. | Present Outline |
| Nov 24 – 28 | | Lingen 9. | Thanksgiving | |
| Dec 1 – 5 | Presentations | | Final Review | All Papers due |
| Dec 8 – 12 | | Final at 1PM | | |
This schedule is for planning purposes. All due dates maybe subject to change. It is the student's responsibility to keep updated on the course requirements and updates.
posted by Laura Adams at 5:51 PM
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