Mission / Missiology

The focus of Ministry Studies is to prepare people for the challenging tasks of ministry. The main area tackled is Pastoral Studies which engages people with the many and varied issues of pastoral care in the life of the contemporary church and culture: what is unique about pastoral care; what can we say about suffering and how best can we offer pastoral care in situations of suffering; how do we help people in contexts of marriage, funeral, reconciliation and healing. In each of the units of study, students are taught how to unite their theology and pastoral skills.

The field of missiology (mission studies) is one of the fast-growing fields of interest today as the church faces the challenges of a rapidly changing culture. The focus is on the contemporary issues which are engaging the church within and beyond Australia. The aim is to ground the issues theologically so that we understand what we mean by such familiar but often misunderstood terms, as mission and evangelism. Some of the particular themes explored include Christianity and other faiths, gospel and culture, models of the future church, mission in a post-modern culture, and intercultural studies.