Cross-Cultural Ministry Units

John Piper states that the Church exists to worship God.  But because not all of huumankind either knows the Triune God, or Worships Him, missions exists to introduce people to their Maker, so that they will worship Him.

The Bible is by nature a mission document, describing God's mission to humankind, sending His Son to reconcile humanity with God, and also sending His Spirit to show us the way to His Son.  The Bible describes God using His church to reach the world with His Gospel.  Therefore, we need to understand the biblical foundation of missions before engaging in any other aspect of missions or cross-cultural studies.

Building on the biblical foundation of  mission, is the theology of mission as well as mission history.  These three aspects will be discussed in this unit as a foundation for our understanding of Christian missions.

Doing missions in today's global society also needs a healthy understanding of the influence of culture at the mirco level of churches and in the wider contemporary society.  Students explore the relationship between mission and culture with particular reference to understanding anthropology as it relates to issues such as language, culture, materialism, social and global politics and globalisation.

Australia has become highly multicultural at all levels of society. It is essential for students seeking to minister, both in Australia and overseas, to gain an awareness of other people’s worldview, religions and cultures in order to develop principles and strategies for relating to them and engaging them in dialogue. The aim of this unit is to broaden the student’s understanding of the beliefs and practices of several of the major world religions and the way they are expressed in culture. This unit will explore the differences and similarities between these religions and Christianity, and ways in which Christians can relate to other people of other faiths in a multicultural, pluralistic society. What makes this unit so interesting? We hear about other religions, we see people from other religions and we think we understand the religions of other people. But do we really? Can we really view other religions as a group against Christianity, or must we try to understand each religion as an unique way of seeking truth? And as Christians – do we know how to engage in dialogue with a person from another religion? Do we know what they believe in order to share our faith in an honest and purposeful way? Come share in the journey of experiencing other people, religions and cultures; see what they believe and why they believe it and how you can share your faith with them.