Lesslie Newbigin said “the church is both the sign and the instrument, and therefore the foretaste (of the Kingdom).” The church is sent by God to bear witness to Christ, His Rule and the Kingdom (Acts 1:6-8). It is sent as an extension of the Triune God’s sending of the Son and the Spirit (John 20:23). As such, the church lives under Christ’s authority by the Spirit now. It thereby witnesses to where the whole world is going: the consummation of God’s Kingdom in Christ. It is part of God’s Mission of bringing the whole world under His reign (1 Cor 15:25). The question for this class is, how are Christian communities formed into this reality of God’s Kingdom in Christ? How does one lead a congregation to participate in His Kingdom both among us and in the world?  How do congregations form into the participation in God’s mission? 

 Course Project:    

All students will develop an integrative project developing a plan for holistic congregational formation to be implemented in their local ministry context. 

Sample Readings From This Course May Include:   

Fitch, David. The End of Evangelicalism? Cascade, 2011.  

Newbigin, Leslie. The Open Secret. Eerdmans, 1995. 

Sheldrake, Philip. Spaces for the Sacred: Place, Memory, and Identity. Johns Hopkins, 2001. 

West, Cornel. Race Matters. Beacon, 2006. 

If you would like more information about this course please email the DMIN office at dmin@fuller.edu