Cross-Cultural Ministry Units

This unit gives students an awareness of the needs and opportunities of cross-cultural ministry and introduces them to a wide range of missionary activities throughout the world. The unit examines the foundational principles of missions and the historical development of mission around the glob.

The unit is very practical in nature and looks at the current global trends in mission and assesses the issues confronting those involved in cross-cultural ministries. Students will cover study areas such as worldview, contextualization and cross-cultural communication.

This unit also examines all aspects of life in a cross cultural mission setting, and covers issues such as the initial call, procedures in applying to a mission agency, preparation requirements and also the training options.

The complexities of team life, burn-out and mission attrition are also examined.

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.