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Faith and Worship

UNIT 1：STARTING OUT

AIM : To introduce you to the Faith & Worship course, its contents and methods, and to help you prepare yourself to study the units that will follow. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be aware of the study and training partnership in the course have a broad outline of the course content have begun to assemble your preacher’s ‘tool kit’ have an understanding of the methods of learning employed by the course

 

UNIT 2 : INTRODUCTION TO WORSHIP AND PREACHING

AIM : To introduce the nature of worship, including its different parts, and to enable you to prepare a full service and sermon. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be able to put together a balance act of worship know your way around the Revised Common Lectionary and the first and second service in The Methodist Worship Book have prepared a sermon with a clear aim and structure be able to use your voice appropriately in a church building with or without a microphone

 

UNIT 3 : JESUS THROUGH THE EYES OF MARK

AIM : To introduce the study of the Gospels through the study of Mark. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be aware of the process by which the Gospel writers, in particular Mark, produced the Gospels have a working knowledge of the structure and key themes of Mark’s Gospel be able to study a passage from Mark’s Gospel, setting it in its wider context, identify its possible significance to Mark and his readers, and applying it to today have prepared and delivered a full service and sermon based on a passage from Mark’s Gospel

 

UNIT 4 : THE TEACHING OF JESUS

AIM : To explore the teaching of Jesus as presented in different ways by the Gospel writers. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be able to discuss the processes by which the Gospels of Matthew and Luke might have come into being be able to identify key characteristics of Matthew and Luke’s Gospels have prepared some sermon outlines on passages from Matthew and Luke’s Gospels be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of narrative preaching have evaluated two narrative sermons be able to prepare a narrative sermon

 

UNIT 5 : EXPLORING THE BIBLE

AIM : To help you to find your way around the Bible, recognize different books and material, and learn the main outline of the biblical story. It will also help you to think about the truth and authority of the Bible, and develop skills in understanding a text. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be aware of the differences between the Hebrew, the Protestant and the Catholic Bibles be able to outline the role of Interpretation in both the translation and understanding of scripture be aware of different approaches to the nature of biblical authority have produced an outline timescale for the biblical narrative have an appreciation of the different kinds of biblical material have an overview of the biblical narrative and the place and role of story

 

UNIT 6 : PICTURING GOD

AIM : To explore the nature of religion and ways of thinking about God. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be able to evaluate the six characteristics of religion have a knowledge of the interrelationship of the building blocks of the Bible, Experience, Tradition and Reason be able to apply the building blocks to the doctrine of the Trinity be aware of the traditional arguments for the existence of God and able to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses have a knowledge of the classical attributes given to God be able to carry out an audit of the characteristics, attributes and images of God employed in an act of worship be aware of the limitation of images, rituals and symbols representing God

 

UNIT 7：THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

AIM : To look at the origins of Christian worship, exploring the patterns of Jewish worship in the Old Testament, examining worship in New Testament times and in the early Church, and considering the significance of these ‘origins’ for worship today. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: have an awareness and appreciation of the nature of Jewish worship in the Old Testament and its influence upon subsequent Christian worship be able to indicate the importance and significance of sacrifice, the Temple, festivals and the place of the home within the Jewish community as reflected in the Old Testament have an awareness of some of the developments in Christian worship have a basic understanding of the nature of Eucharist and Baptism be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of liturgical, non-liturgical and installation styles of worship

 

UNIT 8 : PRAISING GOD

AIM : To develop your skills in leading worship of a variety of styles, which is worthy of God, meaningful and satisfying. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be aware of the importance of a clear structure for an act of worship have an understanding of the different forms of prayer used in an act of worship appreciate how the choice of hymns and the use of music can contribute to an act of worship be able to prepare and lead an act of all-age worship be aware how worship is effected by the following: the Christian Year, the five senses, church buildings recognize the contributions that other individuals or groups can make to an act of worship

 

UNIT 9 : PICTURING JESUS

AIM : To help you answer two questions: ‘What do the New Testament writers and later teaching of the Church tell us about who Jesus of Nazareth was?’ and ‘How can we develop our own understanding so that we can speak with meaning about Jesus today?’. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be aware of how the New Testament writers use titles, hymns, poetic writing and creedal statements to speak of Jesus understand a number of key New Testament titles for Jesus be aware of key aspects of the Christological debate have considered the strengths and weaknesses of a number of contemporary ways of picturing Jesus be able to use personal testimony and story within the context of worship and preaching be able to help other people to share their testimony and story within the context of worship

 

UNIT 10 : THE HOLY SPIRIT

AIM : To explore the nature and significance of the Holy Spirit. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: have a grasp of the work of the Holy Spirit as portrayed in the Old and New Testaments be able to identify points of similarity between the biblical record of the work of the Holy Spirit and your Christian experience be able to relate the work of the Holy Spirit to the ongoing life of the community of faith have prepared note or outlines for a number of potential sermons be able to identify personal and corporate dimensions of the activity of the Holy Spirit

 

UNIT 11 : BEING HUMAN : WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HUMAN BEING

AIM : To come to a contemporary understanding of what it means to be human, using insights from the Bible, Christian tradition and thinkers outside Christianity. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: specify the main contours of your own understanding of a human being identify how you have reached that understanding state key features of a Christian approach to the human person show how different understandings of the human person influence the practice and reception of the act of preaching

 

UNIT 12 : THE WORK OF CHRIST

AIM : To help you understand what is traditionally called ‘the work of Christ’ (i.e. what Jesus accomplished in his life of obedience, his death and his resurrection) and explore how Jesus has brought God and people together, to be at one. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: explain the significance of salvation and atonement express your own responses to the work of Christ help others develop their responses to the work of Christ recognize the thinking behind (and the language and imagery of) different atonement theories consider how important resurrection is to the process of redemption

 

UNIT 13 : ALIVE IN CHRIST

AIM : To explore the ‘being’ and ‘doing’ of the Christian life, in its devotional and practical aspects for individual Christians and to consider implications for the preacher. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: be aware of Christians’ inward journeys be aware of the resources available for spiritual growth have begun to shape your own leading of worship and preaching in the light of these resources be aware of how Christians put faith into practice be aware of a process that helps you make Christian decisions have begun to address contemporary themes in your own leading of worship and preaching

 

UNIT 14 : THE PROPHETS

AIM : To introduce you to the role, message and mission of the prophets in the life of Israel, helping you to understand why prophecy was important to the first Christians and to recognise why and in what ways the prophetic words are still important today. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: understand what is involved in being a prophet consider your own calling in the light of the prophets’ experience of being called by God outline the messages of two Old Testament prophets see how New Testament writers draw on the experiences and messages of Old Testament prophets to affirm the Good News and the person of Christ appreciate a continuing role for prophets through history and in the present day

 

UNIT 15 : THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE CHURCH

AIM : To introduce the concept of the kingdom of God and its relationship to the Church’s nature, purpose and mission. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: recognise how kingship and covenant shape our understanding of the kingdom of God identify ways of describing the characteristics of the kingdom of God understand what is meant by ‘the Church’ explore how the kingdom of God and the Church interrelate make use of different models and images of the Church recognise features of an apostolic, holy, catholic Church

 

UNIT 16 : THE BRIGHT SUCCESSION

AIM : To set your own experience of a call to preach and lead worship in the context of preachers in whose steps you follow. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: recognise different purposes for preaching and different forms of preaching understand how doctrines and creeds contribute to worship and preaching identify major developments I the Church’s history appreciate key features of Methodism consider how the Church has been changing in more recent times

 

UNIT 17 : ENDURING CONVICTIONS : JOHN’S GOSPEL

AIM : To introduce key features of John’s Gospel, using them to reflect on preaching and leading worship and to consider how far convictions evident in the Gospel are still convictions for Christian today. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit you should: identify distinctive features of John’s Gospel reflect on the impact of your own life and faith experiences consider individual and community expressions of faith assess the Gospel convictions that continue to resonate today