Courses on Offer

This course covers key themes from church history in the period 1500 AD to 2000 AD and provides a foundation for those wanting to study further in this area. The themes are drawn from the Reformation, the modern church, mission history and New Zealand history.

This course is an introduction to reading and interpreting the Old Testament. It provides an overview of the OT, its historical-cultural setting, literary features and overarching theological themes. It also explores how different types of literature in the OT are to be interpreted within their own ancient context and from a Christian perspective as well as how their theological message may be applied today. Students will get practice at basic exegetical skills using OT texts aiming to provide sound basis for further biblical study.

An exploration of the Christian understanding of the nature of human beings and the concept of Christian hope.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the theory and basic skills of understanding and interrogating culture. In so doing, it seeks to demonstrate how culture has a profound impact on the ways in which we view our own contexts, ourselves, and others’ situations.

This course gets beneath the surface of John’s Gospel. Why was it written in that particular way? What are its distinctive emphases? What does it contribute to our understanding of Jesus and the church’s faith, and how does it speak to our own day?

This course allows the student to receive accreditation for supervised participation within a number of appropriate ministry contexts. Over the year the student will participate in 240 hours of practical ministry and will reflect upon this with the coordinator, a mentor, in a peer group, in a reflective essay and in a personal journal project.

This course introduces learners to the theory and practice of pastoral care in a Christian framework involving an exploration of the biblical, theological, historical, and psychological underpinnings of pastoral care and the role that self-awareness and self-care plays in the lives of pastoral care givers. Several issues that are frequently encountered in pastoral care such as crises, grief, cancer and questions on listening to God are explored.

This course considers the challenges that issues of poverty and injustice pose to Christian faith and action, Current development theories and practice will be introduced and considered in relation to Biblical and theological perspectives on such themes as the gospel, the kingdom and the mission of God. The course will resource participants to evaluate various development approaches and construct proposals for Christian practice in Aotearoa and overseas.

This course introduces the student to the Māori world, explaining the concept, and use, of whakapapa in relation to Māori Christian spirituality and history. It also covers the historical impact of the Treaty of Waitangi and its place in church and the wider NZ society today.

This course explores Christian Spirituality—how to live out the Christian faith—from a biblical, theological, and historical perspective. It introduces students to the major traditions and classic writings within Christian spirituality and engages with a selection of the most pressing issues in contemporary spirituality and ministry. This is a very practical course. Students will discover, practise and discuss a range of spiritual disciplines that will nurture their spiritual growth and sustain their witness and ministry.

This course uses experience of practical ministry as a basis for biblical and theological reflection and personal growth. Within a half-year period the student will perform 100 hours of practical ministry and reflect upon this with a supervisor, in an online peer group, and in a portfolio and essay. Students may be practitioners in a variety of contexts including pastoral leadership, youth leadership, children and family leadership and cross-cultural/missional ministry.
NB// The supervisor and ministry must be approved by the Co-ordinator of Field Education prior to the first day of the semester for first year students.

This course allows the student to receive credit for supervised training received in an appropriate ministry context. Over the year the student will perform 240 hours of practical ministry and will reflect upon this with a supervisor, in an online peer group, through the compilation of a ministry portfolio and in an essay.

This course is an introduction to reading and interpreting the New Testament. It explores the key genres of writing found in the Bible from Matthew to Revelation and then considers how to read each contextually and interpret them for today. The biblical skills required for interpretation and exegesis writing are also covered, aiming to provide a sound basis for further biblical study.

This course will examine various facets of life that students will encounter during their Intermission year. Students will explore through both biblical and theological approaches how they might interact with, and respond to these facets effectively as young Christians. This course will explore and probe a range of life facets, including: work, family, friendships, money, church, missional flatting, spirituality, holistic mission.

This course allows the student to receive accreditation for supervised participation within a number of appropriate ministry contexts. Over the year the student will participate in 240 hours of practical ministry and will reflect upon this with the coordinator, a mentor, in a peer group, in a reflective essay and in a personal journal project. This course is focused on developing the student’s personal formation and self-awareness for ministry and follows a model of Reflective Practice.

This course aims to enable Intermission students to engage with various social contexts and issues, and to practice the process of theological reflection in regard to those situations and topics. Students will interact with issues such as the environment, war, poverty, gender, immigration and sexuality.

The Integrative Project, typically undertaken in the final year of the Bachelor of Applied Theology programme, is an opportunity for students to draw on their learning across the Applied Theology curriculum in order to resource understanding and faithful action in relation to an issue at the intersection of their faith, context and practice. Utilizing the integrative framework of Word, World and Work participants will make use of a range of sources of knowledge and approaches to understanding, bringing their faith, contexts and examples of practice into conversation with each other. Having considered the topic and questions that arise in relation to it from within each of those areas, students will develop a faithful Christian response to the issue (in one of a number of possible forms) that demonstrates attentiveness to faith, context and practice.

This course is a gateway into Carey’s Applied Theology programme. Various strands of learning in Bible, theology, spirituality, history, culture and society, and the practice of ministry and mission are introduced with a common orientation towards knowing and serving God within the community of God’s people as participants in God’s mission.

This course will explore the process of adolescent development and its complexities and consider how a growing sense of spirituality might be nurtured during adolescent years. Students will learn about adolescent development, including biological and sociological perspectives, as well as some difficulties within the field of adolescent research. Spiritual formation in adolescents will also be explored, including theories of formation, research on the effectiveness of current models of faith formation, and key practices that contribute to spiritual formation in young people. Discussion and evaluation of the course concepts will occur in light of the students’ own faith stories and experience in congregations.

This course provides students with an introduction to the theology and practice of Christian preaching. It starts by considering the nature and importance of preaching for the church’s life and mission. It then moves into the principles and skills of effective preaching. The course will equip students with a sound methodology for preparing and delivering sermons that are faithful, clear, relevant and engaging. It will introduce them to a range of different sermon types and the basic principles of effective oral communication. And it will help students to consider the qualities and practices that are essential to sustaining a preaching ministry. This is a very interactive course with considerable class time devoted to practising skills and evaluating sermons.

This course uses experience of practical ministry as a basis for biblical and theological reflection and personal growth. Within a half-year period the student will perform 100 hours of practical ministry and reflect upon this with a supervisor, in an online peer group, and in a portfolio and essay. Students may be practitioners in a variety of contexts including pastoral leadership, youth leadership, children and family leadership and cross-cultural/missional ministry.
NB// The supervisor and ministry must be approved by the Co-ordinator of Field Education prior to the first day of the semester for first year students.

This course asks why various models of leadership found in the biblical text may have been helpful to the church in their ancient socio-historical contexts and how they may provide insights into contemporary ministry leadership. Students will engage the writings of Luke-Acts and the letter to the Philippians and the models of leadership they present. These models of leadership will be explored in the socio-historical milieu of the New Testament and interpreted in the crowded marketplace of classical ideas about leadership. The course will exegete New Testament texts and classical Graeco-Roman sources to critically compare their various approaches to leadership. The insights gained from studying biblical approaches to leadership in their ancient setting will enable students to critically reflect on competing modern ideas about leadership and recalibrate their approaches to leadership in Aotearoa.

The Research Essay provides students with an opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a topic or issue in Applied Theology under the guidance of supervisor. The topic will normally be in an area that the student wishes to explore but is outside the scope of available courses in the academic programme. The student will acquire specialist knowledge of a specific field and develop skills in research, the evaluation of evidence and the articulation of ideas.

Public theology is “the church reflectively engaging with those within and outside its institutions on issues of common interest and for the common good” (Day and Kim). This course explores the church’s biblical, theological, and historical resources for the task of public theology and public witness to the gospel. We will critically examine models of public theology and a range of cases studies that will equip us to engage theologically with contemporary issues in society. Students will examine current social issues such as climate change, extremism and terrorism, sexual abuse, racism, modern slavery, and COVID-19 and produce theological responses that serve the church and the public good.