MA Overview

Our MA programmes aim to equip Christian leaders to develop effective approaches to missional practice and leadership in contemporary society

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Enrolment open all year for admissions in September, January and May

12th April for May 2024 start

30st August for September 2024 start

13th December for January 2025 start

for more information contact: admissions@formission.org.uk or call 0121 458 5240

 

Introduction

The Church in the West is undergoing profound change as it adjusts to a new context for mission. Many leaders in churches and faith-based organisations have been trained in the skills they need to manage the internal life of a church or organisation. Missional leadership implies leading the church in external mission activity beyond the church community, in new and innovative ways for effective engagement of the gospel in contemporary culture.

Programme Aims

This programme aims to equip Christian leaders to develop effective approaches to missional practice and leadership in post-Christendom societies.

How the Programme Works

The MA is designed to advance students’ knowledge and critical understanding of contemporary issues in mission, drawing on missiology, sociology, cultural studies, psychology, leadership studies, theology and biblical studies.

Taught module assessments and the dissertation offer students opportunities to develop their particular interests in these fields, and to acquire the skills of independent study and research in a discipline of their choice.

Who the Programme is for?

The programme is aimed at a wide range of students who are, or have been, in Christian ministry within churches, mission agencies or community projects.

Programme Structure

The MA is a part-time programme delivered over three years, with three potential entry points each year – September, January, or May.

The modules on offer may be subject to availability but all students take:

  • two core modules in Missional Leadership and in Research Methods (20 credits each)
  • two modules based on a specialism (European Studies, Spirituality, Justice, Social Entrepreneurship or Discipleship and Movements) (20 credits each)
  • two additional optional module (20 credits each)
  • dissertation module (60 credits)

The programme is delivered mostly online with some face-to-face teaching, either in Birmingham or in Amsterdam (depending on the specialism chosen). Student loan funding is available, subject to meeting the criteria. Fully online versions of the MA programmes are available for self-funded students only (i.e. not for students who will have student loan funding – for them the programme will be a mix of online and face to face delivery).

Core Modules

The core modules which all MA students take are:

  • Missional Leadership in Contemporary Mission
  • Research Methodologies and Contextual Theology

Missional Leadership specialism

Students develop the key skills and capacities required to lead churches and other faith-based organisations into engaging with their local communities and contexts. They explore what is distinctive about faith communities nurtured by the Christian narrative and how such communities can be formed in practice. Through this pathway, students will advance their critical inter-personal skills and self-awareness to enable them to be better equipped for the challenges of contemporary culture and ministry.

The specialist modules for this pathway are:

  • Missional Leadership: Communication, Transitions and Teams
  • Missional Leadership and Contemporary Culture  Contexts
  • Please see leaflet for more details : MA Missional Leadership

Missional Leadership and Spirituality specialism 

Missional practitioners are increasingly coming to recognise that mission and spirituality are inseparable, and that the love of God and love of our neighbour go hand-in-hand. In other words, ‘what we do with God in the world’ (mission) and ‘who we become as we work with God’ (spirituality) are two sides of same coin.

This specialism seeks to deepen missional leadership by exploring the why, the how, and the what of a spirituality of missional engagement. If you want to deepen your missional practice with a spirituality that is both sustaining and sustainable, this specialism is for you.

The specialist modules for this pathway are:

  • Spiritual Formation and Practices
  • Spirituality in Contemporary Culture
  • Please see leaflet for more details: MA Spirituality

Missional Leadership and European Studies specialism

This specialism is designed to enable students to develop the key skills and capacities required to lead churches and/or other faith-based organisations into engaging with their local communities within their specific European (continental) contexts. Engagement with historical developments, present influences, challenges, and future shifts will help students connect with the richness of European culture(s) and equip them more effectively for ministry in such dynamic contexts.

The specialist modules for this pathway are:

  • European Studies: The Making of Europe
  • European Studies: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities
  • Please see leaflet for more details: MA European Studies

Missional Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship specialism 

Students will engage with the complexities of contemporary ministry through the exploration of a range of approaches to social entrepreneurship in which outcomes such as profitability and return on investment have holistic measures; financially, socially, environmentally and spiritually.

This will include consideration of the nature of both leadership and pioneering forms of ministry in the context of faith-based social entrepreneurship, and the implications of this for other parts of the missional landscape. Students will be further equipped to handle such approaches to social entrepreneurship in the context of both their local community and the wider cultural context of globalisation, postmodernism and secularism through advanced evaluation of responses to local and global crises.

The specialist modules for this pathway are:

  • Faith-based Social Entrepreneurship: Models, Approaches and Roles
  • Faith-based Social Entrepreneurship in Contemporary Contexts
  • Please see leaflet for more details: MA Social Entrepreneurship

Missional Leadership and Justice

This specialism is designed to enable students to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the biblical basis for justice and reflect on the theological lenses through which to appreciate the missional importance of economic, social, political and environmental issues of justice. As part of their reflective practice and application, the key skills and capacities required to lead churches and other faith-based organisations into engaging with the key contemporary issues in their local communities and contexts will be explored.

“In partnership with ForMission College, we are delighted to be delivering a new pathway engaging with the key issues of justice in a world of climate injustice, racial divisions and social and economic inequality. There has never been a more urgent time to help equip leaders who model just and sustainable forms of missional leadership, together with communities and organisations that can meaningfully influence their worlds through ethically informed theological and biblical practice.” -Andy & Carol Kingston-Smith, Founders of the jusTice initiative

We are excited to work with the jusTice initiative in the delivery of this MA specialism, to ensure students get expert input during their studies.

The specialist modules for this pathway are:

Missional Leadership, Discipleship and Movements

This specialism is designed to enable students to develop a deep theological understanding of a range of discipleship-based and disciple making movements and to explore discipleship-based Christian formation and practice. As part of the reflective practice element of this specialism, students will critically engage with strategic practices of disciple making movements and their implementation in a variety of ministry contexts, both locally and globally.

“What excites us about our relationship with ForMission College? We share a passion for personal and neighbourhood transformation and new spiritual communities, which are the fruit of reproducible discipleship practices. EQUIP Britain International welcomes the opportunity to partner with ForMission College to help shape the discipleship of leaders in an increasingly complex and diverse world.” – David Fittro, Executive Director, EQUIP Britain International

We are excited to work with EQUIP Britain International in the delivery of this MA specialism, to ensure students get expert input during their studies.

The specialist modules for this pathway are:

Additional Module

All students must take two additional modules from the list below individual optional modules are delivered subject to sufficient numbers:

  • Creation Care, Sustainability and Missional Practice
  • Globalisation, Migration and Multi-Directional Mission
  • Missional Leadership in European History
  • Forming and Leading Missional Communities
  • Spiritual Direction and Missional Listening
  • Independent Study Module

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