TL;DR:
This page offers open educational resources for SNU’s Ministry, Church, and Society course, which explores how Christians live out their faith in the world. The course examines the Church’s mission, beliefs, and structure, challenges students to integrate faith with daily life, and promotes active ministry and social engagement.
“Cruise ship versus battleship”: Most of us go to church expecting it to be a cruise ship. “Provide me with this program and that program. Cater to my every want and need.” But Christianity isn't supposed to look like that. It is supposed to be a battleship fighting the powers of darkness, and that often isn't pretty. Loving our neighbor and showing compassion to the forgotten people of this world can be messy. — Sarah Dupray
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy.” — Ephesians 5:25–26
This page and the resources linked from it are Open Educational Resources (OER).
We believe in the Church, the community that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, the covenant people of God made new in Christ, the Body of Christ called together by the Holy Spirit through the Word.
God calls the Church to express its life . . .
- In the unity and fellowship of the Spirit
- In worship through the preaching of the Word, observance of the sacraments, and ministry in His name
- By obedience to Christ, holy living, and mutual accountability
The mission of the Church in the world is to share in the redemptive and reconciling ministry of Christ in the power of the Spirit. The Church fulfills its mission by making disciples through evangelism, education, showing compassion, working for justice, and bearing witness to the kingdom of God.
The Church is a historical reality that organizes itself in culturally conditioned forms, exists both as local congregations and as a universal body, and also sets apart persons called of God for specific ministries. God calls the Church to live under His rule in anticipation of the consummation at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Exodus 19:3; Jeremiah 31:33; Matthew 8:11; 10:7; 16:13–19, 24; 18:15–20; 28:19–20; John 17:14–26; 20:21–23; Acts 1:7–8; 2:32–47; 6:1–2; 13:1; 14:23; Romans 2:28–29; 4:16; 10:9–15; 11:13–32; 12:1–8; 15:1–3; 1 Corinthians 3:5–9; 7:17; 11:1, 17–33; 12:3, 12–31; 14:26–40; 2 Corinthians 5:11–6:1; Galatians 5:6, 13–14; 6:1–5, 15; Ephesians 4:1–17; 5:25–27; Philippians 2:1–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–12; 1 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 10:19–25; 1 Peter 1:1–2, 13; 2:4–12, 21; 4:1–2, 10–11; 1 John 4:17; Jude 24; Revelation 5:9–10)
-- excerpt from the Articles of Faith, Church of the Nazarene
The English word “church” comes from the Old English cirice, derived from the West Germanic kirika. Its ultimate source is the Greek kyriakon, meaning “of the Lord” or “belonging to the Lord.” Early Christians used kyriakon doma to mean “house of the Lord.”
Ministry, Church, and Society speaks to questions like:
MCS was a required General Education course. Its major components included:
The materials listed below reflect the sections of MCS as they were taught by Howard Culbertson.
“Christians have a source of water other than the world's poisoned
well.”
— Rodney Clapp (p. 98 of Peculiar People)
Resources for telling the story of your faith journey, related to the sharing-your-faith component of the “ministry” part of the course:
Tempted to cheat on schoolwork? Before you do, read SNU's academic integrity policy
-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
What are the possibilities
for getting in the required service hours? Check out the list of places where MCS students have
given volunteer service.
While "church" has come to mean a building where believers gather, the word in its biblical sense refers to the Christian community itself, regardless of the physical structure in which meetings are held. Beyond its organizational aspects, a church is a group of believers who regularly come together to express their faith, find guidance, and feel a sense of belonging. Such gatherings serve as a focal point for spiritual growth, fellowship, and the practice of shared beliefs and values.
Although we commonly speak of “going to church,” would it be more accurate to say that we are “going to a worship service” or “gathering with the church”?
