Below is a list of the different modules offered for the MA in Theology, Ministry and Mission including the Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma. Please note that not all modules are offered each year.

To enable students to explore in depth and with some independence selected New Testament text(s) and/or theme(s) within the context of contemporary scholarship and the New Testament as a whole. To enable students to analyse critically the ways in which New Testament text(s) and/or theme(s) can be used to address contemporary situations. To illustrate ways in which New Testament text(s) and/or theme(s) can be communicated.

The overall aims of the module are 1) to enable students to explore biblical themes in a comprehensive and nuanced way; and 2) to equip students to bring biblical wisdom to bear on contemporary ideas and practices. There will be an introduction to the various approaches to key figures and trends in biblical theology, with particular focus on the Bible’s foundational narrative framework. Several lectures will demonstrate how to explore biblical themes within the canon as well as how to engage 21st century cultural phenomena with the scriptural tradition. The module will conclude with student seminar presentations of their chosen theme.

This module will explore the topic of liberation and intersectional theologies in particular connection with contemporary Christian practice and experience. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, students will engage with biblical studies, church history, systematic theology and other relevant disciplines. Liberation and intersectional theologies are rooted in standpoint theory – the idea that a person’s identity and experiences are an essential part of their theoretical framing. By explicitly attending to the voices of those who are often marginalised from academic discourse by virtue of their identity, liberation and intersectional theologies offer up a critically engaged and intentionally prophetic lens to matters of doctrine.

This module will enable students to undertake in-depth critical study of liberation and intersectional theologies by engaging with contemporary Christian theologians from a range of church traditions and cultural contexts. Students will be challenged to read, analyse and critically evaluate sources from outwith a normative theological canon, which will enable them to develop an informed understanding of the lenses that they apply to theological enquiry. Further, students will be encouraged to question norms and to bring new, liberative, ideas to their study. This will enable students to relate in a contextually appropriate way to contemporary life and, in particular, to the lives of those who are often unheard in theological discourse and ecclesial praxis. The new voices, lenses and skills that students gain will equip them to encounter, and respond helpfully to, the other in their own spiritual formation and ministerial development.

This module will be an advanced study of David F. Ford’s recent work, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2021). Written by the Emeritus Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, Ford’s book makes a significant contribution to Johannine studies and is the culmination of nearly twenty years of patient research and reflection on the fourth gospel.

The module will move systematically through John’s gospel, closely following Ford’s commentary. It will consist of eight teaching sessions that will combine input from the lecturer, student contributions, and seminar-style discussion. The precise outline of the teaching will be provided in a Module Handbook.

Through close engagement with Ford’s commentary, the module aims to give students a deeper understanding of John’s gospel and its relevance to the ministry and mission of the church today.

This module will examine historic developments from c. the 16th to 20th centuries, and explore how they reverberate in contemporary discussions and debates. The modern period is a particularly contested one in the context of today’s ‘culture wars’. Designed to provide students with the historical understanding and interpretive skills necessary for approaching current social and political dilemmas, this module centres on the question, ‘Which Christian figures and events are commemorated in this country?’. Commemorations are a particularly useful lens through which to examine the modern period because they expose the major building blocks of our shared historical consciousness, and can prompt us to ask whose stories are left out. Although the module focuses on how the story of English Christianity is told and remembered through commemorative material (e.g. monuments, memorials, ‘blue plaques’, heritage tours, etc.), the ultimate aim is to appreciate the implications for the wider church on issues related to dogma, devotional practice, denominational identity, nationhood, class, race, and gender.

The module will be divided into eight weeks. We will see how the story of English Christianity is told through the commemoration of monarchs, bishops, explorers, philosophers, benefactors and philanthropists, activists and missionaries, war heroes, and martyrs and victims of violence. Along the way we will read primary texts related to important developments such as: the Elizabethan Settlement and the Toleration Act; liturgical change and uniformity; early settler colonialism and the role of the Anglican church in empire-building; the rise of Christian liberal thought; evangelical revivals and non-conformist spirituality; the role of wealth, patronage, and charity; the rise of missionary societies; war, persecution, and remembrance.

This module will provide students with the opportunity to study some contested ethical issues, whilst developing a critical understanding of the moral theological approaches being brought to bear on these issues. The module will develop students’ awareness of the sources for moral theology (Scripture, tradition, reason – including experience and philosophical sources), so as to enable students to understand the different ways these sources are balanced and drawn upon in current ecclesial and theological discussions. In depth case studies of specific contemporary ethical debates (e.g. ecology and animal welfare; gender and sexuality; global finance) will enable students to identify and critically analyse these methodologies in action. It will consist of eight teaching sessions that will combine input from the lecturer, student contributions, and seminar-style discussion. Assessment activities will comprise an essay and an adult education resource for others.

This module functions as the foundation for postgraduate study in Theology, MInistry, and Mission. The central aim is to channel curiosity about theology, ministry and mission toward the expansion of a theological imagination via rigorous reflection. For students new to postgraduate study, this course will support them to make this transition. For those who are new to empirical research, this module will equip them to use these approaches to make significant contributions to the various subfields within theology. As the module develops, students will learn how to ask the right questions about their ministry practice and how to craft research-informed answers. Since ministry is a ‘real world’ activity, the module introduces empirical (‘real world’) research methods like interviewing, focus groups, etc. as well as critiquing epistemological frameworks and assumptions.

To develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the significance of chaplaincy as a significant and distinctive ministry within the contemporary mission of the church. To provide students with direct and substantial experience of a specific chaplaincy context and the skills with which to reflect theologically on their experience as a tool for developing best practice. To develop the capacity to inhabit with integrity the position of a chaplain including the distinctive skills and approaches to working in the specific chaplaincy context chosen.

This module brings into dialogue experience gained in the placement context with aspects of theology and the dimension of the student’s own self-awareness concerning their growth in pastoral and ministerial practice. Students will have the opportunity to enhance skills in understanding and analysing a specific context, and integrating theological enquiry with pastoral, ministerial and/or professional practice. It draws upon the resources of Scripture and relevant Christian traditions in critical conversation with insights from other sources, including the social sciences. This is a module requiring reflexivity – students will need to be attentive to their own assumptions and biases.

Reflecting upon their placement, ministerial or work-based context, students will take responsibility for identifying key aspects, encounters and themes out of which to develop work for assessment. The course will also allow students to gain further experience of using a variety of methods of theological reflection in the light of their placement context in order to develop their ministerial practice and vocation.Students will be expected to agree a plan of activities with their placement supervisor, which takes into account specific learning outcomes and any requirements of their sponsoring church. A working agreement form must be completed at the start of the placement. At the end of the placement the on-site supervisor will complete a report identifying the student’s contribution and growth.

Students will be expected to work with a reflective journal of their experiences; research their context fully using available resources and apply methods of reading and/or profiling a context, provide accounts of pastoral encounters and ‘critical incidents’ for analysis in a group context and reflect with a placement supervisor on their own development. Group teaching on specific areas of pastoral and practical theology for ministry will be linked to independent reading and research as well as to the material students bring to the group for reflection.

This module aims to support students in positively negotiating the networks of relationships which form the heart of ministry. The module encourages and facilitates considered theologically informed self-reflection in order to develop the robust emotional intelligence and resilience that ministry demands. We will focus on the power of understanding, discerning and proactively engaging with the dynamics within interlinking relationship systems to enhance the quality of ministerial interactions, decision making and personal and collective well-being. We will particularly draw on Bowens system theory which students are encouraged to locate in a culturally engaged theological worldview that is able to live in the tension between faith, hope and love.

This module will provide students with the opportunity to study particular Christian doctrines in the context of contemporary, predominantly secular, culture. The module will introduce students to different methodologies of Christian apologetics and cultural hermeneutics, with the aim of helping them to present and promote a dialogue between Christian faith claims and contemporary culture. Assessment activities will comprise an essay and a theological reflection. Students may use a portion of the theological reflection to demonstrate connections between the module content and their ministry, missional, or placement contexts.

This module requires the student to undertake a term of study at an institution which has been approved by the Common Awards Management Board for this purpose (including approval of a conversion scheme for marks from that institution to grades for the student’s Durham award). The Management Board will also need to have approved the TEI’s processes for ensuring that:

  • The particular programme the student will undertake, in conjunction with their study at their TEI, will enable them to fulfil and demonstrate fulfilment of the level 7 learning outcomes for the MA or Postgraduate Diploma in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • The student will be appropriately supported before and during their time away
  • The student is not inappropriately charged full fees by their TEI if they are also paying a fee to the overseas institution
  • The student will engage in modules as provided by and agreed with the host institution. These modules will also be subject to the agreement of the sending TEI, and where necessary the student’s sponsoring church

To enable students to engage critically with different perspectives on church planting practices, drawing from biblical examples, church history and contemporary methods. To enable students to use the perspectives of other theological disciplines to understand and evaluate the practice of church planting, and to consider the contribution of church planting to the wider theological task. To equip students as effective leaders and reflective practitioners in church planting, who are equipped to develop good practice in their current and/or future contexts and to share it with others.

To enable students to undertake in-depth critical study of a major area within Worship and Liturgical Studies. To nurture students’ ability to read, analyse and critically evaluate primary sources in a sophisticated and rigorous way. To enable students to develop sophisticated awareness of methods in Worship and Liturgical Studies. To enable students to integrate critical liturgical thinking further into their own spiritual formation and ministerial development.

A dissertation provides an opportunity to develop research skills and inquiry-based learning and to lay the foundations for possible future work at a higher degree level. Participants will, in consultation and negotiation with a potential supervisor, identify a topic, issue, or ministerial area relevant to the study of theology, ministry and mission. The proposed title of the dissertation, together with a brief description and initial bibliography, must be submitted for approval by the Examination Board.

The student is responsible for arranging supervisions and organising a timetable and plan for his/her work. An introductory meeting with the year group will introduce the dissertation and explain the process for approving the proposed topic. The area chosen may enhance and integrate study from the taught module programme providing the independent study is clearly distinguished from the content of such taught modules.

This module is to enable participants to engage in independent learning related to a chosen subject area in the context of discipleship, mission and ministry. In consultation and negotiation with the tutor, participants will identify a topic, issue, or ministerial area relevant to the study of the theory and practice of ministry and in which there is academic expertise in the Cambridge Theological Federation. An independent learning project will be developed which may include both library and practical research. The area chosen may enhance and integrate study from the taught module programme providing the independent study is clearly distinguished from the content of such taught modules.