Missional Engagement Track

Created by Porterbrook

About this Learning Track

The Missional Engagement track contains the six Porterbrook courses that specifically relate to “World”—understanding your ministry context and how to engage others with the gospel.

Enroll and complete each of these courses to earn a certificate of completion.

Courses

Course 1 :
Evangelism

Take Course
12 Month Access ($30.00 USD)

About this Course

When Jesus captivates hearts, and lives are shaped by the gospel, evangelism happens far more naturally and frequently in everyday conversation. This course doesn't teach techniques but a gospel view of everyday life to help Christians help non-Christians to understand the gospel. It gives us a big vision of Jesus and teaches us the benefits of doing evangelism as part of a church community that lives ordinary life with gospel intentionality.

Course overview
  • Unit 1. The message
  • Unit 2. The messenger
  • Unit 3. Building relationships
  • Unit 4. Talking about God
  • Unit 5. Presenting the gospel
  • Unit 6. Introducing to Christian community
  • Unit 7. Living to provoke questions
  • Unit 8. Answering questions
  • Unit 9. Casual conversations about Jesus

View a Sample Unit

Course 2 :
Apologetics

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12 Month Access ($50.00 USD)

About this Course

The Bible calls us to give a defence for the hope we have in Jesus. It's the Christian life that prompts the question, and relationship is the best context to display and explain the hope we have. This course helps us to understand where objections to the Christian faith come from and how to answer them with a relational approach to apologetics.

Course Overview
  • Unit 1. Presuppositional apologetics
  • Unit 2. Relational apologetics
  • Unit 3. Doubt, faith and Jesus
  • Unit 4. The proof for God
  • Unit 5. Other religions
  • Unit 6. Suffering
  • Unit 7. Truth and freedom
  • Unit 8. Hell
  • Unit 9. Science and miracles

Course 3 :
Engaging with Context

Take Course
12 Month Access ($50.00 USD)

About this Course

The gospel is not just the message; it is also the lens through which we can understand our context. These nine units challenge us and help us to contextualise without compromise.

Course Overview
  • Unit 1. Principled Contextualisation
  • Unit 2. Principled Pragmatism
  • Unit 3. The Urban Challenge
  • Unit 4. The Suburban Challenge
  • Unit 5. The Rural Challenge
  • Unit 6. Understanding Your Neighbourhood
  • Unit 7. Understanding Other Gospel Stories
  • Unit 8. Understanding The Challenge of the Gospel
  • Unit 9. Understanding Your Church

Course 4 :
Culture

Take Course
12 Month Access ($30.00 USD)

About this Course

Understanding culture is a complex task. Christians have to find points of connection and difference with their cultural context to present the gospel clearly. This course helps with that task but goes further to show us how to do that creatively. This course will stretch you to think biblically and creatively about popular culture. It provides you with a theological tool kit to engage with film, music and computer games.

Course Overview
  • Unit 1. Key terms: culture, worldview, religion
  • Unit 2. A biblical understanding of culture
  • Unit 3. Engaging with apologetics: A case of myth-taken identity
  • Unit 4. False starts: perspectives that hinder cultural engagement
  • Unit 5. Engaging popular culture: popologetics
  • Unit 6. Popologetics workshop 1: Jonsi's music video, "Go Do"
  • Unit 7. Popologetics workshop 2: The indie romantic comedy, Ruby Sparks
  • Unit 8. Popologetics workshop 3: The first-person shooter video game Bioshock Infinite
  • Unit 9. Summary and conclusion

View a Sample Unit

Course 5 :
Christian Imagination

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12 Month Access ($30.00 USD)

About this Course

Cultural artefacts, movies, paintings, songs, and literature shape the way people view the world and imagine new possibilities for behaviour. Taking the example of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," among others, this course gives a vision and practical steps for the church to influence and shape cultural imagination through our own artistic output.

Course Overview
  • Unit 1. Cultural engagement and the imagination
  • Unit 2. Why Christians often mistrust the imagination
  • Unit 3. What is the imagination?
  • Unit 4. What makes the Christian imagination distinctive?
  • Unit 5. Christian art and the pitfalls that derail It
  • Unit 6. Mapping the Christian imagination
  • Unit 7. Three artists who get it right
  • Unit 8. Worship and reforming the imagination
  • Unit 9. The artist and the Christian community

View a Sample Unit

Course 6 :
Evangelism and Social Action

Take Course
12 Month Access ($50.00 USD)

About this Course

Learn how to transform your church or small group into a gospel speaking and serving community.

Course Overview
  • Unit 1. A Vision For Social Action
  • Unit 2. Models Of Social Action
  • Unit 3. Principles of Social Action
  • Unit 4. Including the Excluded
  • Unit 5. Evangelism and Social Action
  • Unit 6. The Culture Of Deprived Areas
  • Unit 7. Evangelising The Heart
  • Unit 8. Communities Of Grace
  • Unit 9. Communities of Welcome

Certificate : Obtain My Certificate of Completion

About the Certificate of Completion

When you have completed this learning track on BibleMesh.com, you will need to enroll here to apply for your certificate of completion. This enrollment will be activated when you have successfully finished all the courses in this track.

Instructors

  • Dr. Tim Chester
    Dr. Tim Chester

    Tim Chester is a pastor of Grace Church in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, a faculty member of Crosslands. He is the author of over 30 books and commentaries including You Can Change and A Meal with Jesus, as well as being co-author of Total Church.

  • Dr. Jonny Woodrow
    Dr. Jonny Woodrow

    Jonny Woodrow is pastor of The Crowded House in Loughborough and a Crosslands faculty member. He is married with four children and is co-author of Ascension: Humanity in the Presence of God


How It Works / FAQs

What is a learning track?

A track is a group of courses that provide a guided program of study in a specific subject area.

Why should I work to complete a track?

You should work to complete a track if you desire to build greater proficiency and a more comprehensive understanding within a particular area of study. Completing a track successfully will give you a sense of satisfaction in a job well done and BibleMesh or one of our partners will acknowledge your work through a track.

Can I go at my own pace?

Although a course subscription only provides access to a given course for a set time period, you may take as long as you wish to complete a learning track.

Can I skip certain courses?

In order to complete a learning track, you must complete every course within that track. Some tracks, like the Biblical Languages tracks, also require courses to be completed in a specific sequence, though this is not true of all tracks.

Can anyone receive a certificate of completion?

Yes. Anyone who enrolls in a course on BibleMesh can work toward earning a certificate of completion.

How do I receive a certificate of completion?

Upon finishing all the courses in a track, you may apply for and receive a certificate of completion.

Is this certificate of completion recognized for credit by colleges and seminaries?

Several colleges and seminaries do accept BibleMesh Biblical Language courses as a pre-requisite or advance placement option. But, if you are interested in earning a credit-bearing certificate that provides degree pathway opportunities to partner academic institutions, you will need to enroll in the BibleMesh Institute. For more information go here.