Certificate students take four core curriculum courses and four elective courses, a total of 24 credit hours, in order to strengthen their skills and deepen their awareness of issues particular to the practice of urban pastoral ministry. Generally, students take a core course in the fall and an elective in the spring. Please call for a course schedule.
CUPM Core Courses
- TF104 Introduction to Theology and Worship
- This introductory course combines concerns that as a reflection of the deeply held Reformed and ecumenical conviction, lex orandi, lex credendi - roughly translated, "how one prays is how one believes". Holding these two basic realities together, we seek to deepen our understanding of the core aspects of the Christian faith, explore how theology and worship both shape and are shaped by the other.
- TF101 The Church's Life and Witness
- A study of the history of the church and its missionary expansion from 1536 to the present. Attention is given to the American church and the student's denomination heritage and the ways its life and fait have been shaped by various contexts, experiences, forms of worship, proclamation, discipleships, and governance.
- BF103 Old Testament Life and Witness
- An introduction to biblical Hebrew vocabulary, grammatical forms, and sentence structure, with emphasis on reading the biblical text and using biblical Hebrew as a resource for ministry.
- BF102 New Testament Life and Witness
- An introduction to the content, history, and theological dynamism of the writings of the New Testament. Emphasis is placed upon missiological interactions among gospel, culture, and tradition in the New Testament writings as the foundation for the church's witness.
CUPM Elective Courses
- CM547 Preaching in the Urban Context
- Explore authentic strategies for preaching and effectively communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to urban, contemporary hearers. Participants will reflect on the person of the preacher, examine the urban context, explore the homiletical demands in diverse, city congregations, and incorporate experiential context and theological content in sermons.
- TF540 Theology in the Urban Context
- What theological issues and concerns arise in city ministry? This course assists students in thinking theologically about the city and the people with whom Christian pastors and leaders in urban contexts are in ministry, both inside the church walls and in the wider community.
- CM546 Ministry in Urban Contexts
- An examination of the important areas of ministry in the urban context and its implications for providing pastoral leadership to and with God's people. The purpose of the course is to reflect and integrate the theory and practice of ministry, particularly in the unique forms, strategies and issues that arise in ministry in the city.
- CM548 Change in Urban Contexts
- The context of ministry for those engaged in God's work in the city is dynamic and fluid. Forces both positive and negative drive urban change. Students will explore the foundations of rapid urban change, and systemic issues that engender change, and discern faithful ways of responding for congregations.