Theology, Politics & Faith-Based Organisations is a unique combination of academic and vocational focus: it can be taken independently or accredited to an ordination training programme. Modular structure provides unrivalled range of programme content. Team-taught across two departments: the programme exemplifies the King's tradition of excellence in both research and professional training.
KEY BENEFITS
- The only MA programme of its kind in the UK that combines the study of the theology and the practice of Christian social, political and economic engagement in the contemporary context.
- Enables students to combine a core focus on the relationship between church, mission and social justice with options to undertake modules in a wide variety of subjects related to the study of theology and pastoral practice.
- Programme has close links with, and will involve speakers from, a range of Christian and other organisations giving students insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the subject area.
- Located in the heart of London.
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
Students may include this module as part of their ordination training.
Programme leader/s
Professor Peter Ward
Accreditation
Can be accredited to an ordination training programme.
Awarding Institution
King's College London
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent)
UK 180/ECTS 90
Duration
One year FT, two to four years PT, September to September.
Location
Waterloo campus
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
School of Social Science and Public Policy
Department of Education and Professional Studies
Closing date
1st September or until programme is full.
Intake
3 FT, 3 PT.
Fees
PT Home: £2550 (2013)
PT Overseas: £6000 (2013)
FT Home: £5100 (2013)
FT Overseas: £12000 (2013)
CONTACTS
Contact information
Postgraduate Officer, Centre for Arts & Sciences Admissions (CASA)
tel: +44 (0) 20 7848 7207
fax: +44 (0) 20 7848 7200
Email
Website
PURPOSE
The MA in Theology, Politics & Faith-Based Organisations is part of a modular degree programme at King's (co-taught with the Department of Theology & Religious Studies
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/trs). It seeks to provide intellectual frameworks and practical insights for Christian mission and ministry.
These programmes offer unrivalled diversity of course content and teaching expertise. Designed in a unique cooperation between theologians and ministers, they combine intellectual depth with a wide range of practical issues - from contemporary worship to Fair Trade. They will challenge, inspire and refresh anyone engaged in Christian ministry, from ministers and ordinands, to laity and members of faith-based organisations.
DESCRIPTION
The MA in Theology, Politics & Faith-Based Organisations connects cutting-edge academic research with contemporary issues of Christian life and ministry. There are purely historical and theological MAs available in other universities, and there are vocational courses in seminaries and training colleges, but this programme presents a significant alternative. It will do justice to the complexity of academic debates but it will always relate them to the practical and the present. Drawing on the expertise of the Department of Theology & Religious Studies and the Department of Education & Professional Studies, this programme exemplifies the strengths of King's as both a leading research university and a centre for professional training. It promises a level of interdisciplinary research and pastoral engagement that would be hard to match elsewhere.
The subject-specific module for Theology, Politics & Faith-Based Organisations is also called Theology, Politics & Faith-Based Organisations. This module aims to identify and develop critical frameworks for assessing the theology and practice of church affiliated NGOs such as Christian charities and social welfare services (whether local, national or global in reach) and Christian political initiatives and social movements. It will include addressing the following kinds of case studies, questions and topics:
- Cooperation or cooption? Approaches to the relationship between church, state and faith-based organisations;
- Charity or politics? Community organising and pursuing the common good in a multi-faith society;
- Welfare or witness? L'Arche and the relationship between church, worship and social justice;
- Trade or aid? Globalization and the conditions and possibilities of Christian witness.
Students take one other compulsory module, which is Theology in Practice. This module links all the programmes on the King's Theology & Ministry MA programme. It aims to equip students with theological tools that will help them to analyse the styles and the purposes of Christian ministry. With these tools (including disciplines of social science with their empirical research methodologies, historical enquiry, and scriptural interpretation) students will be in a position to articulate a practical theology, and to formulate methodologies for understanding and interpreting their contexts and their actions as ministers.
In addition to the dissertation, students will then take two further modules from the following:
- Ministry and the Bible;
- Church, Mission & Society;
- Contemporary Ministry and Apologetics;
- Educational Issues in Christian Ministry;
- Pastoral Use of the Bible;
- Patterns in Contemporary Ecclesiology;
- Reformation, Revival and Revolution: Models of Ministry 1547 - 2000;
- Patterns in Youth Ministry;
- Theology, Church & Worship;
STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Core programme content
- A related dissertation of 15,000 words.
Indicative non-core content
Compulsory Modules:
- Theology, Politics & Faith-Based Organisations
- Theology in Practice.
Optional Modules
- Ministry and the Bible;
- Church, Mission & Society;
- Contemporary Ministry and Apologetics;
- Educational Issues in Christian Ministry;
- Pastoral Use of the Bible;
- Patterns in Contemporary Ecclesiology;
- Patterns in Youth Ministry;
- Reformation, Revival and Revolution: Models of Ministry 1547 - 2000;
- Theology, Church & Worship;
FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT
Taught core and optional modules assessed by coursework essay and a dissertation.
MODULES
More information on typical programme modules.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
Module code: 7SSET012
Credit level: 7
This module is theological and practical at once. Its overall structure is theological, and is derived from six classic categories of Christian ministry - five of which are also traditionally understood as marks of Jesus Christ's own ministry (prophecy, pastorship, kingship, servanthood and priesthood) in which Christian ministers now share. Students will be invited to reflect theologically on what 'ministry after Christ' entails in relation to each of these various aspects of Christian ministry, and each of the six will be explored as embodying a particular form of attentiveness, because different aspects of Christian ministry invite particular ways of understanding and relating to context.
Module code: 7SSET014
Credit level: 7
This module aims to identify and develop critical frameworks for assessing the theology and practice of church affiliated NGOs such as Christian charities, social welfare services (whether local, national or global in reach) and Christian political initiatives and social movements.
The module examines a range of different approaches to embodying the political, social and economic dimensions of Christian ministry and mission in society, assessing how each of these approaches constitutes a vector for wider issues affecting the relationship between church and contemporary politics and society. Through a series of case studies conceptual frameworks for understanding the relationship between Christianity, politics and the provision of social welfare will be outlined and at the same time, situated within wider debates about the nature of political, social and economic life in the contemporary context.
Teaching staff: Professor Alister McGrath
Module code: 7SSET015
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 30
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Assessment:
coursework
One 6,000 word assignment.
This module aims to enable students to gain a good understanding of the issues, concerns and approaches that have been influential in apologetics since the nineteenth century. Students will develop and enhance their critical awareness and appreciation of theoretical frameworks in relation to the theory and practice of apologetics, especially in church contexts. They will analyse their cultural context to inform possible action in their own leadership positions in relation to the practice of apologetics, especially in relation to professional ministry in churches or parachurch organisations.
Module code: 7SSET001
Credit level: 7
This module aims to identify and develop critical frameworks for reflecting upon the nature of social and political life as conceptualised within Christianity and the relationship between the church, its mission and society as a whole as it developed historically within Western Christianity. It does this through an examination of different theological understandings of the relationship between the church, its mission and its contribution to the political and social life of the society in which it is situated. A particular focus is the work of key theologians within the Christian tradition.
Module code: 7SSET003
Credit level: 7
This module aims to introduce students to key perspectives, issues and academic debates pertaining to the theory and practice of Christian Education, and to develop appropriate wisdom, insight and critical understanding by exploring four horizons of meaning: theological frameworks: the principles and history of Christian Education; current practices: the diversity and contested nature of the pedagogy of Christian Education: contemporary contexts: teaching and learning in Christian Education in the light of secular educational theory and practice; and professional insights: the broader context of Christian ministry and students' own professional and vocational practice.
Module code: 7SSET005
Credit level: 7
This module aims to offer biblical and hermeneutical frameworks for understanding ministry, both in its scriptural background and in today's contemporary context. The module will consider understandings of leadership and discipleship within the various parts of the Bible, including concepts of priesthood, elders and bishops. It will also consider how different churches have claimed biblical support for their patterns of ministry and invite students to reflect critically upon their own church tradition and ministerial practice.
Module code: 7SSET011
Credit level: 7
This module aims to identify and develop critical frameworks for reflecting upon the use and interpretation of the Bible in pastoral practice and ministry, paying particular attention to preaching, church declarations, and other applied settings. The sessions will cover a variety of periods, denominations and genres.
Module code: 7SSET006
Credit level: 7
This module aims to explore developments in contemporary ecclesiology and relate these to changes in society and culture. The module enables students to explore different patterns of church life within the context of wider social and cultural change. Changing forms of church are described and examined as different ecclesial responses to the Christian calling to engage in mission within the particular context of later modern/post modern culture.
Module code: 7SSET008
Credit level: 7
This module aims to introduce students to key theoretical frameworks for understanding the profession and practice of youth ministry. It is designed to develop wisdom, insight and critical understanding, commensurate with M Level study, by exploring in-depth three inter-related themes; The theological approaches for Youth Ministry; Theoretical frameworks affecting ministry with young people e.g. education, welfare, leisure, style and entertainment; and Issues of gospel and culture.
Module code: 7SSET010
Credit level: 7
The aim of this module is to introduce students to key themes in the development of Christian mission and ministry in the modern period. This will be achieved through a thematic history of English Christianity from the Reformation to the present. The module is designed to develop critical historical insight on the relationship between Christianity and modern culture and society. It will provide an historical framework for contemporary debates relating to mission and ecclesiology.
Module code: 7SSET013
Credit level: 7
This module aims to explore the discourse, the models and the theoretical debates in contemporary systematic theology with special emphasis on the discourse on “Church” and “Worship” and relate these to cultural issues and non-theological disciplines. The module enables students to explore different models of thinking about Church and Worship within the context of wider cultural developments as well as developments in disciplines that are dialogue partners of theology.
ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
Usually second class honours degree or professional qualification or experience of working in a church context equivalent to three years full-time employment.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Your application will be assessed by at least two academics. We interview all applicants, either in person or by phone if overseas, and you are welcome to call the department to arrange a visit. We aim to process all applications within four weeks although this may take longer in February and March, and over holiday periods.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Please indicate why you have chosen to study this programme and particularly why you have chosen King's College.
FUNDING
Self-funded.
Related programme student profile
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Courses in Child Studies were taught by university staff members as well as external lecturers, which enabled us to study current research and policy developments, as well as problems in practice settings. I particularly felt that the mixture of full- and part-time students was beneficial to the MA, as both groups were able to learn from each other’s experiences. The course work was demanding, but continuous supervision offered me the necessary support in order to reach a high academic standard.
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