Help with Mobile Ed: PC101 Pastoral Ministry in a Missional Church

I am interested in purchasing this but have a question?

If you have seen this, I am wondering what Goheen means by "pastoral ministry". It seems that he is using that term to refer to the pastoral ministry of the whole church (all its members) to one another and the world, not just the work of the professional pastor. Is this correct?

Also, is this simply a retelling of his book, A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story? Or is there new material?

Thanks for the help.

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Comments

Miles Custis

When Dr. Goheen uses that phrase in this course he is referring to the work of pastors or church leaders. He divides the course into two main sections. The first half deals with the missional church and the biblical story. This section corresponds with the content of his book. I don't believe it is just a retelling, but I've only skimmed the book. It looks like the book and course would compliment each other well (it is the resource linked to most often in the course). If someone has read it and taken the course, they can weigh in further.

The second half of the course deals more practically with pastoral ministry. In Goheen's words in the intro (and the overview video): "How does our identity as a missional church shape pastoral ministry. I believe that very often a more Christendom understanding of the church has led to very different understanding of what a pastoral ministry is. So it’s really important to understand our missional identity and then ask, 'How does that shape the pastoral ministry?' "

In this section he looks at church ministries, preaching, worship, sacraments, fellowship, prayer, evangelism, small groups, etc. It's a very practical section for pastors, but I think lay people would get a lot out of it as well, especially if they are heavily involved in their church. I hope that helps.

Michael McLane

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/975102#Comment_975102

I believe that very often a more Christendom understanding of the church has led to very different understanding of what a pastoral ministry is.

Thanks for the quick reply. A little follow-up...

So, in as much as you know, is he saying in that statement that he sees pastoral ministry as something different from what has developed in the church as a "pastor fetch" model of pastoral ministry? And, is he saying that his biblical understanding is something different than what has developed in most old traditional churches as the "pastor fetch" model? I hope that is clear.

Miles Custis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/975105#Comment_975105

I'm not 100% sure what you are asking. He takes the approach in the course that the fundamental identity of the church is to be missional. Starting there he looks at how the church should be structured and function in light of this identity. Here's another quote from Goheen in his course intro:

In a sense we can ask the question about the church and understand the church like this: First, “What is our identity?” Secondly, “What should we be doing in light of that identity?” And thirdly, “How do we organize ourselves to make sure we are doing what we should be doing in light of our identity?” The first part of the course is looking at our identity. The second is asking, “What should we be doing in terms of the nurturing—that is, the internal ministries of the church—as well as our outward calling?” Then thirdly: “How should we be organizing ourselves to fulfill our calling?”

Michael McLane

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/975116#Comment_975116

Thanks