Pastoral Studies

This paper gives students some basic knowledge and skills in community engagement and development. It encourages them to think beyond the church and take account of the interests of people in the wider community irrespective of who they are. This aims at enhancing student’s ministry skills to enable ministry with awareness about the social, political, cultural, religious and economic circumstances of the people they minister with/to.  

This course is an exploration of the development of Te Haahi Weteriana o Aotearoa, The Methodist Church of New Zealand; with a particular focus on the establishment of the Bi-cultural journey, Connexionalism and Agents of Change.

This course offers an introduction to the theology and practice of Christian preaching, especially in a Methodist context in New Zealand. It takes account of the art of public speaking and the rhetorical requirements of the task.

This course provides an orientation to liturgy, its theological basis, and the practice of designing a liturgy within a particular situation or occasion. The aim is to give students a thorough knowledge of the subject and some practical skills.

This course explores the relationship between spirituality and pastoral care with a particular emphasis on understanding a range of perspectives on the nature of spirituality and attending to issues of spiritual care and formation.

This course will address a variety of theoretical and theological frameworks for understanding how familial, social and cultural context and identity impact on the practice of pastoral care and ministry leadership.

This course takes a critical look at a range of contemporary and contextual understandings of spirituality alongside an in-depth appreciation of and relationship with human wellbeing, and healing. The course will look at key research on how positive emotions foster human flourishing and shift our states of being.

Pre-requisite: Completion of PS510 or PS610
Level 5/6

To be successful in church ministry requires a certain amount of leadership skills.  This course provides an overview of various types of ministry, especially with the Methodist Church of New Zealand, and equips students with skills relevant to each type.

This course will look at the relationship between understandings and formations of gender and sexuality across different historical, cultural and theological contexts. In particular, it will explore ways in which ideas about gender and sexuality shape social roles and identities especially in relation to the exercise of Christian ministry and leadership. 

This option is for those who have completed the core and required courses for a Pastoral Studies strand with an average B grade or above. The duration for the project is one full semester. A research proposal has to be approved by the Lecturer in Theological Studies prior to conducting the research. The research project is equal to two 15-credit courses.