Module Descriptions
Bachelor of Theology Community Leadership in Christian Ministry
For detailed information about each module, refer to the Module Descriptions section below.
Core Curriculum
The Bachelor of Theology in Community Leadership is designed for a minimum duration of 3 years, involving a total of 384 credits. The programme is delivered through a combination of in-person contact sessions and distance learning.
If the required number is not reached by the end of the registration period, the programme will only receive new students in the next registration period. New students already registered for the programme will be advised on the options available to them, and paid fees will be refunded where applicable. Students who have already completed one or more semesters will not be affected.
Study Year 1 of 3 (NQF 5)
This module is designed to enhance students' academic writing and research skills while fostering critical thinking and analytical abilities.
The first half of this module is designed to introduce the student to the nature, purpose, and interpretative process of the Scriptures. Attention is given to the historical backdrop of the Old and New Testaments and to the development of the biblical canon (Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic). Tracing the narrative trajectory of the Bible, this module is designed to equip students with a basic skill set necessary for the artful and faithful interpretation of the biblical text both within the church and public space.
biblical (creation to Israel, Israel to Christ, and Christ to the eschaton) and theological (key movements and paradigms) trajectory of mission, this module seeks to develop an understanding of the nature and task of world evangelisation and mission. This foundation informs a more detailed engagement with Urban Mission, by introducing the theory and practice (locally and globally) of urban mission. And with special attention given to urban mission in cross-cultural contexts, students are also introduced to some important tools from the social sciences.
Psychology: Developmental Psychology 1 (15 Credits)
This module provides students with an overview of the major theories of Developmental Psychology. Furthermore, the module aims to help the student understand
the course of human development from conception to adolescence. The module also seeks to address
contemporary concerns in lifespan development
from conception to adolescence
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Counselling: Counselling and Life Skills (15 Credits)
This module provides students with training in how to develop and design life skills programmes, psycho-educational training and individual counselling interventions. This module provides an understanding of persons, ideas and principles in the sphere of human behaviour and examines how to manage structured psycho-educational activities in personal and group interventions and how to evaluate their success.
Core Curriculum: Ethics and Global Citizenship (15 Credits)
This module is designed to help the student build an ethical framework that considers a holistic understanding of the human person (head, heart, and hands). Students are exposed to ethical theories that enable them to reflect on ways in which to respond to current moral, intellectual, and social questions. Students work to integrate ethical theory into their experience of life and explore how this contributes to the good of the world.
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Navigating Change and Conflict (15 Credits)
This module offers a comprehensive understanding of leadership from various theoretical perspectives, aiming to empower individuals for effective leadership in various contexts, particularly within South African and African settings. It delves into transformative leadership theory and practice, fostering personal and character growth. Additionally, the module introduces students to conflict resolution theory and practice, imparting essential communication skills to enrich inter-group and interpersonal relationships. Students gain insights into their conflict attitudes, self-reflect on approaches, and explore diverse conflict types through case studies. The module underscores the interconnectedness of communication, behaviour, and conflict, with a focal point on reconciliation strategies, enriching the learning experience.
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Group Studies and Communication (15 Credits)
This module seeks to introduce the student to the fundamentals of intergroup dynamics and communication in the global context of cross-cultural engagement. The themes of group formation and behaviours, social structure and societal hierarchies will be introduced alongside the themes of intergroup relations and the practice of communication with and between groups with diverse values, belief systems and societal standing. The module will reflect on the demands and required skills for social change interventions when working with diverse cultural, religious, language, socio-economic, and citizen communities, among others, including also the local and global realities of migration and immigrant communities.
OR
Worldviews of the South (15 Credits)
This module presents a comprehensive exploration of worldviews, specifically focusing on the philosophies of the global South, Africa, and the West. Its primary objective is to cultivate a deep understanding and appreciation of how these worldviews have influenced knowledge traditions and societal dynamics across our continent and the wider world. The course critically examines the essence of history, unveiling the impact of position, perspective, and power on historical narratives. This analysis is carried out through a detailed examination of South African and African histories, commencing with the indigenous peoples and tracing the trajectories of pre- and post-colonial development. By scrutinizing cultural movements, narratives, and pivotal events, the module illuminates the forces that have both historically and presently moulded our nation and continent.
This module is designed to introduce the student to the methodology and discourse of both systematic and practical theology and provide a framework within which to make sense of these disciplines, how they overlap and intersect, what specific angles of vision they offer the church in its engagement, theologically and practically, with the world. Special attention is given to the relationship between theology and its cultural contexts, particularly within a South African context.
This module is designed to introduce students to the concept of integration and its implications both for Christian faith and praxis, and for the relationship between the disciplines of theology, psychology, and community development. The module frames these disciplines within their respective branches of knowledge, inviting students to consider how each discipline operates within a particular worldview. Students explore the necessity of moving from a compartmentalised understanding of their faith and vocation to thinking and living in ways that reflect integration between their faith life and their work life.
Psychology: Psychology - An Introduction
This module aims to provide the student with an understanding of persons, ideas, and principles in the sphere of human behaviour, which we understand as the social sciences. The historical development and current status of psychology, investigative activities, and significant findings are reviewed. Psychology: An Introduction will also engage with psychological thought in relation to the South African context.
OR
Counselling: Family and Development (15 Credits)
This module surveys the themes of marriage development and family issues. The student will be introduced to the dynamics of change within marriage and the family as part of a developmental psychology framework.
Study Year 2 of 3 (NQF 6)
This module introduces Christian Spirituality as it has unfolded over time and explores different facets of contemporary spiritual life and practice. It surveys various forms of worship as expressions of the range of biblical and traditional understandings and examines the theory and practice of worship in contemporary communities of faith and life. This module also includes a compulsory tutorial for spiritual formation.
This module comprises two parts.
Part 1: Applied Hermeneutics: Reading from the Margins. Here students are introduced to the importance and value of reading the Bible with others (i.e., the marginalised, whether women, children, the poor, or the illiterate). The module enables the student both to recognise the value of being a trained reader and the responsibility to use such training in transformative, public, connected, dialogic, and integrated ways. The module combines both theoretical and practical outcomes. The theoretical outcome of the module is achieved by defining who the others are and by laying the conceptual framework for what it means to read with others and how practically to do so. The practical outcome is achieved by assigning students to an actual reading site in which they will participate by applying the theoretical framework.
Part 2: Theoretical Hermeneutics. In this part, the branch of knowledge known as hermeneutics is explored in greater detail. Concerned with the art and science of establishing meaning through interpretation, this part provides the necessary orientation for making sense of Scripture. This includes cultivating, in the student, an awareness of the otherness of Scripture, both in its form and in its content; surveying the richness of the many ways in which one might approach the Scriptures and thereby appropriate its meaning; and, offering some guidelines for sensitive engagement with the Scriptures towards establishing meaning. A significant amount of time is dedicated to examining biblical texts within their socio-rhetorical setting.
Christian theology is concerned with the story of God in relation to the world. With God as the subject of theology, students are introduced to the various ways in which the church has sought to speak meaningfully about the God who reveals himself in history and through the biblical witness. The module thus focuses on the historical development of''speech about God’ and proposes that such speech be rooted within an eschatological framework; that understanding God means tracing the trajectory of his story to its ultimate climax. The implications of this doctrine are considered in the light of South African contextual realities.
This module provides students with an introduction to the discipline of Public Theology, focusing on the contact points between the Christian faith and public life. Students learn about the discipline's interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature, exploring how theological engagements demand sound discourse and rigorous practical engagement within the range of contextual issues of contemporary society. Particular attention is given to conflict mediation and peace processes in South Africa, as well as to evaluating ways of public engagement for the common good and social cohesion.
Pentateuch: This module is a focused study of the Torah (or Pentateuch) with particular attention given to the nature and character of these writings as Israel’s core testimony concerning Yahweh. Some attention is given to the theological motifs (Law and Justice, Political Deliverance, and Economics and the Poor) embedded within the Torah and to the role of these motifs in community identity formation.
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Synoptic Gospels: This module is a focused study of one of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke – Acts) within its historical and literary context and places a significant emphasis on the descriptive task (exegesis of representative passages within the specified Gospel) to note distinctive theological themes. Special attention is also given to the synthetic task of locating the Gospel within the broader canon of the New Testament Gospels.
In this module students engage in the application of leadership theory as it relates to the three majors, namely Theology, Psychology and Community Development. Here students explore the practice of leadership in the context of the church, faith-based organisations and the public sector. Attention is given to issues such as the process of effectively utilising and developing human resources, sharing control and responsibility, teamwork, conflict management, strategic planning and managing diverse communication styles in the three areas of Theology, Psychology and Community Development.
This module is designed to introduce the student to the study of the communication process in various contexts, including cross-cultural contexts. The dynamics of interpersonal, intercultural, group and mass communication are explored, with special focus on communication in teaching and learning. This includes the study of public speaking, audience analysis, listening, speaking, and conflict management. With the basic theoretical framework in place, students are equipped with the necessary skills for effective sermon preparation and delivery. Attention is given to increasing the student’s ability to express ideas clearly and competently in both written and oral forms of communication, giving the student a comprehensive understanding of the theory and praxis of expository preaching. Students are also exposed to a variety of topical and evangelistic preaching models in order to increase their awareness of the importance of these homiletical methods in the preaching process.
Building on our understanding of God’s story and its trajectory in human history, this module looks at the question of human identity. It works from the premise that the meaning of life, of what it means to be human, to be created, comes into sharper focus when viewed biblically and theologically. Moving from the various biblical, theological, and historical responses to the question of human identity, the module looks to the doctrine of Christ for its ultimate answer, unpacking the story of God’s restoration in and through Jesus Christ. Implications of this doctrine are considered in the light of South African contextual
realities.
Study Year 3 of 3 (NQF 7)
This module provides a comprehensive introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methodologies through approaches such as action research, ethnography, participatory action research, and phenomenology. Students will explore the philosophical foundations of research, including how ontological and epistemological perspectives shape study design. Through examining the influence of cultural, socioeconomic, political, and institutional contexts on research, students are equipped with the tools for conducting contextually relevant and ethically sound studies. Practical assignments guide students through each stage of the research process, from selecting methodologies to data collection, analysis, and ethical considerations. By the end of this module, students will be able to critically evaluate research methodologies, design and execute context-specific studies.
Old Testament Prophets:
This module comprises two parts.
Part 1: Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings provide the basis for a survey of Israel's history from conquest to exile. Special emphasis is given to the investigation of the relationship between Israel's historical traditions and its theological appropriation of these traditions around such themes as election, law, land and leadership.
Part 2: The literary structure and theological significance of the latter prophets are examined with attention being given to seeing the prophets within their own historical context and in light of the New Testament. Exegesis of representative passages is included.
OR
Old Testament Writing:
The study and meaning of wisdom in the literature of the Old Testament are investigated. Special attention is given to the nature of Hebrew poetry, literary structure and the importance of developing a biblical theology of the wisdom writings. Exegesis of representative passages is included.
This module applies the approaches and skills learnt in pastoral care theory to specific crises, such as illness, dying, bereavement, mental illness, and family breakdown. Institutional ministries that deal with these issues are visited, providing students with practical experience in one such institution.
Johannine
Designed to provide students with orientation points for understanding Paul and the letters attributed to him. The module enables students to navigate the Pauline Writings by setting both Paul (as author, pastor, and missionary) and his letters within their historical, sociocultural, theological, exegetical, and ecclesiological settings. Within this matrix, students read and engage texts within the body of the Pauline Writings.
OR
Pauline Writing
Studies the writings attributed to John—the Gospel of John, the Letters of John, and the Apocalypse of John. Students will examine these writings by attending to their testimony concerning the crucified and resurrected Christ. Attention is given to the issues of authorship, literary and
rhetorical structure, and theological motifs to understand their vision and purpose within their ancient and contemporary church settings
Building on the corresponding research methodology module(s), this module equips students with the fundamental skills and knowledge to conduct independent research in their field of study. Students will identify a research problem, review relevant literature, and apply basic research methodologies. The module culminates in a written research document, enhancing critical thinking, problem-solving, and academic writing skills. This module prepares students for advanced research and to contribute to their discipline’s body of knowledge.
This module is a practical and generally community-based
extension of the academic programme in Christian Ministry. Fieldwork is designed to be a multi-disciplinary application of what has been learnt theoretically during the programme. As such, it measures both the practical capabilities of the student within the field or sphere of learning and the ability to integrate theory and praxis.
Restoration of human identity (and of the cosmos) is signaled in the constitution of a community in Christ, called and empowered by the Spirit to stand as a sign of God’s redemption purposes. In this module, students wrestle with the role of the Spirit in restoration, enabling, commissioning, and empowering, the establishment of a new community and its nature and purpose. The module has as its starting point the continuing work of the Spirit both in the restoration of the cosmos and in the establishment of the church as an expression of the eschatological trajectory of God’s story. The implications of this doctrine are considered in the light of South African contextual realities.
This module looks at the necessity and importance of an
integrative approach to responding to a range of critical issues of relevance for both the church and public space. Within a worldview framework, students wrestle with contemporary issues—including personhood, community belonging, power, economics, and education and the intersection of these issues from a biblical and theological perspective.