Foundations in Missional Ministry & Church Leadership

Tyndale Intercultural Ministry Centre (TIM Centre) launched the the Certificate & Diploma of Foundations in Missional Ministry & Church Leadership in October 2010.

“Every year over 100,000 new immigrants land in Toronto area, about 40% of the national total. Over 2.3 million foreign born people live in Toronto (CMA), this is 46% of the total population” For churches and leaders to engage in missional ministry in Toronto they will need to be biblically trained and equipped to engage in ministry in our multicultural context. TIM Centre is committed to training leaders for effective Missional Ministry in this diverse multicultural ministry context.

One of the exciting developments in contemporary church planting in the Canadian context is the growth of immigrant churches in urban cities like Toronto. As God continues to bring Spirit-filled Christians from the non-western world to Canada, we can expect to see exciting new church- planting models, which do not fit the typical Canadian paradigm. The Foundations in Missonal Ministry & Church Leadership seeks to provide accessible and affordable training to immigrant church leaders to be certified by the denominations partnering with the TIM Centre.This training will also benefit any leader desiring to be equipped for ministry in Multicultural Toronto.

This training is officially recognized by a number of denominations for credentialing leaders to serve in their local churches. TIM Centre's Leaders training will have two distinct dimensions. First, there will be basic foundation courses related to Bible Interpretation, OT-NT Survey, Basic Bible Doctrines, and Introduction to Pastoral Ministry. Completion of the first four courses will result in certification. Second, the missional courses will be part of the Forge –Toronto “ethos” (For more information on the ethos, see the core values tab). A further four courses will need to be completed to be awarded a full Diploma (this is a Non Credit Diploma).

To see the list of courses that are offered, please go to the "Curriculum" tab. To view upcoming courses, please go to the "Next Course" tab.

The four key deliverables of ethos are:

Character Formation (facilitated by mentoring, peer learning, as well as an emphasis on spiritual formation)
Community Life (facilitated by a ‘community of leaders’ dynamic within the cohort)
Competency Development (through assessing, coaching, and consulting leaders as they form missional communities)
Course Instruction (well ... through courses – the real job here is to facilitate for a missional way of thinking about life in general and the community life of disciples in particular)

A Community of Leaders

As leaders follow God into His mission, they can often feel disconnected and even lonely. Developing missional communities that are focused on neighbourhood transformation and are designed for multiplication can be especially isolating, as many existing churches and church plants are following other ministry models. At its core, an ethos cohort is an answer to this challenge. We are convinced that leaders in missional communities need each other. We need to encourage, comfort, pray for, and challenge one another. There are lessons that God has to teach us in the company of other leaders.

Life in Ethos - A Rule of Life

Over the winter months in 2011, the cohort will develop a Rule of Life that will guide them both individually and as a community. While the specifics of this Rule are best determined by the cohort with some facilitation, its content should spur the cohort on towards leadership that is focused on starting missional communities that will transform communities and multiply.

Further Training towards Ordination

We believe that over the two-year training process, some participants, through prayer and consultation with the local church and denomination, may sense a call into full-time ministry. Such leaders would be recommended to complete studies through such theological and biblical institutions, like Tyndale Seminary.

This diploma program can be taken in two parts. Completion of the first four courses will result in a certificate. The first four courses in the certificate program is cohort training where participants will go through an intensive mentoring process.

The following courses are needed to receive a certificate:

Bible Interpretation Methods: October – December 2011 [syllabus ]
God's Mission & His Church: Biblical and Theological Foundations of the Missional Church January – April 2012
OT-NT Bible Survey: April – June 2012
Basic Bible Doctrines: September – November 2012

**The remaining four courses are required in order to be awarded a full Diploma*:**

Gospel & Culture
Intro to Urban Mission
Intercultural Leadership
Church and Pastoral Ministry (Dates TBD)
This 8th course would be delivered by respective partners, according to their denominational affiliation. For example, GCF would ask leaders from CBOQ to deliver training that would instruct participants regarding the ministry distinctive of that denomination.

*This is a Non-Credit Diploma

There are presently two courses being offered:

Next Course: Old and New Testament Survey

Course Instructor: Dr. Narry Santos

Location: Bridletowne Park Church, 2300 Bridletowne Circle (Warden & Finch)

Understanding the content and the flow of Scripture is fundamental to understanding God's missional purposes for humanity. It is not just understanding the characters and events that is important but also understanding how God consistently worked in the lives of his people in the nation of Israel and in the church. His purposes are consistent throughout scripture, from the creation to the consummation.

Course Dates & Times:

Tuesday, April 10th 6:30-9:30 pm

Tuesday, April 24th 6:30-9:30

Tuesday, May 1st 6:30 - 9:30 pm

Tuesday, May 15th 6:30-9:30 pm

Saturday, May 26th 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Tuesday, June 5th 6:30-9:30 pm

Tuesday, June 19th 6:30-9:30 pm

Next Couse: Introduction to Urban Ministry

Course Instructors: Dr. Michael Krause and Guests

Location: Tyndale University College & Seminary, 25 Ballyconnor Court, Toronto

In a city as large as Toronto, Christian ministry in the urban context is as diverse as the people living here. The goal of the course is to understand the issues involved in inner-city life, to discover what various ministries are doing in Toronto, to learn how to approach ministry in an urban context and to design more effective ministry with marginalized people. Students will learn how to evaluate their own communities and discover ways of reaching their neighbourhoods.

Course Dates & Times:

Thursday, April 19th 6:30-9:30 pm

Thursday, May 3rd 6:30-9:30 pm

Saturday, May 12th 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Thursday, May 17th 6:30-9:30 pm

Thursday, May 31st 6:30-9:30 pm

Thursday, June 14th 6:30-9:30 pm

Thursday, June 28th 6:30-9:30 pm

Attachment	Size
Urban Ministry Syllabus Tyndale.doc	1.51 MB
Syllabus OT NT Survey-1.doc	47.5 KB

Tyndale Intercultural Ministries (TIM)

The Tyndale Intercultural Ministries (TIM) Centre, through its Lifelong Learning program, is developing 8 courses that will be offered over 2 years to emerging Diaspora church leaders.

These courses, which will lead to a non-degree diploma, are envisioned to be a combination of online and actual teaching sessions from trained professors with hands-on ministry experiences. In addition, these courses will be offered at reasonable and affordable rates.

The Hudson Taylor Centre for Chinese Ministries

The Hudson Taylor Centre exists to advance Chinese ministries in North America and around the world. The Hudson Taylor Centre has a sixfold ministry:

Facilitate the exchange of insights and concerns between the academics and the ecclesiastics;
Conduct, facilitate, and house research in Chinese ministries;
Develop the fruits of research into programs or tools for churches;
Arrange for timely response from the scholarly community to issues raised by the churches;
Provide forums for dialogue and consultation;
Set up trainings, seminars and workshops.

Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ)

The CBOQ Leadership Development Director has agreed that those leaders from their denomination successfully completing the 8-course leadership training program to be offered for 2 years, will be recognized as “level 2 part-time pastors.” We are delighted to have Green Hills Christian Fellowship as a key church partner in this project. It is our desire to see other denomination recognize this training for credentialing Diaspora leaders.

Selection of Leaders

Those seeking to participate in the Diploma program, with the goal of being recognized as credentialed leaders, will go through a selection process by their local church and affiliate denomination. The training program, together with the local church, will create a mentoring process that will provide accountability for personal and ministry development. Successful completion of the program will be granted, when the participant has completed all requirements set by the local church, the academic institution, and the affiliated denomination.

Participants must be recommended by their local church, comprehend English and have a minimum of high school education.