Thirdmill Seminary

Worship Practicum (MIS501) – 1 credit hour

This practicum explores the scriptural elements of Christian worship, the history of its theological development, and its practice in a variety of cultural contexts. While the ministry of Word and Sacrament lies at its core, corporate worship reenacts the Gospel in other ways as well, including confession of sin and assurance of pardon, and our offer of ourselves, our gifts, both spiritual and material, and our praises and prayers back to God. This course uses graduate level readings, discussion forums, faculty tutorials, mentor meetings, and ministry activities to provide you with opportunities to worship God in different contexts and to reflect on practices of worship through the lens of Scripture, theology, and the history of the Christian mission where you serve. 

If someone asked what the Old Testament was all about, how would you answer? How would you summarize its contents? Would you describe it with the topics of its basic theology or as an overarching story? How would you explain the importance and relevance of the Old Testament for Christians today?

To answer these questions, we need to have a firm understanding of the significance, theology, and covenantal structure the Old Testament. And if we do, we can live Christian lives relying on the whole Bible as Christians scripture, not just the New Testament.

Jesus and his apostles taught that the Old Testament is very important for Christians. As a matter of fact, when Paul told Timothy that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, he was referring primarily to the Old Testament.

The four gospels are key books of the Bible, since they narrate the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Each gospel has a unique perspective and a unique purpose. This course explains the background, the structure, the main contents, and the major themes of each gospel. It is based on the lecture series, The Gospels, produced by Third Millennium Ministries and hosted by Dr. Pete Alwinson with contributions from a variety of professors.