Postgraduate Courses
Laidlaw College has always been about forming leaders for Church and Society in Aotearoa – people who are committed to renewing their communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through postgraduate study, we are inviting people to go deeper in understanding God, His world and our mission in it, and to use what they learn for the benefit of the Church.
We are looking for people who have a calling to go further in what Paul calls “being transformed by the renewing of your mind”, who are inspired by seeking truth in God’s Scriptures and Creation, and who want to use the fruits of their study for the building up of the Church, the furtherance of the Gospel, and the renewal of their communities.
From 2023, Laidlaw College is offering in-depth training in this field, leading to a Postgraduate Certificate. Successful completion of the PGCertTh (Ministry Supervision) will assist graduates in meeting the supervisory needs of people in a range of ministries, as well as professionals in other helping vocations.
This part-time programme comprised of two successive courses, each 30 credits at level 8, is taught via lecture blocks at Laidlaw’s Henderson campus, with course readings and assessments across the semester.
R512.830 Foundations of Ministry Supervision
(30 credits; Semester 1)
David Crawley & Karen Kemp
15 - 17 March 2023 | 9.30am - 4.30pm
31 May – 2 June 2023 | 9.30am-4.30pm
Henderson campus
Examine the nature and purpose of professional supervision, including its importance in people-related ministries. Cover several theoretical approaches to supervision, with in-class opportunities for practice. Reflect critically on the theological, ethical and cultural dimensions of offering supervision in your own contexts, and in the wider context of Aotearoa.
R513.830 Developing a Ministry Supervision Practice
(30 credits; Semester 2)
David Crawley & Karen Kemp
2 - 4 August 2023 | 9.30am - 4.30pm
13 – 15 September 2023 | 9.30am – 4.30pm
Henderson Campus
Develop a framework for supervision practice, appropriate to your own cultural and ministry contexts. Focus on the integration of theory, theology and critically reflective practice.
SEMESTER 1 2023
R405.830 Mental Health & Human Flourishing
Dr Sarah Penwarden & Rev. Dr Maja Whitaker
27-31 March 2023
Henderson Campus or by Distance via zoom
Three additional
evening tutorials via Zoom over the semester
Mental distress can be a common but challenging aspect of human experience, raising many questions for people of Christian faith. Practical theology seeks to look such experiences squarely in the eye, while also holding these experiences alongside the revelation of Christ as pain-bearer, ourselves as humans made in the image of a relational God, and the hope and challenge of the church. This course will invite you to look at mental distress, focusing in particular on anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, as well as the social stigma surrounding these lived experiences. By the end of the course, you will come to understand a theology of mental distress, as well as what human wellbeing and flourishing might look like. Through this course, you will also reflect on what a wise, compassionate, and informed pastoral response might be both within a community or church context and individually.
Entry to a postgraduate Theology programme requires an undergraduate degree or graduate diploma (or equivalent) in Theology or a related area. Special admission is possible for students with a Bachelors of Counselling where this has included some grounding in theology.
DOWNLOAD A FLYER FOR THIS COURSE HERE
R507.830 Anointed Ministry
Examine
the doctrine of the Trinity and apply this to pastoral practices to
allow the doctrine of the Trinity to have a controlling influence over
such practices. Address key concerns related to the practice of
ministry. Grounded in a robust trinitarianism, you will receive a clear
biblical and theological foundation for ministry as participation in the
ongoing ministry of Christ in the world in the power of the Spirit, and
be prepared for effective Christocentric pastoral and missional
leadership. The course develops historical, theological, and ministerial
themes, and seeks to enable you to develop convictions for ministry and
reflect on ecclesial practices such as administration of the
sacraments, pastoral care, preaching, prayer, and worship.
SEMESTER 2 2023
R508.830 Reflective Practice
for Ministry
The capacity to reflect on our experience is a key skill that enables us to develop as practitioners in any field of vocation, including Christian ministry. If you are active in ministry, in either churches or community organisations, and want to deepen your practice and flourish in ministry, this course is for you. Learn to critically evaluate your ministry context, to develop practices of discernment and habits of mind that produce resilience over the long-term, and to understand what you bring to your ministry role from your own personality and as a participant in community. The course is delivered through a range of seminars, workshops, reflections and fieldwork activities, and all learning is grounded in your own ministry context.