Pilgrim Theological College

Live reading of Mark’s Gospel
2026-07-21 19:30 - 21:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | Brunswick Uniting Church, 214 Sydney Road Brunswick, Victoria, Australia
In a candle lit church, gather with others to hear the whole of Mark’s Gospel read aloud in one evening. There will be mulled wine, space for reflection, and gentle silence. Whether you are spiritual-not-religious, part of a faith community, or simply curious to hear this ancient text come alive, you are welcome.
Where: Brunswick Uniting Church
When: 7.30pm Tuesday 21st July
Cost: Free

To register, click here

Understanding UCA Covenanting and Intercultural Enrichment Day
2026-06-20 09:30 - 16:30 | Centre for Theology & Ministry, 29 College Cres, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
Join us for a day seminar on Understanding UCA Covenanting and Intercultural Enrichment. This day is set aside for anyone wanting to further their own knowledge on the Uniting Church’s Covenanting relationship and our intercultural relatedness and ministries. This day is particularly useful for anyone enrolled in the Understanding UCA (ULVT2) unit.
Register here.

Talanoa Oceania
2026-04-09 - 2026-04-11 | Centre for Theology & Ministry, 29 College Cres, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
Event description

Thursday 9 April to Saturday 11 April
Talanoa 2026 will be a platform for folx to talanoa (tell storied realities, invite conversations, explore ways forward) around the “arts of negotiation” in/from their life situations, and to unpack the “gifts in negotiation” for their communities and for the rest of us.
The theme for this conference is “negotiation,” and there will be keynotes (2), presentations (24), and panels (4). The keynotes will address “Indigenous justice” (from UAICC) and “Migration and Climate justice” (MP Anasina Gray-Barberio).
The presentations will address topics in the general areas of Pasifika cultures, theology, bible, climate justice, pastoral care, CPE, art, queer, decolonization, gender justice, youth justice, and more. The panels will be on “Justice matters,” “Negotiating identities in diaspora,” “Raising families in diaspora,” and “Youth matter!”
Registration link: https://events.humanitix.com/talanoa-2026/tickets
Thursday, 9 April 12pm–8pm
Canterbury Balwyn Uniting Church
15A Balwyn Rd, Canterbury 3126
Friday, 10 April 9am–8pm
Centre for Theology and Ministry
29 College Crescent, Parkville 3052
Saturday, 11 April 9am–4pm
Centre for Theology and Ministry
29 College Crescent, Parkville 3052
Cost
Registration fee includes conference materials and meals.
Full cost $ 120
Student $ 50
14yo and under $ 1
Registration link: https://events.humanitix.com/talanoa-2026/tickets

Northey Lecture: Dr Laura Rademaker and Poetry Reading: Alison Overeem
2026-02-26 19:00 - 21:30 | VIC
Event description

Northey Lecture – ‘Providence and possession: how colonial concepts of religion explained away a genocide’
This two-part event begins at 7pm Thursday 26 February at Pilgrim Theological College.
Supper is provided. All welcome! Join in person or online.
Register online here
Acknowledgement of Country and Poetry Reading by Alison Overeem (Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, Tasmania)

Alison is a proud palawa woman and Leprena Centre Manager (UAICC). Leprena is a lead provider of cultural and spiritual learning and immersion, uniting First and Second Peoples through Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, and the National UAICC story, across the nation. Alison will share a poem with us and lead us in an Acknowledgement of Country.
Northey Lecture: ‘Providence and possession: how colonial concepts of religion explained away a genocide’ by Associate Professor Laura Rademaker (Australian National University)

When settlers came to Australia, many believed in a God-given duty to “fill'” and “subdue the earth” through agriculture and the supposed failure of First Nations people to do this. But the colonists also drew on other religious and biblical ideas to frame themselves in relation to First Nations people.  This lecture will trace the ways that First Nations people’s supposed “forgetting” of true religion was used to excuse the rapid First Nations population decline, and the implications of this history for us today.
This lecture will also be part of the Pilgrim unit, Respecting Country: Deep history, the colonies and the church
Contact us to enrol in the unit – study@pilgrim.edu.au

Ministry and Mission Day - opening the year at the CTM
2026-02-17 09:30 - 13:00 | VIC
Event description

Tuesday 17 February, 9.30 am – 1 pm
This event marks the opening of the academic year for Pilgrim Theological College and includes the Synod’s induction of Rev Professor Kylie Crabbe as Head of College. We begin the day at 9.30 am with a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country. The worship service at 10 am will feature preacher Rev Dr Vicky Balabanski, Principal at Uniting College for Leadership & Theology, Adelaide. At 11.30 am Kylie Crabbe will deliver her inaugural lecture as Professor.

Conference on Gendered Violence, Pilgrim/Wesley Centre conference
2026-02-11 12:00 - 2026-02-13 16:00 | VIC
Event description

Monday 11 February to Wednesday 13 February
Wesley Centre for Ethics, Theology and Public Policy, with sponsorship from Pilgrim Theological College, is running this timely conference to explore ways religion, theology, and culture contribute to—or help combat—gendered violence. This interdisciplinary conference will investigate the intersections of theology, biblical interpretation, culture, sexism, colonialism, and justice. Together, we’ll ask hard questions about gendered violence and explore resources for healing, inclusion, and change. In-person registrations for this event are now booked out, however some of the sessions will be made available to view online.
Get tickets here

Northey Lecture – by Professor Joerg Rieger
2025-09-04 18:30 - 21:30 | VIC
Event description

Considering the multiple relations of religion and power, what difference does religion make, for good and for ill, and what might be the constructive contributions of theology be in fostering global solidarities?

Why Global Solidarities are a Matter of Life and Death: The Difference Religion Can Make
Even though the globe is moving closer together, solidarity among people appears to become more difficult. Nationalisms, racisms, ethnocentrisms, and sexisms are on the rise, dividing and conquering and thereby producing false solidarities. While religion is often part of the problem, it can also become part of potential solutions. As the apostle Paul observes, “if one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26). This insight may hold true not only for personal relationships and communities but also for our global situation. The solidarity that emerges here goes deep, as it reconnects us with people, planet, and the divine.

Joerg Rieger – Pilgrim Theological College
Professor Joerg Rieger is Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair in Wesleyan Studies at Vanderbilt University. He also directs the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at the Vanderbilt Graduate Department of Religion and is an affiliated Faculty member of the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University. With degrees from the Theologische Hochschule Reutlingen, Germany, Duke Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in Religion and Ethics from Duke University he previously served as the Wendland-Cook Endowed Professor of Constructive Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. Rieger’s work brings together the study of theology and the movements for liberation and justice that mark our age, exemplified by the following questions: What are the implications of various embodiments of faith for politics, economics, and ecology? What options and alternatives can we envision and how might the tools of theology help us make appropriate choices? Rieger’s constructive work in theology draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary traditions, with a concern for the roles that images of the divine play in the pressures of everyday life, locally, nationally, and internationally. Rieger is the author and editor of 26 books and more than 184 academic articles, with his most recent monograph being, Theology in the Capitalocene: Ecology, Identity, Class, and Solidarity (2022).’

Get Tickets Here

Cost: Gold coin donation
Registrations close Monday 25 August 2025
For Further Information, Please contact
Daniel Sihombing
Daniel.Sihombing@pilgrim.edu.au
Monica Jyotsna Melanchthon
Monica.melanchthon@pilgrim.edu.au

Northey Lecture - Dei Ex Machina: The Images of God in our Conceptions of AI
2025-07-29 17:30 - 19:00 | VIC
Event description

AI has emerged as a tool for productivity, a threat to jobs, and even a stand-in for God. Much of the language used to discuss AI draws on apocalyptic and prophetic discourse, as well as on images of God rooted in divine omniscience. Rev. Dr Kristel Clayville, a lecturer in ethics in the computer science department at University of Illinois Chicago, suggests an alternative theological framework.
Rather than emphasising AI’s godlike powers of omniscience and control—traditionally masculine divine attributes —Clayville examines how feminine divine imagery might reshape our understanding of artificial intelligence. Could we envision AI through metaphors of nurturing, relationship, and collaborative wisdom instead of domination and all-knowing power? Does embracing feminine images of God offer new ways to conceptualize AI’s role and possibilities in human society? Her talk will explore this alternative and attempt to offer a different conceptual vocabulary for AI.

Northey Lecturer: Rev. Dr Kristel Clayville PhD
Rev. Dr Kristel Clayville holds a PhD in Religious Ethics from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School and completed Fellowship training in clinical medical ethics at the MacLean Center. She has served as the Acting Director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science, and was a Fellow in the Sinai and Synapses program. She has a clinical background as a chaplain and ethicist at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Currently, she teaches ethics in the Computer Science Department at UIC, where she also serves on the hospital ethics committee, and the medical school ethics education committee. Her research interests encompass the ethics of emerging (bio)technologies, organ transplant ethics, the role of religion in medical education, AI and religion, and the function of ethics committees in hospitals and tech companies.

Click here for tickets

When: Tuesday, July 29
Where: Pilgrim Theological College; 29 College Cres, Parkville, 3025
Refreshments available from 5pm
Lecture commences at 5.30pm

Enrol Now For Understanding the UCA In Semester 2
2025-07-15 19:00 - 2025-10-14 21:00 | VIC
Understanding the UCA has been created around the Core Competency “Work within the doctrine, ethos and polity of the Uniting Church” from the ‘Assembly Standards and Competencies for the Formation and Education for the Specified Ministry of Lay Preacher’ and UCA Assembly’s Standards for the Ministry if Pastor: Core Competencies’.
Understanding the UCA covers:

History of the formation of UCA
Theological foundations of the Basis of Union
The place and role of key aspects of the Church’s life and witness
Understanding the Councils and Ministries of the UCA
Understanding the UCA’s commitment to First Nations People and Intercultural Ministry
Act2

Those undertaking Understanding the UCA for assessment purposes, must attend the tutorial and submit the given assessment.
To register, click here

Book Launch with Andrew Singleton Muriel Porter and Philip Hughes
2025-04-07 16:00 - 17:00 | VIC
Join us for the launch of Rev Emeritus Professor Philip Hughes’ latest book, ‘What is Happening to Religion in Australia?’ The book is written in an accessible style and is written to assist the thinking person (particularly people with a background in the Christian faith) to understand the changes which are happening in our society and how that impacts faith. The book also suggests some ways of responding to the changes. Monday April 7th, 4 pm to 5 pm, Yuma auditorium, refreshments provided – please register here

Dr Muriel Porter is a Melbourne journalist, religion commentator, author and historian. For more than 30 years she has been a member of the Anglican Church of Australia’s General Synod. She is a prominent advocate for the full equality of women and gay people in all aspects of the church’s life, and has written extensively about the issues facing the contemporary church. She has written many books including Land of the Spirit? The Australian Religious Experience (The Joint Board of Christian Education), A New Exile? The Future of Anglicanism (Morning Star Publishing), and The New Scapegoats: The clergy victims of the Anglican Church sexual abuse crisis (Morning Star Publishing).

Conversation with Steed Davidson
2025-03-24 19:00 - 21:00 | VIC
Event description

Biblical Studies and the Twilight of the Humanities
Steed V Davidson
Monday, 24 March 2025
29 College Crescent, Parkville, Yuma Auditorium
7-9 pm

Registration link: https://events.humanitix.com/conversation-with-steed-davidson

Steed Vernyl Davidson, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, serves as the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature. He has degrees from the University of West Indies and Boston University and a PhD from Union Theological Seminary. He has held teaching and administrative positions at the Pacific Lutheran Theological College (Berkeley) and McCormick Theological College (Chicago) where he taught Hebrew Bible/Old Testament through postcolonial studies. He is also ‘Extraordinary Visiting Professor, Old Testament,’ Department of Old and New Testament, Stellenbosch University.
Among his publications are Empire and Exile: Postcolonial Readings of the Book of Jeremiah (Bloomsbury, 2011); Writing/Reading the Bible in Postcolonial Perspective (Brill, 2017); and the coedited volumes, Prophetic Otherness: Constructions of Otherness in Prophetic Literature (T & T Clark, 2021); Queering the Prophet: On Jonah, and Other Activists (SCM Press, 2023).
Biblical Studies and the Twilight of the Humanities
The drum beats of the death of the humanities began several decades ago and have not let up. Pressures from within and without institutions dedicated to the study and learning of the human condition that hasten their decline imperil not simply disciplines, professions, or programs. The vitality of what it means to be human, the expansion in the depth of human relationships, as well as a human’s relationship with the created order are similarly threatened. Biblical Studies that explore the Bible’s ancient engagement of what it means to be human under the power of God has long contributed to the humanities and still has the potential to do even more. Deeper conversations with other disciplines including technology, expanded public engagement, accessible research that touches religious communities, creative and relevant teaching in primary education provide possible paths for reinventing and sustaining Biblical Studies in an age that threats to shrink the community of the world’s people.

Uniting Church Ministry & Mission Day
2025-02-18 09:30 - 13:30 | VIC
Uniting Church Ministry & Mission Day
at the Centre for Theology & Ministry
Tuesday February 18, 2025
Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/uniting-church-ministry-and-mission-day
9.30 am to 1.30 pm

9.30 am Welcome to country, smoking ceremony

10 am Worship service in Yuma Auditorium
including the induction of new Synod ministry staff.
Preacher: Rev Dr David Fotheringham, Moderator, VicTas Synod.

11 am Morning tea

11.30 Commencement Lecture in Yuma Auditorium
The commencement lecture marks the beginning of the academic year for Pilgrim Theological College.

“Discipleship in a multireligious world: faithful living in the Jesus Way and gracious loving within the embrace of the Trinity.”
Rev Dr Sathianathan Clarke, Lecturer in Theology and Mission, United Theological College, North Parramatta.

12.45 pm Lunch

About Sathi Clarke
Sathianathan (Sathi) Clarke is Lecturer in Theology and Mission at United Theological College, North Parramatta.
Sathi is a Presbyter of the Church of South India. He bridges the world between establishment and the marginalised, the global and the local, and academy and the congregation. He has taught and lectured on global Christianity, contextual theology, postcolonial mission, and interreligious dialogue in India, the U.S.A.,
the U.K., Germany, Sri Lanka, Korea, South Africa, and Liberia.
In his research and teaching, Sathi has cultivated specialties in contextual theology, constructive global theology, and theology of religions. From 1996-2004 he was on the faculty at United Theological College, Bangalore. He has also been visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School and, for the last twenty years, the Bishop Sundo Kim Chair in World Christianity and Professor of Theology, Culture and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington D.C, a chair Sathi continues to hold in conjunction with his appointment at UTC.

Further details will be available in early 2025.

Intensive - Uniting Church Theology and History
2025-02-03 - 2025-02-28 | VIC
Photo credit: Photographs captured at Synod 2023 by Carl Rainer.
Unit Description
In this unit you will deepen your understanding of the Uniting Church and its theological and historical roots. Engage with the Basis of Union and the church’s post union life. Explore emerging theological trajectories. Reflect on women’s ordination, cultural diversity, commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and the UCA’s profile in matters of social justice. A great unit for anyone who wants to know more about the UCA or who has been called to leadership in the church, you will hear from a range of lecturers with expertise in the life and work of the Uniting Church.
Lecturer: K Handasyde, D Sihombing, and D Palmer
Semester: Semester 1, Intensive
Schedule: 3 – 7 & 28 February
Mode of Delivery: Face-to-face and Online Synchronous
Click here to view this intensive in the course guide.
To enquire please contact: Study@Pilgrim.edu.au or phone: 9340 8892
Unit Delivery Notes
Students will attend in-person or online in real time at 9.30 am – 5 pm on Monday 3 – Friday 7 February, and on 28 February. Resources will be provided online. This is a joint venture of Pilgrim Theological College (VIC/TAS) and United Theological College (NSW/ACT) with real-time cohorts in both Parkville and Parramatta.

Semester 1 Enrolments Are Still Available
2025-01-16 00:00 - 2025-02-14 00:00 | VIC
You are still able to enrol for Semester 1 courses, but enrolments close on the 14th of February. Follow the link to the 2025 course guide to find the subjects you wish to study https://pilgrim.edu.au/courses/2025-course-guide/

Geoff Thompson's Retirement Service
2024-12-15 15:00 - 17:00 | VIC
Service to commence at 3pm, Sunday 15th December
Location: Yuma Auditorium at Center for Theology & Ministry, 29 College Crescent, Parkville VIC 3002
Followed by refreshments and conversation.
Date: Sunday 15 December @ 3.00pm
Registrations are open via Humanitix link:
https://events.humanitix.com/geoff-thompson-s-conclusion-of-placement-service

Invitation to Daniel Sihombing's Ordination Service
2024-12-01 14:00 | VIC
Port Phillip East Presbytery is preparing for the Ordination Service of Daniel Sihombing in Caulfield Indonesian Uniting Church (158 Balaclava Road, Caulfield North) on 1 December at 2pm. Please join us to celebrate Daniel’s great journey with God. For catering purpose, please RSVP by 26 November via the link here. Reminder, this is a Port Philip East Presbytery event, not a Pilgrim event.

Sean Winter's Farewell
2024-11-29 16:00 - 18:30 | VIC
Service to commence at 4pm, Friday 29th November
Location: Yuma Auditorium at Centre for Theology & Ministry, 29 College Crescent, Parkville VIC 3002
Followed by refreshments and conversation.
Sean, with his family, moved from the UK to Melbourne in 2009, for him to assume the role of New Testament Lecturer with the Uniting Church, as part of the United Faculty of Theology. He was instrumental in the establishment of Pilgrim Theological College in 2015, and commenced as its Head of College in 2017. Sean’s theological and biblical reflections have inspired and grounded meetings of the Synod and many other parts of the Uniting Church.”

Registrations are open via Humanitix link:
https://events.humanitix.com/conclusion-of-placement-service-for-sean-winter
A livestream will be available on the Pilgrim Facebook page and embedded below when the stream commences.

2024 Valedictory
2024-11-07 17:30 - 19:30 | VIC
This event will be live streamed on Facebook.
Details Below:
Date: Thursday 7th November 2024
Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Location: Wesley Church, 130-150 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Followed by refreshments at Level 2, Wesley Place (at above address)
(Please note the change of time and location from previous years).
The annual valedictory service celebrates Pilgrim students who have completed their degrees, and candidates who have been commended to their Presbyteries for ordination.

Drawing Life From Water
2024-10-31 17:00 - 20:00 | VIC
For this years Janette Gray RSM Lecture, Seforosa Carroll and Naomi Wolfe will anchor a panel conversation with Theresa Ardler, Maxine Chi, Helena Kadmos, Annemarie McLaren and others. The evening will begin with reflection, led in part by Anna Meszaros on her artwork installed at the front of CTM, featuring 5 midwives of mission who contradict oppression.
Date: 31 October 5.00pm
Click here for more details

Justice and International Mission Convention 2024
2024-10-05 09:00 - 16:15 | VIC
When: Saturday 5 October, 9 am – 4:15 pm

Where: Centre for Theology and Ministry, 29 College Crescent, Parkville

Cost: $40 Metropolitan/ $25 Concession and Rural and Regional/$10 online (morning sessions only)

Register Below:
https://events.humanitix.com/justice-and-international-mission-convention-2024

Thinking Otherwise: Feminist Theologies
2024-09-30 11:00 - 2024-10-04 17:00 | VIC
Four Day Intensive(30 Sep-1 Oct, 3-4 Oct)
Rev Dr Christy Capper, Professor Katharine Massam & Rev Assoc Prof Monica Melanchthon
Discover the layers and variations of meaning in the term “feminist” and explore a range of contemporary social issues using approaches from feminist theologies. This interdisciplinary unit surveys the history of feminism as a term and charts the increasing significance of feminism in Christian theological discourse since the 1980s, as well as resistance to it. It pays particular attention to the intersection of feminism with other theologies of liberation, against structures of oppression. With a grounding in the significance of feminist methods, hermeneutics and approaches to reading and interpreting Scripture, and the consequent impact on feminist theologising, analysis of Christian doctrine, and the understanding of Christian tradition and liturgical life, you will be equipped to examine the actual and potential contribution of feminist insights to shaping nuanced and vibrant theological perspectives.
Enquire here

Providing Safety and Support for LGBTQA People of Faith
2024-09-13 09:30 - 13:30 | VIC
Presented by Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Comm and U-Div.
Click here to read more.

Northey Lecture: Rejecting Eurocentric Christianity: Embracing Hopelessness
2024-09-12 18:30 - 20:30 | VIC
Rejecting Eurocentric Christianity: Embracing Hopelessness
Northey Lecturer: Dr Miguel de la Torre
Date: 12 September 2024
Time: 6:30 pm
Venue: Pilgrim Theological College, 29 College Crescent, Parkville, 3052 and online
Many living on the margins of colonial/missionary ventures have uncritically accepted eurocentric Christianity, a faith ideology which legitimizes and normalizes the current global economic hegemony. For any theological perspective to be liberative, it must first reject the very faith tradition which masks and justifies this worldview which fails to critically analyze the link between bowing one’s knees to the eurocentric Jesus and the eurocentric power arrangements. By rejecting a theology of hope, and instead embracing a theology of hopelessness, a liberative ethical methodology of resistance can be developed.
Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre – Cuban, international scholar, documentarian, novelist, academic author, and scholar activist, serves as Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO, USA. Dr. De La Torre’s academic pursuit is social ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. He has published forty-five books, six of which have won national awards and over a hundred articles. His most recent book Resisting Apartheid America: Living the Badass Gospel (Eerdmans, 2023) is the conclusion to the trilogy comprised of Burying White Privilege: Resurrecting a Badass Christianity (Eerdmans, 2018), and Decolonizing Christianity: Becoming Badass Believers (Eerdmans, 2021). As a Fulbright scholar, he has taught in several parts of the world. He is the co-founder of the Society of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion and was its executive director from 2013-2017. He is also the founding editor of the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion. Among his many achievements are the most recent awards – the American Academy of Religion awards for “Excellence in Teaching” in 2020, and the “Martin E. Marty Public Understanding of Religion Award,” in 2021. De La Toree is also the screenwriter of Trails of Hope and Terror – a documentary on immigration, which has screened in over eighteen film festivals winning over seven awards. To know more, check out his website: www.drmigueldelatorre.com.

Register here.

Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry
2024-08-06 10:00 - 2024-08-20 16:00 | VIC
Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry – Leader is a 3-day program designed to give participants an introduction to the key concepts and practices of ministering with congregations and agencies in times of transition.
While it is a stand-alone program, it is also the first phase of training that leads to being qualified as an Intentional Interim Minister. Thus, it is useful in itself for anyone in lay or ordained ministry, and also for those exploring whether they are called to Intentional Interim Ministry.
Who is this course for?

People in Presbytery leadership Roles

People in the latter half of Third Phase of Ministry

Ministers intending to do significant amounts of supply

Ministers moving from chaplaincy/agency roles into congregational ministry

Ministers in placements going through significant transitions, such as looking for new mission directions, contemplating combining/closing, moving to resource ministry.

We’re delivering the course ONLINE on August 6, 13 and 20th.
Day 1 of 3: Tuesday August 6th 2024
Day 2 of 3: Tuesday August 13th 2024
Day 3 of 3: Tuesday August 20th 2024
Each day is 10am -4pm
This course is delivered fully online via Zoom. This is a nation-wide training, and people from all Synods are warmly welcomed to register.

Registration: https://events.humanitix.com/fundamentals-of-transitional-ministry-part-1-the-work-of-the-leader

Cost: $300

Northey Lecture: Amy Plantinga Pauw
2024-07-18 19:30 - 21:00 | VIC
The past Northey Lecture was delivered by Professor Amy Plantinga Pauw speaking on Church in Ordinary Time: A Wisdom Ecclesiology.
Abstract: The doctrine of creation has been missing in most theological accounts of the church. That has made it harder for Christians to make common cause with others in a religiously pluralistic world and to address the ecological threat we all face as creatures. This lecture will outline a wisdom ecclesiology that takes the doctrine of creation seriously in thinking about the church.
Amy Plantinga Pauw is the Henry P. Mobley Professor of Doctrinal Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Winter Intensive: Church: Gods Polycentric Experimental Community
2024-07-18 09:00 - 2024-07-23 17:00 | VIC
Five Day Intensive
Rev Assoc Prof Geoff Thompson, Rev Prof John Flett & Prof Amy Platinga Pauw
This unit explores the roots of the Christian community in the messianic ministry of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ and the sending of the Spirit. It highlights the diverse embodiments of the church found in the New Testament and presents them as evidence of the ferment and de facto experimentation which characterised the formation and self-understandings of early Christianity. The ecclesiologies built around the classic marks of the church will be surveyed, but this survey will demonstrate that such ecclesiologies often obscure the experimentation which properly belongs to reflections on the Christian community. The Reformation’s disruption of the Western church, the modern missionary and ecumenical movements, the emergence of the ‘global church,’ and ecclesiastical scandals and corruption all provide the background to the contemporary recognition of ecclesiological ferment and recent discussions about the polycentricity of Christianity. This ferment will be framed Christologically and pneumatologically in ways that provide theological foundations for experimental reflection on the church’s mission, structures, and sacramental practices. The unit will include some focus on the relevance of these issues to the vocation of the Uniting Church in Australia.

DELIVERY NOTES This intensive will extend over five days straddling the third weekend of July (with a rest day on the Sunday). The unit will include an evening public lecture to be delivered by Prof Amy Plantinga Pauw on July 18th, 7:30 pm at Brunswick Uniting Church, 214 Sydney Road, Brunswick. Online support will be provided between the conclusion of the intensive and the conclusion of the assessment tasks.
PREREQUISITES CT100P

To see more details about our Winter Intensives for 2024, click here.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Details
Undergraduate (CT2011P)

Articulate the key critical issues in theological debates about the nature, purposes and practices of Christianity communities.
Explain the emergence of Christian Communities as the consequence of Jesus’ messianic ministry.
Describe the diversity of the ecclesiologies indicated in the New Testament
Explain the significance of the Reformation, the modern ecumenical movement, and the polycentric ‘global church’ for contemporary discussions of ministry and mission.
Integrate the themes of polycentricity and experimentation into an understanding of the church’s witness in contemporary Australia, with particular reference to the vocation of the Uniting Church in Australia

Assessment
Task 1 – Learning Resource – Study Guide for a Local Community of Faith
A Study Guide which introduces the diverse ecclesiologies of the New Testament intended for use in a local community of faith. (900 words)
Task 2 – Minor Essay
An essay which critically studies the ecclesiology of either a particular ecclesiastical tradition or a significant theologian. (1350 words)
Task 3 – Major Essay
An essay which investigates themes of experimentation and polycentricity in contemporary ecclesiology (2250 words)

Undergraduate (DA2011P/DM2011P)
Task 1 – Learning Resource – A Study Guide which introduces the diverse ecclesiologies of the New Testament intended for use in a local community of faith.
A Study Guide which introduces the diverse ecclesiologies of the New Testament intended for use in a local community of faith (900 words).
Task 2 – Essay – Minor
An essay which critically studies the ecclesiology of either a particular ecclesiastical tradition or a significant theologian (1350 words).
Task 3 – Essay -Major Essay
An essay which investigates the themes of experimentation and polycentricity in contemporary ecclesiology (2250 words).

Postgraduate (CT8011P)
Learning Outcomes and Assessment Details

Articulate the key critical issues in theological debates about the nature, purposes and practices of Christian communities
Explain the historical and theological background to the emergence of Christian communities as the consequence of Jesus’ messianic ministry
Describe the diversity of the ecclesiologies evident in the New Testament and explain the relevance of the language of ‘experimentation’ to this diversity
Assess the respective significance of the Reformation, the modern ecumenical movement, and the ‘global church’ for the contemporary discussions of polycentric ecclesiology
Demonstrate the relationships between eccleisology, Christology and pneumatology as they inform the mission of the church.
Integrate the themes of polycentricity and experimentation into an understanding of the church’s witness in contemporary Australia, which particular reference to the vocation of the Uniting Church in Australia

Task 1 – Learning Resource – Study guide for a Local Community of Faith
A Study Guide which introduces the diverse ecclesiologies of the New Testament intended for use in a local community of faith (1400 words)
Task 2 – Essay – Minor Essay
An essay which critically studies the ecclesiology of either a particular ecclesiastical tradition or a significant theologian (2100 words)
Task 3 – Essay – Major Essay
An essay which investigates the themes of experimentation and polycentricity in contemporary ecclesiology (word 3500)

Postgraduate (DA8011P/DM8011P)
Assessment
Task 1 – Learning Resource A Study Guide which introduces the diverse ecclesiologies of the New Testament intended for use in a local community of faith.
A Study Guide which introduces the diverse ecclesiologies of the New Testament intended for use in a local community of faith (1400 words).
Task 2 – Essay – Minor Essay
An essay which critically studies the ecclesiology of either a particular ecclesiastical tradition or a significant theologian (2100 words).
Task 3 – Major Essay
An essay which investigates the themes of experimentation and polycentricity in contemporary ecclesiology (3500 words).

Winter Intensive: The Nurture and Spiritual Guidance of Children
2024-07-08 09:00 - 2024-07-12 17:00 | VIC
Five Day Intensive
Elizabeth Waldron-Anstice
Contemporary cultures may idealise, sentimentalise, dramatise, catastrophise and marginalise children, but in what ways do we spiritualise children? How do we speak of children’s spirituality, and how may we form and inhabit communities that enable the spiritual lives of children to thrive and contribute? This unit calls and resources participants to explore historical, trans-cultural and contemporary issues in the spiritual life and the spiritual development of children, cognizant of this complex ethical and economic global landscape. It examines links between Scripture, theological thought, spiritual and psychological development, and ministry with children. The unit seeks to develop greater awareness and sensitivity to the spiritual lives of children in theological reflection, informing ministry practices of protection and respect in pastoral care and faith formation, and attend to the often neglected childhood spiritual experiences of the adult practitioner theologian which underlie pastoral and ministry responses to children.

DELIVERY NOTES This unit provides immersive multi-sensory learning, meeting face to face at the CTM (or online synchronously by prior arrangement), Parkville from 9am-5pm each day of the intensive. This unit is also available in the External-Online Synchronous mode and will meet at the same time as the intensive. Learning is interactive, collaborative, and combines academic investigation with grounded age-sensitive ministry practices. There is no required pre-reading.

PREREQUISITES Students taking this unit for credit are required to have completed one unit in field D (Practical Theology).

To see more details about our Winter Intensives for 2024, click here.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Details
Undergraduate (DP2030Z)

Describe diverse theologies and age-sensitive theories of faith formation, within and beyond Australian western Christian traditions.
Reflect theologically on childhood spiritual experiences, identifying aspects of ministry which aim to value, respect and protect children through pastoral care and faith formation support.
Interpret the significance of Nye’s framework of spirituality (love for the self, the other, the environment and the Divine) in cultural and age-sensitive pastoral practice.
Recognise and reflect on spiritual experiences from childhood to the present.

Assessment

Task 1 – Seminar or Tutorial
Tutorial report and presentation (1100 words)
Task 2 – Integrative exegesis
Integrative exegesis (1100 words)
Task 3 – Essay
Essay (2300 words)

Undergraduate (DP3030Z)

Articulate the key critical issues in theological debates about the nature, purpose and practices of Christianity communities
Explain the emergence of Christian communities as the consequence of Jesus’ messianic ministry
Describe the diversity of the ecclesiologies indicated in the New Testament
Explain the significance of the Reformation, the modern ecumenical movement, and the polycentric ‘global church’ for contemporary discussions of ministry and mission
Intergrate the themes of polycentricity and experimentation into an understanding of the church’s witness in contemporary Australia, with particular reference to the vocation of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Assessment
Task 1 – Seminar or Tutorial
Tutorial report and presentation (1250 words)
Task 2 – Essay
Integrative exegesis (1250 words)
Task 3 – Essay
Essay (2500 words)

Postgraduate (DP9030Z)

Demonstrate an awareness of and informed critique of a range of views relating to the nurture and development of spirituality in children
Reflect theologically on aspects of ministry in protection, respect and valuing of children through pastoral care and religious education
Recognize, articulate and integrate within a practice framework the pastoral significance of love for the self, the other, the environment and the Divine as part of spirituality in the life of the child
Reflect on and demonstrate an ability to integrate spiritual experiences in life from childhood to the present
Critique and integrate, in reflection and practice, sound educational theory and theories of faith development

Assessment
Task 1 – Essay
3000 word essay (3000 words)
Task 2 – Tutorial Paper/Seminar Paper
1500 word tutorial report and oral presentation (1500 words)
Task 3 – Essay
1500 word response to scripture (1500 words)

Winter Intensive: Queer Theology
2024-06-27 09:00 - 2024-07-03 17:00 | VIC
Five Day Intensive
Rev Penny Jones & Rev Dr Josephine Inkpin
This unit will explore queer theology as it has emerged from queer theory, LGBTIQA justice struggles, and faith development and practice. It will acquaint students with the history and challenges of the term ‘queer’, and introduce the multiplicity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer Christian theologies that have emerged in recent decades. It will seek to analyse and critique theological loci and motifs of Christian theology, including the queering of scripture and hermeneutics and key theological doctrines. Exploring intersectional approaches, including postcolonial perspectives, queer art, action and contemporary reflection, participants will be enabled to assess critically the value and possibilities of queer theology for faith and society today.

DELIVERY NOTES
This course is delivered as a face to face and online synchronous Intensive over five weekdays, (Thursday Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). The class will meet from 9 am to 5 pm (including scheduled breaks) on 27 – 28 June and 1 – 3 July. In addition to the intensive classes, there are three scheduled online Zoom seminars for two hours on Tuesday evenings, 13, 20 and 27 August. The seminars provide opportunities to present and workshop for Assignments 2 and 3 ahead of submission.

PREREQUISITES

Students taking this unit for credit are required to have completed:

One unit of Christian Thought
One unit of Biblical Studies

To see more details about our Winter Intensives for 2024, click here.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Details
Undergraduate (CT3001P)

describe ‘queer theory’ as it relates to religious, especially Christian studies
describe the history of queer identities and formulations within religious studies
engage in theological discussion, both oral and written, about queer theological texts
critically analyse contemporary issues surrounding queer identities and religion in an informed manner
express the value and possibilities of queer theology to others

Task 1 – Essay
Essay critically analysing the nature of queer theology (1000 words)
Task 2 – Analysis of a Queer Text/Artwork/Event
Presentation analysing theologically a queer text, artwork or event (1000 words or equivalent time in explanation)
Task 3 – Essay
Essay critically exploring a significant feature of queer theology (3000 words)
Postgraduate (CT9001P)

critically evaluate queer theory as it relates to religious, especially Christian studies
assess critically the history of queer identities and formulations within religious studies
apply reflective understanding to theological discussion, both oral and written, about queer theological texts
develop a critical analysis of contemporary issues surrounding queer identities and religion
articulate a developed expression of the value and possibilities of queer theology to others

Task 1 – Essay
Essay critically analysing the nature of queer theology (1000 words)
Task 2 – Analysis of a Queer Text/Artwork/Event
Presentation analysing theologically a queer text, artwork or event which is also submitted in writing (2000 words)
Task 3 – Essay
Essay critically exploring a significant feature of queer theology (4000 words)

Theology on Tap with John Flett
2024-05-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Clyde Hotel, Cardigan St, Carlton
Professor John Flett will be speaking at Theology on Tap in Carlton on Monday 13th May. John is the Professor of Intercultural Theology and Missiology at Pilgrim Theological College and will be talking about “why intercultural theology is the only future theology”.
John holds a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary where he undertook a ground-breaking examination of the history and theology of missio Dei, later published as The Witness of God (Eerdmans, 2010). His Habilitationschrift, undertaken at the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal, developed a critical account the church’s apostolicity, understanding the embodiment of the faith in cultural difference as fundamental to the continuity of the faith through time. This appeared as Apostolicity: The Ecumenical Question in World Christian Perspective (IVP Academic, 2016) and was recognised as one of the IBMR’s Ten Outstanding Books in Mission Studies, World Christianity, and Intercultural Theology of 2016. His most recent work (2020) with Henning Wrogemann, titled Questions of Context: Reading a Century of German Mission Theology, examined the range of ideas that underly the theories of contextualisation and the related consequences for local embodiments of the faith.
Theology on Tap is an informal gathering for anyone who likes to discuss theology and related topics. It is organised by The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy.
7pm, Monday 13th May at the Clyde Hotel in Carlton.
All are welcome, but please RSVP through the event page on Facebook.

Book launch: Reading the Bible in Australia
2024-05-02 17:30 - 19:00 | Centre for Theology & Ministry, 29 College Cres, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
You are warmly invited to the launch of Reading the Bible in Australia edited by Deborah Storie, Barbara Deutschmann, and Michelle Eastwood. Robyn Whitaker, Associate Professor of New Testament at Pilgrim, will launch the book. She will be joined by Naomi Wolfe, Rev Dr Graham Cole and Dr Jonathan Cornford who will be part of a panel discussing the book and its implications for reading the Bible in Australia.
Reading the Bible in Australia is a collection of essays that invite reflection about how the Bible matters to Australia. Contributors probe intersections between vital debates about Australian identity (who we have been, are, and aspire to become) and the Bible, bringing a range of perspectives to critical themes–indigeneity, colonization, and migration; landscape, biodiversity, and climate; gender and marginality; economics, ideology, and rhetoric. Each chapter explores the past and present influence of a biblical text or theme. Some offer fresh contextually and ethically informed readings. All interrogate the wider outcomes of reading the Bible in different ways. Given the tragic consequences of how it has been used historically, and sometimes still is, some Australians would exclude the Bible and its interpreters from public debate. Yet, as Meredith Lake’s The Bible in Australia demonstrates, “a degree of biblical literacy–along with critical skill in evaluating how the Bible has been taken up and interpreted in our history–can only help Australians grapple well with the choices Australia faces.” Love it or hate it, there is no getting around the reality that the Bible, and how it is read, still matters.
5.30pm on Thursday 2nd May
Yuma Auditorium, Centre for Theology and Ministry, 29 College Crescent, Parkville.
Please RSVP by Friday 26 April through the link – https://events.humanitix.com/reading-the-bible-in-australia-book-launch
