School Notes

Date posted:   Feb 24, 2021

The Church: People of God on a Mission

Photo of The Church: People of God on a Mission

Fee: $60
Six Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

featuring text by Dr. Morris Pelzel and videos of faculty from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

The church embodies a series of core dynamics: divine invitation and human response; gathering in order to be sent; membership and mission. Reflecting theologically on the way in which these dynamics are expressed in the church today makes up the discipline of “ecclesiology.”  Through this course, we explore the nature of the church including discussion of ministries, the church’s foundation in word and sacrament, and the call to be an evangelizing people about the work of transforming the world in light of the Gospel.

This course has a required text Morris Pelzel, Ecclesiology: The Church as Communion and Mission. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2002.  (Loyola Press) (Amazon)

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Topics

Introductory Week

Week 1: The Gathering of Disciples  

Week 2: Living Baptism in the Church Today Week

Week 3: Rooted in Word and Sacrament

Week 4: Forming an Evangelizing Church

Week 5: The Church’s Mission

Special Features

This course includes:

  • Weekly introductions to each new topic;
  • Links to a different published commentary or review of the book each week;
  • Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
  • A regularly updated Resources page for further study of topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

  • Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  • Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  • Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  • An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  • Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  • A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Morris Pelzel, Ecclesiology: The Church as Communion and Mission. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2002.

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories: Themes from Our ChristianTradition

Content Scholars: Morris Pelzel, Ph.D. (book) Resident Assistant Professor of Theology at Creighton University; John F. Baldovin, S.J. (video) Professor of Liturgy at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Margaret Eletta Guider, O.S.F. (video) Associate Professor of Missiology, Professora Ordinaria at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Richard Lennan, Dr.Theol (video) Professor of Systematic Theology, Professor Ordinarius at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; O. Ernesto Valiente, Ph.D. (video) Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.