At Ohio Valley University, we seek
to transform lives in a Christ-centered academic community
that integrates higher learning, biblical faith, and service to God and
humanity.
| Class days/times: MW 3:30-4:45pm Location: Stotts, Room #307 Instructor: Bruce Terry Office: Room 311 Phone: (304) 865-6120 (office); (304) 295-6486 (home) E-mail: bruce.terry@ovu.edu; Web site: http://bterry.com |
Office hours: M 3:00-5:00pm T 12:30-2:00; 3:00-5:00 pm W 3:00-5:00pm Th 12:30-2:00; 3:00-5:00 pm F by appointment only |
BIB 322 Introduction to Missions (3 credits) A study of biblical principles relating to world evangelism, with a survey of current world evangelism methods and how the most productive methods relate to Biblical methods. A practical ministry course. A writing enhanced course. Fulfills diversity requirement. Offered fall, even-numbered years.
This course will focus on missions with an examination of both what has succeeded and what has failed in previous missions efforts. The course will be build around the reading, reflecting, and discussion of three books about missions. Topics covered will include biblical foundations for missions, the missionary cycle, identification, ethnocentrism, cross-cultural communication, the indigenous church, church growth theory, team evangelism, strategy, leadership training, and field selection, among others.
This course addresses the following objectives of the Bible program:
Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (ESV). Consequently, this class will use biblical texts and references to texts to help the student grow in faith. But simply hearing is not enough. Jesus told those who believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32 ESV). So it is necessary to keep doing what we learn. In light of this, this course will also contain references to application of principles learned. One of the objectives is a faith objective. It will not be assessed for a grade, but life is such that it will be assessed, one way or another. My prayer is that you will pass that test of life.
There are no national standards for undergraduate study of the Bible. At OVU, we emphasize the biblical text and its application in our lives.
At the School of Biblical Studies, we seek to transform lives in a Christ-centered academic community by encouraging biblical faith to produce life-long truth-seekers who serve God in His kingdom throughout the world.
Assessment of whether the objectives have been met will be based on the student's performance on homework and tests assigned by the teacher and on the student's ability to do relevant analysis on his or her own in papers described below. Academic abilities assessed include reading with understanding skills as evidenced by a reading reports and classroom discussion; writing skills as evidenced by reading reports; and memory organization and retention as evidenced by major exams.
Your grade for the class will be based on three major exams (including a comprehensive final exam), 21 one-page reports over the readings, 4 two-page reports over the readings, and attendance and participation in class. Exam questions can come from the assigned readings from either the textbooks, articles and essays, or the New Testament. The final exam will cover material from the whole course.
The one and two-page reports should be typed. The pages of the typed papers are a minimum of full pages. One page is defined as 27 double-spaced typewritten lines (counting the title, but not your name or page numbers) with 1" margins. The typed papers should be written using the Turabian style guide. The two-page reports should have a cover sheet. If the reports have only one source, the bibliographical entry may be placed immediately under the title rather than on a separate page. A report that is short or of little substance will be accepted only for half-credit. Since this is a writing enhanced course, a minimum of 20 pages, eight of which are graded, must be written to pass with a C. One bonus point will be given to those who successfully complete 28.2 points in writing.
Ten points will be given for attendance. One point will be deducted for each class missed, including those missed for illness. The only exception to this will be those who miss on official school business and have an official notice to this effect; up to five such absences will not count against the student's grade if the student has no unexcused absences. Two grace days will be given to all students to allow for absences due to illness and excused absences for official school business. Note well: Grace days will be applied first to excused absences.
Additional readings/quizzes/essays/maps may be assigned.
All work is expected to be turned in on time. If for some reason you cannot make the due date, please ask my permission to turn the work in late. Late reading reports will be accepted for only half credit, since the readings will be discussed in class. Reports which are both late and short will be accepted only for quarter credit.
No paper will be accepted that is more than two weeks late. A paper that is more than one week late may not be rewritten, except in unusual circumstances. A paper must be at least 75% of assigned length in order to be rewritten. The grade on a paper which is rewritten may be increased on content, length, and mechanical errors. No grade will be given to a paper which contains enough mechanical errors to dock the score by a letter grade (i.e., 40 mechanical errors). It will be turned back without a score and the rewrite counted as late. Be sure to proofread and spell check! The English proficiency test sets the minimum standard for college papers.
Students who are absent on exam days with good reason may schedule a make-up exam within the next week. You must ask to take a make-up exam.
Students who score less than a 70 on a major exam may petition to retake the exam within a week after grades are returned on it. The highest grade on any retake exam will be 70. Once again, you must ask to retake an exam. There will be no retakes on the final exam. Study hard for it.
The final grade will be based on your work in the following way:
Attendance/Participation 10%
Reading Reports 30%
Major Tests 40%
Final Exam 20%
Extra credit in these areas will not be allowed to exceed these percentages. Your final grade will be A, B, C, D, or F. An A will be given for an average of 100-90, a B for 89-80, a C for 79-70, a D for 69-60, and an F for any average below 60.
Because Ohio Valley University expects students to follow the highest standards of honorable conduct in all areas of life, it is essential that students maintain high standards of academic integrity. Cheating, plagiarizing (whether intentionally misrepresenting another's work as one's own or failing to follow appropriate requirements of documentation), and helping others to cheat or plagiarize are all violations of these standards. Students who engage in these behaviors will face appropriate consequences, which could include failing the assignment in question, failing the course, or being dismissed from the University. A student who believes that he or she is being treated unjustly may file an appeal with the VPAA; the student must initiate the appeal within 48 hours after receiving notification of the consequence. Appeal procedures are available in the office of the VPAA.
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's work as your own, whether you mean to or not. Copying or paraphrasing passages from another writer's work without acknowledging that you've done so is plagiarism. Translating passages from another writer's work in another language without acknowledging that you've done so is plagiarism. Copying another writer's work without putting the material in quotation marks is plagiarism, even if credit is given. Allowing another writer to write any part of your essay is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a serious crime. The maximum penalty at OVU is expulsion from the University.
Plagiarism is easy to avoid. Simply acknowledge the source of any words, phrases, or ideas that you use. If you're not sure how to quote or paraphrase a source or if you need help with the format of endnotes or bibliographies, check with me. While you can (and in fact should) seek the help and advice of friends, classmates, and tutors, be sure that your written work is completely your own.
Regular class attendance is most important. Instructors are responsible for recording and reporting attendance in each of their classes. Attendance at 75% of the scheduled class meeting is required to receive credit for a given course; in other words, if a student misses 25% or more class sessions including both excused and unexcused absences, the student will fail the course.
Attendance in class is mandatory; it will be part of the basis for the grade given. If you cannot attend for good reason, either notify me beforehand or as soon as possible afterward. This applies even if you have an excused absence. You will be expected to do all work of any classes missed, except for pop quizzes. If you do not intend to attend regularly, kindly withdraw from the class now.
Do NOT miss class simply because you do not have an assignment finished. Do NOT miss class if you can possibly come; save any absences for sickness or death in the family. If you have an extended illness, please contact me to let me know.
Kindly try to be a class on time. If you are consistently tardy for no good reason, I reserve the right to count three tardies as an absence. I do count half absences.
If you have to leave early, please inform me before class. Do not schedule extra work, doctor's appointments, etc. during class time if at all possible. If you are too frequent in leaving early, I reserve the right to count early departures as a partial absence, adversely affecting your grade.
Absences may be excused if you bring me documentation that you were hospitalized, ill with a contagious disease, involved in an accident, on school business (up to five hours), or there was a death in the immediate family. More than five hours of absences which include three hours of unexcused absence will result in your being dropped from the course with either a W or an F at my discretion. You may pay a fine and petition to be reinstated. Additional unexcused absences will result in your being dropped without future reinstatement. No credit will be given for a course in which absences, both excused and unexcused, total more than 25% of the hours of the course (i.e., as many as 12 class hours, counting each class as 1½ hours). Should you approach this limit, you will be asked to withdraw from the course (if possible). I reserve the right to drop you from the course as a warning once you have at least 5 total absences. If you are dropped for any reason, reinstatement is not guaranteed and will be granted only if a plan for success is presented. Note well: Absences may adversely affect your grade, as outlined above under the topic Course Requirements. A drop from your only Bible course may affect your ability to enroll in the next semester.
Please turn off cell phones before entering class. If you should have wireless service in the classroom, do not use your messaging service on your laptop or PDA. I reserve the right to count you absent should you disregard this. Cell phone use for voice or text during a test will result in failure of that test.
If you have a diagnosed disability and need special accommodations, please notify the Office of the VPAA before or immediately after your first scheduled class meeting. After your disability has been verified, inform your instructor and your instructor will work with you and the Office of the VPAA to insure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in the course.
Elkins, Phillip Wayne. 1974. Church-sponsored missions. Austin, TX: Firm Foundation Publishing House.
Luzbetak, Louis J. 1970. The church and cultures. Teckny, IL: Divine Word Publications.
Paden, Gerald. 2002. Supporting national preachers. Lubbock, TX: Sunset School of Preaching. Web Page On-line. Available at <http://bible.ovc.edu/missions/articles/natpreach.htm>.
MAJOR EXAM DATES: Exam 1 -- Thursday, October 2, 2008
Exam 2 -- Thursday, November 6, 2008
Final Exam -- Tuesday, December 16, 2008
3:00p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
WEEK ONE: 8/28/08 -- Introduction to the Course / The Biblical Imperative WEEK TWO:
homework: read Harvey, Writing with Sources
read Guidelines, chaps. 1-2 (#1)
write introduction of self (extra credit)
9/ 2/08 -- The Biblical Imperative
homework: read Foundations, chaps. 1-2 (#2)
9/ 4/08 -- Biblical Foundations and Motives
WEEK THREE:
homework: read Methods, chaps. 2-3 (#3)
9/ 9/08 -- Strategic Points and Class Structure
homework: read Methods, chaps. 4-5 (#4)
9/11/08 -- The Effects of Moral & Social Conditions and Miracles
WEEK FOUR: homework: read Foundations, chap. 3 (#5) 9/16/08 -- The Missionary Cycle homework: read Foundations, chap. 4 (#6)
read Guidelines, chap. 4 (#7)
9/18/08 -- Identification
WEEK FIVE: homework: read Foundations, chap. 5 (#8) 9/23/08 -- Entering a Culture homework: read Foundations, chap. 6 (#9)
write 2-page report on ethnocentrism
9/25/08 -- Ethnocentrism
WEEK SIX: homework: read Foundations, chap. 7 (#10)
read Guidelines, chap. 3 (#11)
9/30/08 -- Cross-Cultural Communications
homework: study for test
10/ 2/08 -- Major Exam
WEEK SEVEN:
homework: read Methods, chap. 6 (#12)
10/ 7/08 -- Handling Finances on the Mission Field
homework: read G. Paden's article (#13)
write 2-page report on foreign support
10/ 9/08 -- National Preachers
WEEK EIGHT: homework: read Guidelines, chap. 5 (#14)
10/14/08 -- Church Growth, Bridges of God,and Missionary Fog
homework: read class handout by Elkins (#15)
10/16/08 -- Missionary Institutions
WEEK NINE: homework: read Methods, chaps. 7-8 (#16) 10/21/08 -- Paul's Preaching and Teaching
10/23/08 -- TBA
World Mission Workshop
WEEK TEN: homework: read Methods, chaps. 9-10 (#17) 10/28/08 -- Baptism, Ordination, and Church Discipline homework: read scriptures and handout by Luzbetak (#18) write 2-page report on Christo-paganism
10/30/08 -- Christo-paganism
WEEK ELEVEN: homework: read Guidelines, chap. 9 (#19) 11/ 4/08 -- Team Evangelism homework: study for test 11/ 6/08 -- Major Exam WEEK TWELVE: homework: read scriptures and articles as assigned 11/11/08 -- Group Conversions in Acts homework: read Foundations, chaps. 8-9 (#20) 11/13/08 -- Mission Strategy 11/14/08 -- Last Day to Drop a Class with a "W" -- Stick with it to the end! WEEK THIRTEEN: homework: read Foundations, chap. 10 (#21) read Guidelines, chap. 7 (#22) 11/18/08 -- Leadership Training and Church Maturation homework: read Foundations, chap. 11 (#23) 11/20/08 -- Field Selection (Receptive Areas) THANKSGIVING BREAK WEEK FOURTEEN: homework: as assigned 12/ 2/08 -- Field Selection (Unreached Areas) homework: read Guidelines, chap. 10 (#24) write 2-page report on the 10-40 window
12/ 4/08 -- Women in Missions
WEEK FIFTEEN:
homework: read Guidelines, chap. 12 (#25)
12/ 9/08 -- The Local Church as Missionary Society
12/11/08 -- Catch Up, Evaluation
WEEK SIXTEEN: Final Exam Week
homework: study for final exam
12/16/08 -- Final Exam (3:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.)
N. B.: Homework is listed before the class for which it is due!
THIS SYLLABUS MAY BE MODIFIED AS THE TEACHER FEELS NECESSARY!
